Review of Beliefs, Attitudes and Values.

Reviews the book, Beliefs, Attitudes and Values by Milton Rokeach (1968). I believe that Rokeach does not believe that his beliefs about beliefs, attitudes, and values are beliefs. The author seems to believe that he presents in this collection of previously published papers something other than his beliefs. Yet, from his presentation it would appear that there exists nothing but beliefs. Much of the confusion which appears in this book is due to the various ways in which the word "belief" is used. The author states that "the task for psychology is . . . to learn enough about the structure of belief systems to know how to form them, and how to modify them so that they will best increase the happiness and freedom of the individual and his society." As a result of the task the author sees for psychology he has undertaken a number of experiments presented in the papers which make up this volume. A detailed discussion of those experiments seems useless in the light of the fact that they are all based on Rokeach's confusing use of the word 'belief in terms of which he also defines "attitudes" and "values." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Theory and problems of adolescent development.

Reviews "Theory and problems of adolescent development," by David P. Ausubel (see record 1955-00581-000). Unlike most other books in this area, this book offers a systematic presentation of psychological knowledge woven around a dynamic point of view. It is a scholarly book written in language that makes for easy and interesting reading. The author opens his book with an organized set of arguments designed to convince his readers that there is justification for a book on the "Psychology of Adolescent Development." His major premise states that "adolescence is treated as a separate developmental period not because it covers a decade but because it spans an interval in which distinctive changes occur in a biosocial status of the human organism. The author has marshaled his psychological knowledge and psychiatric experience into a well-organized book. Dr. Ausubel quotes freely from other authors and from his own writings and research. There are extensive references contained in the bibliography at the end of each chapter. Although the author states that "this book is primarily intended as an advanced textbook in adolescent psychology for graduate students in psychology and education," it would appear that this book is written with sufficient clarity and nontechnical language to be used in any college course dealing with adolescent behavior. It would be especially desirable in clinically-oriented courses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Hebbian perspective on mind-brain relations.

Reviews the book, Essay on Mind by D.O. Hebb (1980). This is the third book by Canada's most distinguished and influential psychologist, Donald Olding Hebb. Essay on Mind presents readers with an opportunity to see why Hebb and his writings have had such an impact: In this book, Hebb presents a succinct account of the development of cell-assembly theory and its applications, as well as views on important philosophical and scientific issues. Hebb argues that his type of theory is not "mere translation" because the physiological theory and data impose constraints on psychological concepts. Moreover, such theorizing can be useful in that it leads to new evidence or tells a theorist how to look at available evidence from different aspects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reply to Stagner.

This is written in response to Ross Stagner's comments (see record 2005-11890-003) concerning the publication of books of readings. First, it is my experience that it is far easier to author a book than edit readings. I don't assume that people who write the original articles that finally find themselves in a book of readings are any more creative than the editors. I don't know how much of a reputation any one gets from authorship or editing a readings book. As for "good solid cash" (to use Stagner's words) I have yet to see some and my experience is not unique. I have paid out a considerable amount of money in secretarial fees alone. If I recoup the money I have expended I will be fortunate. As for so-called profits, if I send one copy of the book to each author and his co-author(s) who contributed an article for a book of readings--well, there goes the "good solid cash." Second, there are many articles that are rescued from the scrap pile by a book of readings. My suggestion is that after the editor of a readings book recoups his expenses in preparing the book, copies of the book be sent to clinics or libraries which are on a limited budget. Copies may even be sent to some of the "underprivileged nations." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Growing old: The ultimate freedom.

Reviews the book, Growing old: The ultimate freedom by Maxwell Jones (see record 1989-97554-000). Jones has written a small thoughtful book on the problems and possibilities of being old. Growing old, in Jones's view, gives one the freedom to do things that have been sacrificed to the necessities of one's career. Jones knows that one must enjoy a certain standard of living to have the luxury to use old age to search for the meaning of life; many have to occupy their years--the late as well as the early ones--with daily survival. He is also frank about the psychological problems associated with growing old. Jones advocates finding or creating a social network of people with whom one can share deep fears and intellectual passions. Throughout the five chapters of his brief book, Jones emphasizes the need for a supportive network as one confronts the increasing isolation of old age. The significance of this book lies not in the particular preoccupations of Max Jones's own old age, but in his observations that age grants us the freedom to chart the tantalizing wilderness we left aside while we spent our working lives on more immediate problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Statistical methods for the behavioral sciences.

Reviews the book, "Statistical Methods for the Behavioral Sciences" (see record 1955-03287-000) by Allen L. Edwards. This book is outstanding among the increasing number of texts designed to develop applied statistical competence in the perennially mathematics-free student of psychology, education, or sociology. Writing in conversational style, the author unfolds an extensive array of topics with maximum palatability and minimum sacrifice of modern statistical rationale. Over and above the usual material, Edwards provides many attractive features not commonly found in the introductory text. Among these are sections on nonlinear curve fitting, the power function in tests of significance, and one-tailed vs. two-tailed tests of significance. The reviewer feels that the most valuable special feature of the book is the extensive presentation of nonparametric methods, a number of which are described in the same chapter with the analogous classical method while others are discussed in a final chapter on significance tests for ranked data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Altruism, socialization, and society.

Reviews the book, Altruism, Socialization, and Society by J. Philippe Rushton (1980). In this comprehensive work, Rushton reviews the fruits of his research efforts. Much of what his review reveals is promising: Human beings probably are evolutionarily disposed toward displaying altruism, and a variety of childrearing and educational practices are highly effective toward teaching and eliciting prosocial action and thought. Yet Rushton also reaches a darker conclusion: A variety of forces in society are conspiring to produce generations of inconsiderate, unfeeling, hostile, competitive, and self-centered youngsters. Among the factors Rushton fingers are the demise of the family as an effective socialization agency, the abundance of violent fare in the media, and the failure of the school to face its role as moral tutor. Rushton draws on evidence from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and education to support the disturbing thesis that he reiterate several times throughout his book: 'Altruism is the central problem facing society today." He goes on to consider strategies for improving the social environment to rectify the problem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Group genius: The creative power of collaboration.

Reviews the book, Group genius: The creative power of collaboration by K. Sawyer (2007). This book is written for a popular audience. It takes several themes from the author's past work on the sociocultural approach to creativity, particularly his research on improvisation and his book Explaining creativity, and develops them into an innovative analysis of improvisation and collaboration. The message of this book is that creative ideas emerge from collaborative webs, not from the minds of lone creators. Sawyer proposes that creative teams and organizations have moved beyond conventional notions of innovation--isolated Research and Development departments, for example--and instead harness collaborative webs. These webs include obvious ones, such as collaboration within the organization, as well as surprising ones, such as collaboration with consumers and with competitors. Researchers in the psychology of creativity will find a lot of food for thought in this book. The reviewer notes, however, that little attention is given to individual differences. This omission will madden many researchers. Researchers will also find a nascent integration of the sociocultural approach and the cognitive approach. Criticisms aside, he suggests that Keith Sawyer is one of psychology's finest writers: his books have a graceful tone and an understated erudition. The distinction between content and form is specious--writing unifies "what" and "how"--but creativity researchers will get as much out of this book's "how" as its "what". (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Thematic test analysis.

Reviews the book, Thematic test analysis edited by Edwin S. Shneidman (see record 1952-03422-000). Everyone does something different with the Thematic Apperception Test. In this book, interpretations of the same person's TAT and MAPS tests are gathered, under blind conditions, from fifteen psychologists or teams of psychologists. Many ways of using TAT material are exemplified: the editor distinguishes normative, intuitive, hero-oriented, interpersonal, and perceptual approaches. Both during his analysis of the data and in a supplementary chapter, each psychologist introspects about what he is doing, at times offering interesting vignettes of the "feel" of the process of clinical inference. This is especially valuable, since most major contributors to TAT methods are represented, though in one notable instance we do not hear from the master but only from his eminent pupils. Introduction and syntheses by the editor hold the book together, though so much discussion from so many views is, in its nature, disjunctive. The editorial conclusions offered are well taken, if understandably tactful. One can find no ground for criticizing an editor who began his book with such an interesting plan and carried out his plan with so much care for every detail. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of La baisse du désir sexuel: méthodes d'évaluation et de traitement.

The decrease in sexual desire is considered to be one of the most common sexual dysfunctions, but it is also one of the most difficult to treat. Dr. Trudel's book proposes a cognitive-behavioral treatment as well as a multimodal approach for this problem. Using scientific research as his evidence this book is an essential resource for psychologists and clinicians especially for those which work with French-speaking clients. This book explains both evaluation methods as well as treatment for the loss of sexual desire and considers the multitude of factors that can effect the development, maintenance and exacerbation of these problems paying special attention to cognitive and behavioral factors and the interaction of the two. The goal of the book is to give a detailed presentation of the evaluation and treatment of loss of sexual desire. Trudel presents a study on the treatment in his "laboratory on sexuality and the couple" in the department of psychology at the University of Quebec in Montreal. In the first section of the book, factors that are associated with loss of sexual desire are discussed and Trudel examines the role and interaction of individual and environmental factors. The next section of the book describes the evaluation of the loss of sexual desire. This section includes interviews and psychometric methods which are both practical and useful. The third section of the book reviews studies and the results of treatment for loss of sexual desire. In the last section, various methods of intervention are presented including couples therapy, sex therapy, cognitive therapy and working with one's sexual fantasies. This section ends with a discussion on methods of application, resistance to treatment and prevention of relapse. Overall, this book is very well written and easily accessible to various types of audiences: psychologists, psychiatrists, sexual and general health therapists who are interested in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Sexualities and homosexualities.

Reviews the book, Sexualities and homosexualities by Jaime P. Stubrin (see record 1994-97944-000). Stubrin's primary goal for this book is to outline the various theories that apply to an understanding of what he calls the sexual "deviations" ("perversions, neosexualities, and paraphilias"). He wants this consolidation of information to serve as a resource for psychoanalysts who may be feeling overwhelmed by all of the material on this topic. One theme repeated throughout the book is the need for analysts to approach "sexual deviants" with the "same affection and sympathy" which they feel toward obsessive, hysterical, borderline, or psychotic patients. Stubrin challenges the tendency in traditional psychoanalytic theory to assume mental illness or degenerative tendencies in those whose sexuality is not considered "normal." Throughout the book, Stubrin draws on literature, Freud's original work, and case examples to breathe life into his theoretical musings. The book is engaging and easy to read. At times, the translation (from Spanish) is quite choppy, but the ideas remain solidly stated. In summary, the reviewer believes that Stubrin accomplishes his primary goals of generating unrest and controversy through a challenging discussion of difficult psychoanalytic topics. The book will be of interest to those who hold very traditional psychoanalytic theoretical positions as well as those who work with the various sexualities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Commitment in the workplace: Theory, research, and application.

Reviews the book, Commitment in the workplace: Theory, research, and application by John P. Meyer and Natalie J. Allen (see record 1997-97593-000). The authors have produced a very well-written and interesting book on the topic of organizational commitment. They bring a conceptual framework to a research area that seems to have been largely atheoretical. Their own theoretically derived and systematic research program spans two decades of research. In this book, Meyer and Allen carefully and methodically introduce their three-component conceptualization of work commitment and review empirical work either emanating from or relevant to their model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Optimizing work performance: A look beyond the bottom line.

Reviews the book, Optimizing work performance: A look beyond the bottom line by Martin Morf (1986). This book is an interesting addition to the rapidly growing list of publications which deal with "improving performance" or "increasing productivity" in the workplace. It is an addition, however, for which an appropriate audience may be difficult to find. Indeed, in attempting to be "of particular interest to those involved in personnel, corporate organization, or industrial relations, as well as to scholars and students of organizational psychology", the book may fail to appeal strongly to any of these groups. This is unfortunate because Martin Morf makes a number of interesting comments in his book--particularly about the relationship between the individual, his or her work, and society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Free and unequal: The biological basis of individual liberty.

Reviews the book "Free and unequal: The biological basis of individual liberty" by Roger J. Williams (see record 1954-01800-000). The authors thesis of this book is that given the undoubted fact of great human variability, what is needed to insure a good social order is individual freedom. "There is no middle ground: distinctiveness, individual worth, and freedom rise or jail together." An eminent chemist, the author has contributed to extend the study of genetics into the significant field of biochemistry. As a teacher and a nutritionist, he is by no means neglectful of the importance of environmental factors in development and well-being. But he insists that nutrition and education should be adjusted to the needs of each individual. The author detects a current trend toward assembly-line methods and away from due recognition of individuality. Overall though, the reviewer notes that the book is not heavy reading, and has been enjoyed by those who have read it thus far. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Randomization tests.

Reviews the book, Randomization Tests by Eugene S. Edgington (1980). Edgington begins his preface by suggesting that his book has two goals: "a practical guide for experimenters" and "a textbook for courses in applied statistics." As indicated above, the book is not the detailed and authoritative volume which experimenters need as a guide to randomization tests. However, Edgington's cogent criticisms of "the long-standing fiction of random sampling in experimental research" (p. iii) will lead experimenters to consider the merits of randomization tests. Similarly, the book is not thorough enough to be a successful textbook, but it should alert all teachers of statistics and experimental design to the importance of randomization and to the weakness of the random-sampling assumption in most statistical tests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Development of Modern Behavioural Psychology.

Reviews the book, The Development of Modern Behavioural Psychology by John McLeish (1981). The title of McLeish's book contains two terms that may be somewhat misleading. Describing his efforts as encompassing the "Development" of ideas suggests that the approach is historical, while the term "Modern Behavioural Psychology" might be taken to mean almost anything depending upon one's restrictive use of the term. McLeish, as it turns out, attaches a very restrictive meaning to "Behavioural Psychology". There will probably always be argument about what constitutes a proper historical approach but the reviewer doubts that the tact McLeish takes will ever satisfy. In his review of the history of radical behaviourism, McLeish highlights the work of some writers who have not been given a prominent place by other historians, and discusses, or notes only in passing, authors who have ordinarily been considered prominent. As a history, then, McLeish's book is a disappointment and often annoying. Perhaps the best that can be said about this book is that McLeish hints at a form of behavioural theory which would expand the present boundaries of our thinking. In his enthusiastic advocacy of an account that would recognize the historical, social and cultural origins of human behaviour as well as its complexity (including language, thinking and consciousness), McLeish points to the biological rather than the physical (or mathematical) sciences as the source of appropriate models to develop a science of behaviour. In this he is to be congratulated. It is too bad he did not devote the book to a full development of these notions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Elements of episodic memory.

Reviews the book, Elements of episodic memory by Endel Tulving (1983). Those of us who have followed Tulving's investigations in the somewhat fragmented form of journal articles are very grateful to have his ideas encapsulated, elaborated, and elegantly expounded in his Elements of episodic memory. Tulving spends the initial third of the book driving home the evidence that the distinction between episodic and semantic memory is not just that episodic is time-lagged and semantic is not: it is more far-ranging, and his new work on amnesia is leading to the conclusion that for some forms of this disorder either type of memory may be attacked but not necessarily both. The first vista that opens from Tulving's vantage point is that "systems" and "schemata" are collections of connections that derive a certain autonomy from being only loosely connected to other collections. The second vista that emerges is a psychology in which the use of numbers is rich and strange. A third vista that opens up is shielded at first by a spectre of opposition. The spectre seizes on the passage on "free radicals," in which Tulving claims that certain thoughts cannot be unambiguously assigned to either episodic or semantic memory. Perhaps the most heartening aspect of this book is that Tulving could never have written this monograph without the foundations of his experiments. It is a great relief to see experimentation validated in so invigorating a form. Nevertheless, the most difficult chapters of the book, on recognition and recall, are built on experimental findings that are not yet properly understood. I am glad Tulving did not delay in writing this book until he felt more secure about the questions raised in these last chapters: the work thereby remains a challenge rather than a fait accompli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rejoinder to Clément's review of Language and Disadvantage.

In his recent review of the book "Language and Disadvantage" by John Edwards (1979), Clement (see record 2007-04092-001) begins and ends on a favourable note, and for this the author is grateful. Within the body of the review, however, he has misrepresented things somewhat; consequently, Edwards comments on the following points. First, Clement claimed that the basis for Edwards' rejection of the "deficit" viewpoint on disadvantage is "nebulous". Second, Clement sees the fifth chapter (dealing with nonstandard speech at school) as weak, containing little more than recommendations to teachers. Third, Clement states that Edwards suggests in the book "that NSS (nonstandard speech) speakers be taught SS (standard style) as it pertains to certain specific situations". Edwards states in the preface of his book that disadvantaged speech is considered essentially as a sociolinguistic issue deriving more from social attitudes than from any inherent linguistic deficiency. To the extent to which Clement's review muddies this basic theme, it misleads the reader. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral Medicine: Changing Health Lifestyles.

Reviews the book, Behavioral Medicine: Changing Health Lifestyles by Park O. Davidson and Sheena M. Davidson (1980). Since 1969, the Banff International Conferences have served as a "window" on the future applications of behaviour modification principles and techniques. Behavioral Medicine: Changing Health Lifestyles is the "report" of that conference. (the reviewer hastens to point out, however, that the Banff Conference reports are much more than a collection of papers presented at the conference itself. They are chapters written specially for publication.) For a number of years there has been an increasing awareness of and concern with the fact that "lifestyle" plays an important role in health and ill health alike. Faulty habits and behaviours such as smoking, alcohol consumption, overeating, lack of exercise, overwork, etc., may play a critical causal role in the development of physical disorders. At the same time, however, changing these behaviours, and maintaining the changes, has quite often proven to be beyond the skills of even the most talented clinician. The present volume addresses this challenge: the application of behavioural principles to the problems of physical health and illness. The chapters are well written and the usual vagaries of an edited book (such as stylistic differences between authors) have been minimized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)