Comment: Makarenko's The Road to Life.

Letter comments that both Bronfenbrenner ("Soviet Methods of Character Education," Amer. Psychologist, 1962, 17, 550-564), (see record 1963-04110-001), and Berman (Amer. Psychologist, 1963, 18, 251), (see record 2005-11487-011), comment on the importance of Makarenko in Soviet educational thinking, but they mention only his "Book for Parents." The author of the letter then goes on to recommend Makarenko's earlier writing and a related 16-mm film. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comment: Word Coding System.

Letter comments that Broadhurst (see record 1963-00108-001), in the article "Coordinate Indexing: A bibliographic Aid" in the American Psychologist, described his "Uniterm" system, a numerical code method, for handling references. The authors go on to explain that they have devised a system for storing and retrieval of social science references which differs from Broadhurst's in using edge-punched cards with a word coding system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Skew in Clinical Psychology: Fact or Artifact?

The present author intends to examine in more detail the apparent disproportion in publication rates observed when clinical psychologists are contrasted with their experimental brethren (L. Levy, "The skew in clinical psychology." American Psychologist, 1962, 17, 244-249; see record 1963-04084-001), and to explore some possible sources for this disproportion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Casebook for providers of psychological services": Erratum.

Corrects a statement in the article in the American Psychologist (see record 1988-37041-001), which presented cases to provide clarification of the General Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services as approved by the American Psychological Association Council of Representatives in February 1987. The correction states that the statement (p. 558), "The psychologist recognized the illegality of doing psychological evaluations on minor children without the knowledge and permission of their custodial parent," was overbroad. The legality or illegality of doing psychological evaluations of minor children at the request of noncustodial parents is determined by state law. The correction concludes with the advice that state law and regulations should be carefully researched to determine the legal status of such evaluations at the request of noncustodial parents. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Serious Satire.

It is a pleasure to have two humorous pieces in one issue of the usually sober American Psychologist. I enjoyed the article "Adventures in Implied Psychology" by Frank Landy (see record 1979-24949-001), but I was much more amused by the seemingly serious piece, "Humanistic Psychology and the Humane but Tough-Minded Psychologist," by Michael Wertheimer (see record 1979-22531-001). It is instructive to us all to see satire masked as scholarship pretending to take a serious look at a major area of American psychology. Those of us in the field, of course, were most amused by the tacit assumption that real psychology is something that is rigid and undertakes no interior change, but it may be necessary to point out to same of the other readers that although the article was vastly amusing, it was totally irrelevant to the several thousand members of the Association of Humanistic Psychologists. Keep up the good work. We are looking forward to a similar silly piece on behaviorism that will, of course, suggest that the initial definitions of Watson and Skinner are now made hopelessly vague and diffuse by the meanderings of later writers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychoanalysis and Psychodynamics.

W. S. Taylor's ("Psychoanalysis revised or psychodynamics developed?" American Psychologist, 1962, 17, 784-788, see record 1963-05882-001) polemic may be assessed against the background provided by Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions as conveniently reviewed by Gillispie (1962) in a recent issue of Science. The present author comments that Taylor fails to see that psychoanalysis is a relatively coherent system of theories rather than an accumulation of the various theories that Taylor says had been put forward by others, sometimes centuries earlier. A major part of his misapprehension is his overlooking the fact that psychoanalysis is primarily a method of research rather than the body of theories that happen, at the present time, to be based on following that method (for a recent discussion of psychoanalysis as a scientific method, see Ramzy, 1962). More important, however, he adopts an either-or attitude, "Psychoanalysis Revised or Psychodynamics Developed," that is quite unnecessary. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reply to Tryon.

The author responds to Tryon's article, "Psychology in Flux: The Academic-Professional Bipolarity" (American Psychologist, 1963, 18, 134-143; see record 1964-01637-001) in which Tryon writes, "It is doubtful that academic psychology does or should have much direct [sic] applicability to real life situations [p. 142]." The present author takes issue with this, stating that the fallacy inherent in such statements must be recognized, as well as how these only serve to perpetuate a straw man in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Undergraduate Psychology: An Extreme View.

The author opines that Buxton's "Issues in Undergraduate Education in Psychology" (American Psychologist, 1956, 11, 84-95; see record 1957-02112-001) has very properly raised a number of provocative questions that need careful and considered attention. He feels compelled to offer some clarification on whether psychological teaching should be directed at "the whole man" or primarily at intellectual aspects of the student's development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A criticism of Rosenzweig's Babel.

Comments on the article "Operation Babel: A survey of the effectiveness of the foreign language requirements for the PhD degree in psychology" by S. Rosenzweig et al (Amer. Psychologist, 1962, 17, 237-243; see record 1963-04105-001). While interesting and stimulating to the amphitheater spectator, the aforementioned article was not a complete success. The current authors believe that the data collected by Rosenzweig do not lead to his conclusions. If his data are to support his philosophy, then another exploratory operation is deemed advisable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prima-facie Victory.

The author notes that in a reperusal of William James on Fechner, it was therefore brought sharply to the writer's attention on reading "A Case at Law" by Hoch and Darley in the September issue (American Psychologist, 1962, 17, 623-654; see record 1963-04080-001) that the sceptical stanza from Southey (concluding "But 'twas a famous victory") had been notoriously cited on an earlier occasion. But it was James, not Fechner, who, writing 40 years after the event, had thus behaved with appropriate, if disputed, justification. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Linguistic Isolation?

Comments on the S. Rosenzweig et al article (see record 1963-04105-001), which examined the effectiveness of the foreign language requirements for the PhD degree in psychology. Publication data from American and foreign-language journals are discussed, showing that that European psychologists are familiar with our research but we are not with theirs. The author suggests that one possible way to break out of this isolationism would be that APA journals including American Psychologist give preference to papers discussing research which has not been published in English. Such a step would serve a double purpose: (a) American psychologists would become familiar with, and interested in, research by their non-English-speaking colleagues and (b) they would have an incentive for improving and using their knowledge of foreign languages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ones.

One opened the August 1978 issue of the American Psychologist with one's customary eagerness, and on reading "Can 'She' and 'He' Coexist?" (see record 1990-58427-001) exclaimed to oneself, "Now, there's a thoughtful solution to a bothersome problem of language!" One's admiration for the beautiful simplicity of the solution does not keep one from wondering about its feasibility, however. The introduction of a new meaning and new grammatical forms to a familiar-seeming prefix may be confusing. Might it not be even simpler and more practical to urge the expanded usage of existing familiar words whose use would not require any such changes of meaning or interpretation? One would hope so, and this one thinks so. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Innovations in the Teaching of Psychology": Erratum.

Reports an error in the December 1968 issue of American Psychologist. On page 879, a presentation by Lorraine Nadelman, entitled, "Training Laboratories in Developmental Psychology," (see record 1969-09498-001) was omitted in the Paper Session chaired by Lawrence E. Murphy, "Innovations in the Teaching of Psychology." In the same issue, on pages 926-927, there is an omission in the list of Presidential Addresses. There should also be: PHILIP ASH, University of Illinois at Chicago Circle. The Parties to the Grievance. Stanley K. Seashore, University of Michigan, Chairman. (Division 14.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moot point.

Applauds J. F. T. Bugental (Amer. Psychologist, 1963, 18, 563-567) for his article, "Humanistic Psychology: A New Break-Through." (see record 1964-03430-001). The present author comments that the developments Bugental sees occurring seem to him to be more in the nature of wished-for trends than actualities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

ABEPP Status.

This letter is in reference to the article "The Meaning of the ABEPP Diploma" (see record 1962-02007-001) and the comment, "ABEPP Standard Too High?" (American Psychologist, 1961, 16, 655). In response to the Board of Trustees of ABEPP who state that "the ABEPP process has not caught hold," the author of this comment proposes the possibility that psychologists do not desire the American Board of Examiners in Professional Psychology (ABEPP) because it appears that only a small percentage of the Amercan Psychological Association (APA) membership voted on the issue of ABEPP and there has never been any clear endorsement from the majority of the APA membership. The author also discusses the implications of ABEPP and APA's tax exempt status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quo Vadis, Research Education?

I read with chagrin Donald T. Campbell's (see record 1990-55812-001) comments on my article on the preparation of researchers in psychology. In "Thesis-Antithesis" (American Psychologist, 1966, 21, 781-787; see record 1967-00924-001), I examined some hidden assumptions upon which the thesis requirement rests and attempted to bring into relationship recent ideas in epistemology with earlier recommendations of the Education and Training Board. I suggested that if the future face of psychological investigations is to be more like search and less like research, we shall have to recapture and invest with meaning the personal qualities in the advisory relationship, often lost sight of under the pressure of academic requirements. I claimed that some degree requirements discourage the personal and professional evolution of the future generation of researchers. Campbell's criticism that I recommended the substitution of research assistantships for the thesis requirement leaves me feeling like the guest in a famous restaurant. The waiter wished to know how the guest would like his tournedos bordelaise. "A center cut and tenderloin portion, by all means, quite well done on the outside, then slightly pink, and, finally, seigneuse in the middle, not a very large portion, just right, with some gently braised mushrooms on the side, and only a touch of sauce," said the guest. The waiter nodded with approval, then turned into the kitchen with the usual refrain: "T-bone coming up." What can one do? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Engineered Society.

The article by Charles W. Bray ("Toward a technology of human behavior for defense use." American Psychologist, 1962, 17, 527-541, see record 1963-04066-001) brings up two comments that the present author comments on. The first is that ethical and moral considerations are not merely "to be taken into account" in this sort of research, but that they are crucial. On the other hand, we cannot disregard the argument that by attempting to "persuade" the public to accept the ideology and opinions of one group (here, the military) we are violating one of the first rules of the game of democracy: Present your arguments rationally and assume that they will be judged rationally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The citation of Soviet scholars by Western psychologists": Reply to Bierschenk.

Reply's to a comment by Bernhard Bierschenk (see record 2009-09661-001) on the current authors original comment in the November 1985 issue of the American Psychologist. Bierschenk has objected to the current author's reference to Marx, Engels, and Zeigarnik as "Soviet scholars." In the case of Marx and Engels, he is absolutely correct—they are not "Soviet scholars" in the literal, geographic sense—and Solo thanks him for his response. However, Solo is defending his labeling of Zeigarnik as a "Soviet scholar." Even though she was an early member of the "Bediner Schule," studied with Lewin, and published some early works in the German Inn mmm% she spent most of her professional life at Moscow State University and other Russian institutions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Communication.

Occam's Razor, Morgan's Canon, and the principle of parsimony suggest that the simpler of two hypotheses is to be preferred. With due respect to Jones' informative comment (American Psychologist, 1968, 23(3), p. 202; see record 1990-55844-001), psychological terminology often defies communication. Syntality, syncretism, synergy, and now synidetics (or syneidetics)--Good grief, Charlie Brown! (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Issues of Legal Process.

Comments on 3 articles in the November 1964 issue of the American Psychologist which deal with issues of legal process. The articles are: "Psychology and the legal process: Testimonial privileged communications" (see record 1965-06324-001) by R. L. Geiser and P. D. Rheingold, "The psychologist as an expert witness on the issue of insanity" (see record 1965-06327-001) by R. Jeffery and "The psychiatrist and tests of criminal responsibility" (see record 1965-06329-001) by R. Leifer. The commenter notes that of the three, only Jeffery's paper gives the reader a concrete look at samples of what is currently done in the legal system. Jeffery presents samples of testimony as actually presented by psychologists in open court, that allows the reader a glimpse at what is, and provides the reader the opportunity to formulate alternative approaches to the problems. Leifer's (1964) discussion on criminal responsibility, while enlightened to a certain degree by Szasz' new look at psychiatric mythology, but the commenter notes two blind spots. Geiser and Rheingold (1964), in their discussion on privileged communication, manage to be informative to an audience of psychologists and, at the same time, add proposals that stem fro'm their own view points. However, the commenter questions their blanket assumption that psychological services that go beyond the classical dimensions of psychotherapy or psychodiagnostics should not be covered by privileged communication. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)