The reciprocal effects of science on practice: Insights from the practice and science of goal setting.

The hypothesis of this paper is that the science and practice of psychology are interdependent. Science drives practice which drives science. The science and practice of 25 years of programmatic research on goal setting theory in industrial-organizational psychology (I/O) is used in support of this hypothesis. I/O research on goal setting includes findings that (1) high goals lead to higher performance; (2) there is a linear relationship between goal difficulty and performance; (3) variables such as feedback, participative decision making, and competition affect performance to the extent that they lead to the setting of and commitment to high goals; and (4) mediators of goal setting are motivational and cognitive, with other variables mediating the effects of goals on performance in I/O settings. Scientists, practitioners, and scientist–practitioners alike are encouraged to work in unison in order to advance psychology for all. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward an integration of independent practice and clinical research.

For some time there has been tremendous debate about the viability of integrating clinical and scientific endeavors in the practice of clinical psychology. It is argued that clinically relevant research strategies are crucial to the process of treatment evaluation and therapist accountability and therefore are of great importance to clinicians. Furthermore, the clinical expertise of the independent practice sector is acknowledged as a valuable resource that will likely be more fully appreciated with greater practitioner involvement in various research-related activities. To this end, a number of ways in which independent practitioners may incorporate research activities in their clinical efforts are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comment: Can clinical judgment hold its own against scientific knowledge? Comment on Zeldow (2009).

P. B. Zeldow (2009) presents a series of vignettes that make a compelling case for the role of clinical judgment and for the claim that the knowledge of a credentialed practitioner stand up against the credentialed knowledge of scientific research. This comment discusses how the dispute between scientific knowledge and clinical judgment is not unique to psychotherapy but has been extensively discussed in other disciplines, especially medicine and education. Two models of science and practice are presented: a model based on Aristotle's (1999) distinction between techne and phronesis and H. L. Dreyfus and S. E. Dreyfus's (1986) five-stage model of skill acquisition. Both a scientific knowledge base and a model of clinical practice that value the judgment of the expert practitioner are necessary for psychology to be a learned profession. Nevertheless, the gap between science and practice may never be fully closed but will always have irresolvable conflicts that can only be contained. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychology of science: Review and integration of a nascent discipline.

Disciplines that study science are relatively well established in philosophy, history, and sociology. Psychology of science, by comparison, is a late bloomer but has recently shown signs of codification. The authors further this codification by integrating and reviewing the growing literature in the developmental, cognitive, personality, and social psychology of science. Only by integrating the findings from each of these perspective can the basic questions in the study of scientific behavior be answered: Who becomes a scientist and what role do biology, family, school, and gender play? Are productivity, scientific reasoning, and theory acceptance influenced by age? What thought processes and heuristics lead to successful discovery? What personality characteristics distinguish scientists from nonscientists and eminent from less eminent scientists? Finally, how do intergroup relations and social forces influence scientific behavior? A model that integrates the consensual empirical findings from the psychology of science is proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Defining our common ground to reach new horizons.

There are 4 broad propositions concerning behavioral science that rehabilitation psychology shares with other applied branches of psychology: (a) rehabilitation psychology research is science, (b) rehabilitation psychology research is part of a larger effort to understand human behavior, (c) practice grounded in rehabilitation psychology research is designed to alleviate human suffering and promote well-being, and (d) all scientific tools are acceptable in these quests. A model encompassing the major elements in rehabilitation research and practice is presented, and several gaps in the current knowledge base are delineated. Implications and remedies for these gaps, and for changes in professional alliances and role definitions, are discussed so that the field can pursue a consumer-based, empirically driven health care service delivery agenda for persons with chronic disease and disability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of the practitioner in applying science to practice.

This article deals with the role of the practitioner in the translation of science and practice. Obstacles to a better understanding of the nature of the relation between the science and practice of psychology are described, and suggestions for a better alliance between researchers and practitioners are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The scientific study of counseling and psychotherapy: A unificationist view.

Proposes 3 propositions that may underlie a unificationist view of research in counseling and clinical psychology and discusses contemporary questions concerning research in psychotherapy. The propositions are that (1) psychotherapy research is science, (2) psychotherapy research is part of a unified attempt to understand human behavior, and (3) all scientific tools are acceptable in the effort to understand the process of psychotherapy. These propositions advocate the integration of basic and applied research, theory, and practice and of laboratory-experimental and field-correlational methods. They offer potential answers to questions concerning the practical value of basic research, fact-finding research, laboratory studies, theory, and technological research. The unificationist view suggests that fuller development of the theoretical side of psychological science and the integration of theory with research and application are needed in the scientific study of counseling and psychotherapy. (53 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Challenging the stultifying bonds of tradition: Some philosophical, conceptual, and methodological issues in applying the scientist-practitioner model.

Discusses the quality of school psychology education and training in light of a continuing bifurcation of the science–practice relationship in both education and training and professional practice. The mutuality of science and practice is emphasized, and the problems of better linkage between psychological science and professional practice are discussed. The current status of the scientist–practitioner model is discussed, and arguments for the need to move beyond textbook accounts of the scientific process are presented. The war of words taking place regarding the nature of psychological science is examined, and an answer to the question of what is meant by the integration of science and practice is provided. Considerations are included of suppositions, including that fruitful interaction of science and practice often is an opportunistic process and that there is nothing so theoretical as good practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reconnecting psychoanalysis to mainstream psychology. Challenges and opportunities.

Although psychoanalysis was once central to mainstream psychology, in recent years psychodynamic models of personality and psychopathology have become increasingly marginalized. The factors that combined to "disconnect" psychoanalysis from contemporary psychological science and clinical practice are examined, and strategies that can help reconnect psychoanalysis to mainstream psychology are described. These are (a) the use of nomothetic research methods to test and refine psychoanalytic concepts and (b) the communication of psychoanalytic principles and findings to colleagues, students, and members of the public. Opportunities and challenges that arise during this reconnection process are discussed, and prospects for the rebirth of a truly heuristic, integrative psychoanalysis are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral medicine in the 1980s: Nonrandom connections.

The field of behavioral medicine is based on the emergence of a communication network linking an array of basic and applied scientific disciplines that were not previously well connected. Reasons for cautious optimism regarding this reincarnation of the application of behavioral science to medicine include the emerging pathway from basic science findings to applications research, the broader scope of the field, and the presence of sufficient researchers and practitioners to carry out the aims of the field. From a clinical viewpoint, therapeutic applications will be carried out mainly by nonphysicians within a variety of traditional and nontraditional settings. Dissemination of research findings and the growth of the field depend on a variety of factors, not all of which are under the control of the professionals involved. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Suffering in Psychology: The Demoralization of Psychotherapeutic Practice.

Faced with a chasm of seemingly geological proportions, scientists and practitioners in clinical psychology and psychotherapy must confront the concealed moral conflicts that permeate the field. Our clinical practices reflect and contribute to the search for the good life in contemporary society. The application of the Enlightenment's view of science and rationality to clinical psychology has led to a demoralization of the therapeutic relationship and an atrophy of our sense of human suffering. Human suffering is explored as a complex process involving physical, psychological, and social elements firmly embedded in the moral realm in such a manner as to make the practice of psychotherapy inevitably also the practice of ethics. The positive consequences of the remoralization of clinical practice and professional identity are discussed, as are possible objections to such an endeavor from various theoretical approaches to psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A place for discontent and tensions in psychology.

R. M. Cooper (see record 1983-26906-001) commented on the failure of psychology for physiological psychologists and advised his colleagues to abandon psychology in favor of the neurosciences. Cooper's discontent may be seen as arising naturally from certain inevitable tensions between perspectives and methods in the physical and behavioral sciences. Clinical psychologists are similarly caught between differing perspectives—those of behavioral science and clinical practice—and they also experience tensions and discontent. The discontent and tensions in psychology sometimes lead to overly narrow specialization and destructive rifts within the discipline. It is argued that these effects need not occur and that tensions between differing epistemic/theoretic perspectives in psychology are healthy and should be maintained. Such dialectics are needed to generate more complete and integrated knowledge, and the tension between science and practice is necessary for the advancement of clinical skills. (French abstract) (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Mexican psychology.

The universality—not the scientific character—of psychology is challenged by data previously reported by the present author and other researchers suggesting the need for a sociocultural psychology of personality. Specific factorial scales of Mexican, natural language, and sociocultural premises are found to be meaningfully associated, at three different ages, with a number of reliable measures of psychological dimensions. A national, local-belief-based, clinical understanding of Mexican youth on the basis of intra- and cross-cultural studies is illustrated. From the evidence, it is proposed (a) that culture, as defined, can account for significant variance of bona fide psychological and other behavioral science dimensions; and (b) that there is a basis to speak about sociocultural psychologies, such as a Mexican psychology. The disclosure is made in the context of the author's attempts to understand the Mexican personality and society. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is Clinical Psychology a Science?

Comments on an article by Carton Berenda titled Is Clinical Psychology a Science? (see record 1959-03759-001). Few people would contest the thesis proposed by Berenda; clinical psychology is indeed a science. But perhaps the question concerns the maturity of science, rather than the matter of whether an empirical discipline qualifies for a franchise in the domain of "Science." By maturity in science, I mean logical rigor in the expression of laws and theories--a matter of stringent but elegant quantifications, if you will. In this context, most of psychology and practically all of clinical psychology is a child. Failure to keep maturity distinctions in mind has led to some rather unsupportable analogies between psychology and physics. In the writer's opinion, it could only be unfortunate if we were to attempt to establish the kinship of our science to physics on the grounds proposed by Berenda: that, since science has given up the ontological quest, all science is permitted artistic license. One senses that the weakness of Berenda's analogy between physics and psychology lies in the fact that hardly anywhere in psychology do we find it possible to apply those principles by which reflective physicists have resolved what appear to be the logical difficulties of entertaining alternative theories. In answer to Berenda, then, the writer would propose that, until there is more logical order in our theories, more mathematical models, it may be that we are premature in trumpeting our emancipation from the ontological search. True, we are not looking for the real, but we are seeking representations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in modern psychology: A citation analysis of the Kuhnian displacement thesis.

Many psychologists believe a Kuhnian revolution, a competitive event between incommensurate paradigms in which a winner displaces losers after chaotic upheaval, has occurred in psychology. Cognitive psychology is said to be displacing behavioral psychology and psychoanalysis, but few published data support this thesis. Social science citation records from the leading journals in cognitive psychology, behavioral psychology, and psychoanalysis between 1979 and 1988 were analyzed. Results show an increasing trend for cognitive psychology but also high citation rates with no downward trends for behavioral psychology. Citation rates for psychoanalysis are not as high, but indications of decline are marginal. These findings do not support the Kuhnian displacement thesis on changes in modern psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Constructing knowledge: The role of graphs and tables in hard and soft psychology.

Because graphs provide a compact, rhetorically powerful way of representing research findings, recent theories of science have postulated their use as a distinguishing feature of science. Studies have shown that the use of graphs in journal articles correlates highly with the hardness of scientific fields, both across disciplines and across subfields of psychology. In contrast, the use of tables and inferential statistics in psychology is inversely related to subfield hardness, suggesting that the relationship between hardness and graph use is not attributable to differences in the use of quantitative data in subfields or their commitment to empiricism. Enhanced "graphicacy" among psychologists could contribute to the progress of psychological science by providing alternatives to significance testing and by facilitating communication across subfields. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

L’importance de la famille: Psychologie de la famille et famille de la psychologie.

Research on the family lies at the interface between basic and applied science. After tracing the scientific and practise roots of research on the family, I highlight that research to date has neglected the perspective of fathers. I propose that as in regular families, the family of Canadian psychology is diverse and constantly evolving. Key findings in psychology of the family include the importance of multiple perspectives, the benefits of quality time, and the toxic effects of conflict. These concepts apply equally to the family of Canadian psychology. I suggest that through involvement in the Canadian Psychological Association, psychologists can be enriched by multiple perspectives, can benefit from communication with one another to work together to advance psychology for all. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Families matter: Psychology of the family and the family of psychology.

Research on the family lies at the interface between basic and applied science. After tracing the scientific and practise roots of research on the family, I highlight that research to date has neglected the perspective of fathers. I propose that as in regular families, the family of Canadian psychology is diverse and constantly evolving. Key findings in psychology of the family include the importance of multiple perspectives, the benefits of quality time, and the toxic effects of conflict. These concepts apply equally to the family of Canadian psychology. I suggest that through involvement in the Canadian Psychological Association, psychologists can be enriched by multiple perspectives, can benefit from communication with one another to work together to advance psychology for all. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Literature about school psychology: Who writes what for whom?

Discusses reasons why the field of school psychology has not been successful in shaping its own destiny. Lack of terminal doctoral degrees among school psychologists and the restriction from private practice sometimes enforced by school systems are cited as possible reasons. A 3rd reason suggested is that psychology professors, and not the actual school psychology practitioners, succeed in publishing because there is more incentive (i.e., pressure) for the professors to do so. It is suggested that school psychologists (with or without doctoral degrees) be provided with incentives to write. (1 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)