Psychology: Books
Finding and Accessing Books
Try searching:
- Library Search | Ketu This link opens in a new windowLibrary Search | Ketu provides fast, simple, one-step searching across the University of Otago Library's resources. It is designed to make it quick and easy to begin researching a topic. It is not a replacement for the detailed and precise search tools available from individual subject specific databases.
- Te Puna - New Zealand National Union Catalogue This link opens in a new windowSearch the New Zealand National Union Catalogue for items held in libraries throughout New Zealand.
- Trove This link opens in a new windowA discovery service focused on Australia, Australians, and items found in Australian collecting institutions. Provides a single point of access to resources currently discoverable via the National Library of Australia's multiple discovery services, and to digitised material freely available online anywhere in the world.
- Google BooksSearches the web for freely available online books
The University Library uses a classification system called Library of Congress (LC).
A call number can be found on the spines (or the front cover), of all the books, and they are shelved in classification sequence. You might be familiar with the Dewey Decimal System of classification, which is used in school and public libraries.
To find many Psychology books in the open stacks, the call number range you can browse is:
BF1 – BF900
However, some books might be in other sections, of the Central Library e.g.
GN for Cultural Psychology
HM for Social Psychology
P for Language Development
WM for Abnormal Psychology etc.
You might also be required to use the other campus libraries to get the books you need, e.g. the Health Sciences Library, the Science Library, the Education Library (Robertson), or the Law Library.
To help find books, use the library catalogue ‘Library Search | Ketu’, and check out this short video: How to find a book on the library shelves.
If a book that you need is not held by the Library, try these options:
- InterloansIf Otago does not hold the issue in hardcopy, submit an Interloans request for the article. Staff will try to get the article for you from another Library. Article requests are free.
- Recommend a bookIf there a book or other item you'd like to see in the Library's collection, submit a recommendation request. We will investigate acquiring materials that you would find useful to your research and learning.
Encyclopedias & dictionaries are great places to start when learning about a new topic or creating a search strategy.
Search Library Search | Ketu for encyclopedias and dictionaries.
For example:
The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology by
The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology, now in its fourth edition, work has been updated and expanded to reflect new research in many exciting areas including biological and neurological discoveries.
Call Number: EbookISBN: 0470479213Publication Date: 2010
Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development by
A reference repository, but also frequently updated, the Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development is presented in A to Z format, and consists of three volumes that address the major conceptual areas of child development: learning, behavior, and emotions.
Call Number: EbookISBN: 0387790616Publication Date: 2011
Encyclopedia of Social Psychology by
These two volumes include more than 600 entries chosen by a diverse team of experts to comprise an exhaustive list of the most important concepts. Entries provide brief, clear, and readable explanations to the vast number of ideas and concepts that make up the intellectual and scientific content in the area of social psychology.
Call Number: In print only, at the Central Library: HM1007 .EJ7 (2 vols.)ISBN: 9781412916707Publication Date: 2007
The Oxford Companion to the Mind by
Cultural as well as scientific, 'The Oxford Companion To The Mind' combines authoritative description and analysis with lightness, wit, and a personal touch. This edition presents three new mini symposia on consciousness, brain imaging, and artificial intelligence.
Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780198662242Publication Date: 2004
A dictionary of psychology by
This guide to psychology contains over 11,000 entries and provides clear and concise definitions of a wide range of terms and concepts in psychology, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis.
Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780191744358Publication Date: 2015
Dictionary of Psychology by
An easy to use online dictionary.
Call Number: EbookISBN: 9781135926106Publication Date: 2014
The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology by
The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology has become a byword for demystifying the language of this complex subject. Now fully updated for its fourth edition, this wide-ranging and accessible dictionary is invaluable for both students and professionals, and an indispensable guide to all areas of psychology and psychiatry.
Call Number: In print only, at the Central Library: BF31 .R897 2009ISBN: 9780141030241Publication Date: 2009
- Oxford Scholarship Online: Psychology This link opens in a new windowCross-searchable library containing full-text books in the areas of Classical Studies, Economics and Finance, History, Law, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, and Sociology.
- PsycBOOKS (Ovid) This link opens in a new windowA full-text database that provides electronic access to thousands of scholarly and professional titles published by American Psychological Association, including recent titles in psychological and behavioural science, plus a substantial backfile of classic and historic works.
- SAGE Knowledge eBooks This link opens in a new windowIncludes SAGE eBook and eReference content, including scholarly monographs, reference works, handbooks, series, professional development titles, and more.
- SpringerLink ebooks - Psychology This link opens in a new windowFull-text, peer reviewed journals, books, and reference works.
Textbooks to get you started
Abnormal and Clinical Psychology: an Introductory Textbook by
Abnormal and Clinical Psychology aims to introduce and evaluate the conceptual models of mental health problems and their treatment, as well as to provide valuable analyses of various disorders, such as schizophrenia and paedophilia.
Call Number: EBook. And in print at the Central Library: WM140 .BF35 2011ISBN: 9780335239153Publication Date: 2011
Child Psychology by
This second edition of Child Psychology reflects the increasingly sophisticated and varied research methods used to examine the highly complex interactions contributing to children's cognitive, emotional, and social development.
Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780203943236Publication Date: 2005
Cognitive Psychology by
Major topics covered in this text include perception, attention, memory, concepts, language, problem solving, and reasoning, as well as some applied topics such as everyday memory. This edition has been substantially updated and revised to reflect new developments in the field (especially within cognitive neuroscience).
Call Number: EbookISBN: 9781134440467Publication Date: 2013
Social psychology by
The 8th edition of this text continues to place social psychology in an international, contemporary context while exploring cutting edge research and bringing classic theories to life for students in Australia and New Zealand.
Call Number: Ebook. Also available in print, at the Central Library: HM1033 .V38 2018ISBN: 9781488616068Publication Date: 2018
A Student's Guide to Developmental Psychology by
Guiding students through the key topics, this book provides both an overview of traditional research and theory as well as an insight into the latest research findings and techniques. Taking a chronological approach, the key milestones from birth to adolescence are highlighted and clear links between changes in behaviour and developments in brain activity are made.
Call Number: EbookISBN: 9781317963042Publication Date: 2014
Cultural Psychology by
The 4th edition of this text incorporates examples from around the world and from everyday life to make the material relevant to a wide range of students. Research methods are emphasized throughout.
Call Number: In print only, at the Central Library: GN502 HF24 2020ISBN: 9780393421873Publication Date: 2020 (older editions also available)
Handbook of Developmental Psychology by
The Handbook of Developmental Psychology is a comprehensive overview of the study of human development. It follows a systematic life-span structure, from pre-natal development through to old age in human beings, and concludes with a substantive section on the methodological approaches to the study of development, focusing on both qualitative and quantitative techniques.
Call Number: In print only, at the Central Library: BF713 .H686ISBN: 076196231XPublication Date: 2003
Health Psychology: a critical introduction by
A comprehensive survey of the discipline is provided, framed within a lifespan approach, and emphasising social-cultural factors such as gender, ethnicity and social-economic status. All major topics are covered, including health behaviours, health promotion, coping strategies, stress, biomedical and biopsychosocial models of health and illness, chronic illnesses, psychoneuroimmunology, disability, pain, and patient-provider communication.
Call Number: Available in print at the Central and Hocken Libraries: W85 .LZ67 & the Health Sciences Library: W 85 LZ74. Also available as an eBook.ISBN: 9780511146152Publication Date: 2006
Language Development by
The 5th edition of this text thoroughly covers the biological bases of language development and the core topics of phonological, lexical, and syntactic development. It also provides in-depth discussions of the communicative foundations of language, the development of communicative competence, language development in special populations, childhood bilingualism, and language development in the school years.
Call Number: Available at the Central Library: P118 .HP43 2014ISBN: 9781133939092Publication Date: 2013
Psychology by
This text takes an integrated approach that looks at multiple perspectives to understand the larger complexities of the field. In the Eighth Edition, the authors present psychology as a central discipline that connects to the humanities as well as the exciting advances in neuroscience.
Call Number: Available at the Central and Science Libraries: BF121 GJ32 2011. Also at Health Science Library BF121 GN21 2011. Older editions available.ISBN: 9780393932508Publication Date: 2011
Psychology : The science of mind and behaviour by
Written by a team of Australian and New Zealand-based academics, this well-regarded text emphasises a biopsychosocial approach to the study of psychology.
Call Number: Central Library: BF121 .P348 2019. Also available as an eBookISBN: 9781760422790Publication Date: 2018
- BC Open TextbooksIncludes a number of open access Psychology textbooks.
- College SidekickLinks to 'Boundless Psychology' open textbook.
- MERLOTBrowse multiple open textbooks in the Psychology section.
- Open Textbook LibraryHas a number of Psychology texts on a range of research areas.