Industrial psychology: In need of a learned lawyer?

Outlines the search for theoretical and conceptual structure and the pressures toward codification of standards and values in the professions of law and industrial psychology. Whereas the law profession resolved its "growth pains" by falling back on its corpus of precedents, rules of procedure, and hierarchic structure, industrial psychology, which to a great extent was born from the business community, has never been allotted the time to develop. As a result, industrial psychology has become a profession, but to this day, lags behind as a science. The need for industrial psychology to rethink its position vis-à-vis the business community and to become an autonomous scientific discipline is discussed. Suggestions are offered to aid industrial psychology in reexamining its assumptions, symbols, premises, and rationales to enable its scientifically based professionalism to eventually become confirmed among its sister disciplines. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methane-based equations of state for a corresponding states reference substance

Two equations of state have been developed, one valid over the reduced temperature range 0.2–26 and the other over 0.35–26. Both are intended for use as reference equations of state in the calculation of thermodynamic properties via the principle of corresponding states. The equations are essentially equations of state for methane in that they reproduce the experimentally measured properties of the fluid phase over the whole region for which they exist (reduced temperatures of 0.47 to 3.3) but the extension to higher temperatures was made by utilizing experimental measurements made on nitrogen and hydrogen. An empirical scheme was used for temperatures below 0.47.     

Expectancy factors in the treatment of fear: Methodological and theoretical issues.

Critically reviews the literature assessing the importance of Ss' expectation of therapeutic gain in facilitating fear reduction. Reviewed studies fall into 2 major categories: those that compare the relative efficacy of systematic desensitization and placebos and those that attempt to manipulate Ss' expectation of therapeutic gain within a particular technique (e.g., systematic desensitization). The methodological problems with this research include the failure of investigators to evaluate the experiential impact of expectancy-inducing instructions, the use of unconvincing placebo manipulations, and the predominant employment of mildly fearful, poorly motivated Ss. In spite of these problems, it is tentatively concluded that expectancy manipulations are important change mediators. Several mechanisms may explain how expectancy mediates change, including increased compliance with real treatment procedures; increased tendency to test reality after having undergone an "effective" therapy, with subsequent fear extinction and self-reinforcement for behavioral improvement; modification of demand characteristics after treatment; and modification of cognitive events controlling fear responding. (71 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term effects of control and predictability-enhancing interventions: Findings and ethical issues.

Examined the long-term effects of participating in a field experiment on the effects of control and predictability-enhancing interventions. 40 retirement home residents who had initially benefited from being exposed to a specific positive predictable or controllable event (visits by college students) were assessed at 3 different intervals after the study was terminated. Health and psychological status data collected 24, 30, and 42 mo after the study indicated no positive long-term effects attributable to the interventions. In fact, groups that had initially benefited from the interventions exhibited precipitous declines once the study was terminated, whereas groups that had not benefited remained stable over time. Theoretical and ethical implications are discussed. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depth of processing and interference effects in the learning and remembering of sentences.

In 2 experiments with a total of 140 undergraduates, Ss who completed the last words of sentences they read learned more than Ss who simply read whole sentences. This facilitation was observed even with sentences that were almost always completed with the wrong words. However, proactive interference attributable to acquisition errors appeared on recall and recognition tests administered after a 1-wk interval. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of chemical assessment of quality in the economics of tea production in Malawi

The effect of nitrogen fertiliser application on the price of teas made in Malawi is quantified through the intermediate relationships of applied nitrogen upon shoot flavanol composition, and between manufactured tea theaflavin content and price. Combining the effect of fertiliser on price and yield allows estimates of the economically optimum level of application to be made. The effects of variations in physical relationships and of prices of tea and fertiliser are assessed.     

Self-administered intravenous infusion of hypertonic solutions and sodium appetite of sheep.

Studied the effects of self-administered iv infusion of hypertonic NaCl, mannitol, glucose, urea, or isotonic NaCl on Na appetite. 22 Merino-Cross sheep were trained to barpress to replace Na deficits of 300–500 mmol. During basal conditions, each delivery to a drinking cup was 15 ml of .6 M NaHCO? (9 mmol). In the experimental situation, an iv infusion was given automatically with each delivery to the drinking cup. Ingestion of NaHCO? solution was significantly reduced by all hypertonic solutions, the largest decrease being caused by hypertonic NaCl or mannitol. The decreased intake was observed within 10 (with infusion of hypertonic NaCl, mannitol, or glucose) or 20–40 (with urea infusion) minutes, irrespective of whether water was concurrently available to drink. At 20 min, plasma Na was increased by hypertonic NaCl, decreased by mannitol or glucose, and not changed by urea. CSF Na concentration was increased by all hypertonic solutions. In regard to the "turn-off" of Na appetite by systemic infusion, data are consistent with the theory of neural cells within the blood–brain barrier responsive to changes of Na concentration or osmolality in their environment. In contrast, water intake was stimulated by hypertonic NaCl or mannitol but not by urea or glucose. Results suggest that the sensors involved in thirst (e.g., osmoreceptors) are in an area of the brain lacking the blood–brain barrier. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Can you repeat that? Qualitative effects of repetition and advance organizers on learning from science prose.

88 female college students who did not have strong backgrounds in natural science listened to a short passage about radar or Ohm's law either 1, 2, or 3 times. Overall amount recalled increased with number of presentations, but there was a pattern in which recall of conceptual principles and related information increased sharply with repetition, whereas recall of formal equations and concrete analogies did not. In addition, problem-solving performance increased with number of repetitions, but verbatim recognition declined. Advance organizers presented before a single presentation tended to produce recall and problem-solving performance most similar to that obtained with repeated presentations. Results suggest that Ss tend to use qualitatively different reading strategies on the 1st presentation of science prose than on the 3rd presentation. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of the reader's schema at different points in time.

In 2 experiments, 215 high school sophomores and juniors and 71 undergraduates were instructed to take a distinctive point of view while reading and recalling a story. Perspectives assigned before reading, shortly after reading, and long after reading all had substantial effects on recall. Results are interpreted to mean that the schema brought into play by the perspective instructions selectively enhanced encoding when operative during reading and selectively enhanced retrieval when operative during attempts at recall. The schema operative during reading appeared to influence not only the likelihood that certain text elements would be learned but also their longevity in memory. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)