(with thanks to alum William Gillette for preparation of this page)
This page provides a brief summary of each of the fields of study within psychology, followed by web links to sites that provide further information. For a complete list, see the Divisions of the American Psychological Association at APA Online.
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Teaching Psychology.
If you are
interested in teaching at the high school level, you need to be certified.
Teaching certification can be obtained at the undergraduate or Master’s level
Teaching and Research in Psychology. If you're interested in teaching undergraduate, master's-level, or doctoral-level students, you will probably work in a university setting, where you will probably also do research. If you are not interested in teaching and want to focus on research, you can work for government agencies (for example, the Centers for Disease Control) or for private research organizations. To work as a psychologist in these settings, you typically will need a Ph.D. in psychology - -not in another field such as education or social work.
For more information on Teaching:
APA Division 2 - The Society for the Teaching of Psychology.
For more information on Research:
APA Division 3 - Experimental Psychology
Clinical psychologists
assess and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. These range from
short-term crises, such as difficulties resulting from adolescent rebellion, to
more severe, chronic conditions such as schizophrenia. Some clinical
psychologists treat specific problems exclusively, such as phobias or clinical
depression. Others focus on specific populations: youngsters, ethnic
minority groups, gays and lesbians, or the elderly, for instance.
Academy
of Clinical Psychology Medscape
- Clinical Psychiatry News
APA Division
12 - The Society of Clinical Psychology.
Counseling psychologists
help people to accommodate to change or to make changes in their lifestyle.
A counseling psychologist may provide vocational and career assessment and
guidance, help someone come to terms with the death of a loved one, help
students adjust to college, and people to stop smoking or overeating.
Counseling psychologists may also consult with physicians on physical problems
that have underlying psychological causes.
APA
Division 17 - Counseling
Psychology
Developmental psychologists
study the psychological development of the human being that takes place
throughout life. Until recently, the primary focus was on childhood and
adolescence, the most formative years. But as life expectancy in this
country approaches 80 years, developmental psychologists are becoming
increasingly interested in aging, especially in researching and developing ways
to help elderly people stay as independent as possible.
APA Division
7 - Developmental Psychology
Educational psychologists
study how effective teaching and learning take place. They consider a variety of
factors, such as human abilities, student motivation, and the effects on the
classroom of the diversity of races, ethnicities, and cultures that makes up
America.
APA
Division 15 - Educational Psychology
Engineering psychologists
conduct research on how people work best with machines. For example, how can a
computer be designed to prevent fatigue and eye strain? What arrangement
of an assembly line makes production most efficient? What is a reasonable
workload? Most engineering psychologists work in industry, but some are
employed by the government, particularly the Department of Defense. They are
often known as "human factors specialists."
APA Division
21 - Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology
Forensic psychologists
apply psychological principles to legal issues. Their expertise is often
essential in court. They can, for example, help a judge decide which
parent should have custody of a child, or evaluate a defendant's mental
competence to stand trial. Some forensic psychologists are trained in both
psychology and the law.
APA Division
41 - The American Psychology-Law Society
American Academy of
Forensic Psychology
Health psychologists
are interested in how biological, psychological, and social factors affect
health and illness. They identify the kinds of medical treatment people seek and
get; how patients handle illness; why some people don't follow medical
advice; and the most effective ways to control pain or to change poor
health habits. They also develop health care strategies that foster
emotional and physical well-being. Psychologists team up with medical
personnel in private practice and in hospitals to provide patients with complete
health care. They educate medical staff about psychological problems
that arise from the pain and stress of illness and about symptoms that may seem
to be physical in origin but actually have psychological causes. Health
psychologists also investigate issues that affect a large segment of society and
develop and implement programs to deal with these problems.
Examples are teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors,
smoking, lack of exercise, and poor diet.
APA Division
38 - Health Psychology
Industrial/organizational psychologists
apply psychological principles and research methods to the work place in the
interest of improving productivity and the quality of work life. Many serve as
human resources specialists, helping organizations with staffing, training, and
employee development and management in such areas as strategic planning, quality
management, and coping with organizational change.
APA Division
14 - The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Neuropsychologists
explore the relationships between brain systems and behavior. For example,
neuropsychologists may study the way the brain creates and stores memories, or
how various diseases and injuries of the brain affect emotion, perception, and
behavior. Neuropsychologists frequently help design tasks to study
normal brain functions with new imaging techniques, such as positron emission
tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and
functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI). Neuropsychologists
also assess and treat people. With the dramatic increase in the number of
survivors of traumatic brain injury over the past 30 years, neuropsychologists
are working with health teams to help brain-injured people resume productive
lives.
APA Division
40 - Clinical Neuropsychology
Quantitative and measurement
psychologists focus on methods and
techniques for acquiring and analyzing psychological data. Some develop
new methods for performing analysis; others create research strategies to
assess the effect of social and educational programs and psychological
treatment. They develop and evaluate mathematical models for psychological
tests. They also propose methods for evaluating the quality and fairness
of the tests.
APA
Division 5 - Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics
Rehabilitation psychologists work with stroke and accident victims, people with mental retardation, and those with developmental disabilities caused by such conditions as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism. They help clients adapt to their situation, frequently working with other health care providers.
APA Division 22 - Rehabilitation Psychology
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