Links below via Credo Reference. Require WCC log-in if off campus.
The resources below can help you get ideas for a paper topic. You can browse around or search to get ideas. These items are dictionaries and encyclopedias and are not professional sources. If you are off-campus you will need to log in with your MyWCC user ID and password.
When searching the databases for articles, do not type in whole sentences. Pick out the key words in your assigned topic:
You will be searching for an article from a psychological journal discussing the behavior you also recorded in your observation.
E.g. if you observed a child piling blocks on top of each other again and again until they no longer topple down you will look for articles on Abstract Thinking or Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development: Formal Operations etc. which discusses the behavior or similar behavior.
Think of other terms that can be used to describe the event you are researching and try those also: e.g. Abstract Reasoning: Logic, Deductive Reasoning etc and try those search terms also.
You might need to search multiple times in a single database before deciding it does not have any useful articles.
Use the asterisk * to truncate words and widen your search. Child* will search for Child, Children and Childhood.
Use quotation marks to keep phrases together: e.g. "Stages of Cognitive Development"
Try your search terms in different combinations to get the greatest number of results.
The sources below do NOT contain scholarly articles. They are for background research and supplementary materials for your paper and presentation.
The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology
This major revision of The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology follows the successful format of the health/medicine Gale Encyclopedia of ... line of titles. GEP-3 provides a robust 800-entry survey of the field of psychology including notable people, theories, and terms, as well as landmark case studies and experiments. Presenting authoritative information in an accessible manner, it serves students and public library patrons with new features to add interest and maximize understanding
The Sage Encyclopedia of Theory in Psychology by
Drawing together a team of international scholars, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Psychology examines the contemporary landscape of all the key theories and theorists, presenting them in the context needed to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Key features include: · Approximately 300 signed entries fill two volumes · Entries are followed by Cross-References and Further Readings · A Reader's Guide in the front matter groups entries thematically · A detailed Index and the Cross-References provide for effective search-and-browse in the electronic version · Back matter includes a Chronology of theory within the field of psychology, a Master Bibliography, and an annotated Resource Guide to classic books in this field, journals, associations, and their websites The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Psychology is an exceptional and scholarly source for researching the theory of psychology, making it a must-have reference for all academic libraries.
Psychologists and Their Theories for Students
Child Development
"Child Development offers 296 illustrated articles examining contemporary issues in the field of child and adolescent development. It features the latest research on growth and development during the prenatal, infant, toddler, preschool, middle childhood and adolescent periods. Appendices include an annotated list of Web sties and 40 tables of current statistical data.
APA College Dictionary of Psychology by 
The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology by 
