Guiding principles and recommendations for the assessment of competence.

This article presents guiding principles for the assessment of competence developed by the members of the American Psychological Association's Task Force on Assessment of Competence in Professional Psychology. These principles are applicable to the education, training, and credentialing of professional psychologists, and to practicing psychologists across the professional life span. The principles are built upon a review of competency assessment models, including practices in both psychology and other professions. These principles will help to ensure that psychologists reinforce the importance of a culture of competence. The implications of the principles for professional psychology also are highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The interaction between ethics and the law: The ongoing refinement of ethical standards for psychologists in Canada.

Discusses the relationship between Canadian law and ethics, starting with a review of the options available for controlling the conduct of psychologists. The authors then demonstrate how the law influences the development and implementation of ethical standards by both deriving the principles of professional ethics and by reshaping the parameters of conduct by psychologists. The authors show that acting ethically generally leads to acting legally, an vice versa. A review of recent Canadian cases in which the decisions of provincial disciplinary decisions for psychologists were considered demonstrate that, for the most part, courts uphold decisions by licensing boards, particularly those that have employed fair procedures that comport to the principles of natural justice. Finally, the authors point to the continued need for systematically monitoring legislation and legal decisions to determine their influence on our ethical principles, and note that there is a role for provincial and national psychology bodies to lobby legislators and to intervene in cases when matters are being considered that affect the ethical conduct of psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The AMA versus competition.

Discusses the attempts by the American Medical Association (AMA) to force an amendment through Congress that would have exempted "professionals" from the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The bill was tabled at the end of 1982; it had been opposed by the Reagan administration, a larger coalition of health professionals (including the American Psychological Association), labor, senior citizens, and business and consumer groups. The issue was not the regulation of the professions but the removal of anticompetitive restriction on professionals. Previously, the FTC took the AMA to court, alleging that the AMA, through ethical rules, had effectively prohibited truthful advertising, barred physicians from working on salary or forming partnerships with nonphysicians (including psychologists), and set floors on fees charged by physicians. The FTC issued an order prohibiting the AMA from restricting truthful advertising and from engaging in other specified anticompetitive practices; this order was affirmed by the Supreme Court. The FTC attempts to apply traditional antitrust principles with due regard for special considerations that affect health care and activities by professionals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology for the public: A content analysis of Psychology Today..

Surveyed the extent to which Psychology Today (PT) has maintained an empirical basis for its articles and the degree to which psychologists and individuals with doctorates have been responsible for PT articles. Two samples of PT were selected for review by 2 raters (the present authors). Findings indicate that not only have PT articles significantly shifted away from a presentation of empirically based data, but the proportion of articles authored by psychologists, as well as the educational level of authors, has declined, particularly in the last 3 yrs. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In defense of nuclear depth psychology.

Presents a brief historical review and statements of policymakers to demonstrate that the central principles of psychologists concerning nuclear war have affected the behavior of some policymakers. It is suggested that J. G. Blight's (see record 1987-16803-001) pessimism about the incompatibility between the views of psychologists and policymakers is unwarranted; considerations of why psychologists have had low impact on national security policy are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Worker control: A reply to Ronan.

Argues that W. W. Ronan (1980) presents a one-sided picture of "work force control" by the "entrepreneur–capitalist–management group" and discredits the contributions of many psychologists to workers' well-being. Ronan's contentions that (1) psychological concepts are applied to programs that are motivated by management's desire to avoid unionization, (2) psychological experiments and interventions are unilaterally imposed on workers by management, and (3) economic benefits of psychological interventions should be shared equally with workers are discussed. It is concluded that psychologists have every reason to be proud of their colleagues' contributions to making companies more profitable while improving the work environment for employees. (1 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A word for psychologists.

Suggests that "psycho-logistics," a term coined by the author for group work with disabled, institutionalized veterans, is an appropriate term for most activities of professional psychologists. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dunnette's games.

Comments on M. D. Dunnette's (see record 1966-10566-001) article on some unspoken but common attitudes among psychologists and suggests 3 categories of "games" or procedures to which many psychologists subscribe. These are (1) "How to Get into Journals" (i.e., how to get one's article published); (2) "No Controls," in which a psychologist conducts a disastrous research project; and (3) "Dear God," which involves falsification of research data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology in America's bicentennial year.

Discusses whether American psychology has flourished in substance as it has in popularity during its century of existence. If one uses William James's Talks to Teachers as a reference point, one finds that contemporary psychology can be more specific about the boundary conditions within which traditional principles of learning are valid. The increasing dominance of cognitive behaviorism in the study of learning and memory is paralleled by cognitive emphases in other areas of psychology, so that the various subspecialties of psychology are once again approaching psychology with concepts that offer hope not only of communication and integration of psychology, but also of understanding the whole person as a cognitive, conative, affective, biological, and social individual. In essence, psychologists now are coming to share a view of human nature that, as compared with earlier stimulus-response views, is more compatible with that of Jefferson and the founders of our republic. (11/2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Psychologist and Marketing Research.

The ever-increasing employment of psychologists by business is common knowledge. Along with this trend is another one less well known. This second trend refers to the growing number of individuals trained as psychologists but employed by business under some other occupational title. These individuals should be of interest to all psychologists for they are in a position to accelerate directly business's increasing use of psychologists. Of even greater interest is the fact they have been able to demonstrate that certain principles and techniques derived from a psychological training can be directly used for successful achievement in other occupational areas. One of these other occupational areas is marketing research. The author discusses psychologists' involvement in marketing research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sufficient and necessary conditions: Misused terms.

Notes that although the terms sufficient and necessary are absolute in nature and allow no counterexamples, psychologists inappropriately apply them to probabilistic outcomes. Misuse of the terms leads to confusion and the creation of pseudoissues, as illustrated in the argument over whether therapist warmth is a necessary or sufficient condition in behavioral desensitization. (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)     

Why psychologists should treat alcohol and drug problems.

Because of the prevalence of substance abuse in general clinical populations, it is important for psychologists to have knowledge and skill in this area. Psychologists also have special expertise to offer in the assessment and treatment of alcohol/drug problems. Current evidence indicates that (1) alcohol/drug problems generally obey ordinary behavioral principles and processes, (2) substance abuse frequently occurs within a broader cluster of psychological problems, (3) the treatment approaches most strongly supported by outcome research are fundamentally psychological in nature, (4) cognitive–behavioral principles are of demonstrable value in motivating change in alcohol/drug use, and (5) clinical skills and styles (e.g., empathy) commonly included in the training of psychologists are important determinants of favorable treatment out comes with substance use disorders. These factors in the context of changing health care indicate that psychologists should play an increasing role in assessing and treating addictive behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Meeting the challenge of the "junk science" defense in domestic violence litigation.

Attorneys increasingly challenge the admissibility of expert testimony in domestic violence litigation on the ground that it is "junk science." This article discusses the standards courts apply when determining whether to admit "novel" scientific theory and methodology. It is recommended that psychologists offering testimony that may be subjected to this kind of challenge, critically evaluate the foundation for their opinions in light of the admissibility standards being applied in the pertinent jurisdiction, and that they directly address with the attorneys offering them as witnesses how best to present that foundation to the trial judge in their mutual effort to meet and overcome the junk science challenge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical issues and cases in the practice of personnel psychology.

We explore ethical concerns in personnel psychology. We review the relationship of ethics to changes in the dominant views in the philosophy of science, especially the movement from a logical positivist view of ethics to a normative one. We highlight Kantian ethics as the integrating principle relating to five seemingly disparate ethical principles of the American Psychological Association (APA). These five ethical principles are presented in the context of five ethics cases. In addition to the applicability of the APA ethical code, the need for personnel psychologists to be more attentive to their ethical responsibilities as psychologists is discussed, along with the need to raise ethical consciousness among all personnel psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Population and health psychology.

Responds to the conclusion by H. P. David (see record 1986-19757-001) that reproductive behavior is becoming an area of priority interest for health psychologists. It is indicated that far from warranting such a conclusion, David's presentation reflects a paucity of empirical evidence, considerable politicization, and a number of gratuitously assumed operating principles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Issues in the training of school psychologists in program evaluation.

Program evaluation is becoming increasingly important to all professional psychologists, including school psychologists. Despite a burgeoning of information about program evaluation principles, little attention has been given to program evaluation training, especially the utility of that training for program decision making. Five issues pertinent to the training of school psychologists in program evaluation are discussed: need for training, extent of training, goals of training, methods of training, and evaluation of training experiences. The material presented is based on the authors' experiences in program evaluation training at the Rutgers School Psychology Training Program. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and public service.

Psychology has a special opportunity to contribute to the public interest, because the training of psychologists makes them well suited for this role. After briefly stating some reasons why public service is difficult for psychologists, the author reviews why psychologists' training prepares them to assume public service responsibilities: crossover skills include applying their body of knowledge in different settings, identifying relevant questions and translating principles into language the public can understand, integrating and combining ideas that seem disconnected at first glance, balancing different approaches and acting despite multiple and complex perspectives, and establishing and maintaining a level of excellence, even when standards are unclear. The author reviews how these principles have been imbedded in his psychology training and experiences and also discusses the important mentors who taught him how to apply these principles. Psychologists can make important contributions in the public domain if they set high standards and are persistent in their pursuit of them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional ethics and national security: Some current issues.

For nearly a century, psychologists have increasingly contributed a variety of services to the public safety and national security of the U.S. government and its people. Recently, some have alleged that psychologists working in national security operations have engaged in unethical conduct by interrogating and otherwise using “torture” against persons who have been detained as a result of terroristic activities against American personnel and other targets. It is noted that the American Psychological Association (APA) ruled many years ago that torture was unethical. This article considers such allegations within the context of relevant principles and standards of the APA Ethics Code. Ethical conduct is ultimately the responsibility of the individual psychologist who must be flexibly guided by the aspirations and guidelines of the APA Ethics Code. Furthermore, current events require that APA consider the circumstances within which certain psychologists operate and accordingly revisit the existing ethical standards. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attaining medical staff membership and privileges for psychologists: A case study.

The profession of psychology has grown substantially over the last 20 years, yet throughout the United States, there are disparities in practice expansion. One notable disparity is in the domain of hospital practice. Why do psychologists lack parity in various hospital settings? The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the issue of professional inequities psychologists face in inpatient medical facilities, and to question why more has not been achieved. The article provides a theoretical foundation in support of full medical staff membership for psychologists, key principles or “how to” guide for obtaining medical staff membership, and a case example that describes an innovative, primary care solution that worked in a large hospital system. The article concludes with a frank look at obstacles that psychologists continue to face and discussion regarding how to navigate these barriers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)