New Chinese Approach in Psychological Research

Abstract

and the IUPsyS for their support during my visit to Europe to present this paper. This paper reviews some major developments in psychology in China in the recent decade and summarises the main characteristics of the new Chinese approach in psychological research and applications in a developing country. Three aspects of the Chinese approach to psychological research are discussed in relation to the cultural context and social-economic developments: (a) close links with economic-social reforms and cultural context for the psychological process; (b) organisation and coordination of nationwide collaborative research projects; (c) facilitation of psychological models on the basis of research in China. Some problems and methodological issues in psychological research are discussed. Implications for developing countries as well as new directions of psychological research in China are highlighted. General Development in PsychologyThe study and practice of psychological issues have had a long history in China. Ancient Chinese literature offers a rich body of psychological insights applied to education, management and daily life (e.g., J.F. Gao, 1985;Z.M. Wang, 1990c;Q.C. Jing, 1987). A large part of ancient Chinese psychological thinking and practice-such as Confucius's early discussions of human nature, intelligence and educational at SIMON FRASER LIBRARY on June 15, 2015 pds.sagepub.com Downloaded from 152, principles; the ideas of close interaction between human and environmeant; the principles of mental rehabilitation; the civil service examination system; and the works on human resource management-have had strong influences not only on the present cultural context and psychological research in China, but also on world psychology in Although psychology in China followed a tortuous course and produced impressive results in the 1920s through the 1970s, it was only when China launched its recent economic reform and adopted an open to the world policy in 1978 that psychology has made rapid strides in teaching, research and applications. The Chinese Psychological Society (CPS), with about 3,000 members, has played a leading role in conducting psychological research, promoting regional and inter-area cooperation, organising academic conferences, publishing psychological works, and developing international collaborations. The CPS now has 11 special committees (divisions) including generalexperimental psychology, fundamental psychological theory, developmental psychology, educational psychology, physiological psychology, athletic-sports psychology, psychology of school management, judicial psychology, medical psychology, industrial psychology, and psychological measurement. Today several journals of psychology are published at home and abroad, such as Acta Psychologica Sinica, Psychological Science and Chinese Journal of Applied Psychology. In recent years,, thousands of Chinese psychological books have been published. Psychological research is actively carried out in various fields, and fruitful achievements have been made....

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