APA Shinrigaku Daijiten (APA Dictionary of Psychology)

The American Psychological Association (APA) is a leading American academic psychology organization established in 1982. With a membership of more than 110,000, it is the world’s largest psychological institution. This is a Japanese-language version of the APA Dictionary of Psychology, which the Association has compiled under the direction of its editorial committee consisting of more than 100 researchers and medical specialists. It goes without saying that psychology is a discipline that aims to explain human minds, but its scope is vast. It is necessary to have precise understanding of terminology used in a variety of fields and methodologies. This dictionary has a selection of approximately 20,000 terms from psychology and associated fields, covering perception, cognition, memory, motivation, experiments, learning, statistics, brain sciences, languages, development, communication, physiology, education, personality, human relationships, psychomedicine, psychoanalysis, clinical psychology, counseling, psychological tests, cultural anthropology, industry/organization, and forensic psychology. Definitions, basic concepts and usage succinctly explained. The dictionary is characterized by its large number of entries and unambiguous, concise descriptions. It serves well when kept within reach when reading psychological publications and research papers. It also has an encyclopedic aspect, as some key concepts are accorded relatively detailed explanations so that the reader may attain an in-depth understanding of the relevant themes. Another characteristic aspect is the emphasis on the inter-relationship between entries, facilitating cross-reference with synonyms, antonyms and related terms. By cross-referencing synonyms, antonyms, etc., readers may expand their vocabularies and enrich their understanding of the term they initially consulted. Many entries have synonyms and/or derivative terms which readers may follow to reach the most centrally- and often-used meaning of the term. Furthermore, as this is a Japanese translation of a dictionary originally written in English, it includes indices at the back of the book for corresponding English terms for all entries. These can be useful when translating English psychology papers into Japanese, or when finding English expressions corresponding to Japanese technical terms. In addition to basic terms in psychology, there is a rich body of items in clinical fields. Thus, this dictionary caters to a variety of users, from undergraduate and postgraduate students of psychology to practicing psychologists, clinical specialists, and various counselors. Anyone interested in psychology should also be able to enjoy the benefits of this best and most comprehensive reference material.
 

(Written by Yuko Yotsumoto, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences / 2017)