Left and right tracks in reading.

Reviews the book, The Psychology of Reading by I. Taylor and M. M. Taylor (1983). The reviewer provides an overview of the authors' Bilateral Cooperative Model of Reading (BLC), which is an attempt to integrate the divergent perspectives of wholistic and analytic theory. The BLC model serves as a framework for the 16 chapters of the book. The reviewer commends the authors for their detailed discussion of orthographies, perceptual and cognitive processes in reading, higher-order language processing, and developmental dyslexia. While the reviewer warns that the authors need to clarify the relevance of data from studies not specifically concerned with hemispheric differences, he believes that the book is worth reading because it develops the perspectives on reading within the context of cognitive psychology--an important step in the construction of a comprehensive theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Zest for work.

Reviews the book "Zest for work" by Hersey Rexford (see record 1955-06370-000). The present book includes information about workers in railroad shops. According to the reviewer, the work in this book does not turn up any dramatic discoveries, but the case studies should interest some readers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Intensive group psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, Intensive group psychotherapy by George R. Bach (1954). According to the reviewer, as a new addition to the rapidly increasing body of literature on group psychotherapy, this volume contains a number of unique features that will certainly command the attention of clinical and social psychologists. It is first of all a concrete and highly practical presentation of group psychotherapy as practiced privately with neurotic patients. The reviewer states that in this respect, it should fill a growing need for work dealing with private group treatment, a field that seems to have some interesting social implications. In addition to this more practical feature, this book is unusual because it is one of the first in this area which includes an attempt to apply the technical developments in group dynamics evolved by the social psychologists directly to the therapeutic treatment of character disorders, hysterics, and other neurotic patients frequently encountered in private practice. The reviewer states that the greatest direct appeal of this book will certainly be the clearly written first half which deals with practical problems of group therapy. The second half of the book opens with an extensive and interesting discussion of a theory of "contact psychology" and group life. In this reviewer's opinion, this book will be of interest both to group therapists and to students seeking material that bridges the gap between clinical and social psychology. (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 Principles of industrial psychology.

Reviews the book, Principles of Industrial Psychology (see record 1955-01700-000). Although "the book is designed as an introductory survey of the entire field of industrial psychology," the reviewer notes that the authors omit many topics. The book presents in substantial fashion those aspects of industrial psychology as the authors perceive it to be. The style of presentation is characterized by critically evaluating research studies reported in the literature and emphasizing the necessary statistical concepts and techniques related to selection of employees. The heavy statistical involvement may make this book a little too difficult for the typical undergraduate student who is not a psychology or statistics major. The reviewer concludes that Principles of Industrial Psychology is an interesting book for a sophisticated audience. It may be misunderstood by typical undergraduates and it may not be too appealing to the man in industry who wishes to apply some principles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Developing management ability.

Reviews the book "Developing management ability" by Earl G. Planty and J. Thomas Freeston (1954). This book is made up of six hundred questions that vary in scope with answers varying in length from a single sentence to several pages. According to the reviewer, to the person who is looking for answers to many of the questions that arise concerning management development without getting into the theoretical implications or research background, this book can be recommended highly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dual scaling: An alternative approach to categorical data.

Reviews the book, Analysis of Categorical Data: Dual Scaling and its Applications by S. Nishisato (1980). The reviewer provides a detailed analysis of the ideas explored by the author in this book about dual scaling, or optimal scaling as it is sometimes known. The reviewer believes that the text is an important resource in statistics and psychometrics, and that it undoubtedly will continue to be the standard work on this branch of the new "attribute statistics". For anyone serious about categorical data analysis, the reviewer strongly recommends this book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Counseling and psychotherapy of work dysfunctions.

Reviews the book, Counseling and psychotherapy of work dysfunctions by Rodney L. Lowman (see record 1993-98413-000). Dr. Lowman's book on work dysfunctions serves as a seminal product for further understanding a much-neglected component of the lives of the many men and women who seek psychological assistance in working through issues around their employment. The book conveys in a well-written, sometimes humorous, style that "work is a natural part of living, and the issues it raises are important parts of character." The overall impression is that of a well-thought-out and most readable book. There is no doubt in this reviewer's mind that it will become essential reading for psychologists, social workers, family therapists, and graduate students who are becoming increasingly involved in this field of study. What this reviewer found very helpful was the clarity of presentation of the assessment techniques as well as the amply illustrated intervention modules that may be utilized. To this reviewer, there is no doubt that this is one area for psychologists' contributions in the future--the work area. Lowman's book gives us basic material from which to continue to build our profession in a new and exciting direction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Group psychotherapy: Studies in methodology of research and therapy. Report of a group psychotherapy research project of the U. S. Veterans Administration.

Reviews the book, Group Psychotherapy: Studies in Methodology of Research and Therapy. Report of a group psychotherapy research project of the U. S. Veterans Administration by Jerome D. Frank and Florence B. Powdermaker (see record 1954-02756-000). According to the reviewer, the project described in this volume was probably the first large-scale formal research into the process of group psychotherapy. The two major objectives of the investigation were to develop methods for studying the process of therapy and the specific problems faced by therapists, and to develop methods which could provide solutions to the problems isolated by the analysis of the treatment process. The book, like the project, has two main divisions, the research with neurotic clinic patients and a controlled study of group therapy with hospitalized schizophrenics. According to the reviewer, whatever its failings as pure research, there can be no question that this is an important and useful book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Realms of value: A critique of human civilization.

Reviews the book, Realms of value: A critique of human civilization by Ralph Barton Perry (1954). According to the reviewer, of all the many philosophical treatises on the subject, it is doubtful that any could possibly be more clarifying to the psychologist or more congenial to this author's taste. The author's pivotal concept is interest: "A thing--any thing--has value when it is the object of an interest--any interest" (p.3). Interest is anchored in the solid soil of motivation, cognition, and organization of personality, and conceptually is a close cousin of what most psychologists call attitude. The reviewer states that to a large degree, this author is forced to write his own psychology, since he finds relatively little illumination of "the architecture of interests" in current texts. He reviews what he calls "motoraffective psychology" (not a very happy label) in search of an adequate theory of interest, and finds the outcome mostly negative. The reviewer recommends this book for graduate instruction in psychology because the author's system lies close to the silent presuppositions with while psychologists ordinarily work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cultural differences and medical care.

Reviews the book "Cultural Differences and Medical Care" by Lyle Saunders (1954). This volume, based on a sociologic study of the cultural pattern of the Spanish-speaking populations of the Southwest, attempts to analyze the barriers that limit their acceptance of modern health services and medical care. According to the reviewer, this book is well written and interesting but may well fail to reach many of the readers in the medical profession for whom it might be most valuable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cognitive vulnerability to depression.

Reviews the book, Cognitive vulnerability to depression by Rick E. Ingram, Jeanne Miranda, and Zindel V. Segal (see record 1998-07219-000). This book addresses conceptual issues related to the idea that the way in which individuals think makes them vulnerable to either the onset or maintenance of depression. Methodological considerations for testing cognitive models of depression are also extensively discussed. According to the reviewer, this book achieves its goals well. The literature is meaningfully reviewed, with clear ideas about what may be areas for fruitful future work, and areas that are likely not to be as productive. The reviewer does point out several flaws in the text, including some unevenness due to multiple authors. Despite these flaws, the book is highly recommended to students and researchers working in the area as required reading. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social psychology, an interdisciplinary approach.

Reviews the book, Social psychology, an interdisciplinary approach by Hubert Bonner (1953). According to the reviewer, it has been argued that most textbooks in the social sciences are really written from other textbooks in the same area. Bonner's text seems singularly invulnerable to this complaint. The author has brought together materials from an unusually wide variety of sources and organized them into a book which shows definite signs of some original thinking about how a text in social psychology should be put together, and what should go into it. The reviewer states that in general, Bonner's theoretical position is, for today, not an especially distinctive one. The extent of his concern with the social and cultural context within which behavior occurs, however, is unusual and can be conveyed only in part by the headings of the three main divisions of his book: Social Interaction, the social matrix of behavior; Culture and Behavior, cultural values and personal-social adjustment; Group Dynamics, social change and collective behavior. The reviewer states that this book is particularly useful for students who are interested in getting an understanding of social behavior within the scope of a single course, and who do not intend to do advanced work in the social sciences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Breaking free of managed care: A step-by-step guide to regaining control of your practice.

Reviews the book, Breaking free of managed care: A step-by-step guide to regaining control of your practice by Dana C. Ackley (see record 1997-97500-000). This book provides a practitioner's blueprint for moving from dependent (on managed care) to independent practice. It is organized around three major themes: 1) dealing with managed care; 2) the business of managed care-free therapy; and 3) the array of psychotherapists' services. The reviewer points out that the author tends to overlook some problem areas in psychotherapy. In addition, he takes some of his own skills as a doctoral-level clinical psychologist for granted and fails to appeal to practitioners with minimal training or expertise. However, overall, the reviewer believes that this is a highly enjoyable and practically useful book which provides some guidance to practitioners wanting to "break free from managed care." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Distribution-Free Statistical Tests.

Reviews the book, Distribution-Free Statistical Tests by James V. Bradley (1968). This book provides a comprehensive analysis of non-parametric and distribution-free tests. It includes thirteen chapters with fourteen tables added in the Appendix. This reviewer is in general agreement with the author that the classical tests all often misused and not as "robust" as some distribution-free tests. However, the reviewer cannot agree that the derivations and rationale are all that simple for the distribution-free tests. One merely has to read this book to demonstrate this fact. Perhaps the major disadvantage in using this book is its inadequacy of proper introduction to probability theory and hypothesis testing. The advantages, however, perhaps exceed the disadvantages. The comprehensiveness and structure of the book is admirable. The procedure followed in discussing each test is excellent. Altogether this book can be considered an essential reference for anyone engaged in using or teaching distribution-free tests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Negotiating consent in psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, Negotiating consent in psychotherapy by Patrick O'Neill (see record 1999-08089-000). This book examines the importance of negotiating consent in psychotherapy, the extent to which it occurs between client and therapist during therapy, and its impact on the therapeutic process. The author achieves this through the use of qualitative research methods, conducting in-depth interviews with clients and therapists alike. O'Neill also incorporates the concept of narrative construction to frame the therapeutic process. According to the reviewer, this book is straightforward and refreshingly free from psychological jargon so it can be read by both professionals and the general public. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The trauma response: Treatment for emotional injury.

Reviews the book, The trauma response: Treatment for emotional injury by Diana S. Everstine and Louis Everstine (see record 1993-97113-000). The major premise of this book is that PTSD, as defined in the DSM-III-R, should be reconceptualized and recognized as "trauma response." This shift in focus emphasizes normalcy and a nonpathological recovery process as opposed to adherence to a disease model of psychological affliction in which a "disorder" is diagnosed and treated. The stated purpose of this book is to help clinicians identify, measure, and treat emotional trauma. This book is comprehensive and divided into four parts, covering topics such as the phenomenon of trauma, treatment for adult trauma, hidden trauma, trauma in the work place and trauma and the law. According to the reviewer, the book as a whole reflects valuable learning that has accrued from the authors' clinical experiences in working with victims of trauma. A diverse readership would benefit from this addition to the clinical literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Play, dreams and imitation in childhood.

Reviews the book, Play, dreams and imitation in childhood by Jean Piaget (see record 1953-01024-000). According to the reviewer, this book is the third of a series of books devoted to the development of rational thought in the child. The first section of the book deals with the development of imitation, the second with the problem of play under which a considerable discussion of dreams is subsumed, and the last section ties these together in a discussion of cognitive representation. To the present reviewer it seems that the material on imitation is the most original contribution, much of the other material having been discussed in various other previous books by Piaget. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)