Marketing psychological services in the public sector.

Discusses the need for psychologists to think in terms of promoting themselves as service providers and their techniques as health benefits. Particular reference is drawn to current programs within the Veterans Administration hospital system, including biofeedback training and vocational rehabilitation programs. Cost–benefit analyses are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrated psychological services in the Greeley-Evans public schools.

Integrated school psychological services were implemented 12 years ago in the Greeley-Evans Public Schools by combining the positions of school psychologist and school social worker and placing each professional in an elementary school full-time. After 5 years, services were expanded to secondary schools such that all schools had a full-time school psychologist. Using Bennett's (1988) model for the evaluation of alternative services to determine success in meeting stated goals, a number of positive outcomes were achieved. A time-use survey indicated increased involvement with a variety of interventions for school psychologists. The results of a consumer satisfaction questionnaire given to teachers, administrators, and support personnel also suggested positive perceptions of the new role. Additionally, placement of students with significant emotional disturbance decreased over this time period relative to a 34% student enrollment increase. It is hoped that the long-term implementation of an alternative school psychological services model such as this one will encourage others to enact ecologically responsive services relative to their unique systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Providing psychological services to deaf individuals: A response to new perceptions of diversity.

The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 mandates that psychologists provide equal access to services for persons with disabilities. Disabled individuals, including deaf and hard of hearing persons, form an important part of the diversity spectrum. Deafness and hearing loss significantly affect life experiences, development, and the ability to obtain and use services. Psychologists must develop awareness of the implications thereof in order to provide appropriate services in an ethical manner to such clients. This article presents core knowledge about deafness and hearing loss in an effort to enhance this necessary awareness for practitioners not specializing in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Working with key players for psychological and mental health public services.

Key players must be located and identified in order to perform public service. For doing this, a model for organizing a societal mental health program, which includes the 3 agency categories of voluntary, official, and professional, is presented. It shows that psychologists can function in any community, from local to international, in each category. The author portrays some of the forces that turned him to public service. Then he cites his public service experience in various communities, such as the mental health association, the official mental health program, the psychological association, and the university. He identifies key players and explains methods of working with them. Finally, he summarizes some requisite skills for successful service activities. Primary among the skills are locating and relating to key community decision makers and understanding how the helping community functions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

College students' theory of note-taking derived from their perceptions of note-taking.

In this ethnographic interview study, college students' theory of note-taking emerged after 4 phases. The theory was confirmed in a 5th interview phase. The students' theory includes conclusions consistent with ones already in the note-taking literature, but also many insights into note-taking dynamics that have not been identified in previous research. The amalgamation of previous note-taking theory and empirical outcomes with the students' theory provides a more complete theory of self-regulated note-taking than existed previously. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancing students' test coping skills: Report of a psychological health education program.

We tested the effectiveness of a teacher-implemented psychological health education program designed to improve students' test coping skills in the classroom. Four hundred ninety-seven Israeli students, drawn from 24 fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school classes, were randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions by homeroom class. Students were trained to practice rational self-analysis and exploration, relaxation and deep-breathing exercises, positive self-statements, positive self-reinforcement, and coping imagery. The training program consisted of five workshop sessions held in the classroom and implemented by homeroom teachers specifically trained for the task. Overall, the cognitive training program was shown to significantly improve students' levels of performance on three cognitive measures, although it negligibly affected test anxiety score. On the whole, these results support the feasibility and effectiveness of a teacher-based program for the improvement of students' test coping skills and subsequent test performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nature and severity of college students' psychological concerns: A comparison of clinical and nonclinical national samples.

University counseling center staff members have expressed a growing concern about the perceived increasing severity of college students' presenting problems. The main goal of this study was to explore the nature and severity of college students' presenting problems by establishing a baseline measure. The research summarized here was derived from 3 large-scale studies involving 1 nonclinical and 2 clinical samples surveyed by counseling centers that were members of the Consortium of Counseling Psychological Services in Higher Education. The results of this study provided some evidence for the claim that the severity and chronicity of college students' presenting problems has been increasing over time. The results of the study were discussed in light of the existing literature and conclusions were drawn. Suggestions for university counseling centers were provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teachers' perceptions of school psychology: A comparison of regular and special education teacher ratings.

A total of 1533 regular education and special education teachers from eight school districts in four states rated their knowledge of and satisfaction with school psychological services. Perceived helpfulness of psychological services to teachers and children was also assessed. Finally, both groups rated their perceptions of school psychologists' roles versus school counselor roles. Regular education teachers, compared to special education teachers, reported less knowledge of school psychology, perceived school psychologists as less helpful to teachers, and reported lower satisfaction with school psychology services. These reports may have been influenced by the amount of contact each teacher had with school psychologists. Both teacher groups had a limited understanding of the broad roles and functions of school psychologists, and both groups viewed school counselors as delivering more services than school psychologists. Implications of these findings with regard to school psychology reform efforts are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

AIDS: A public health and psychological emergency.

Reviews the current status and knowledge of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), focusing on the demographic characteristics of high-risk groups (e.g., homosexual and bisexual men), assumptions and findings that have guided research to date, and problems that have hampered this research. Because most AIDS research has dealt with gay and bisexual men, misperceptions about this group and their health, lifestyles, and sexual activity, which are common, have fostered flawed research designs. Confidentiality is another sensitive issue in AIDS detection and research. The psychological ramifications of AIDs involve the social stigmas attached to the lifestyles of high-risk groups and the fear of contracting AIDS held by the general public. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation research: A psychological perspective.

Presents a model for evaluation research from a psychological perspective that incorporates various concepts and methods, and indicates the roles in which psychologists trained in more traditional areas can contribute to evaluation research. Analysis reveals evaluation research to be a complex set of feedback processes monitoring various aspects of social change processes. These feedback mechanisms vary greatly in their level of precision and pose numerous challenges and opportunities for psychologists trained in more traditional areas. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A national imperative: Public funding of psychological services.

This article discusses the history of Canadian psychology and the publicly funded health care system. Reasons are provided for the current situation, in which psychology is largely not publicly funded, and the current situation in psychology is contrasted with that history, to make the argument that modifications are possible. Different models and methods of funding, related to service providers, service recipients, and the actual services themselves are reviewed. An argument is made that public funding should be provided to clinical psychologists who provide empirically supported services to patients with diagnosable mental health problems. The article concludes with a response to some anticipated criticisms of the position taken, and ideas about political advocacy to advance the agenda of public funding of psychological services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of motivational climate on students' behaviors and perceptions in a physical education setting.

Goal theory asserts that a task-involved climate is associated with adaptive behavior patterns such as persisting in practice. Conversely, individuals in an ego-oriented climate are deemed at risk for maladapdve behaviors when they experience failure or encounter difficulty performing a task. Results of previous research have relied primarily on self-report data rather than analysis of overt behavior. This study investigated differences in students' practice behaviors and perceptions of the motivational climate in physical education classes manipulated to be task or ego involved. Results based on 109 seventh- and eighth-grade students indicated that students perceived the conditions differently. Student behavior was assessed by coding practice trials from videotapes of the classes. Individuals in the task-involved condition completed a greater number of practice trials at a difficult level than those in the ego-involved condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Polygraph testing, psychological research, and public policy: An introductory note.

President Reagan's 1983 directive requiring polygraph testing in the investigation of security leaks led to a review of the scientific validity of such testing by the congressional Office of Technology Assessment. Meetings, literature reviews, and interviews with scientists, polygraphers, and government officials culminated in the Scientific Validity of Polygraph Testing (1983), a document which led to the introduction of legislation to restrict the scope and purpose of polygraph use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Legal and ethical aspects of nonreactive social psychological research: An excursion into the public mind.

Assessed reactions of 174 randomly selected Ss (median age 27.83 yrs) to 8 nonreactive methods used in social psychological research by I. Silverman (see record 1975-28673-001). In general, while in many cases the majority of Ss did not react negatively to the methods, substantial minorities in most cases and the majority in some cases did object. Possible interpretations of these data are discussed. It is suggested that future investigators consider the public's attitudes toward a particular nonreactive method in determining its use or nonuse. Issues raised by such a procedure are discussed, and a call is made for more critical thinking on ethical issues as well as for more data that can help to resolve ethical concerns. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Achievement motivation: A rational approach to psychological education.

Investigated the achievement motivation training component of psychological education, using 54 late-adolescent pupils as Ss. Ss were stratified and randomly placed into control and experimental groups. In addition to a reduction of test anxiety, the experimental training program had as its objectives an increase in academic achievement motivation, internal feelings of control, and school performance. Results indicate that significant differences existed between experimental and control groups in achievement motivation and internal feelings of control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of hospital- and community-based mental health nurses: perceptions of their work environment and psychological health

This study compares hospital- (n = 67) and community-based (n = 55) mental health nurses in relation to their perceptions of the work environment and also their psychological health. Measures include: the General Health Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Work Environment Scale. The data, obtained from self-returned questionnaires, show that community nurses rated their work environments higher for the dimensions of Involvement, Supervisor Support, Autonomy, Innovation and Work Pressure. Hospital nurses saw their environments as being higher in (managerial) Control. There were no differences between the groups for the dimensions of Peer Cohesion, Task Orientation, Clarity or (physical) Comfort. Furthermore, there were no overall differences between the two groups in relation to psychological health, although the pattern of factors associated with emotional well-being differed. Finally, analyses of the community data revealed that those nurses with 'flexitime' arrangements evaluated their work environments less positively and showed higher levels of psychological strain than did those working 'fixed-time' schedules. The findings suggest that the hospital and community environments make different demands on nursing staff, and that this should be considered when organizing nursing services if stress is to be avoided.     

Replication studies: A neglected aspect of psychological research.

A survey of the literature on replication and cross-validation research has revealed that psychologists have tended to ignore replication research. A review of the functions of and deterrents to replication studies is presented. Consideration of the factors influencing replication research suggests that the experimental method, as adopted from physics and chemistry, is invalid for investigating human behavior. (31 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

College students' memories of their parents: A factor analysis of the CRPBI.

Administered the revised 18-scale form of the Children's Reports of Parental Behavior Inventory to 119 college females and 99 males. 4 factor analyses females' reports on fathers, females' reports on mothers, males' reports on fathers, and males' reports on mothers were performed. 3 factors, corresponding to Schafer's 3 dimensions of acceptance vs. rejection, psychological autonomy vs. psychological control, and firm control vs. lax control, emerged. Factor structures were similar in all analyses except males' reports of mothers. These differences are discussed in terms of the relative importance of dimensions used by students to evaluate their parents' behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizing for evaluation of high school psychological services: A team approach.

Describes the team approach to organizing for evaluation of high school psychological services and illustrates its application in the initiation of evaluation activities of 133 students in an urban high school. Use of the team approach allows professional staff, pupils, and parents to be represented when program evaluation is introduced into a system so that evaluation can be incorporated into the routine of a public school organization in a practical way. The approach is composed of 5 phases: clarification of the evaluation problem, evaluation planning, evaluation implementation, analysis and dissemination of the evaluation information, and assessment of evaluation activities and outcomes. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)