1996 editorial: 50th Anniversary Issue of the American Psychologist.

Presents an editorial on the 50th Anniversary Issue of The American Psychologist by the CEO and Executive Vice President of the American Psychological Association. An overview of changes to the journal and the developments in electronic communications pare presented, and the implications for international exchange in scholarly publishing are discussed. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Obituary procedures for the American Psychologist.

This article describes the procedures for handling obituaries for the American Psychologist. The section editor is assisted by an Obituary Advisory Group which consists of 20-25 psychologists who represent most of the major areas of psychology, including academic science, teaching, and professional practice. When writing obituaries instructions are given to begin with concise statements of the major aspects of the person's life to include major, laudable contributions, history, biographical, educational, and career information, as well as awards. The article also goes over the selection process, noting that possible nominees come from multiple sources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editorial policies of the American Psychologist.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the American Psychologist (AP). Since the publication of its first issue in January 1946, AP has served as the flagship journal for the American Psychological Association (APA) and has played an important and unique role for the field of psychology. Because of the quality of the articles published in AP, the journal has evolved into one of the most influential and widely cited publications in psychology. The purpose of this editorial is to outline a revised set of policies for the journal that builds on and expands those developed by previous editors (see, e.g., Fowler, 1993; Goodstein, 1987; Kiesler, 1976; Pallack, 1981). Before outlining these policies, I would like to explore the relative status and influence of AP within the universe of psychological and social science journals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editorial statement of the American Psychologist: II.

Editing a journal that combines professional, scientific, and public policy interests is a strange business, indeed. Although this January 1987 issue of the American Psychologist (AP) begins the second year of my editorship, it is the first issue that actually reflects my editorial input and that of my associate editors. This state of affairs results from both the usual 9- to 10-month publication lag and the normal transition process between two editorial terms. It seems worthwhile to use my "first" issue as an opportunity to comment on the editorial direction of the journal, about the editorial process itself (and some changes we have made in it), and about some specific modifications in format that you will see in coming issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editorial statement of the American Psychologist: III.

Presents an editorial statement about the publication policies of the American Psychologist (AP). About half the contents of the AP are documents that report on the activities of the Association—the minutes of the Council of Representatives, the address of the immediate Past President, and those reports of the Association boards and committees of concern to a large percentage of the membership. The remaining pieces are articles that the editorial board and the ad hoc reviewers judge to be of sufficient interest and consequence to appeal to the large and heterogeneous readership of the AP. These articles should explicitly address the broadest scientific and practical implications of the topic under consideration. In addition, a new series, tentatively called "Science Watch," will appear in the AP on an irregular basis. The purpose will be to cover articles that broaden our understanding of the discipline, that enable us to understand the connections between our discipline and others, and that help us glimpse the directions in which our science is moving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editorial statement of the American Psychologist.

Presents a statement from the ninth editor of the American Psychologist as it enters its 41st year of publication. The primary focus of this editorial is the journal's article selection criteria. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lines written on first beholding the November issue of American Psychologist.

Article is a humorous poem regarding the cover color format of the November Issue of American Psychologist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A funny thing happened on the way to my American Psychologist publication.

Replies to comments made by various authors in reference to S. O. Lilienfeld's (see record 2002-10795-003) article published in response to, and in criticism of, the controversies surrounding the publication of the article by B. Rind et al (see record 1998-04232-002). Here Lilienfeld examines the original controversy as well as a secondary controversy which arose from his published criticism of the American Psychological Association's (APA) handling of the controversy spawned by the Rind et al article. Of particular interest to Lilienfeld is the article concerning the 'editor's dilemma" described in comments published by R. McCarty (see record 2002-10795-006). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

American Psycho: Malignant narcissism on the screen.

Presents an interpretation of American Psycho (1990). The film is described as a screen illustration of malignant narcissism. (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)     

Summary report of journal operations: 1988.

The summary below is compiled from the 1988 annual reports of the Council of Editors and from Central Office records. Corresponding figures for 1987 can be found in the American Psychologist, July 1988. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The manpower issue revisited.

Responds to general comments on the special manpower issue of the American Psychologist (May, 1972), which included articles by J. Cates and T. Cummings and R. B. Freeman, W. W. Sorensen, J. C. Speisman, and R. W. Wildman et al (see PA, Vol 49:889, 914, 915, and 2556, respectively). Some readers expressed lament over the failure of the issue to address the problems of nonacademic psychologists, while others provided constructive employment suggestions. (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)     

Updated summary report of journal operations, 2005.

Contains an updated summary report of journal operations for 2005. This summary is compiled from the 2005 annual reports of the Council of Editors and from Central Office records. Corresponding figures for 2004 can be found in the July–August 2005 issue of American Psychologist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editorial: January 1992.

Explains changes in the American Psychologist (AP) and reveals plans for 3 special issues in 1992 and 1993 (including a commemorative issue to observe the American Psychological Association's (APA's) centennial year. AP's standard editorial procedure, reasons for some rejections, and reconsideration of submissions are discussed. The editor notes that APA's new building (already a financial success) and its highly successful publications program can become an additional source of income to APA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)