Review of Existence and therapy.

This will doubtlessly prove to be an exceptionally difficult book for the average psychologist to understand, whether he be clinician or experimentalist. Not only is Dr. Sonnemann's manner of writing exquisitely involved; but his ideas, aside from the violent emotional reactions they are bound to arouse in most scientifically minded readers, almost defy any purely intellectual comprehension. Existence and Therapy is a thoroughgoing discussion of the existentialist viewpoint of Heidegger, Jaspers, Binswanger, Boss, and other recent European philosophers and clinicians. It attempts to make mincemeat of empiricism, objectivism, experimentalism, Freudianism, Gestaltism, Jungianism, and virtually every other influential contemporary way of thinking and therapizing. In so doing, it makes some telling points, particularly in relation to some of the shortcomings of orthodox Freudians and Gestaltists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of human intuition in psychology.

An empirically valid outcome in psychology may differ in the degree to which the outcome does or does not conform to human intuition. The author provides a brief history of three psychological outcomes violating human intuition, notes the resemblance to the common sense revolution, and then discusses how human intuition may be detrimental to behaviorism and evolutionary perspectives of human nature. The role of human intuition in supernatural beliefs is considered and, finally, possible methods to improve the plausibility of counterintuitive outcomes are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reexamination of a plea for multivariate analyses.

Re-examines 2 issues raised in an article by M. R. Leary and E. M. Altmaier (see record 1981-02539-001) proposing MANOVA as a solution to the problem of inflated Type I error. Guidelines are discussed for choosing an overall MANOVA test statistic and post hoc tests that determine the dependent variable or variables responsible for any significant effects. It is concluded that guidelines based on recent comparisons of the various test statistics be used by researchers rather than advice found in basic textbooks. A discussion of the power of MANOVA concludes that although MANOVA may under some conditions reduce the chances of detecting significance, it is powerful for detecting legitimate experimental effects that are spread across more than one dependent variable. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fission Resolved?

A few years ago I wrote a brief commentary (Amer. Psychologist, 1947, 2, pp 22-23) on the developing schismatic conditions within our profession. I defended the rat psychologists who had been accused by D. Krech (1946) of fostering "fission" among psychologists. It was a pretty lame defense, not because it was unjustified, but rather because my analysis of the problem was defective. Now I have come upon something much stronger, practically devastating to anyone who may wish to harbor the opinion that professional psychological training does not have to begin with the strictest kind of laboratory investigation. I found this delightful information in a summary by J. Neyman (Science, 1955, 122, pp 401-406). Paraphrasing the Neyman-Cornfield discussion, the author considers the design of the original tests of the Salk vaccine, the use of rats as test subjects, the smoking-lung cancer arguments, etc. It is therefore quite incorrect to disparage any clinical methodology either on the basis of its lack of precision or because of the variables, real or hypothetical, used in that methodology. I agree with Meehl that the clinician, by whatever methodology, is "forming a conception of a person" and accept his argument "that every skilled clinician must be making use of some laws, however vague, which...make it possible for him to order his material with respect to a given patient in terms of some general nomothetic basic psychodynamics." Perhaps we may all come to realize that, if we but watch our research models closely, we are all psychologists, without any classifying adjectives to make us fissionable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a humanistic biology.

Discusses the overlooked, neglected, or misinterpreted questions in the move toward a humanized philosophy of biology. The "use of selected good specimens (superior specimens) as biological assays for studying the best capability that the human species has" is proposed for discussion and research. The "growing-tip statistics," a new research design involving the most important and active genetic period in a growing organism, is espoused. The relationship between humanistic biology and the good society, and the question of who is and what characterizes the good specimen as the good chooser for the whole species are examined. The advantages of Taoistic vs. classical objectivity for "particular" situations and purposes are presented. Finally the problems to be faced in humanistic psychology especially to make the "Good Person" and the "Good Society" are considered. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The congenital and see-saw nystagmus in the prototypical achiasma of canines: comparison to the human achiasmatic prototype

We applied new methods for canine eye-movement recording to the study of achiasmatic mutant Belgian Sheepdogs, documenting their nystagmus waveforms and comparing them to humans with either congenital nystagmus (CN) alone or in conjunction with achiasma. A sling apparatus with head restraints and infrared reflection with either earth- or head-mounted sensors were used. Data were digitized for later evaluation. The horizontal nystagmus (1-6 Hz) was similar to that of human CN. Uniocular and disconjugate nystagmus and saccades were recorded. See-saw nystagmus (SSN), not normally seen with human CN, was present in all mutants (0.5-6 Hz) and in the one human achiasmat studied thus far. This pedigree is an animal model of CN and the SSN caused by achiasma or uniocular decussation. Given the finding of SSN in all mutant dogs and in a human, achiasma may be sufficient for the development of congenital SSN and, in human infants, SSN should alert the clinician to the possibility of either achiasma or uniocular decussation. Finally, the interplay of conjugacy and disconjugacy suggests independent ocular motor control of each eye with variable yoking in the dog.     

Values and the use of tests.

Attention is called to the cost of testing and the importance of the values placed on various kinds of test "hits" and "misses" in deciding whether or not to use a test for a particular purpose. Formulas that take these factors into account without requiring scaling of the values of the outcomes of various actions are presented for several situations in which the clinician may wish to decide whether or not to use a test. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Intuitive Process: The Case of Psychotherapy.

Intuition may be considered a common factor in psychotherapy, characterizing both psychotherapist and client functioning. After reviewing existing models for intuition, the author proposes a 5-phase model to explain intuition on the basis of the cognitive functions of pattern discovery and recognition. It is argued that intuition should not be viewed as a single phenomenon; rather, the phenomena labeled as intuition can be understood as belonging to different phases of a single process. These phases consist of early knowledge representations that demonstrate the creative role that intuition may play in the construction of knowledge. The author illustrates this model by presenting examples from the practice of psychotherapy. Finally, the author discusses the possibilities of promoting intuitive insight, the fallibility of intuition, and the role intuition may play in integrative decision making. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The nature of religious controls.

"Religion is certainly one of our most important institutions for influencing human behavior. Since religions, of one form or other, occur so regularly in almost all known human societies, one may examine the proposition that religion performs an important biologic function for the group, which creates survival value for the religion." 5 devices "by means of which behavior can be influenced: imitation, communication of affect, intervention in the pursuit of instinctual gratification, obedience, and disarming by vulnerability" are discussed with reference to organized religion. A sixth mechanism, "controlled regression," is "encouraged by religion to facilitate the regulation of behavior." On the assumption "that we are able to learn and to use effective technics of behavior regulation, are we sure that we can use them more wisely than religion has?" (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conflict of roles: On the difficulties of being both scientist and practitioner in one life.

Articulates some of the conflicts inherent in the orientations of scientist and clinician. First, in the scientific orientation, Ss are asked to accommodate to the experimenter's goals; in the clinical orientation, the clinician is expected to accommodate to the patient's goals. Second, scientists rely on categorization as the primary mode of understanding; for the clinician categorization is subordinated to empathy. Because of these fundamental differences, the traditional notion that the clinician merely "applies" the findings of the scientist is rejected. Rather, integration of these 2 divergent orientations is facilitated when the researcher's categories are based on questions that the clinician encounters with patients. In such a strategy, the clinician can use such categories as flexible guidelines in support of empathic understanding. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Statistical methods in psychology journals: Guidelines and explanations.

In the light of continuing debate over the applications of significance testing in psychology journals and following the publication of J. Cohen's (1994) article, the Board of Scientific Affairs (BSA) of the American Psychological Association (APA) convened a committee called the Task Force on Statistical Interference (TFSI) whose charge was "to elucidate some of the controversial issues surrounding applications of statistics including significance testing and its alternatives; alternative underlying models and data transformation; and newer methods made possible by powerful computers" (BSA, personal communication, February 28, 1996). After extensive discussion, the BSA recommended that publishing an article in American Psychologist, as a way to initiate discussion in the field about changes in current practices of data analysis and reporting may be appropriate. This report follows that request. Following each guideline are comments, explanations, or elaborations assembled by L. Wilkinson for the task force and under its review. The report is concerned with the use of statistical methods only and is not meant as an assessment of research methods in general. The title and format of the report are adapted from an article by J. C. Bailar and F. Mosteller (1988). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Fads, fashions, and folderol in psychology": Reply.

Comments on M. D. Dunnette's (1966) discussion of statistics in psychology research. A combination of phenomenological and statistical approaches may alert students to the pitfalls of quantification. It may be feasible to acquaint statistics students with a Bayesian approach that takes into account the posterior probability arrived at in experiments, which may include appreciable a priori probabilities, previous experience, and expectations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The robust beauty of improper linear models in decision making.

Proper linear models are those in which predictor variables are given weights such that the resulting linear composite optimally predicts some criterion of interest; examples of proper linear models are standard regression analysis, discriminant function analysis, and ridge regression analysis. Research summarized in P. Meehl's (1954) book on clinical vs statistical prediction and research stimulated in part by that book indicate that when a numerical criterion variable (e.g., graduate GPA) is to be predicted from numerical predictor variables, proper linear models outperform clinical intuition. Improper linear models are those in which the weights of the predictor variables are obtained by some nonoptimal method. The present article presents evidence that even such improper linear models are superior to clinical intuition when predicting a numerical criterion from numerical predictors. In fact, unit (i.e., equal) weighting is quite robust for making such predictions. The application of unit weights to decide what bullet the Denver Police Department should use is described; some technical, psychological, and ethical resistances to using linear models in making social decisions are considered; and arguments that could weaken these resistances are presented. (50 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Finding our balance: The investigation and clinical application of intuition.

This article explores the topic of intuition, a phenomenon that has received remarkably little attention in the clinical literature. Its purpose is to (a) raise awareness of the nature and promise of intuition, (b) demonstrate the feasibility of systematically studying it and refining its use, and (c) discuss implications for its application in clinical practice. A review of important quantitative and qualitative literature provides evidence about the quality, experience, and improvement of intuition. Based on this evidence, three assumptions and five precepts are proposed for the effective and responsible use of clinical intuition. A brief case study of a 40–yr–old women is also provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Dissociation: Clinical and theoretical perspectives.

Reviews the book, Dissociation: Clinical and theoretical perspectives by Steven Jay Lynn and Judith W. Rhue (see record 1994-98908-000). In this book, the editors' stated purpose was to provide "a book that would be at once authoritative and provide virtually comprehensive coverage of important aspects of the topic," and they have largely achieved their goal. Because Dissociation is so comprehensive, there is in essence "something for everyone"; in turn, there may be sections of the book which are of less relevance to many readers. For example, clinicians who are primarily concerned about issues of diagnosis and treatment may find the discussion of the theoretical underpinnings of hypnosis and dissociation less than helpful. The sections on diagnosis and treatment, in turn, are of an overview nature; a clinician who is interested in more detailed discussions of these issues will have to go to the original sources. Nevertheless, this book might well be recommended as required reading for clinicians and researchers alike because of its very broad scope. The various authors address important questions which clinicians and researchers should consider. Dissociation makes clear that the concept of dissociation is one of the most complicated and misunderstood concepts in psychology. The history of the concept itself is reviewed at length in the book. Nevertheless, Lynn and Rhue have provided a resource in which a wide variety of perspectives of both a clinical and research nature are presented in a comprehensive yet accessible manner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Why we still use our heads instead of formulas: Toward an integrative approach.

This review begins with a discussion of P. E. Meehl's (see record 1959-06148-001) query regarding when to use one's head (i.e., intuition) instead of the formula (i.e., statistical or mechanical procedure) for clinical prediction. It then describes the controversy that ensued and analyzes the complexity and contemporary relevance of the question itself. Going beyond clinical inference, it identifies select cognitive biases and constraints that cause decision errors, and proposes remedial correctives. Given that the evidence shows cognition to be flawed, the article discusses the linear regression, Bayesian, signal detection, and computer approaches as possible decision aids. Their cost–benefit trade-offs, when used either alone or as complements to one another, are examined and evaluated. The critique concludes with a note of cautious optimism regarding the formula's future role as a decision aid and offers several interim solutions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Whatever happened to neurosis? An overview.

Discusses the decision to eliminate the term "neurosis" from the DSM-III. The history of the term is traced; weaknesses of DSM-II pertaining to neurosis are presented; theoretical and political processes in the deletion procedure are described; and an overview is given of the current resolution as presented in DSM-III. Instead of neurosis, "neurotic disorder" and "neurotic process" were distinguished to reduce potential theoretical bias. The process may or may not be seen by the clinician as causal in the disorder, but those of all theoretical persuasions should be able to agree on what the disorder is. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analysis of heavy and light chain pairings indicates that receptor editing shapes the human antibody repertoire

In the bone marrow, diversity in the primary antibody repertoire is created by the combinatorial rearrangement of different gene segments and by the association of different heavy and light chains. During the secondary response in the germinal centres, antibodies are diversified by somatic mutation and possibly by further rearrangements, or "receptor editing". Here, we have analysed the pairings of heavy and light chain variable domains (VH and VL) in 365 human IgG+ B cells from peripheral blood, and established that these pairings are largely random. The repertoire is dominated by a limited number of pairings of segments and folds. Among these pairings we identified two identical mutated heavy chains in combination with two different mutated light chains (one kappa and one lambda). This shows that receptor editing occurs in the human periphery and that the same antibody lineage can be subjected to both receptor editing and somatic hypermutation. This suggests that receptor editing may be used together with somatic mutation for the affinity maturation of antibodies. We also propose that receptor editing has shaped variable gene segment use and the evolution of V gene families.