Redefined: The APA Dictionary of Psychology

We’re excited to announce a recent major update to the APA Dictionary of Psychology! Notable as the first content update since the final publication of the print version in 2015, this release features a number of benefits, including

  • revisions of 1,500+ terms related to gender and sexuality; race, ethnicity, and culture; aging and older adulthood; and disabilities and disorders
  • alignment with the APA Inclusive Language Guide and additional APA resources, including removal of binary wording to promote gender inclusivity
  • updated DSM-5-TR diagnostic terminology, and
  • date information for each entry’s most recent update.

With more than 25,000 authoritative entries spanning 90 psychology subfields, this web-based tool is freely available at https://dictionary.apa.org.

Users who access APA PsycArticles on APA PsycNet have integrated access to the dictionary when viewing the HTML version of full-text APA journal articles. Look for the dotted blue underline that links to the dictionary entry.

Definitions are also accessible and highlighted in search engine results. Quickly look up a term from anywhere by typing the word/phrase you want to look up into your browser’s search bar and look for the APA Dictionary in the results.

Screenshot of APA Dictionary of Psychology entry gate-control theory

TIP: Typing dictionary.apa.org or APA Dictionary followed by your desired term into your browser’s search bar may return the APA Dictionary entry as one of the top search results, depending on your search engine (e.g., Googling dictionary.apa.org gate control hypothesis or searching DuckDuckGo for APA dictionary gate control hypothesis returns the APA Dictionary entry for gate-control theory).


The APA Dictionary in Psychology is a landmark reference for terminology in psychology and the behavioral sciences, beginning with its print publication in 2007 and transitioning into an online resource in 2018. To learn more, check out the companion blog post Look up Psychology Terms in the APA Dictionary of Psychology or visit the APA Dictionary to explore on your own!

Explore the latest updates from APA PsycArticles

APA PsycArticles®, our comprehensive database of full-text, peer-reviewed journal content, has been updated to include a variety of new special issues covering the most relevant topics in psychology. In addition, the 2022 Journal Citation Report data from Clarivate Analytics shows that the citation footprint of APA Journals is more than double our article output, demonstrating our commitment to publishing the most impactful research in psychology and beyond.

Read on to learn more about the newest content available in APA PsycArticles, the citation footprint of APA Journals, and other publishing initiatives from APA.

Continue reading

New Videos Added to APA PsycTherapy (Fall 2023)

 

In September, we added 20 new videos to APA PsycTherapy®, our streaming video database designed to meet the teaching and training needs of psychotherapy students and practitioners. APA PsycTherapy videos are recorded during an unscripted session to provide an authentic example of psychotherapy conducted by an expert therapist.

Four of these new videos are from the recent APA PsycTherapy Video Series, and so contain introduction and discussion segments in addition to the therapy session. 

  • Shame and Anger in Therapy, with Leslie S. Greenberg, lead originator of emotion-focused therapy (EFT)—the video demonstrates and discusses how to help clients process the emotional pairing of shame and anger. This is the first video Dr. Greenberg has created in a number of years.
  • Client Contributions to Therapy, with Kathryn Kline, Amy Greaves, Heidi Levitt, and Jairo Fuertes—focuses on how patients/clients help therapy succeed. 
  • Prolonged Exposure Therapy, with Sheila A. M. Rauch—an evidence-based method for treating posttraumatic stress disorder.
  • Cultural Complexity in Psychotherapy: The ADDRESSING Framework, with Pamela A. Hays, features Dr. Hays demonstrating and discussing her therapy model (a model explained in her best-selling book, Addressing Cultural Complexities in Counseling and Clinical Practice, 4th edition)

Other new videos include:  

  • Emotion Focused Skills Training
  • Integrative Psychotherapy Approach to Navigating Grief
  • Multicultural Therapy Empowering Teen’s Ethnic and Gender Identity
  • Solution-Focused Therapy in Practice
  • Working Through Climate Anxiety and Concerns Related to Having Children

 

Related Resources

Interested in learning more about this accessibility-certified database of recorded psychotherapy sessions? Visit the APA PsycTherapy information page or view brief tutorials on our YouTube playlist for APA PsycTherapy.

An APA PsycTherapy subscription includes a PDF copy of The APA PsycTherapy Teaching Guide, Revised Edition which features a series of exercises for using APA PsycTherapy with students, in clinical supervision settings, psychotherapy researcher training, and more.

 

Discover the newest features to support effective writing and research

Academic Writer is APA’s revolutionary writing platform designed to help students develop long-lasting scholarly writing and research skills. Combining self-paced learning with seamless integration of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), this resource helps students grow and succeed in their academic careers while enabling educators to focus on teaching their curriculum.

To help your academic community maximize institutional access to Academic Writer, we’re excited to share the latest features and resources available in the platform. Read on to learn more and share these updates with your users:

Continue reading

APA PsycInfo® Webinars for Fall 2023

Interested in strengthening your APA database searching skills? Join us for the next round of APA PsycInfo® webinars designed for students, faculty, and anyone else who wants to learn more about how to search APA PsycInfo more effectively!

APA’s expert trainers will lead three different webinars this fall, so you can choose the one that best matches your interest.

Details and registration links are below; all times are in U.S. Eastern.

APA PsycInfo: Beginner Search

This 45 minute session is for anyone who is new to searching the behavioral sciences literature.

APA trainers demonstrate simple yet powerful techniques including how to quickly identify the best search terms, apply filters to narrow the range of results, and pinpoint empirical studies.

Highlights include using APA Thesaurus terms and other database fields to target your search, Boolean operators to accurately include or exclude concepts, and cited references to find related research.

APA PsycInfo: Advanced Search

This 60-minute session highlights some of APA PsycInfo’s advanced functionality, designed to increase your efficiency by retrieving better search results faster.

We provide an overview of the three main vocabularies [keywords, Thesaurus subjects, and Classifications] you can use to search APA PsycInfo, and show easy effective ways to quickly expand or narrow your list of search results.

You’ll also learn about syntax for proximity search and truncation; using citations to explore related research; applying search limits and results filters; using the Author Affiliation field to discover where research of interest is happening; searching the Test and Measures field for information about tests used in the scholarly literature; and using the Grant/Sponsorship field to discover potential funding sources.

Semester Special: APA PsycTherapy

Every spring and every fall, APA trainers offer a deeper dive into one area of our tools and databases. These hour-long trainings are designed for researchers and librarians who use APA PsycInfo frequently.

The topic for Fall 2023 is APA PsycTherapy.

A live platform demo will focus on: the extensive content update of June 2023; The APA PsycTherapy Teaching Guide & corresponding APA PsycTherapy playlists; and individual account tools.

Can’t attend a scheduled session?