Springer Publishing Company Handbook of the Psychology of Science

<p>Few resources are available to educators in the emerging discipline of the psychology of science. This handbook fills this void by providing an empirically based compendium of current knowledge about this newly established discipline. Written by two pioneers in the study of the cognitive and social processes involved in scientific and innovative behaviours, it follows on the heels of the first organised society (The International Society for the Psychology of Science and Technology) in 2006, and the first peer-reviewed journal (<i>Journal of the Psychology of Science and Technology</i>) launched in 2008.</p><p><b>Key Topics: </b></p><ul><li>Introduction to the Psychology of Science <li>Foundational Psychologies of Science (includes the development of scientific thinking and causal reasoning, development of children's scientific knowledge, historical case models, computational approaches, and personality, social, and clinical psychologies of science) <li>Special Topics in the Psychology of Science (includes creativity and genius, gender issues, uncertainty and visual data analysis, thinking and reasoning in the lab, innovation and conceptual change, psychology of technology, psychobiology of science, conflict and cooperation in science, and more) <li>Applied Psychology of Science (the psychology of pseudo-science, post-modernism, naturalism and different views of science, how children learn and are taught science) <li>Past and Future of Psychology of Science (quantitative trends and the future of the psychology of science) </ul><p><i>Handbook of the Psychology of Science</i> will at last provide educators of the psychology of science and the cognitive science of science with a state-of-the-art, all-inclusive text with which to disseminate current knowledge about this growing discipline. </p> From the Back Cover " This handbook is the definitive resource for scholars and students interested in how research and theory within each of the major domains of psychology?developmental, cognitive, personality, and social?have been applied to understand the nature of scientific thought and behavior. Edited by two esteemed pioneers in the emerging discipline of the psychology of science, it is the first empirically based compendium of its time. The handbook provides a comprehensive examination of how scientific thinking is learned and evolves from infancy to adolescence and adulthood, and combines developmental and cognitive approaches to show the categorical similarities and differences in thinking between children, adolescents, adults, and scientists. Chapters highlight the breadth and depth of psychological perspectives in the studies of science, from creativity and genius, gender, and conflict and cooperation, to postmodernism and psychobiography. A section on applications offers findings and ideas that can be put to use by educators, policymakers, and science administrators. Contributors examine the importance of mental models in solving difficult technical problems, and the significance of leadership and organizational structure in successful innovation. The final section of the book is devoted to the future of this new field, focusing on how to continue to develop a healthy psychology of science. Key Features: Presents the only empirically based compendium of current knowledge about the psychology of scientific thought and behavior Edited by two pioneers in the discipline of psychology of science Describes how scientific thinking is learned and changes throughout the life span Addresses creativity and genius, gender, conflict and cooperation, postmodernism, and psychobiography Covers applications of the psychology of science that can be used by educators, policymakers, and science administrators "