Still more about the comprehension of "less."

32 3-4 yr old children were asked to indicate "Which one has less?" in 4 different contexts. Results indicate that performance was the same in all contexts indicating that "more" is acquired before "less" and that those children who do not know "less" treat it as a synonym of "more." Differing results of previous studies cannot be attributed to the type of materials to which the comparative judgments are applied. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Wizard of Oz as cultural narrative and conceptual model for psychotherapy.

Narrative has long served as a means of communicating important information that explains the relationships among events and as a guide for learning skills. This article examines a major contemporary narrative, The Wizard of Oz, as it elucidates difficulties encountered in our society and how they are addressed through development and change. The implications of the film for psychotherapy are explored using the comparative approach developed by Jerome Frank. The narrative is considered as it illustrates Frank's notion of demoralization and the elements and processes hypothesized to be shared by all effective psychotherapeutic approaches. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employee responses to formal performance appraisal feedback.

Investigated the attitudinal impacts of receiving formal performance appraisal feedback. Based on the suggestion that the feedback that one is "satisfactory" will be disconfirming for many feedback recipients, it was hypothesized that attitudes toward the performance appraisal systems and organizational commitment will decrease and remain lower for those receiving satisfactory ratings, whereas the attitudes of those receiving higher appraisal ratings will remain unchanged. The hypotheses were tested on panels of management and nonmanagement employees (the latter receiving new appraisals 12 mo after their managers) in 2 federal agencies over a 30-mo period using perceived and actual performance ratings. There was a significant and stable drop in the organizational commitment of satisfactory employees after the introduction of formal appraisals, with mixed results for attitudes toward the appraisal system. Findings suggest that potentially negative consequences of implicitly comparative formal performance appraisals can occur for those performing at a satisfactory, but not outstanding, level. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of "more than" and "less than" decisions on the use of numerical tables.

Examined the effects of alternative decision rules on the ease of using numerical tables. 162 female Ss used tables of critical weights to determine the acceptability of packets varying in size, weight, and contents. The instructions stated either that acceptable packets weighed more than the critical value or that acceptable packets weighed less than the critical value. The more than acceptance rule resulted in faster performance and fewer errors than the less than rule. This finding is consistent with psycholinguistic research on the understanding of comparative terms. The main effect was replicated across 4 tables differing in their arrangement of information. These tables varied in difficulty, but there was no interaction with the phrasing of the acceptance rule. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparisons of second-generation holocaust survivors, immigrants, and nonimmigrants on measures of mental health.

Investigated whether a "children-of-Holocaust-survivors syndrome" could more parsimoniously be explained as an "immigration effect," in a comparative study on 25 children of Holocaust survivors, 25 children of immigrants, and 25 children of American-born parents (mean age of all Ss 26.96 yrs). Ss were matched on age and educational level and were assessed with 4 measures of mental health: an alienation scale, an anomie scale, a hostility-guilt inventory, and a brief mental health index. Data indicate no significant differences between children of holocaust survivors and the children of other immigrants. These data suggest an immigration effect that is common to the children of immigrants and not limited to the children of Holocaust survivors, rather than a survivors syndrome. The children of American-born parents showed greater alienation, less religiosity, and a tendency toward feelings of less guilt than the other 2 groups. Results underscore the need to control immigrant status in multiple samples and studies before definitive conclusions can be drawn in this area. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative psychology?

A review of types of animals and behavior studied in the Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology from 1968 to July 1972 suggests that American comparative psychologists have maintained an extremely narrow position by concentrating their experimental work on learning and on the rat. Future research may lean more toward the physiological aspects of behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Animal psychology in journals, 1911–1927: Another look at the snark.

Frank A. Beach's 1950 article, "The Snark Was a Boojum," has been one of the most influential in the history of comparative psychology. A reanalysis of the data used by Beach for the period between 1911 and 1927 reveals flaws in Beach's analyses caused primarily by the inclusion of data from different journals, of much research by biologists during the 1910s, and of research on humans during the 1920s. This reanalysis forces a reinterpretation of historical trends in the field. With a corrected analysis, it becomes evident that the greatest increase in research on rats by psychologists occurred around 1917, not during the 1930s. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Journal of Animal Behavior and the early history of animal behavior studies in America.

The first American scientific journal devoted specifically to the study of animal behavior was the Journal of Animal Behavior, founded by Robert M. Yerkes in 1911. An examination of Yerkes's efforts to establish such a journal underscores the precariousness of animal behavior studies (and journal publications) in this period. The analysis of the different kinds of articles published by psychologists and zoologists in the Journal of Animal Behavior shows furthermore that already by the second decade of the twentieth century psychologists and zoologists were pursuing quite distinct programs of research in terms of their choices of animal subjects, topics of investigation, and research methodologies. The relation of the Journal of Animal Behavior to its successor, the Journal of Comparative Psychology, is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A highly significant comment.

Notes that the term significant has a meaning to statisticians that is very specific and that significant should not be used as a synonym for important. The term reliable is suitable for these situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The founding of the American Psychologist: The professional journal that wasn't.

The American Psychologist began publication 50 years ago this month as the official journal of a reorganized American Psychological Association. The journal was created as a centerpiece of the new Association, reflecting its acknowledgment of a broader role for the APA, a role that called for the advancement of psychology as a profession. The American Psychologist was intended to be the "professional " journal of the new Association, but it never really filled that responsibility. Drawing on published records and the unpublished documents of the APA Archives, this article recounts the history of this journal's founding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The nomenclature syndrome.

Questions the significance the term identity crisis has placed on the phenomenon of the maturing person in a changing world. The age-old endeavor to understand oneself better may not require the attention it has been receiving in the form of "new" treatment approaches. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Origin and evolution of the term "psychology."

Presents a historical review of the term "psychology." It is noted that while the word contains Greek elements, it does not have origins in Greek antiquity. This study suggests that the word originated in the 16th century "to refer to 1 aspect of spiritual being" and was 1st used as a title of academic lectures by Philipp Melanchton (1497-1560). Further development of the term through the mid-19th century is presented, including a table providing a chronology from Melanchton through Herbert Spencer's "Principles of Psychology" (1855). (25 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Shrink" or "expander": An issue in forming a therapeutic alliance.

Discusses the use of the term shrink to designate a therapist and suggests that such usage may indicate attitudes or expectations regarding how a therapist is perceived. It is suggested that misunderstandings need to be confronted and corrected early on if patients are to form the trust and openness necessary for an effective therapeutic alliance. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The distinction between sympathy and empathy: To call forth a concept, a word is needed.

Discusses the ways in which the terms sympathy and empathy have been used in psychology and suggests that these terms (a) have different historical roots, (b) have been utilized in different research paradigms, and (c) have been involved in different kinds of theorizing. It is suggested that sympathy refers to the heightened awareness of another's plight as something to be alleviated, whereas empathy refers to the attempt of one self-aware self to understand the subjective experiences of another. It is argued that these are different psychological processes and that the differences between them should not be obfuscated. (98 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Consumer Reports mental health survey.

Provides an overview of the 1995 Consumer Reports survey of the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Specific issues addressed include the study's goals; the findings for mental health professionals, family doctors, and self-help groups; and methodological strengths and weaknesses related to external validity, sampling, controls, self-reports, and time frame. The data show that, free of the artificial constraints of controlled studies in the real world, a population of consumers can often benefit from psychological intervention services. Real relief can be found at the hands of professional mental health providers. M. Kotkin et al reaffirm their independence from M. E. P. Seligman (see record 1996-13324-001) regarding the interpretation of the data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ominous problem.

Discusses a problem in the educational system in terms of W. R. Looft's (see record 1972-02727-001) concept of the "psychology of more." "More" has been accepted as the criterion of quality in education (i.e., more students and more information). It has been forgotten that information without understanding is as useless as analysis and evaluation without information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The 1992 ethics code: boon or bane?

Discusses the 1992 version of the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct that marks the first major revision since 1981. It has a table of contents that facilitates location of standards about specific topics and it is the 1st code to be divided into 2 sections. These include a set of principles that are aspirational, representing the professional ideals, and a set of enforceable standards that are intended to be used as compelling rules. The most controversial standard pertains to sexual relationships with former psychotherapy clients. Standards related to other topics for the first time, such as the practice of forensic psychology and bartering, distinguish the 1992 APA code from its predecessors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On learning and development, Piagetian style: I. A reply to Lefebvre-Pinard.

Examines the equilibration theory of Piaget (learning vs development, stage transitions) to make more explicit the methodological foundations of B. Inhelder et al (1974). In this connection, the "problem-solving" learning method used by these authors is analyzed by means of the new concept of "learning loops." Similarly, the successful equilibration learning method used by M. Lefebvre and A. Pinard (1974) is analyzed and shown to involve executive facilitation and chunking (coordination) of 2 crucial schemes. A process-structural model of conservation acquisition previously developed by the present author, and its empirical tests by R. Case (1975) and by G. M. Parkinson (1975), are used to illustrate and to empirically support the process-structural differences theoretically found between these 2 equilibration methods. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Patient" or "client": What's in a name?

Discusses some aspects of the terms "patient" and "client," especially regarding issues of dependency and responsibility in psychotherapy. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)