B-8 APPENDIX B
School psychology is related to but not at all the same as educa-
tional psychology. Whereas educational psychologists may do research and
develop new learning techniques, school psychologists may take the results
of that research or those methods and apply them in the actual school sys-
tem. School psychologists work directly with children in the school setting.
They do testing and other forms of assessment to place children in special
programs or to diagnose educational problems such as dyslexia or atten-
tion-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. They may act as consultants to teachers,
parents, and educational administrators. Counseling students is actually a
relatively small part of the job of a school psychologist, although counsel-
ing takes a much bigger role when tragedies strike a school. When traumatic
events such as the unexpected and tragic death of a classmate or even larg-
er-scale tragedies such as the numerous school shootings of the past decade
take place, school psychologists are often called on to offer help and counsel-
ing to students.PSYCHOLOGY AND SPORTS Sports psychology is a relatively new and fast-growing
field in which the main focus is on helping athletes and others involved in sports activ-
ities prepare mentally rather than just physically for participation in sports. The idea
behind this field is that a superior physical performance is not enough to guarantee suc-
cess; rather, the mind must be prepared for the activity by setting clear short-term goals,
holding positive thoughts, using visualization of the goal, stopping negative thoughts,
and other techniques based primarily in the cognitive perspective. For example, a sports
psychologist might have a golfer who has been having trouble with the accuracy of
his drives perform visualization exercises, mentally seeing himself hit the ball down
the fairway again and again. Sports psychologists work in athletic organizations and
may have a private practice or do consulting work. (For more on the techniques used in
sports psychology, see the Applying Psychology to Everyday Life section at the end of
this appendix.)PSYCHOLOGY AND THE MILITARY Within the military, psychologists work in a variety
of areas ranging from assessment, teaching, management, and research to the provision
of mental health services. The variety of psychologists in this field may include clin-
ical, counseling, experimental, I/O, or human factors, among others, and may reflect
any specialty area in the field of psychology. In short, they apply psychological skills
to human issues in military environments, working with both military personnel and
their families (American Psychological Association, Division 19, 2016). One poignant
example, the rise of suicides in the armed forces associated with the conflicts in Iraq and
Afghanistan, has placed demands on both the military and military families at a level
not seen before (Berman et al., 2010).PSYCHOLOGY AND THE LAW Psychologists have often been involved in the world
of legal matters in various ways. Social psychologists often do research in the areas
of criminal behavior and may consult with attorneys or other agents of the court sys-
tem on such topics as witness credibility, jury selection, and the kind of influences
that exist for decision-making processes. Developmental psychologists may become
involved in determining the accuracy of and influences on the testimony of children
and adolescents, as well as the needs of children caught up in a custody battle between
divorced or divorcing parents. Cognitive psychologists may become expert witnesses
on the accuracy of memory and eyewitness testimony or ways to determine the truth or
falsehood of statements made by witnesses or defendants. Clinical psychologists may
deliver their services directly to incarcerated prisoners or may conduct assessments of
intelligence and/or mental status to determine whether a person charged with a crime
should stand trial.School psychologists often administer tests to assess a
child’s level of achievement, intelligence, or psychological
well-being.school psychology
area of psychology in which the
psychologists work directly in
the schools, doing assessments,
educational placement, and
diagnosing educational problems.sports psychology
area of psychology in which the
psychologists help athletes and others
to prepare themselves mentally for
participation in sports activities.Z02_CICC7961_05_SE_APPB.indd 8 9/2/16 6:27 PM