Practical Psychology
Contents: Preface. I. Psychology applied to problems of adjustment: 1. Study efficiency. 2. Principles of mental health. 3. Mental health and guidance. 4. Treatment of maladjustments. 5. Adjustments in later life. II. Psychology applied to industry: 6. Employment psychology. 7. Training in industry and business. 8. Efficiency in production. 9. Efficiency in production. 10. Morale and rewards for work. 11. Industrial and highway accidents. III. Psychology applied to consumers and advertising: 12. Consumer and advertising research. 13. advertising. IV. Psychology applied to crime: 14. Factors in criminal behavior. 15. Testimony and the courtroom. 16. Detecting deception. 17. Treatment of offenders. V. Psychology applied to personal problems: 18. Vocational guidance. 19. Effective speaking and writing. Appendix.
The aim throughout this text has been to survey the chief problems in which the applied psychologist has made some contribution. The attempt has been made to present sufficient background information for the reader to understand first the significance of the problem and second the broad principles upon which the psychologists contribution is based. The experimental studies summarized in the text have been selected largely because of the degree to which they represented field as contrasted with laboratory research even though a field study may only verify a conclusion previously established more accurately in laboratory. This procedure has been taken with two convictions: first that many previous texts in this field have lacked a realistic tone because of their emphasis upon pedantic appearing laboratory investigations and second that the student and layman are more readily convinced of many propositions by reference to studies made outside the highly controlled conditions of academic laboratories.
Those who have had this background will find in the present text much that is new and little that duplicates their previous work in psychology.
The field of applied psychology is so extensive that it is virtually impossible for one individual to cover all topics within the limits of a single volume. Some selection of topics has therefore been necessary. This selection has been governed by two considerations: first the amount of useful information available to the author and second the interest displayed by students concerning certain topics. Unfortunately these two considerations were not always in agreement. Specifically chap II has been included largely because experimental evidence on learning is plentiful while chap. XIX exists principally because of student interest. The discerning reader may also notice at various points throughout the text that attention has been drawn to important gaps in the scientific literature. In some cases these gaps have been filled in by hypotheses that seem reasonable at least to the author. (jacket)
