Tech, Tools & Advice for Psychology Majors
Psychology students need three basic types of resources to negotiate their degree earning years and on to establishing a successful professional foundation: those that support in-class work; those that help with student success outside the classroom; and those that help graduates find that all-important first professional job. Fortunately, all three types are well represented online. Here are some of the best.
Education & Skill Development
The following resources focus on the acquisition and development of real knowledge, intellectual improvement and practical skills in the field of psychology. The information offered on these sites and in these courses provides a solid educational foundation in a broad variety subjects to anyone interested in psychology, and are especially helpful to psych students by supplementing their degree coursework.
Abnormal Psychology (iTunes U)
A 26-part podcast course covering the ways in which personality may become disordered, with emphasis on normal human development as highlighted by psychopathology and problems of treatment.
ALISON: Diploma in Psychology
ALISON is a global online learning community that provides free high-quality online education resources to help students develop “essential, certified workplace skills.” ALISON offers this course in psychology with an option to earn an official ALISON diploma.
Buddhism and Modern Psychology (Princeton University)
This course examines Buddhism and its practices (such as meditation) as they relate to modern psychological concepts.
The Brain and Space (Duke University)
This six-week, nine-unit course focuses on how the brain creates a sense of spatial location from a variety of sensory and motor sources, and how this spatial sense shapes cognitive abilities.
Classics in the History of Psychology
Website dedicated to presenting full texts of historically significant documents from the scholarly literature of psychology that are now in the public domain. Includes an extensive list of suggested primary source materials.
The Clinical Psychology of Children and Young People (University of Edinburgh)
Offered through Coursera. This course provides an introduction to the core models of psychological development and applied developmental psychology as it relates to the practice of clinical psychology of children and young people.
Discovering Psychology (Annenberg Learner)
Comprehensive learning series covering every aspect of the world of psychology through 26 chapters with titles such as “The Behaving Brain,” “The Developing Child” and “Cognitive Processes.” Includes an extensive glossary and list of psychology pioneers.
Encyclopedia of Psychology
Offered by Psychology.org, this is a comprehensive, open-source encyclopedia covering a variety of areas such as careers, paradigms and theories, and publications, along with additional reference materials.
Environmental Psychology (iTunes U)
Podcast lecture series that emphasizes the interdependence between the physical and social aspects of places.
Introduction to Psychology (MIT Open Courseware)
An introductory course that surveys the scientific study of human nature such as how the mind works and how the brain supports the mind. Topics covered include the mental and neural sources of perception, memory, cognition, psychopathology and many others.
Introduction to Psychology (Open Yale Courses)
This site offefree courses from the Department of Psychology at Yale University. Of particular note is its “Introduction of Psychology” whose video elements can be accessed on iTunes and YouTube.
Neuropsychotherapy
Offered through OpenLearning, this self-paced course is designed to help therapists and teachers adapt digital gamification and multimedia to provide effective brain stimulation.
Neuroscience and Behavior (MIT Open Courseware)
Undergraduate level course that covers the relation of structure and function at various levels of neuronal integration. Topics include sensory and motor systems, sleep and dreaming, motivation and reward.
Online Psychology Laboratory (OPL)
Funded by the National Science Foundation and part of the National Science Digital Library, OPL offers classic studies in psychology allowing students to participate and analyze data from their experiences.
Psychiatric Epidemiology (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
This course reviews descriptive and analytic epidemiology for major mental disorders of childhood, adulthood, and late adult life. Designed for students, researchers, epidemiologists and public health professionals.
Psycholinguistics (MIT Open Courseware)
This course involves topics in language processing, including the structure of language, discourse, speech processing and ambiguity resolution.
Psychological First Aid (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
This six-week course employs the RAPID model (Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition), to perspectives on injuries and trauma that are beyond those physical in nature. Offered through Coursera.
Social Psychology (MIT Open Courseware)
Another undergraduate course from MIT. Social Psychology offers an introduction to the subject and covers topics such as interpersonal and group dynamics, and how the thoughts, feelings and actions of the individual influence and are influenced by large and small groups.
The Science of Everyday Thinking (University of Queensland)
Offered through edX, this 12-week introductory course discusses the psychology of everyday thinking. Can be taken for free or for a verified certificate with fee.
Statistics for Psychosocial Research: Structural Models (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
Studies quantitative approaches to theory construction in relation to multiple response variables. Topics include the statistical basis for causal inference, latent class regression, and analysis of panel data with observed and latent variable models.
Academics & Research
The master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation are fundamental elements to the vast majority of psychology graduate programs available in the United States, although a few master’s programs offer completion of comprehensive exams in lieu of a formal thesis. In all cases, psychology grad students will be required to conduct a substantial amount of individual research in the course of earning their degrees. Online resources can prove to be extremely helpful to psychology students in their academic research work. A sample of what is available can be found by following the links below.
American Psychological Association – Dissertation and Research
This APA page acts as a basic guidebook for students to researching and writing a doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis as part of their psychology grad school program.
American Psychological Association – Library Research In Psychology
Another excellent APA page offering an overview of psychology resources for college students as well as a comprehensive list of APA resources.
Association for Psychological Science (APS) – Research Resources
Sponsored by APS at Hanover College. This research resources page offers links to and brief descriptions of source sites for information and data for a variety of psychology subfields and topics.
TheDataWeb
A service of the U.S. Census Bureau. Not strictly for psychology students, TheDataWeb provides a portal to Federal census, economic, family, health, income and labor data.
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
A unit within the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. The ICPSR maintains a data archive of more than one-half million files of research in the social sciences, including specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse and 12 other fields.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
One of the 27 institutions and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health. The NIMH is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. The site’s “Research Priorities” link will connect the visitor to a wealth of psychology-related government resources.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Another institute of the NIH, the NIDA offers a wealth of information and data on drugs and drug abuse including the Clinical Trials Network, with data on 3,000 patients from 13 clinical trials on substance abuse treatment.
NeuroMorpho.org
This site contains the world’s largest centralized, curated repository of digital reconstructions of neurons. Users can search for data based on several factors including species, brain region and cell types.
The NIH MRI Study of Normal Brain Development
Sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, this site provides access to MRI data on a representative sample of approximately 500 children and young adults.
Psychological Research on the Net
Index of hundreds of psychology-related research papers, with links and very brief topic descriptions. Listed by general subject.
Internships
One of the most important aspects to launching a successful career in any field is career prep, that is, the actions a student takes to make himself or herself known and attractive to potential employers before graduation. Here are some great sites psychology students can visit to help make that student/employer connection happen.
Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC)
This site provides an excellent search engine for information on internship and postdocs for psychology students located throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
The internship program’s goal is to prepare advanced doctoral-level students for entry-level professional clinical practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, advocacy and scientific investigation. This is a one-year clinical internship experience.
Children’s National Health System Psychology Internship Program
Children’s National, located in Washington, D.C., offers this pre-doctoral internship program in clinical and pediatric psychology. This is a full-year, full-time program that begins in July.
Duke University Psychology Internship Training Program
Offered through Duke’s Department of Psychiatry’s Division of Medical Psychology, this program provides one year of doctoral-level internship training in the essential skill areas of clinical psychology.
National Science Foundation: Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
The National Science Foundation’s REU program sponsors active research participation by undergraduates in all areas funded by the NSF. Details, qualifications and time periods vary by specific opportunity.
Northwestern University LGBTQ Health Psychology Internship Program
Located in Chicago, this one-year program is designed to prepare clinical psychologists for careers addressing the behavioral health needs of individuals in the LGBTQ community.
Ohio State University Clinical Mental Health Counseling Internship
Offered by OSU’s Counseling and Consultation Service, this 10-month internship is open to OSU students and provides advanced training in clinical counseling and the provision of supervised clinical interventions.
Stanford Medicine Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Pre-Doctoral Psychology Internship
This program is open to advanced level pre-doctoral students currently enrolled in APA accredited doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology. Interns receive training in assessment and treatment of children and families in several interdisciplinary settings.
University of Pennsylvania Clinical Psychology Internship Program
This full-time program is located at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. Interns rotate through services in other locations, including the acute inpatient unit, the community mental health program, the general medical hospital, and the palliative care cancer center.
Groups and Networking
Another important aspect to founding a solid career is to make oneself known to his or her academic peers and professional community, and the best way to do that is to connect with like-minded individuals through professional associations and societies, and on-campus groups and clubs, a number of which are listed here:
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ASSOCIATIONS & SOCIETIES
American Academy of Clinical Psychology(AACPSY)
The AACPSY is an organization of Board Certified Clinical Psychologists whose mission is to promote high quality services in the field by encouraging high standards and ethical practice.
American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)
The ABPP’s main function is to provide specialty board certification for psychologists in the United States. Visitors to the site can additionally search the Board’s directory of Certified Psychologists.
American Psychological Association (APA)
The best known of all psychology-related professional associations, the APA claims an active membership of over 120,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA includes over 55 divisions representing specific interest groups among its general membership.
Association of Black Psychologists (ABPSI)
The ABPSI is an independent organization of 1400 members whose purpose is to promote and advance the profession of African Psychology, influence and affect social change, and develop programs to solve problems in Black communities and other ethnic groups.
Autism Society
The Autism Society is the leading grassroots organization for autism professionals and laypersons alike. The Autism Society advocates for the rights of those with autism, as well as supports research efforts through projects, publications and conferences.
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
The NASP represents 25,000 school psychologists, graduate students, and related professionals in the U.S. and overseas in the advancement of practices to improve students’ learning, behavior and mental health.
National Register of Health Service Psychologists
The National Register credentials, promotes and advocates for health service psychologists in the United States and abroad. Students accessing the site can learn about health service psychology as well as the organization’s credentialing scholarship programs.
Psi Beta: National Honor Society in Psychology for Community and Junior Colleges
Psi Beta encourages professional development and psychological literacy among community and junior college students. Student members are eligible for Psi Beta scholarships and for student affiliate membership in APA and APS.
Psi Chi: The International Honor Society in Psychology
With more than 600,000 members, Psi Chi is the largest student psychological organization in the world. Psi Chi’s purpose is to, “encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship of the individual members in all fields, particularly in psychology, and to advance the science of psychology.”
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)
The SIOP represents professionals working in the fields of industrial and organizational psychology, which are the specializations concerned with workplace and workforce mental health issues.
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Connections & Networking
All About Psychology Facebook Page
Page on the popular social media site for psychology professionals, students and others. Associated with the all-about-psychology.com website.
APA Facebook Page
The APA’s Facebook page posts articles and information from the American Psychological Association and allows individuals to comment on them. Visitors can network with each other and access APA features such as its Career Center jobs list.
Forums at Psych Central
Psych Central’s forums are well populated with psychology professionals and students interested in a wide variety of topics. The site boasts over 385,000 members.
GradCafe.com Psychology Forum
The GrandCafe.com is a great site to network with graduate students in general and psych grad students in particular.
PsychForums
Claiming 100,000 members, the PsychForums is a lively discussion board covering dozens of psychology-related topics under general headings that include Anxiety Disorders, Developmental Disorders, Addictions and Therapy & Coping, to name a few.
The Psychology Forum
Another well-visited forum for anyone interested in psychology. Major section headings include: Exploring Psychology; Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology; and Academic Psychology and Careers.
Psychology Students Network Group on LinkedIn
Group for psychology students to connect with each other and share academic information and resources. There are currently over 63,000 group members.
RationalSkepticism.org Psychology and Neuroscience Forum
Another active board with an overall theme of rational skepticism covering any number of psychology and neuroscience topics and issues.
StudentDoctor.net Psychology [PsyD/PhD] Forums
Very active forum primarily for psychology doctoral students. Lots of posts on academic work, finding a job, finding and interviewing for internships, and much more.
The Student Room Psychology Forum
This UK-based forum provides plenty of networking opportunities for psychology students on all degree levels and wherever they are located.
Industry News & Scholarship
Among the best reasons to visit psychology professional association and society websites is that almost all of them offer useful and up-to-date information and news on current psychology issues and trends. They’re not the only ones, however. There are also a number of sites that provide access to high-level journals and articles on cutting edge research and findings by top psychology scholars and institutions, some of which are listed below.
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News & Trends
Alltop: Psychology
Brought to you by Alltop, which describes itself as an “online magazine rack.” Alltop’s psychology page offers links to current news articles as well as dozens of sites that also provide news and information on psychology and related topics.
HealthDay: Child Psychology News
A great source for news and information on health topics of all kinds, in this case news on child psychology, the bulk of which is produced by HealthDay writers themselves.
MNT: Psychology/Psychiatry
Presented by Medical News Today, this site offers current news and commentary on psychology and psychiatry research from universities and professional journals throughout the world. Readers can sign up for e-mail alerts of recent articles.
New York Times: Psychology and Psychologists
This is essentially the online version of the famous newspaper’s Psychology and Psychologists print section. The site offers access to literally thousands of news articles on all aspects of psychology along with videos and other multimedia features.
PsychCentral: Psychology & Mental Health News
PsychCentral describes itself as the, “largest and oldest independent mental health social network.” It’s news page offers a large variety of recent articles as well as an extensive archive of past posts.
Psychology Today
The website for the popular magazine. Readers will find access to feature articles from PT itself as well as links to dozens of headlines and news stories from well-known and lesser-known sources alike.
PsycPORT: Psychology Newswire
PsycPORT is the news portal for the American Psychological Association. Here you’ll find a digest of psychology news articles culled from a variety of sources. There are also links to news articles on the APA, the APA press room and an events calendar.
Science Daily Psychology News
This Science Daily site provides direct access to the latest psychology-related headlines and videos, as well as articles indexed by specific topic or disorder, such as autism, bipolar disorder, brain injury, depression, and dementia.
U.S. News & World Report: Psychology News
U.S. News & World Report’s Psychology article database offers up-to-date news on all areas of psychology from both its own reporters as well as from dozens of other publications.
WebMD: Mental Health Center
WebMD is well known for its dictionary of medical terms and conditions, but it also offers access to current headlines and news articles. It’s Mental Health Center digests articles on mental health generally and provides links to other subjects like depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse.
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Scholarship & Journals
Annual Review of Neuroscience (ARN)
The ARN reports on developments in neuroscience including molecular and cellular neuroscience, neurogenetics, behavior, cognitive neuroscience, systems neuroscience, and neurobiology of disease. Additionally, the ARN offers reviews in the history of neuroscience and ethics.
Annual Review of Psychology (ARP)
The ARP covers significant developments throughout the entire field of psychology such as cognitive processes, human development, clinical and counseling psychology, biological bases of behavior, psychopathology, personality, environmental psychology and others.
Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS)
BBS is a peer-reviewed professional journal published by the Cambridge University Press. Subscribers can access the latest and archived issues of the journal as well as individual articles along with commentaries on each article from specialists within and across specific disciplines.
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology (JACP)
The JACP is the official journal of the International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. It focuses on research on psychopathology in childhood and adolescence, with an emphasis on empirical studies of major childhood disorders.
Journal of Open Psychology Data (JOPD)
The JOPD provides access to peer-reviewed data papers that describe psychology datasets with high reuse potential. The JOPD publishes continuously with new papers put online immediately upon passing peer review.
Molecular Psychiatry (MP)
MP is a peer-reviewed journal that offers papers on the biological mechanisms that underlie psychiatric disorders and their treatment with an emphasis on studies “at the interface of pre-clinical and clinical research.” Published by Nature Publishing Group.
Nature Reviews: Neuroscience
One member of the family of Nature Review professional journals, Nature Reviews: Neuroscience’s content is organized into five main categories: research highlights, progress, reviews, analysis and perspectives. Its website offers several online features such as links to databases, PubMed, and animations.
New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM): Psychiatry
The NEJM is arguably the most prestigious scholarly journal in the medical field, reporting on a wide range of related specialties including psychiatry. Readers can access research articles, reviews, and commentary at this website.
Psychological Bulletin
Published by the American Psychological Association, the Psychological Bulletin provides, “evaluative and integrative research reviews and interpretations of issues in scientific psychology.” Both qualitative and quantitative reviews are included.
Psychological Review
Another American Psychological Association publication. Psychological Review offers articles that “make important theoretical contributions” to any and all areas of scientific psychology including systematic evaluations and alternative theories. It additionally provides commentary on the scientific psychology under the title of “Theoretical Notes.”
Apps, Tools & Tech in Psychology
The explosion of recent technology breakthroughs, like big data and mobile devices, to name just two, have given rise to changes in every corner of the digital information world, including both psychology and education. The result is a whole new approach to learning and practicing psychology, one that will undoubtedly prove more expansive and inclusive at the same time. What will happen specifically, only time will tell. In the meantime, here a few newer applications, tools and other technology available now for psychology students. Some of these applications can be downloaded for free, while others charge a nominal fee.
