Examining Redding's (2001) claims about lesbian and gay parenting.

Comments on the article by R. E. Redding (see record 2001-00465-001) which discusses pluralism and sociopolitical diversity in psychology and argues that conservatives and their views are "vastly underrepresented in psychology". As an example of research that has been tainted by liberal biases, Redding points to various methodological issues occurring in research supporting gay and lesbian parenting. The current author addresses these issues, stating that Redding's arguments regarding gay and lesbian parenting as an example of research fraught with liberal biases are weak. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In the right direction but slightly off course.

Comments on the article by R. E. Redding (see record 2001-00465-001) which discusses pluralism and sociopolitical diversity in psychology. The current author compliments Redding for calling attention to the incongruity between the narrowness of psychology's liberal sociopolitical mentality and its simultaneous reverence for cultural diversity. However, it is stated that Redding's justified criticism fails to come to grips with the moral and methodological issues underlying his complaint. In this comment, the author addresses these issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diversity American style.

Comments on the article by R. E. Redding (see record 2001-00465-001) which argues that psychology lacks sociopolitical diversity and that conservatives are vastly underrepresented in the profession. The current author argues that by clinging to the favorite American political categories and defining diversity in terms of its favorite dualism (Republican vs Democrat), Redding hardly touched the issue of diversity of sociopolitical voices. It it maintained that diversity in the field of psychology will never be meaningfully accomplished by refusing to recognize the true diversity of voices that goes well beyond the dualistic system that animates US politics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Can pluralism be intolerant?

Comments on the article by R. E. Redding (see record 2001-00465-001) which discusses pluralism and sociopolitical diversity in psychology. The current author agrees with Redding's stance that the discipline of psychology is liberally biased and presents his opinions in support of Redding's argument. It is stated that taking Redding's analysis seriously, along with addressing its implications for psychological theory, research, practice, and education, would improve the discipline. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Grappling with diverse conceptions of diversity.

Replies to comments made by S. R. Wester and D. L. Vogel (see record 2002-12457-009), E. E. Sampson (see record 2002-12457-010), R. S. Campbell et al (see record 2002-12457-012), and S. C. Rooney (see record 2002-12457-013) regarding the article by R. E. Redding (see record 2001-00465-001) which discusses pluralism and sociopolitical diversity in psychology and argues that the discipline of psychology is liberally biased. The current author addresses the various articles' comments individually. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The emperor's new clothes: Sociopolitical diversity in psychology.

Comments on the article by R. E. Redding (see record 2001-00465-001) which argues that psychology lacks sociopolitical diversity and that conservatives are vastly underrepresented in the profession. The current authors agree with Redding's argument but were surprised to note that he did not draw stronger connections between his examples of biases, the graduate school training process, and the subsequent therapeutic services psychologists provide to their clients. It is maintained that in this arena, biases of any nature could potentially damage students, clients, scientific inquiry, and certainly the profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The challenge of social change for psychology: Globalization and psychology's theory of the person.

Historical analysis suggests that we are currently undergoing a major historical transformation from the modern into the postmodern world. The change from the premodern into the modern era provides the background against which to view the implications of the current transformation, especially for those disciplines, like psychology, for which the nature of persons is central. In this article, I examine how the transition toward a globally linked world system characteristic of the postmodern era has transformed the functional unit of the social system from the individual toward a more globally conceptualized form. I review several recent critiques of the modern world's liberal individualist theory of the person, and introduce several recent psychological formulations framed by these critiques, in order to show how globalization will compel a change in psychology's current theory of the person, thereby setting a challenging task and future agenda for psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Press coverage of the new psychology by the New York Times during the Progressive Era.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 14(3) of History of Psychology (see record 2011-16916-003). In Table 1, under the “General” column, the Total should have been 40. Additionally, on page 114, paragraph 3, line 3 should have read, “Between 1885 and 1919, they published 40 articles about the new experimental psychology, 100 stories reporting on applied psychology, 19 stories dealing with psychoanalysis, 38 accounts of psychology’s interest in spiritualism, and 25 articles on the Emmanuel movement (Table 1).” The online version of this article has been corrected.] Press coverage of psychology by the New York Times was examined for the Progressive Era. Following a period in which psychology was associated with spiritualism, psychoanalysis, and the Emmanuel movement, the Times gave editorial preference to reports about psychology's applications. Reaching an audience that was both affluent and influential, the topics emphasized by the Times included the lie detector, psychological applications in the work place, mental tests, and child psychology. These areas reflected issues of social concern to Progressives, publicized the rise of the psychologist as expert, and aided psychology in its challenge to common sense. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

On cognitivism and behaviorism.

Comments on the article by R. W. Robins et al (see record 1999-00297-003) which examines trends in the prominence of 4 major schools of psychology by examining citation index trends and the content of articles in mainstream journals and dissertations. The author argues that behaviorism was never in the position of being the dominant school in mainstream scientific psychology to begin with, and it was not overtaken by cognitivism in the sense that behavior analysis is a field that has experienced continuous growth for decades. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How useful are student ratings? Reactions to comments on the current issues section.

Replies to comments on articles by J. S. Armstrong, D. Buck, J. Friedrich, and R. E. Redding (see records 1998-11971-007; 1998-11971-008; 1998-11971-009; and 1998-11971-010, respectively) regarding the usefulness of student ratings of teaching. It is noted that the articles take different approaches to a shared form of argument: If student ratings are elevated by instructor behavior that does not contribute to learning, then the use of student ratings to evaluate faculty can encourage this nonproductive teaching behavior. Student ratings can thus defeat, rather than promote, instructional quality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Between Psoriasis and Ptarmigan: American encyclopedia portrayals of psychology, 1880–1940.

Articles in encyclopedias represented 1 of several avenues that the new experimental psychologists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries had to portray their science to the public, and as such, these entries are important documents in understanding the agenda of the psychologist authors and the bases for the public's understanding of psychology. This article describes a content analysis of the psychology entries from 174 American encyclopedias published between 1880 and 1940. The analysis focuses on the changes in this content over time and the correspondence of those changes to the evolution of American psychology. The data show that the encyclopedia entries were slow in reporting changes in psychology and often promoted a singular view of the subject matter of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Dennis (2011).

Reports an error in "Press coverage of the new psychology by the New York Times during the Progressive Era" by Paul M. Dennis (History of Psychology, 2011[May], Vol 14[2], 113-136). In Table 1, under the “General” column, the Total should have been 40. Additionally, on page 114, paragraph 3, line 3 should have read, “Between 1885 and 1919, they published 40 articles about the new experimental psychology, 100 stories reporting on applied psychology, 19 stories dealing with psychoanalysis, 38 accounts of psychology’s interest in spiritualism, and 25 articles on the Emmanuel movement (Table 1).” The online version of this article has been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2011-09245-001.) Press coverage of psychology by the New York Times was examined for the Progressive Era. Following a period in which psychology was associated with spiritualism, psychoanalysis, and the Emmanuel movement, the Times gave editorial preference to reports about psychology's applications. Reaching an audience that was both affluent and influential, the topics emphasized by the Times included the lie detector, psychological applications in the work place, mental tests, and child psychology. These areas reflected issues of social concern to Progressives, publicized the rise of the psychologist as expert, and aided psychology in its challenge to common sense. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological jurisprudence and radical social change.

Organized psychology increasingly seeks to promote human welfare through appellate court briefs, legislative advocacy, and other means consistent with an emerging psychological jurisprudence that directs legal attention to fundamental psychological values such as dignity, privacy, justice, equality, and autonomy. It is suggested that this well-meaning liberal agenda is wedded to a legal status quo that prevents significant social change through coercion, a focus on procedural rather than substantive justice, and the myth of legal legitimacy. Co-optation inevitably prevents psychologists from advocating a radical psychology of the left in keeping with the values identified by the emerging paradigm. Psychologists interested in law should seek to identify aspects of law and society that hinder optimal well-being, arouse dissatisfactions with such conditions, and assist social movements seeking to overcome legal impediments to social change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examining race and culture in psychology journals: The case of forensic psychology.

Scholars have argued that racial-cultural issues should be given more attention in psychological research. The American Psychological Association (APA) has instituted guidelines and policies about how to include race and culture in research, theory, and practice. Members of racial minority groups are overrepresented in populations served by forensic psychologists. This article reviews content analyses of racial-cultural issues in psychology and presents a content analysis of the treatment of race and culture in 7 forensic psychology journals between 1998 and 2003. Results indicate that less than 10% of the empirical articles addressed issues of race or culture with any depth and that the majority of the articles used a cultural deprivation paradigm. Results and recommendations for practice and future study are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing the need for a new group journal.

The need for a new journal dealing with group psychology and group psychotherapy was documented for the Publications & Communications Board of the American Psychological Association. The authors examined the output characteristics of existing journals that published articles about groups and group work between 1980 and 1995. Although articles about groups were published in 1,042 journals, 35% of the group articles were published in 23 journals. Although the 23 journals seemed to provide thorough coverage of general and specific aspects of group dynamics and group interventions, including psychodrama, few journals attempted to integrate diverse topics in group dynamics and group intervention. Trends in the number and kinds of topics published were also examined across the 16-year interval. The main implications of this survey were that (a) the study of groups, as reflected by the rate and number of publications, is a central concern in various fields in psychology and mental health; (b) researchers' and practitioners' publications dealing with group-level topics are distributed widely across many diverse journals, which makes it difficult for group psychologists to keep abreast of the literature; and (c) a single journal is needed to provide a focal point for basic and applied studies of groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rapprochement among undergraduate psychology, science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education.

A discourse originating at liberal arts colleges has begun to influence national policy for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education. The discovery-oriented, research-rich curriculum traditional for the graduate student is being developed for wider implementation in the service of new national goals. Though largely absent as a participant, the discipline of psychology has a great deal to contribute to and gain from joining in this agenda. The content of our field has many direct applications to the issues under consideration. We have common interests as a scientific field in developing science education. And, interdisciplinary and interinstitutional cooperation would be invigorating and constructive for our science, for our scholarship, and for our students. Psychologists should be proactive, not passive or reactive, in the improvement of undergraduate science education. This article presents both an invitation and an argument for fostering a new scientific and educational rapprochement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroscience and mainstream psychology.

Comments on the article by R. W. Robins et al (see record 1999-00297-003) which examined trends in the the prominence of 4 major schools of psychology by analyzing citation index trends and the content of articles in mainstream journals and dissertations. The author disagrees with Robins et. al's suggestion that psychologists must work harder to integrate neuroscience into the field of psychology. He suggests rather, neuroscience may be best viewed as either a subdiscipline or a specialization of psychological study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Mahoney et al. (2008).

Reports an error in "Content analysis of Consulting psychology journal: Practice and research (Volumes 44-59)" by Kevin T. Mahoney, Walter C. Buboltz Jr., Barlow Soper, Dennis Doverspike and Byron J. Simoneaux (Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 2008[Sep], Vol 60[3], 246-258). The title of the journal was printed incorrectly on page 257 as "Counseling Psychology Journal: Practice and Research." The correct title of the journal is Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-11542-002.) A content analysis of articles published in Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research was performed from 1992 (Vol. 44) through 2007 (Vol. 59). A total of 342 articles were categorized into 21 derived content categories and an "Other" category. Results show that the leading categories for publication were Coaching, Development and Training, and History of Consulting. The content was fairly stable over time. The journal does appear to be meeting its primary mission of disseminating information pertinent to the field of consulting psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A more appropriate test of the Kuhnian displacement thesis.

Evaluated the conclusion of P. C. Friman et al (see record 1993-39713-001) that cognitive psychology has not displaced behavioral psychology and psychoanalysis as the dominant paradigm in psychology. The frequency with which 4 preeminent general publications in psychology cited articles published in the 4 leading journals in cognitive psychology, in behavioral psychology, and in psychoanalysis between 1977 and 1992 was examined. In contrast to the findings of Friman et al, results suggest that cognitive psychology is flourishing while the other 2 schools are languishing in comparison. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender bias in subject samples in counseling psychology.

In the past decades, there has been a disproportionate emphasis on the use of male subjects in psychological research (e.g., Carlson & Carlson, 1960; Schwabacher, 1972). In this study, we examined how the use and reporting of the gender of subjects in counseling psychology research has changed during the decade from 1971-1972 to 1981-1982. For this time period, articles from two journals, the Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP) and the Journal of Vocational Behavior (JVB), were examined for specification of sex of subjects, analysis for sex differences, and appropriate generalization of single-sex studies. Results indicate that (a) reporting of gender as a subject variable increased from 1971-1972 to 1981-1982; (b) in 58% of the studies, results were analyzed for gender differences; (c) JVB was more likely than JCP to publish articles in which gender differences were analyzed; and (d) in over 60% of the studies in 1971-1972 and 26% of the studies in 1981-1982, findings regarding subject gender seemed to be overgeneralized. The results are discussed in terms of the need to develop gender-specific data bases, journal policies, and future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)