Report of the President.

Presents a report reviewing the establishment of the Division on Addictions (Division 50) of the American Psychological Association (APA). Much like Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors before it, Division 50 will provide a home (within APA) for psychologists who are interested in addictive behaviors. Division 50 is well prepared to serve as the point of intersection within psychology between research and practice on addictive behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

New Jersey vignettes: Fifty years of state psychological services.

"New Jersey State Psychological Services began on October 1, 1910, when J. E. Wallace Wallin left… Vineland… to open a Psychological Laboratory at the New Jersey Village for Epileptics… near Princeton… . Edgar A. Doll became New Jersey's first State Chief Psychologist, 1919-23." Psychological services expanded greatly by the end of the postwar decade. Internships in clinical psychological services and research have been available since the early 20s. At present there are over 100 state psychology positions in correctional centers, mental hospitals, and training schools. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Configurations of contributing psychologists.

"The purpose of this paper is to present a method for identifying those members of the American Psychological Association having a doctor's degree who are likely to make important contributions to psychology. The approach is essentially that of considering at one time two bits of information about a person." "The sample… consists of 1,974 persons who became Associates of APA and received the doctor's degree during the period 1941 to 1951… ." Three configurations are discussed: (1) those who became APA Associates before they received the doctor's degree; (2) those who became Associates after they received the degree; (3) those who became Associates the same year they received the degree. Criteria of contributions to psychology are publication in the 1954 APA journals and donation of money to APA Building Fund in 1954 and 1955. Three tables of results are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The expert witness, the adversary system, and the voice of reason: Reconciling impartiality and advocacy.

The legal system and the profession of psychology have differing expectations that cause psychologists who serve as expert witnesses to face fundamental conflicts. The rules of evidence demand that experts assist the trier of fact, the adversary system demands that experts serve the parties who retain them, and the ethical codes and guidelines demand that experts impartially assist the court, only in their area of competence. Psychological experts are left to sort out the competing demands, as well as their potential liability, while recognizing the importance of being persuasive. This article addresses the competing tensions expert witnesses face and offers an approach to reconciling these tensions that relies on competence, relevance, perspective, balance, and candor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A unique regional program of psychological research and training in the south.

"The Council on Psychological Resources in the South was appointed by the Southern Regional Education Board and met for the first time on July 16-17, 1953 in Atlanta, Georgia… . The Southern Regional Education Board has made a real contribution to the development of psychology as a science and as a profession… ." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Gradualness, gradualness, gradualness"

From a letter by Pavlov: "Gradualness, gradualness, and gradualness… . Learn the ABC of science before you try to ascend its summit… . School yourselves to demureness and patience. Learn to inure yourselves to drudgery in science. Learn, compare, collect the factsp… Try to penetrate to the secret of their occurrence, persistently search for the laws which govern them." The principle of gradualness "is important for any scientist, but it is particularly relevant for those who deal primarily with human beings." Psychological theories often tend to be premature and lack beauty or elegance. Antidotes to the problems of a close relationship between theory and practice are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived characteristics of elected representatives.

"The present study deals with the perceived personal characteristics of members who are preferred by their peers to serve as spokesman in decision making interaction with representatives elected by other groups… . Results show clear-cut differences and are interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that members do elect as representatives those whom they see as possessing superior procedural skill and intellectual competence… . [They] are not more outstanding than members least preferred in terms of… emotional characteristics such as helping, harmonizing, or making others feel at ease. Rather they are seen as personally 'strong'… dominating… resisting conformity pressures, and facing up to problems rather than running away from them." From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4GF93B. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The companion program: Implementing the manpower recommendations of the joint commission on mental illness and health.

There are many barriers to successful recruitment of professional and subprofessional personnel in the mental health professions. The companion program "recruits students from… universities to serve as volunteer companions to mentally ill patients for a full academic year. Students are invited to either select or be assigned to a chronic patient who has minimal or no contact with individuals outside the hospital, and to meet with this patient for one hour on a weekly basis throughout the school year… . The goal that is stressed throughout is that the student must build a feeling of companionship between himself and the patient." The program appears to be "a very significant method for altering the attitudes of people." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a fair and realistic research salary scale in government.

The problem of devising and maintaining an appropriate salary structure for research workers in government agencies exists. Four "… generally accepted notions in personnel philosophy… " are cited briefly and rejected as inapplicable to the classification of research positions. Comparisons between GS grades and university research positions are indicated. The author proposes that "… the evaluation of the research job can, administratively, be only a matter for decision by personnel authorities who depend professionally upon a scientific panel… ." The problem of "… establishing and maintaining effective research salary schedules… " can be grasped and solved. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Negro-white differences in intelligence test performance: A new look at an old problem.

Negro-white differences on mental tests are evaluated in this paper, which was prepared at the suggestion of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (Division 9 of the American Psychological Association). "The evidence against the assumption of native differences in intelligence test performance between Negroes and whites still seems to me to be very convincing." There is "no scientifically acceptable evidence for the view that ethnic groups differ in innate abilities. This is not the same as saying that there are no ethnic differences in such abilities… . The science of psychology can offer no support to those who see in the accident of inherited skin color or other physical characteristics any excuse for denying to individuals the right to full participation in American democracy." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A note on "Predicting success in elementary accounting."

Hendrix (see 28: 1479) is quoted as concluding that "If a single test is to be utilized in predicting grades in elementary accounting, ACE Psychological Examination and OSU Psychological Test are preferable to the AIA Orientation Test." The author presents six additional comparisons between the ACE Exam and the AIA Test. The correlations between course grades and the ACE ranged from .15 to .28, while the correlations between grades and the AIA ranged from .23 to .43, in each comparison the correlation with the AIA being the greater. "The data… indicate that results do differ from one group to another, and they suggest further that the general trend… tends to favor the Orientation Test… ." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists for the public schools: A training program.

"Psychological services in the public schools face a demand there is no hope of meeting in the foreseeable future… . Our concept of training at Peabody… has grown out of a belief that psychology's contribution to the schools might well lie in the three not unrelated aspects of the field… current knowledge of human behavior, skills in interpersonal relations, and research ability." The school psychologist curriculum is described. Students "take basic courses in experimental, personality theory, developmental, learning, measurement, and social psychology." Emphasis is placed on research training and training in clinical skills. "The core seminar makes heavy use of the experiences students acquire in the demonstration-training center which Peabody has established in a nearby town as a central aspect of the program." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some characteristics of journals and authors.

Some characteristics of authors in 10 American Psychological Association journals and 9 other selected psychological journals are presented in a table. The "number of authors who are not affiliated with the APA is rather surprising although many of these may be students. The total proportion of non-APA members for the APA journals is .23 and for the others .28." Approximately "one-quarter to one-third of the authors throughout have no divisional affiliation… . All of the journals studied contained authors who were members of the Psychonomic Society. The APA journal with the highest proportion in this group was Psychological Review," and the next highest was the Journal of Experimental Psychology. Slightly more than ? of the articles are by individual authors and about ? are by 2 authors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The American Psychological Foundation: A ten-year report.

"In 1953, the American Psychological Foundation was launched by the APA as an instrument whereby psychologists could contribute financially to the continued development of psychology… . The most significant of the Foundation's early projects was the establishment of the Gold Medal Award, given to senior psychologists in recognition of a distinguished and long-continued record of scientific and scholarly accomplishment… . A 2nd award, instituted in 1956, goes to professional writers who have made outstanding presentations of psychological information in mass media." 2 tables indicate the financial history of APF and the distribution of contributions from individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gold Medal and Distinguished Science Writing Awards.

The American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal was presented to Walter R. Miles, "Pioneer in the precise observation of human and animal behavior… prime mover in educating scientists… humane person devoted to others both in his personal relations and in his research." The American Psychological Foundation Science Writing Award was presented to Gay Gaer Luce of Philadelphia "in recognition of newspaper and magazine accounts of recent psychological developments." Photographs of each recipient are included. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internships for doctoral training in clinical psychology approved by the American Psychological Association.

"On the recommendation of the Committee on Evaluation, the Education and Training Board with the concurrence of the Board of Directors of the American Psychological Association has approved the internships for doctoral training in clinical psychology which are offered… " by various agencies listed (see 25: 6647). "All of these agencies provide supervised experience in the three activities of diagnostic work, psychotherapy, and research… ." The "list is complete for those agencies which had been evaluated by November 1, 1957… . The list… includes only independent agencies, that is, those agencies accepting interns from more than one university." The 45 institutions listed are in 23 states and the District of Columbia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of disability claimants' coping styles on judgments of pain, disability, and compensation: A vignette study.

Because insurance adjusters' decisions about whether to grant compensation to disability claimants are often based on subjective criteria, such decisions may be susceptible to the influence of factors irrelevant to the claimant's disabling condition. This study examined whether judgments about compensation claimants are affected by the claimants' way of coping with pain and by claimant sex. Ss were 200 undergraduates. Ss made judgments about vignettes describing fictitious compensation claimants with differing strategies of coping with pain. The main analytic approach involved a multivariate ANOVA with 5 within-subject factors (i.e., coping style described in each of 5 vignettes) and 2 between-subject factors (i.e., sex of claimant described in the vignettes). Coping style was significantly related to perceptions of pain severity and disability and to beliefs about whether compensation should be awarded. Claimants who were described as engaging in catastrophizing or in praying and hoping were more likely than other claimants to be perceived as disabled and as deserving compensation for their injuries. Decisions about disability compensation could be influenced by claimant coping styles… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A misleading review of response bias: Comment on McGrath, Mitchell, Kim, and Hough (2010).

In the May 2010 issue of Psychological Bulletin, R. E. McGrath, M. Mitchell, B. H. Kim, and L. Hough published an article entitled “Evidence for Response Bias as a Source of Error Variance in Applied Assessment” (pp. 450–470). They argued that response bias indicators used in a variety of settings typically have insufficient data to support such use in everyday clinical practice. Furthermore, they claimed that despite 100 years of research into the use of response bias indicators, “a sufficient justification for [their] use… in applied settings remains elusive” (p. 450). We disagree with McGrath et al.'s conclusions. In fact, we assert that the relevant and voluminous literature that has addressed the issues of response bias substantiates validity of these indicators. In addition, we believe that response bias measures should be used in clinical and research settings on a regular basis. Finally, the empirical evidence for the use of response bias measures is strongest in clinical neuropsychology. We argue that McGrath et al.'s erroneous perspective on response bias measures is a result of 3 errors in their research methodology: (a) inclusion criteria for relevant studies that are too narrow; (b) errors in interpreting results of the empirical research they did include; (c) evidence of a confirmatory bias in selectively citing the literature, as evidence of moderation appears to have been overlooked. Finally, their acknowledging experts in the field who might have highlighted these errors prior to publication may have prevented critiques during the review process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists and the economics of Social Security Disability programs.

Disability status is an important characteristic of the diverse populations that psychologists serve. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are vital resources for people with disabilities. Access to healthcare is facilitated by Medicare that is provided by SSDI; and SSI affords a small income to eligible beneficiaries. Both programs are administered by the United States Social Security Administration and they have created an important role for psychologists. This article is intended to serve a practical guide that encourages greater and more effective participation by psychologists in the disability determination process. It provides beginning resources on the process of application and review for SSDI and SSI, roles for treating psychologists and reviewers, and basic skills and resources for psychologists who may be involved in disability determinations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of the academic aptitude of university extension degree students and campus students.

The scores of 68 extension students in business administration on the ACE Psychological Examination and the Coop Reading Comprehension Examination were compared with scores of 119 business administration freshmen. Slight, statistically significant differences in favor of the extension students were found for two of the reading subtests. "… it might be assumed that extension students… were capable of doing college level work and hence entitled to credit for that work." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)