Learned helplessness and judgments of control.

A central hypothesis of learned helplessness theory is that exposure to noncontingency produces a reduced ability to perceive response–outcome relations (the postulated "cognitive deficit"). To test this hypothesis, 30 undergraduates were exposed to a typical helplessness induction task and then asked to make judgments of the amount of control their responses exerted over a designated outcome (the onset of a light). An additional 30 undergraduates served as a no-treatment control group. Support for the postulated cognitive deficit would be found if Ss who experienced the induction underestimated the relation between their responses and outcomes. Results, however, demonstrate that induction Ss made higher and more accurate judgments of control than Ss in the control group. This finding clearly fails to support the postulated cognitive deficit and highlights the need for other direct tests of the basic hypotheses of helplessness theory. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive Processes and Models of Depression.

The articles in this issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, taken as a whole, indicate that many of the predictions of the original learned helplessness model of depression are true only for certain subpopulations in certain settings. As a result, more complex cognitive elaborations of the model are being proposed. This trend requires that researchers on depression attend more carefully to certain areas of cognitive research and to the problems involved in the construction of models of cognitive processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acceptance of personality interpretations: The "Barnum effect" and beyond.

The "Barnum effect" is the phenomenon whereby people willingly give their approval and acceptance of personality interpretations purportedly derived from the results of assessment procedures. The research over the last 25 yrs relative to this acceptance phenomenon is reviewed. Characteristics of clientele who accept such interpretations are summarized, with the deduction that it is of questionable usefulness to study such personality characteristics independent of situational factors that elicit acceptance. These factors are examined, with the conclusion that clientele acceptance cannot be construed as validation of either the clinician or his assessment procedures. Implications of the acceptance phenomenon for the clinical diagnostic process are discussed. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Golden Fleece: Anti-intellectualism and social science.

Recounts the controversy triggered by Senator W. Proxmire's public criticism of the "love research" proposed by E. Berscheid and E. Walster to the National Science Foundation. The controversy is treated as a case study in anti-intellectual behavior and is discussed in relation to other contemporary instances of opposition to scholarly work. It is argued that Proxmire's rhetoric, which preoccupied the public responses of the academic community, served to obscure two more significant sources of opposition: disagreement between intellectuals and the public over the value of knowledge (often called anti-intellectualism) and public misunderstanding of the nature of knowledge—particularly the epistemology of the social sciences. An assessment of the threat currently presented by these sources of opposition is given, and a call for more active involvement of psychologists in improving public understanding of social science is presented. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Many hands make light the work: The causes and consequences of social loafing.

As reported in summary form by W. Moede (1927), an unpublished study found that in a rope-pulling task, while collective group performance increased somewhat with group size, it was less than the sum of the individual efforts (IE). IE decreased as group size increased. The present 2 experiments with 84 undergraduates investigated this effect using clapping and shouting tasks. Results replicate the earlier findings. The decrease in IE, which is here called social loafing, is in addition to losses due to faulty coordination of group efforts. The experimental generality, theoretical importance, widespread occurrence, and negative social consequences of social loafing are examined, along with ways of minimizing it. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Durability and impact of the locus of control construct.

Explores reasons for the extreme interest that has been shown in the locus of control construct and tries to explain why the original review describing the construct had become 1 of the 10 most cited articles published in the history of the Psychological Bulletin. Ecological validity and historical content, in psychology and in current affairs, are both discussed as contributing factors to the impact of the construct. In attempting to explain the qualities that result in such relatively long lasting contributions to the psychological literature, the role of scholarship in unearthing the potential convergence of ideas from varied disciplines is stressed. It is in the discovery of such convergence that assurance is gained that research interest is not faddish and is one of substance. Finally, the importance of presenting means for making use of the construct are emphasized if others are to be persuaded to undertake its investigation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of Daubert and its progeny on the admissibility of behavioral and social science evidence.

Although Daubert (1993) describes a test for admissibility that applies to all proffers of scientific evidence in the federal courts and many state courts, its application has not been uniform across the sciences. To assess Daubert's impact for behavioral and social science evidence, the authors describe and analyze the application of a set of criteria that include whether Daubert has mattered, whether the context in which Daubert is applied should matter, whether one can operationalize the application of the Daubert criteria to predict its outcome in specific cases, whether Daubert can assist in getting admissibility decisions right, and whether there are broader lessons beyond admissibility to be learned from Daubert . (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Supreme Court and the APA, AERA, NCME test standards: Past references and future possibilities.

A survey of US Supreme Court references to the Standards for Educational and Psychological Tests and to federal agency guidelines on testing over the past 7 yrs suggests that the Court is beginning to rely on the Standards as an authoritative source for objective answers to technical, psychometric questions. Implications of this trend for the Joint Review Committee on Test Standards, its parent organizations, and the relationship between science and government are discussed. It is suggested that agency guidelines are based on a combination of research evidence and policy preferences. It is further suggested the Standards should not be based on such evidence and preferences and will be most useful to the Court if they maintain scientific fidelity. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The evolving profession of psychology: Comment on Lowe Hays-Thomas's (2000) "The silent conversation."

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 31(4) of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (see record 2007-17397-001). On page 346 in the author note, Louisiana Southern University was given as the university where Tommy T. Stigall received his PhD. The correct university is Louisiana State University.] The authors comment on R. Lowe Hays-Thomas (2000; see record 2000-03894-016). The article begins with a few comments about the master's-degree issue and then examines the evolution of professional psychology in relationship to the master's issue over the past 50 years and into the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use and acceptance of social science evidence in business litigation after Daubert.

The landmark U.S. Supreme Court case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals , which overturned the venerable Frye test for the admissibility of scientific evidence, has sparked considerable interest among scholars and practitioners, within both the law and the various sciences. The discussion of the impact of Daubert on social science evidence, however, has been largely confined to a narrow range of issues, primarily concerning criminal law and mental health. Indeed, the Daubert case thus far has received relatively scant attention in the published cases involving business litigation, and in most of these instances, the focus has been on evidence from the hard sciences rather than from the social sciences. The author explores the use and acceptance of social science evidence in business litigation within the post- Daubert era. First, the specific Daubert factors are analyzed from the perspective of social science evidence in business litigation. Second, the scope of business litigation which has been impacted-or which is potentially impacted-by Daubert is outlined and discussed. Third, various procedural issues in the post- Daubert era are explored, including motions for summary judgment to dispose of social science issues… (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)     

Rejoinder: The challenges of reconciling family theory with method.

Reply by Carlson and Grotevant regarding comments of their original article (see record 1988-17683-001). We appreciate the thoughtful and relevant comments concerning our review of family rating scales provided by Cowan, Coyne, and Fisher. There are many points in their comments with which we agree and that nicely complement the points of emphasis in our article. There are two key issues about which we would like to provide further comment. The first concerns choosing between rating scales and microanalytic interaction coding schemes. The second concerns the links between family theory and measurement and the implications of theory for the level of analysis at which family processes are examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The menstrual cycle and typing skill: An ecologically-valid test of the "raging hormones" hypothesis.

Tested the "raging hormones" hypothesis, which states that the performance of women is periodically impaired during the perimenstruum. The typing skill of 9 female professional typists (aged 24–40 yrs) was evaluated at work with the use of typing tests administered at intervals throughout the menstrual cycle. There was no variation in typing performance as a function of the menstrual cycle for errors or rate of typing. Moreover, no variation of self-reported mood with the menstrual cycle was observed. Findings refute the view that work performance, at least for a skilled perceptual-motor task, is impaired at any phase of the menstrual cycle. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Online "predators" and their victims: Myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment.

The publicity about online "predators" who prey on naive children using trickery and violence is largely inaccurate. Internet sex crimes involving adults and juveniles more often fit a model of statutory rape--adult offenders who meet, develop relationships with, and openly seduce underage teenagers--than a model of forcible sexual assault or pedophilic child molesting. This is a serious problem, but one that requires approaches different from those in current prevention messages emphasizing parental control and the dangers of divulging personal information. Developmentally appropriate prevention strategies that target youths directly and acknowledge normal adolescent interests in romance and sex are needed. These should provide younger adolescents with awareness and avoidance skills while educating older youths about the pitfalls of sexual relationships with adults and their criminal nature. Particular attention should be paid to higher risk youths, including those with histories of sexual abuse, sexual orientation concerns, and patterns of off- and online risk taking. Mental health practitioners need information about the dynamics of this problem and the characteristics of victims and offenders because they are likely to encounter related issues in a variety of contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"When are social judgments made? Evidence for the spontaneousness of trait inferences": Correction to Winter and Uleman.

Reports an error in "When are social judgments made? Evidence for the spontaneousness of trait inferences" by Laraine Winter and James S. Uleman (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1984[Aug], Vol 47[2], 237-252). There are errors in the labeling of Figure 1 on p. 244. The ordinate percentages should be three times greater than indicated. In addition, the algebraic formula in the note for Table 2 on p. 245 is incorrect. The correct ordinate percentages and the correct algebraic formula are provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1985-01259-001.) Adapted E. Tulving and D. M. Thomson's (see record 2005-09647-002) encoding specificity paradigm for 2 recall experiments with 153 undergraduates to investigate whether Ss would make trait inferences without intentions or instructions at the encoding stage of processing behavioral information. Under memory instructions only, Ss read sentences describing people performing actions that implied traits. Later, Ss recalled each sentence under 1 of 3 cuing conditions: a dispositional cue (e.g., generous); a strong, nondispositional semantic associate to an important sentence word; or no cue. Results show that recall was best when cued by the disposition words. Ss were unaware of having made trait inferences. Interpreted in terms of encoding specificity, findings indicate that Ss unintentionally made trait inferences at encoding. It is suggested that attributions are made spontaneously, as part of the routine comprehension of social events. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of experimenter modeling, demands for honesty, and initial level of suggestibility on response to "hypnotic" suggestions.

Pretested 180 college students on behavioral (objective) and experiential (subjective) responses to the test suggestions of the Barber Suggestibility Scale. After being exposed to 1 of 3 treatments--E modeling, hypnotic induction, or control--each S was retested on the same scale. Strong demands to give honest experiential reports were administered to 1/2 of the Ss under each treatment. Ss who were exposed to E modeling manifested a greater enhancement in objective responsiveness to test suggestions than control Ss and as much enhancement as Ss who were exposed to hypnotic induction. E modeling was as effective as hypnotic induction in enhancing sujective responsiveness to test suggestions with and without demands for honest reports. Under both the E modeling and hypnotic induction treatments, Ss who had initially manifested a high level of suggestibility (pretest) showed as much enhancement in subjective responsiveness to test suggestions as medium- or low-suggestible Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental assumptions in literary criticism and their implications for conceptions of continuity and change in literary creativity.

With 2 critical readings of William Wordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality From Recollections of Early Childhood," this article presents contrasting assumptions of the literary critic about the development of artistic creativity and relates them to the issue of continuity and change in literary expression over the life span. The unveiled assumptions parallel the "hard" (structuralist) and "soft" (life-span) conceptions of human development prevailing in contemporary psychology. A better understanding of creative development may be reached by superimposing the principles derived from the soft metatheoretical orientation on those of the hard theory. (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)     

Inspecting expectancy: Some laboratory results of relevance for teacher training.

Because the principal requirement of any "purposive system" is feedback, the dynamic system of teacher-student interaction having as a purpose the advancement of student problem-solving abilities could, therefore, be expected to show the importance of feedback. 80 male college students were required to assist 1 "bright" and 1 "dull" hypothetical student on a problem-solving task. Dimensions of teacher-student feedback were evaluated as a function of teacher expectancy and awareness of possible expectancy effects. Results show that teacher expectancy effects were evident when Ss were unaware of the possibility of such effects and thus were unprepared to deal with students of differing abilities grouped together. Unaware Ss directed both greater levels of encouragement and criticism toward the student of presumed greater ability. Ss who were given special instruction that heightened awareness of expectancy effects were able to guard successfully against qualitatively different treatment of students of differing abilities. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)