Psychology: From Research to Practice

This book grew out of discussion at the meetings of the Board of Sci­ entific Affair,r of the American Psychological Association during the years 1972 through 1975. Members of the board felt that there was general misunderstanding by the public about the role of basic research in science. The problem was thought to be particularly severe in the case of the behavioral sciences but it appeared to be a reflection of a more general anti-intellectual attitude in the United States. At the same time basic researchers had been admittedly underconcerned with the prac­ tical application of their results. Yet many thoughtful scientists realize there is a very fruitful interplay between basic research and application. The proposal was made to prepare a book of case studies that demon­ strate the application of basic research in psychology. The book was organized to sample applications from a range of topics in psychology. The editorial board divided up responsibilities for these topics. Herschel W. Leibowitz focused on applications from exper­ imental and engineering psychology and Jerome E. Singer organized the section on applications to social problems. Alfred Steinschneider took responsibility for the section on clinical applications of basic research in psychology and Harold W. Stevenson organized the section on appli­ cations of basic research to developmental and educational problems.