The aim of this paper is to present the design of a study for the international dissemination of the research trends of Spanish psychology during the last decade (1989-1998). For this purpose, the international databases MEDLINE, PsycLIT, and ERIC were used, as well as some national databases such as ISBN and PSICODOC98. In addition, letters requesting ratification or rectification of the data were sent to 1,395 faculty members who had tenure at that time in Spain. Data about the specific context of the psychology faculties and the more general context of the Spanish university are also provided. The concrete results of the research trends of the different areas are analyzed in detail in the articles of this special issue.

This paper presents an analysis of research published in the decade 1989–1998 by Spanish faculty members in the areas of statistical methods, research methodology, and psychometric theory. Database search and direct correspondence with faculty members in Departments of Methodology across Spain rendered a list of 193 papers published in these broad areas by 82 faculty members. These and other faculty members had actually published 931 papers over the decade of analysis, but 738 of them addressed topics not appropriate for description in this report. Classification and analysis of these 193 papers revealed topics that have attracted the most interest (psychophysics, item response theory, analysis of variance, sequential analysis, and meta-analysis) as well as other topics that have received less attention (scaling, factor analysis, time series, and structural models). A significant number of papers also dealt with various methodological issues (software, algorithms, instrumentation, and techniques). A substantial part of this report is devoted to describing the issues addressed across these 193 papers–most of which are written in the Spanish language and published in Spanish journals–and some representative references are given.

This article presents a review of research published by Spanish Faculty from the area of basic psychology in the decade 1989-1998. It provides information about research on basic psychological processes commonly studied under the labels of experimental and cognitive psychology, plus a number of topics from other research areas, including some applied psychology issues. The review analyzes the work of 241 faculty members from 27 different Spanish universities, as reflected in 1,882 published papers, book chapters, and books. The analyses carried out in this report include a description of the main research trends found in each area, with some representative references of the published materials, and statistics showing the distribution of this research work in various relevant publications (both Spanish and foreign), with figures that reveal the impact of this work both at a national and international scale.

The aim of this study is to analyze Spanish research published between 1989 and 1998 in clinical psychology and its most directly related psychological disciplines: personality psychology, psychopathology, differential psychology, health psychology, and psychological assessment. A search was performed in the various databases of the works published in that decade by Spanish university professors who investigate in these areas. Their localization was verified by direct correspondence with the professors, to whom was also sent a questionnaire to evaluate their research field and preferred theoretical approach. The 2,079 works located allowed me to identify 85 different research trends. These research trends are characterized by the predominance of applied studies over basic studies, of empirical research over theoretical research, and of the cognitive-behavioral approach over the rest of the theoretical orientations. In addition, various bibliometrical indicators of production, dissemination, and impact were calculated. They revealed that productivity and dissemination of Spanish research in these areas grew considerably during this 1989-98 period.

In this study, we identified 67 research trends that meet the criteria of this special issue. In the following pages, all the research trends will be reviewed, grouped into five categories: personal and social development, cognitive and linguistic development, developmental and educational contexts, cognition and instruction, and development and learning disabilities. A general overview of the area is obtained by dividing each category into subcategories, thus arranging the identified research trends in a four-level hierarchical structure. Taking into account this analysis, in our Conclusions section, we note the regularities with regard to the issues that have been studied the most, the predominant type of works, and, more important, the most noteworthy imbalances. We reached six conclusions: (1) Research on educational changes predominates over the study of developmental changes; (2) the study of formal education is predominant over informal education; (3) cognitive-linguistic aspects predominate over personal and social aspects; (4) application of knowledge predominates over the generation of new knowledge; (5) new educational-practice proposals predominate over the study of these educational practices; and (6) the study of change is not related to the proposals that promote change.

In this study, a detailed exploration is carried out of the production of research and theory in social psychology in the Spanish context. The main research areas are: Work and organizational psychology, social health psychology, community and social services psychology, environmental research, judicial and political psychology, psycosocial theory and meta-theory, social psychology of language, research on emotion, group processes and social identity. The growing importance of social psychology within the framework of Spanish psychology is emphasized, and the relation with specific social problems from the national context, and the paradoxically scarce originality of the theoretical perspectives and the leading research, strongly influenced by Anglo Saxon social psychology, is commented upon.

In this paper, we present an analysis of the research published during the 1989-1998 decade by tenured Spanish faculty members from the area of psychobiology. Database search and direct correspondence with the 110 faculty members rendered a list of 904 psychobiological papers. Classification and analysis of these papers led to the definition of at least 70 different research trends. Topics are grouped into several specific research areas: Learning and Memory; Development and Neural Plasticity; Emotion and Stress; Ethology; Neuropsychology; Sensory Processing; and Psychopharmacology. The international dissemination of this research, published in journals of high impact index, and the increasing number of papers are two noteworthy features.

In this paper, an overview of the evolution and current situation of professional psychology in Spain is offered. From a historical viewpoint, since the seventies, the profession of psychologist in Spain has advanced significantly in both quality and quantity. There are many different reasons for this development, although in this paper, we highlight two: the introduction of the Psychology Degree and the development of a professional identity due to the influence of an organization such as the “Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos” [COP - Official College of Psychologists, also denominated The Spanish Psychological Association]. Our description of the current situation is based on the analysis of the results of 6,765 surveys out of the approximately 28,000 that were sent to members of the professional College. In general, these results reveal a profession predominantly practiced by young women (mean age 36 years), working preferably in the clinical area, whose theoretical orientation is mainly behavioral, located for the most part in urban areas, and chiefly working in private practice. The main current professional psychology fields in our country will be analyzed in detail, according to the following criteria: type of center where the professional works, intervention areas, and training required for professional practice. Some final reflections about the defense of our profession are commented upon, proposing training and accreditation strategies as the best way to face increasing problems about the entry of unqualified people into the profession.