Review of Language, the sexes and society.

Reviews the book, Language, the sexes and society by Philip M. Smith (1985). The book under review is topical, as it deals with gender issues and language approached from a social psychological perspective, two areas that have seen a flurry of activity in recent years. The reader is taken to the forefront of research in these areas and encounters a substantial amount of information. The book contains an extensive critical review, as well as a report of Philip Smith's own studies dealing with the recognition of masculinity-femininity of speakers by listeners. In the review section, speech forms associated with speaker sex, as studied by anthropological linguists, sociolinguists, and social psychologists are reviewed. We learn further about how women and men are represented in language (e.g., in the media, in advertisement, reference material). I would use this book as suggested reading to advanced undergraduates and graduate students. But the primary market for the book is among scholars and researchers engaged in the study of language and gender issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language, society and identity.

Reviews the book, Language, society and identity by John R. Edwards (1985). This book attempts to bring together the main lines of thought on ethnic identity, nationalism, language maintenance, and bilingualism. The book is divided into seven chapters which discuss: the definitions of such concepts as ethnic identity, ethnicity, nationalism, language, and dialect; consideration of language and nationalism; language maintenance and shift; issues of "ethnic revival" and the "new ethnicity; education; language attitudes, behaviour, and research and; the separation of language maintenance from ethnic maintenance. Despite what seem to be numerous reservations, I find that this book has many good features. It does take us a lot closer to an interdisciplinary view on language and ethnicity; it reminds us about the variety of social settings in which language contact (and conflict) plays a role; it brings out many controversial points and supplies arguments from different perspectives for such controversies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Gender and Psychopathology.

Reviews the book, Gender and Psychopathology by Ihsan Al-Issa (Ed.) (1982). The reviewer maintains that this book appears to achieve its aim of providing a comprehensive review of gender-psychopathology relationships. Nevertheless, because the range of convenience of the psychopathology construct has not been clearly delineated, an assessment of the book's comprehensiveness cannot easily be made. Furthermore, the often uncritical acceptance of official figures on rates of psychiatric disorders obscures the social context in which psychiatric labeling takes place. It would seem to this reviewer that data on rates of disorders in men and women need to be understood in terms of both the structural characteristics of the mental health system generating these figures and the formal categories used by mental health workers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A World of Difference: Gender Roles in Perspective.

Reviews the book, A World of Difference: Gender Roles in Perspective by Esther R. Greenglass (1982). In A World of Difference, Esther Greenglass has given us an excellent social-psychological perspective on sex, gender, and sex-role differences. Greenglass clearly analyses current research on these topics with the perspective of the culture in which gender-based behaviour occurs. Equally important, however, is the discussion of the social and cultural context of the research itself. Aside from this important and useful discussion of the research in its social context, there is a very thorough review of contemporary issues relating to gender roles. This is a very readable book for students. The collection of pictures and cartoons depicting contemporary male and female roles illustrates the issues while showing their humorous side. Throughout the book, there are examples of Canadian data and Canadian research which will make the book particularly appealing to those who find that U.S. texts are too chauvinistic about the American experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rejoinder to Clément's review of Language and Disadvantage.

In his recent review of the book "Language and Disadvantage" by John Edwards (1979), Clement (see record 2007-04092-001) begins and ends on a favourable note, and for this the author is grateful. Within the body of the review, however, he has misrepresented things somewhat; consequently, Edwards comments on the following points. First, Clement claimed that the basis for Edwards' rejection of the "deficit" viewpoint on disadvantage is "nebulous". Second, Clement sees the fifth chapter (dealing with nonstandard speech at school) as weak, containing little more than recommendations to teachers. Third, Clement states that Edwards suggests in the book "that NSS (nonstandard speech) speakers be taught SS (standard style) as it pertains to certain specific situations". Edwards states in the preface of his book that disadvantaged speech is considered essentially as a sociolinguistic issue deriving more from social attitudes than from any inherent linguistic deficiency. To the extent to which Clement's review muddies this basic theme, it misleads the reader. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language in the Americas.

Reviews the book, Language in the Americas by Joseph H. Greenberg (1987). Greenberg's work on universals of language has crossed disciplinary boundaries to become known to many psychologists interested in language. His equally important work in language classification, of which Language in the Americas is one part, remains unfamiliar to psychologists. This book is a pioneering work in that it is the first genetic classification of the indigenous languages of both North and South America. Greenberg maintains that all of the languages of the Americas belong to three families: Eskimo-Aleut, Na-Dene, and a family that he has named Amerind. This assertion is both important and controversial; the controversy lies in the grouping of most of the languages including all of those of South and Central America into the Amerind family. Most of Language in the Americas consists of the Amerind etymological dictionary, arranged so that the reader can assess lexical similarities within and between subgroups. Greenberg's discussion is informed, articulate, profound, and to the point. He draws on relevant sources and examples from diverse fields of knowledge. The depth and breadth of his scholarship and the clarity of his presentation create a work that is an intellectual pleasure to read. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language functions and brain organization.

Reviews the book, Language functions and brain organization edited by Sidney J. Segalowitz (1983). This volume attempts an up-to-date summary of our knowledge of brain/language relationships by 24 distinguished researchers in the field (six of them Canadian). The four parts deal with "the general concept of language as a mental organ or a mental complex," "the brain base for language," developmental aspects, and hemispheric lateralization. For each part, the editor has written a brief introduction, which is followed by three or four chapters. The book as a whole presents a delightful though somewhat idiosyncratic selection of topics, loosely focused on the general theme of brain and language. Systematic coverage is not attempted, nor is it likely to be gained from an edited book with its inevitable problems of unevenness in style, differences in approach, and overlap in content. The editor seems to have given at least some of his authors free rein to write about their topic of specialization, and they do it well. It is fun to pick and choose chapters of interest, but I would not recommend front-to-back reading in the expectation of a textbook introduction to the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language, cognition and deafness.

Reviews the book, Language, cognition and deafness by Michael Rodda and Carl Grove (see record 1987-97707-000). In this book, Rodda and Grove clearly subscribe to the view that along with speech and hearing, deaf persons should be allowed to use their "natural" language, Sign Language, American Sign Language (ASL), or in Canada, Canadian Sign Language (CSL). What makes this book unusual and important is that the authors have taken great pains to document their position through reference to hard experimental evidence, much of which has been done by psychologists. It is hard to imagine that anyone reading this book would not be definitively persuaded by their arguments, which are based on recent developments in psychology, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, as well as many other allied fields. Rodda and Grove clearly want to see Sign Language (ASL) accepted as part of the educational, psychological and cultural world of deaf adults, without demeaning the importance of speech and hearing in the communication process. This highly readable and informative book will undoubtedly help move the field in that direction, and I highly recommend it to the specialist and non-specialist alike. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language development in the preschool years.

Reviews the book, Language development in the preschool years by Gordon Wells (1985). This is the second report of a massive study of child language that has come to be known as "the Bristol study." It was carried out on local children by members of the University of Bristol. It is the best longitudinal study of its type that I have seen. Educators will find the book useful. Many people are worried about the "permissible" limits of variability: when a child is to be treated as normal and when professional intervention is required. The book gives no precise rules, but it can help to inform judgement. Taking one thing with another, the book is replete with useful information that the student of child language will not want to be without. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Women, men, and the psychology of power.

Reviews the book, Women, Men, and the Psychology of Power by Hilary M. Lips (1981). This book is therefore a welcome addition to the literature as it is an integration of gender differences on the one issue of power: it is totally devoted to the analysis of the multiplicity of factors involved in sex differences regarding the achievement of power. Dr. Lips presents her ideas from a dual perspective, that of a feminist and that of a social psychologist. Looking at the issue of power from the first point of view, she not only refers to the fact that women have fewer avenues to power than men do, but she also discusses the ways women cooperate to maintain their subordinate position. At the same time she elucidates the consequences for both sexes as women become more powerful. From the second viewpoint, she maintains that some of the observable differences in personality characteristics between females and males may be a function of structural variables, such as differential power bases, rather than stable inherited traits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language learning and concept acquisition: Foundational issues.

Reviews the book, Language Learning and concept acquisition: Foundational issues edited by William Demopoulos and Ausonio Marras (1986). This is a stimulating and informative book presenting various attempts to account for the highly regular nature of language acquisition. Although many of the individual chapters in this book are quite excellent, the book suffers from a lack of cohesiveness because: (1) the chapters vary tremendously in their complexity and completeness--some are written at an introductory level, whereas others assume the reader to have a highly sophisticated knowledge base; and (2) the editors make no attempt to tie the book together. There are no introductory or summary comments to the various sections in the book and, in fact, there is not even a proper foreword. This severely limits the usefulness of the book. Nevertheless, I would recommend this collection of readings to researchers and scholars in the fields of psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and the cognitive sciences. It contains many provocative ideas, and would be particularly useful to study in a seminar (or other group) setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Strategic management of technostress in an information society.

Reviews the book, Strategic Management of technostress in an information society edited by Amarjit S. Sethi, Denis H. J. Caro, and Randall S. Schuler (1987). According to the editors, the contents of this book would not only provide managers with a "set of useful and practical strategies for managing technostress by organizations and their members" (p.xi), but would also serve as a reference for other stress coping (sic) scholars and practitioners, as well as a textbook for students in university management and executive development programs. A second attraction of this book was that its editors had played an unusually active role in writing it, thereby presumably avoiding the uneveness and lack of integration that plagues edited books. The reviewer does not have hands-on experience in developing organizational strategies for handling technological innovation and consequently am not as confident in criticizing the chapters devoted to this topic. But in reading these chapters the reviewer began to question whether their authors had any more experience than than the reviewer did. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language impairment and psychopathology in infants, children, and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Language impairment and psychopathology in infants, children, and adolescents by Nancy J. Cohen (see record 2001-05782-000). Approximately half of the children referred to mental health clinics for social-emotional problems have, on testing, been shown to have co-occurring language impairment. Conversely, about the same percentage of children originally seen for difficulties with language are later diagnosed with social-emotional problems. It is this overlap that Nancy Cohen explores in this concise and immensely readable book. We view this book as a broad and integrative first step that ought to be followed with more depth in specific areas. Thus, although much remains to be done, this book provides an excellent overview of a complex literature and will encourage interesting new clinical and research endeavours. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Altruism, socialization, and society.

Reviews the book, Altruism, Socialization, and Society by J. Philippe Rushton (1980). In this comprehensive work, Rushton reviews the fruits of his research efforts. Much of what his review reveals is promising: Human beings probably are evolutionarily disposed toward displaying altruism, and a variety of childrearing and educational practices are highly effective toward teaching and eliciting prosocial action and thought. Yet Rushton also reaches a darker conclusion: A variety of forces in society are conspiring to produce generations of inconsiderate, unfeeling, hostile, competitive, and self-centered youngsters. Among the factors Rushton fingers are the demise of the family as an effective socialization agency, the abundance of violent fare in the media, and the failure of the school to face its role as moral tutor. Rushton draws on evidence from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and education to support the disturbing thesis that he reiterate several times throughout his book: 'Altruism is the central problem facing society today." He goes on to consider strategies for improving the social environment to rectify the problem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Traumatic stress: The effects of overwhelming experience on mind, body, and society.

Reviews the book, Traumatic stress: The effects of overwhelming experience on mind, body, and society edited by Bessel A. van der Kolk, Alexander C. McFarland, and Lars Weisaeth (see record 1996-98017-000). According to the reviewer, this book has, no doubt, been long awaited by professionals working in the field of traumatic stress. On the whole, it should be welcomed by psychiatrists. It leaves little reservation that, for the guiding interests of psychology, practitioners and researchers will need to look elsewhere. Although acclaimed on the flyleaf as "the gold standard reference," this book, however, falls far short of that mark, and it is bewildering and disappointing that this ambitious, extensive volume comes to so little in a field requiring lucid and advanced theoretical and empirical contributions. The book's purpose is a synthesis of what has been learned over the past 20 years about the effects of trauma, using a biopsychosocial framework. The emphasis throughout is on psychobiology and intrapersonal psychology, attention to the latter at times appearing almost quaint. The book is more properly read as a synthesis of some of the prevailing viewpoints expressed within psychiatry. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Sex Roles: Origins, Influences, and Implications for Women.

Reviews the book, Sex Roles: Origins, Influences, and Implications for Women by Cannie Stark-Adamec (Ed.) (1980). This book contains the proceedings of the first IGWAP (Interest Group on Women and Psychology) Institute on women which was held in conjunction with the 1978 CPA meetings in Ottawa. The book begins with an introduction by the editor in which she discusses the male bias in traditional psychological research, the purpose and history of IGWAP, the papers included in this volume, and some studies of the effects of language on the way people think about sex roles. The Introduction is followed by the invited address given at the Institute by Dr. Sandra Pyke, "Androgyny: A Dead End or a Promise." The rest of the book consists of 14 papers which were submitted in response to a call for papers and presented at the Institute. Since the papers included here were received in response to a call for papers (with the exception of the introduction and the invited address on androgyny), the topics covered are not comprehensive nor systematic enough to make the book useful as a textbook. There are simply too many holes and too little information tying the specific findings together. Although not useful as a textbook, this book has value both as a reference book and as a historical document of the research Canadian psychologists were doing from a women's perspective in the mid 1970's. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Battle of the sexes: Gender stereotype confirmation and reactance in negotiations.

The authors examined how gender stereotypes affect negotiation performance. Men outperformed women when the negotiation was perceived as diagnostic of ability (Experiment 1) or the negotiation was linked to gender-specific traits (Experiment 2), suggesting the threat of negative stereotype confirmation hurt women's performance relative to men. The authors hypothesized that men and women confirm gender stereotypes when they are activated implicitly, but when stereotypes are explicitly activated, people exhibit stereotype reactance, or the tendency to behave in a manner inconsistent with a stereotype. Experiment 3 confirmed this hypothesis. In Experiment 4, the authors examined the cognitive processes involved in stereotype reactance and the conditions under which cooperative behaviors between men and women can be promoted at the bargaining table (by activating a shared identity that transcends gender). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Graphing the order of the sexes: Constructing, recalling, interpreting, and putting the self in gender difference graphs.

Graphs seem to connote facts more than words or tables do. Consequently, they seem unlikely places to spot implicit sexism at work. Yet, in 6 studies (N = 741), women and men constructed (Study 1) and recalled (Study 2) gender difference graphs with men’s data first, and graphed powerful groups (Study 3) and individuals (Study 4) ahead of weaker ones. Participants who interpreted graph order as evidence of author “bias” inferred that the author graphed his or her own gender group first (Study 5). Women’s, but not men’s, preferences to graph men first were mitigated when participants graphed a difference between themselves and an opposite-sex friend prior to graphing gender differences (Study 6). Graph production and comprehension are affected by beliefs and suppositions about the groups represented in graphs to a greater degree than cognitive models of graph comprehension or realist models of scientific thinking have yet acknowledged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Feminist visions of gender similarities and differences.

Reviews the book, Feminist visions of gender similarities and differences by Meredith M. Kimball (see record 1995-99017-000). One purpose of the author in writing this book is to explore a central schism within feminist psychology, a schism that bifurcates the feminist psychology community. On the one hand, we have the minimalists, those who argue that the differences between the genders are nonexistent or are modest and irrelevant in most contexts. These are the equal-rights feminists, adherents of the similarities school. On the other hand, we find the maximalists who contend that indeed the genders are quite different on many dimensions and that the qualities of women are important, significant and of value. These are the essentialists, disciples of the differences school. In fleshing out the nature of these two perspectives, Professor Kimball observes the extent of the impact of each view in terms of influencing questions asked, methodologies chosen, theories preferred, and political goals articulated. In her typically even-handed treatment of issues, Kimball also presents the deficiencies of each approach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)