Internet Resources for Psychology

Have you noticed that the internet is filled with a vast quantity of psychology sites? Hours of browsing time can be spent looking at a variety of websites. I know. I've done it. If you are looking for relevant sites, here are some that I recommend as being interesting or useful to introductory psychology students. I would be pleased to hear from you about additional resources.

TOPIC AREAS
  History and Systems
The original texts of classics in the history of psychology are available online.  Find out what happened in psychology on your birthday from a daily calendar of events in the history of psychology.

  Research Methods
When you are developing a research question, you must specify the variables precisely.

  Physiological Psychology
Although the site is called Neuroscience for Kids, you can discover the information maybe you didn't get about the neuron and the brain when you were a kid.

  Comparative Psychology
Comparative Psychology is frequently neglected in introductory psychology textbooks.  This is the area of psychology for those interested in animal behavior or ethology, where psychology combines with zoology. Explore some of the classic studies in comparative psychology.

  Life-Span Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology deals with topics from conception to death.  The capabilities of the unborn human are described at the fetal senses website.  Childhood and adolescence are important areas of research in developmental psychology.  Mid-life (hello, baby-boomers) and late adulthood (hello, AARP) are also receiving more research attention.

  Sensation and Perception
We learn about the world through our senses.  Sensation is the process of detecting stimuli and perception is understanding what is being sensed.  For a psychologist, sensation and perception are two different processes.

  Consciousness, Sleep and Dreaming
There are stages of sleep that occur over the course of the night.  Dreams typically occur during the "REM" stage, which is characterized by rapid eye movements.  Efforts have been made to analyze dream content scientifically.  There are different theories about the function of dreams.

  Learning: Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning
Classical conditioning is when a neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response after being paired with a stimulus that already elicits that responses.  If Pavlov pairs ringing a bell (a neutral stimulus) with food (which elicits salivation), then the bell comes to elicit salivation. Operant conditioning occurs when the probability of a behavior recurring depends the consequences of that behavior.  If Skinner rewards a rat for pressing a lever, then the likelihood that the rat will press the lever again increases.

  Cognition: Memory, Language, and Thought
Cognitive psychology includes the topics of memory, language, and thought.  Sometimes we need to develop study skills, such as the SQ3R technique, to improve our memory. Psychologists are curious about whether other animals, including our fellow primates, are capable of language.  Problem solving and decision making are also investigated by cognitive psychologists.

  Intelligence and Assessment
Two modern ways of looking at intelligence assume that there are multiple kinds of intelligences: Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of Intelligence and Gardner's Multiple Intelligences.

  Motivation and Emotion
Hunger is a basic motivation.  We believe we eat things because we are hungry.  Emotions may be reflected in facial expressions.

  Stress and Coping
Coping with stress is important to your health.

  Social Psychology
Psychologists who specialize in social psychology are interested in many aspects of group behavior.  Follow the links to aspects of social or group behavior that are of interest to you.

  Personality
Different personality theorists have different assumptions about the nature of personality. Have you noticed how interested we are in tests of our own personality traits?  Why?  Don't we already know ourselves?

  Psychological Disorders
Here is a list of various psychological disorders and their symptoms.  

  Psychotherapy
The internet has sites devoted to particular types of therapy, such as this site that describes group therapy.

  Applied Psychology
Human Factors and Ergonomics
Industrial/Organizational Psychology

  Student Recommendations
Psychology students have made recommendations about internet sites they have discovered. 
PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
  American Psychological Association
APA has information for students interested in majoring in psychology and information on mental health and psychological issues of interest to the public.

The following organizations are listed here for my convenience:
  American Psychological Society  APS  
  Human Factors and Ergonomics Society  HFES  
  Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology  SSPP

ONLINE JOURNALS
  Journal of Psychological Inquiry
Research articles by undergraduate psychology students can be published here.

  Psycholoquy
Psycholoquy in an online peer-reviewed journal which can be searched by subject, author, or keyword.

MAILING LISTS AND NEWSGROUPS
The Megapsych website includes discussion lists for psychology students.
TEXTBOOK PUBLISHERS

McGraw-Hill has a website called PsyCafe.

Brooks/Cole

REFERENCES AND SEARCH ENGINES
  Google
Currently my favorite search engine.

  Yahoo!
The Yahoo psychology listing has consistently disappointed me when I have tried it, but maybe you'll find it useful.

And, for when you have too much time on your hands, a
LIST OF LISTS
 MegaPsych
MegaPsych is a full-spectrum listing of psychology websites.
  Psychweb
Psychweb is one of the original psychology websites for students.
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Last revision:  early 21st century