Research resources in Canadian university psychology departments.

This article reports a survey of research resources in Canadian university psychology departments. Replies to four questionnaires distributed to all departments of psychology in Canada provided empirical data on, for example, the number and distribution of faculty and graduate students by sub-specialty area, teaching loads, research activity and funding, support services, physical space, and equipment. In addition to providing normative data according to size of university, these data point to a number of issues that must be addressed by the discipline, some of which will enable university researchers to better realize their potential for contribution to the scientific knowledge base. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Citation rates and the quality of Canadian psychology departments.

In a search for maximally valid indicators of academic departmental quality, 17 measures tapping 6 dimensions were examined in a multitrait multimethod manner with regard to their psychometric and other properties. Citations and graduates placed provided the best index of departmental quality. (French summary) (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comments on Buss's evaluation of Canadian psychology departments.

Points out several systematic errors, some of substantial magnitude, in the method used by A. R. Buss (see record 1976-26634-001) for measuring the productivity and impact of Canadian psychology departments by data in the Social Science Citations Index. Where possible, solutions are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A survey of instructional practices in Canadian psychology departments.

Results of a survey of 43 heads of psychology and educational psychology departments in Canadian universities indicate that Canadian psychology departments are largely traditional in their approaches to teaching, instructional evaluation, and assessment, and there is little evidence that recent psychological research on learning has made any impact on day-to-day teaching activities. They make only limited use of instructional objectives and criterion-referenced testing and assess students primarily by means of multiple-choice tests, essay examinations, or term papers. It is argued that academic psychologists could do more to promote more effective learning by translating the relevant research findings of their own discipline into pedagogical practice. (French abstract) (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Research productivity and scholarly impact of Canadian psychology departments.

Used the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) as a data source for citation counts, which reflect scholarly impact, and publication counts, which reflect productivity. Using the SSCI data, 35 Canadian psychology departments, with a total of 1,005 faculty, were compared and evaluated in terms of scholarship. Limitations of the SSCI as a data source for scholarly impact and productivity are discussed, and it is suggested that the SSCI is useful as a crude index of scholarship. It is concluded that a disproportionately small number of psychologists had major impact. An example is given: The top 26 psychologists representing 2.60% of the sample contributed 39% of the citations and over 10% of the publications. The top 26 psychologists were primarily from Ontario universities and from McGill. Full professors contributed a disporportionately large number of the citations, reflecting scholarly maturity. Although the University of Toronto was obviously the top psychology department in Canada (with respect to research), it was clearly surpassed by Stanford, the top psychology department in the US. Although the SSCI has certain limitations, it is a useful methodological tool that can contribute to the sociology of science. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The introductory psychology subject pool in Canadian universities.

Notes that university psychology department requirements for participating in S pools have been debated by psychologists over the past decade. Despite claims that the procedure is coercive, many departments continue to require participation, although others have abandoned the practice. A discussion of the ethical and practical issues associated with various approaches to recruitment of Ss is presented. A survey of 50 Canadian educational institutions offering programs in psychology was also conducted. Data indicate that participation for grades is the modal technique for obtaining undergraduate Ss and that some departments that abandoned research requirements in the past are considering reinstating required research participation. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Support levels of undergraduate psychology departments in four-year colleges and universities.

Presents data on the budgetary and personnel support characteristics of undergraduate psychology departments, based on the questionnaire responses of 256 department chairmen. Items include staff-student ratio; dollar support per student; faculty salary budget; faculty-classroom contract hours per week; supply, equipment, and travel budgets; and percent of salary increase for 1972. The data establish a normative base for undergraduate departments which may be used to compare the adequacy of support levels of individual programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing the research activity of Canadian psychology departments with graduate programmes.

The present study sought to provide a comprehensive assessment of the recent research activities within and across all Canadian psychology departments with graduate programmes. The quantity and quality of each department's research activity were measured by peer-reviewed article publication count and citation indexing of those publications, respectively. Each institution's h-factor was provided as a supplementary index of research industriousness. An additional index of change in research activity over time—the slope—was also provided. Data were assessed from 1900–2008 as well as for 5-year time spans from 1994–1998, 1999–2003, and 2004–2008. Overall, results indicated that the most recent 5 years have seen a significant increase in article publications across departments. More comprehensive results of the relative comparability of departments are included. Implications for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of Canadian psychology departments based upon citation and publication counts.

Evaluated 32 Canadian psychology departments offering graduate programs in terms of productivity and impact upon the discipline. Publication and citation counts were tabulated for each individual staff member in each department and totaled within each department. The data source was the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) which lists for any individual all publications and all journal articles which cite his/her work. Some limitations of SSCI as a data source for the sociology of science are discussed. Because of the qualifications and reservations which must accompany the reported data, the study should probably be viewed more as exemplifying an interesting methodological approach than as offering definitive and clear-cut conclusions. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of Canadian psychology departments based on citation and publication counts: A comment.

Comments on the article by A. R. Buss (see record 1976-26634-001), which purports to evaluate Canadian psychology departments in terms of productivity and impact upon the discipline. Publication counts and citation counts from the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) were tabulated for each staff member and totaled for each department. The author suggests that his exercise will give us some lessons in the methodology of the sociology of science, as it pertains to the problem of evaluating the quality of departments within a discipline. While it is questionable whether such a unitary evaluation can be done at all, more importantly the article raises two other questions: What are the possible purposes of such a task? Has Buss's article done an adequate job of doing the task regardless of purpose? With reference to the first question, it is virtually impossible to think of any legitimate use to which such finding could be put. On the question as to whether the Buss evaluations are well done, a few obvious points are listed. One of these is Buss's choice of the SSCI, which he admits does not include citations in some important psychological journals. In summary, the Buss paper includes a set of evaluations which serve no useful purpose. Furthermore, they are complete with numerous sources of known error, some of them systematic. The author has added to this all the problems of choice of summarizing values. The reviewer takes offense at his taxes being used for so shallow a purpose. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An introduction to the hiring process in academic psychology.

Describes the academic hiring process, including practical advice on the preparation of a resume; a job colloquium, questions to ask on an interview, and answers to questions one should expect to be asked. (French abstract) (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A survey of clinical psychology training in Canadian federal corrections: Implications for psychologist recruitment and retention.

Although survey results seem to indicate an abundant interest among Canadian psychology graduate students in pursuing training in criminal justice psychology, the recruitment and retention of psychologists in the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has been of some concern. The present study is a 2008 survey of sites within CSC that provide opportunities for clinical psychology training with offender clientele. Survey findings demonstrated that a broad range of clinical psychology training opportunities were available across 16 sites. The most frequently cited barrier to providing training was lack of time by prospective trainers, and sites reported retaining relatively few of their trainees for subsequent psychologist positions. Information was also obtained regarding vacant psychologist positions across CSC regions. In light of survey findings, substantive discussion is devoted toward the issues of psychologist recruitment and retention in Canadian federal corrections, including a discussion of both potential and existing training initiatives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Productivity in publication and the quality of psychology departments.

Comments on W. M. Cox and V. Catt's (see record 1978-21651-001) listings of American psychology departments in terms of their publication counts in American Psychological Association journals. Other dimensions that may provide better measures of departmental quality (e.g., citations, graduates placed on other staffs) are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical psychology programs in the universities.

Questions G. W. Albee's (see record 1971-08263-001) conclusions concerning the desirability of training clinical psychologists in arts and sciences graduate schools; the psychiatric setting as inappropriate for apprenticeships; and the incompatibility of scientist-professional models. Rather, the proper meld of scientist-professional characteristics may offer the greatest hope for clinical psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empirical verification of sex discrimination in hiring practices in psychology.

1 of 2 survey forms was sent to 228 chairmen of graduate degree-granting university psychology departments in the United States. Each form consisted of 10 paragraphs describing the professional behavior of young psychologists. Respondents rated the desirability of each candidate and indicated at what level the candidate should be offered a position. The forms differed only in that feminine 1st names and pronouns were attached to 4 paragraphs on Form A and a different 4 paragraphs on Form B. 68% of the forms were returned. Women were offered lower levels of appointment than men for 7 of 8 paragraphs and were rated less desirable for 6 of 8 paragraphs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empirically supported treatments in psychology: Implications for Canadian professional psychology.

Examines several interconnected efforts to develop evidence-based practice in professional psychology. We first review the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 12 (Clinical Psychology) Task Force on the Promotion and Dissemination of Psychological Procedures' development of criteria and listings for empirically supported psychological treatments. Next, we present related efforts to develop procedures to identify treatments that have established efficacy and to develop practice guidelines. The possible impact of these initiatives on Canadian professional psychology in the domains of training, credentialing, practice, and research are then examined. Finally, we present recommendations for steps that should be taken by Canadian psychology organizations to respond to these initiatives in order to ensure that psychological practice in Canada is optimally supported by scientific evidence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Undergraduate curricula of leading psychology departments.

Examined the catalogs of 50 undergraduate institutions with programs leading to a degree in psychology. Results show that 42 offered a B.A. and 14 offered a B.S. Course requirements are summarized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enculturation stress in Canadian psychology.

The argument is made that nationally flavoured psychologies exist where distinctive national values and social priorities obtain. These values are discussed in the context of two imported behavioural models, science and profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supply and demand for psychology PhDs in graduate departments of psychology: 1970 and 1971 compared.

Sent questionnaires to 267 chairmen of American and Canadian psychology departments listed by the National Council of Chairmen of Graduate Departments of Psychology in 1970 and 1971. Chairmen were asked to provide the number of students receiving the PhD in Psychology in their department and the number of assistant professorships that were available in their departments during the academic year in which the questionnaire was mailed. Results are broken down by field within psychology, by the rank of the respondent departments (as established by the American Council on Education study in 1969), and by the geographic location of the department. Totaling over all fields within psychology, there were 3 graduating PhDs per assistant professorship in 1970. In 1971, this ratio was 5:4. There were more assistant professorships available per graduate department in Canada than in the United States. A supplementary study of small state-supported universities and colleges indicates that this type of institution is still expanding and is a likely source of assistant professorships for newly graduated PhDs in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Law-related courses and programs in graduate psychology departments.

Three surveys were undertaken to determine whether graduate programs in psychology were offering courses, programs, or opportunities for specialization in law and psychology, what these offerings consisted of, and whether new offerings were planned for the future. Many courses being offered appear extremely narrow in focus and of questionable value in training psychologists. Several graduate programs in law/psychology are described, including joint-degree law and psychology programs and specialized doctoral and masters programs. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)