Exemplary efforts in psychology to recruit and retain graduate students of color.

Many psychology departments are striving for a greater representation of students of color within their graduate preparation programs with the aim of producing a more diverse pool of psychological service providers, scientists, and educators. To help improve the minority pipeline in psychology, the authors identify and describe recruitment and retention strategies used at 11 departments and programs considered to be making exemplary efforts to attract and retain minority students of color. The strategies most consistently used included engaging current minority faculty and students in recruitment activities, offering attractive financial aid packages, having faculty members make personal contacts with prospective students, creating linkages with historical institutions of color, having (or approached having) a critical mass of faculty and students of color, offering a diversity issues course, and engaging students in diversity issues research. Despite the similarities, the programs and departments were each distinctive and innovative in their overall approaches to student recruitment and retention. Highlighting the strategies used at successful institutions may help others develop plans for improving the minority pipeline within their own departments and programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Procedure for Nonacademic Failure of Graduate Students in Psychology.

Recently, the application of the legal concept of "due process" has been broadening. Bernard (1975) has suggested that clinical students in psychology are due a clear procedure for being judged unsuitable and dropped from their programs. At the University of Alabama, we are persuaded that these processes should also include experimental students. Certainly, there are characteristics that render people unsuitable to the profession of psychology, whether clinical or experimental. We have, therefore, adopted a procedure designed to apply at those times when faculty members feel students may be unsuitable to practice psychology: in the classroom, the laboratory, the clinic, or any other setting. This procedure is sent to students who apply to the graduate program and are under consideration for acceptance--before they commit themselves to our department. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group Therapy for Students in Clinical Psychology.

It has been the experience of six graduate students in clinical psychology at the Florida State University that the adage "Physician, heal thyself might profitably be amended to "Psychologists, heal each other." Inasmuch as a psychotherapeutic group composed of clinical psychologists is rather unique, the writer feels that his group's experiences may facilitate the formation of similar groups. Some of the salient topics and issues addressed here include the attempt to acquire a group leader, secrecy, the admission of new members, the members' psychological sophistication, and the cross currents of interpersonal relations. The writer feels that perhaps this therapy group's greatest contribution relates to the generally accepted opinion that a healthy therapist is a desideratum. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Graduate Study in Psychology: 1971-2004.

This article traces the evolution of graduate study in psychology in the United States and Canada during the past 3 decades. The authors summarize the 2003-2004 characteristics of graduate programs and departments in psychology and compare these data to those obtained in 1970-1971, 1979-1980, and 1992-1993. The most recent data were obtained from the 2005 edition of Graduate Study in Psychology and were based on 495 institutions, 601 departments, and 1,970 graduate programs. Information is presented for both entire departments (e.g., faculty characteristics, student profiles, admission criteria, Graduate Record Examination and grade point averages, tuition costs, financial assistance) and individual graduate programs (e.g., areas of study, number of applicants, acceptance rates, enrollment statistics, retention rates). Particular attention is devoted to the emergence of PsyD programs in professional psychology, the ascendancy of neuroscience programs in academic psychology, and the steady rise in acceptance rates across programs over the past 33 years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality Evaluation in the Selection of Graduate Students in Clinical Psychology.

Examined the opinions of clinical psychologists regarding the selection of graduate clinical students to include some type of formal personality evaluation, in addition to the usual academic considerations. In view of the strong feelings often expressed on both sides of this question, it was felt that a questionnaire sampling the opinions of clinical psychologists regarding it would be of professional interest and possibly of some assistance to graduate departments attempting to cope with the problem.. Brief questionnaires were sent to a randomly selected sample of 100 members of Division 12 (Clinical) of the APA. In reply to the question: "Should a formal personality evaluation be used as a criterion for selecting applicants for graduate study in clinical psychology?" 84% of those responding checked "Yes," and 16% checked "No." In assessing how extensive such an evaluation should be, the following alternatives or combinations of them were provided: thorough personality analysis, screening for obvious handicapping problems, and screening for possession of professionally "desirable" characteristics. 20% selected the first alternative, 27% chose the second, 11% checked the third, 27% combined the second and third, 2% marked the first and third, 4% indicated all three, and 9% did not reply to this question. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Opening remarks to the National Conference on Graduate Education in Psychology.

Presents the opening remarks to the National Conference on Graduate Education in Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonwhite Students in Counseling Psychology: A Closer Look.

Thirty-three doctoral programs responded to a survey assessing the racial/ethnic composition of doctoral students and student applicants. Different conclusions were drawn from four methods that were used to calculate the representation of the racial/ethnic groups in the applicant pools and enrollments in American Psychological Association (APA) and non-APA-approved counseling psychology programs. The data suggest that underrepresentation of nonwhites in our graduate programs is not due to the differential utilization of admissions standards for nonwhites, as opposed to other applicants, but rather to the small number of nonwhite students who apply. Although most programs design activities to recruit nonwhite applicants, few programs do as much as possible. Suggestions are presented for making psychology in general, and counseling psychology in particular, more attractive to undergraduate blacks. More nonwhites must view psychology as an appropriate major if the potential pool of graduate school applicants is to increase. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Between the Cup of Principle and the Lip of Practice: Ethnic Minorities and American Psychology, 1966-1980.

By 1980, the previously held dichotomy of Black and White racial identity in America had yielded to a mosaic of red, yellow, brown, black, and white. During the 1960s and 1970s, identity, and thus psychological knowledge, were articulated and differentiated in terms of gender, sexual orientation, and class in unprecedented ways. In this article, the author contextualizes efforts to make mainstream American psychology more receptive to ethnic minorities between 1966 and 1980. Advocacy and activism by ethnic minority psychologists forced American mainstream psychology to yield a place at the table to non-White, non-European individuals. He emphasizes the recruitment and retention of ethnic minority graduate students and faculty, and concludes that many individual psychologists were important in forcing changes in these areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Graduate Students' Perspectives of Academic Positions in School Psychology.

An increasing number of vacancies in school psychology academic positions and the reduced number of applicants seeking to enter academia have created projected shortages in academe. The purpose of the current study was to determine perspectives of academia held by current school psychology graduate students, who are in line to become the next generation of trainers. Based on information yielded from focus groups conducted with graduate students at two major doctoral school psychology training programs, a 42-item survey was designed to assess students' beliefs regarding benefits and drawbacks of an academic position, possible incentives that would encourage one to apply for an academic position, and past and current likelihood of applying for an academic position. Doctoral students from 98 school psychology graduate programs were invited to participate in the study; a total of 236 students returned completed surveys. Results indicated a significant trend toward increased consideration of an academic career as students progress through graduate school. The highest-ranked benefits of an academic career involved roles and activities inherent to the position, as opposed to potential benefits such as salary or prestige. Regarding perceived drawbacks to academia, job stress was ranked as the most significant deterrent, while the area of least concern involved current preparation to assume an academic position. Finally, respondents agreed on several incentives that would be helpful in overcoming hesitancy in applying for an academic position, including reducing politics in the tenure process, increasing salary, and increased availability of academic positions that emphasize applied work. Implications for current trainers are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

On Selecting Psychology Graduate Students: Validity Evidence for a Test of Tacit Knowledge.

This study provides initial evidence for the criterion-related validity of tacit knowledge (TK) as an alternative measure for selecting psychology graduate students and adds insight to the construct of TK by evaluating its factor structure, assessing convergent relationships with other variables, and exploring alternative reasons for why TK predicts performance. TK provided incremental validity beyond GRE scores, undergraduate GPA, and 7 personality dimensions in predicting graduate school performance. Moreover, TK scores computed from experts at different universities yielded nearly identical criterion-related validity coefficients, thus strengthening the generalizability of the predictor. Although the results of the present study demonstrate convergent relationships between TK and conceptually related variables, factor analyses conducted on the TK measure did not support the subdimensions proposed by the authors of the scale. Limitations of the present study, issues involving revision of the TK measure, and recommendations for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of Psychological Help Seeking in Clinical and Counseling Psychology Graduate Students.

Psychologists are often called upon to provide supervision, mentorship, and training to graduate student therapists-in-training. In these roles, psychologists may influence whether graduate students enter personal therapy during their training. This study investigated variables (including perceived faculty attitudes about students in personal therapy) that predict psychotherapy help seeking in clinical and counseling psychology graduate students (N = 262). The findings indicated that confidentiality issues, general attitudes about therapy, and perceptions of the importance of personal therapy for professional development were important predictors of graduate student help seeking. The implications for faculty, supervisors, and mentors of therapists-in-training are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

McClelland's Statement on the Quality of Students in Psychology.

Author briefly addresses the comment made by David McClelland (The Recruitment of Scientific Psychologists) in the American Psychologist (December, 1954), deploring the lack of top quality students in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Preparing for graduate study in psychology: 101 questions and answers.

Reviews the book, Preparing for graduate study in psychology: 101 questions and answers by William Buskist and Caroline Burke (2006). The book is broken down into a number of chapters organized in a chronological manner, starting with the fundamentals of what graduate school is like and how to choose a specific program. It then proceeds to more specific pieces of information, including the GRE, details on the application and interview process, and finishes with a timeframe on how to organize one's first year of graduate studies. Each of these chapters is formatted as a series of key questions, followed by detailed answers related to the overall theme of the section. Also included in this edition are very useful appendices that include a glossary of terms, a sample vitae, and letters of intent. The last chapter, entitled "The First Year: Thriving, Surviving and Other Essentials," tackles issues related to how to decide on a graduate mentor, when to choose a thesis committee, switching programs during graduate school, and most intriguingly, how to not "wash out" of the program. The reviewer highly recommends this book as he believes it will almost certainly ease a student's transition from undergraduate to graduate studies in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Empathy and ego development": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by A. F. Carlozzi et al (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1983[Jan], Vol 30[1], 113-116). A sentence was omitted on page 115. The missing sentence is provided. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1983-10448-001.) Examined the relationship between empathy and ego development to determine whether, as J. Loevinger (1976) suggested, empathy is characteristic of higher levels of ego development. 51 undergraduates (dormitory advisors) completed the Affective Sensitivity Scale (a measure of empathy) and the Loevinger Sentence Completion Test (a measure of ego development). Analysis of test scores indicated that Ss at higher levels of ego development (I-3/4 and above) had significantly higher empathy scores than did those at lower ego levels. Findings have implications for the selection and training of individuals to serve in counseling or quasi-counseling roles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology 2004/2005 Edition.

This article reviews the "Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology 2004/2005 Edition." The purpose of this book is to help students prepare for admission into clinical or counseling psychology graduate programs and to assist with the corresponding application process. Including several web resources, updated profiles and contact information for North American programs, data outlining admissions criteria, and sample letters, CVs and a personal statement, this book is designed to help both current and future applicants prepare for and apply strategically to graduate school. Well written and using straightforward language and information presented in text, table, and list formats, the authors draw on research data and personal anecdotes to outline the application process and its various considerations. The book covers all steps of the process from the initial decision to pursue graduate work in clinical or counseling psychology to the final decision one makes upon offers of admission. Moreover, one of its greatest features is a timeline for preparing for graduate work in these fields. The timeline breaks the application process into manageable steps and could, for many readers, decrease the stresses that arise from preparing for and applying to graduate school. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confidence in Individual and Group Decision Making: When "Two Heads" Are Worse Than One.

The authors investigated students' accuracy and confidence judgments for course-related material in college classrooms. Under conditions of group work and instructor feedback, students produced higher exam accuracy scores working in groups than alone but at a cost of increased confidence for groups' wrong answers. Groups' high confidence for wrong answers generated the case when "two heads are worse than one." Students participating in groups that arrived at wrong exam answers gave higher confidence when wrong and lower confidence when correct for repeated items on a final exam. "Two heads" groups when wrong had no adverse effect on students' accuracy for repeated exam items. An intervention of lecture and readings on confidence calibration, metamemory, and overconfidence did not improve the students' accuracy-confidence judgments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Collective induction: Social combination and sequential transition": Correction to Laughlin and Futoran.

Reports an error in "Collective induction: Social combination and sequential transition" by Patrick R. Laughlin and Gail C. Futoran (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1985[Mar], Vol 48[3], 608-613). One sentence reads incorrectly on page 610. The correct sentence is provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1985-20078-001.) 240 undergraduates, as individuals and 4-person cooperative groups, attempted to induce a rule that partitioned a deck of standard playing cards into exemplars and nonexemplars. A trial consisted of (a) individual member hypotheses, (b) group hypothesis (omitted in individual conditions), (c) choice of any of the cards, and (d) feedback on the exemplar or nonexemplar status of the card. Ss were instructed to select cards to confirm or disconfirm the current hypothesis, or received no such instructions. Groups had significantly more correct final hypotheses, plausible final hypotheses, and overall plausible hypotheses than individuals. Performance was better for both individuals and groups under control instructions than either instructions to select cards to confirm or disconfirm hypotheses. Social combination analyses and sequential transition analyses indicated that the groups were remarkably able to recognize and adopt the correct hypothesis if and only if it was proposed by at least 1 group member on some trial. Thus, the superiority of collective induction over individual induction was due to superior hypothesis evaluation by groups rather than to superior hypothesis formation by groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Strohmer and Newman.

Reports an error in the original article by Douglas C. Strohmer and Lisa J. Newman (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1983, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 557-565; see record 1984-04824-001). The concluding sentence of the discussion was incorrect. The correct version is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Factors in the Self-Deception Questionnaire: Association with depression": Correction to Roth and Ingram.

Reports an error in "Factors in the Self-Deception Questionnaire: Associations with depression" by David L. Roth and Rick E. Ingram (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1985[Jan], Vol 48[1], 243-251). Errors appear in Table 2 on page 247. The factor loading for Item 7 (.65) is listed under Factor 2 and it should be under Factor 4. The factor loading for Item 18 (.54) is listed under Factor 2 and it should be under Factor 3. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1985-17551-001.) Administered the Self-Deception Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to 60 male and 52 female undergraduates and replicated the negative correlation found by H. A. Sackeim and R. C. Gur (1978; see also PA, Vol 62:6213). The SDQ was factor analyzed to determine which factors might account for this correlation with depression. Analysis showed that the 3 largest factors, identified by content themes of relationship with parents, emotionality, and denial of tabooed activities, correlated reliably with the BDI. Acceptable conceptualizations of distortion and reality and data that empirically relate those conceptualizations to depression and other forms of psychopathology are needed to clarify any associations that exist between cognitive accuracy and emotional functioning. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rethinking Education in Psychology and Psychology in Education: The Inaugural Education Leadership Conference.

The inaugural Education Leadership Conference was convened by the American Psychological Association (APA) in October 2001 to provide a forum for groups and organizations across all levels of education and training to address issues of mutual concern, to promote a shared disciplinary identity among education and training leaders in psychology, and to influence public policy regarding education in psychology and psychology in education. Participants from 23 national education and training organizations, 25 APA divisions, and national credentialing organizations in psychology identified 8 major issues for education and training in psychology and addressed a number of specific questions relevant to ongoing work of the Board of Educational Affairs. A full report is available at http.http://www.apa.org/ed/elc/home.html. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)