A 1970 overview of sources of support for psychological research.

Provides information on funding sources for research activities. Grant and contract programs sponsored by various federal agencies are described, including those of the National Science Foundation, various branches of Health, Education and Welfare (the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Office of Education, and the Social and Rehabilitation Service), and the Departments of Labor, Transportation, Defense, State, Justice, Housing and Urban Development, and the National Aeronautics and Space Program. Programs of 31 private foundations are also listed, including the foundation name and address, and the purposes and activities of the respective support programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Best Practices of Bridge System Management—A Synthesis

The paper’s primary purpose is to evaluate current practices in bridge management and inspection procedures in the United States and how State Highway Agencies (SHAs) follow U.S. Department of Transportation guidelines. The efficiency of SHA in utilizing the bridge management systems (BMSs) available to them is analyzed, and the agencies’ readiness to respond to events such as hurricanes, flooding, or earthquakes is evaluated. The paper addresses issues regarding bridges with unknown foundations, interviewing four structural engineers from three SHA regarding these topics. Bridge management officials across the country will benefit from this research by evaluating their agencies’ current practices in comparison with other state agencies. Findings show that state officials attempt to follow very closely the guidelines set by the federal government for bridge inspection and maintenance. However, it was also discovered that, during catastrophic events, agencies rely heavily on managing engineers’ experience and decision-making capabilities because there is no set of response procedures for these extreme conditions. Although powerful BMS tools are available, few SHA utilize these tools to their full capabilities.     

Family-based treatment for adolescent problem behaviors: Overview of contemporary developments and introduction to the special section.

The contemporary adolescent treatment field encompasses a remarkable diversity of ideas, treatment contexts, practice models, and treatment providers. Recently, there have been significant changes in how we conceptualize adolescent problems, the knowledge bases we draw on to craft such understanding, the interventions we use to treat adolescent dysfunction, the contexts in which they are treated, the amount and quality of research on adolescent problems generally, and interventions for adolescent problems in particular. The specialty is more complex and varied than ever before with subspecialties addressing scientific, clinical, public health, and social policy concerns. This work is pursued in a wide variety of research and clinical contexts supported by a diverse group of federal, state, and local agencies and by private foundations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Government support of extramural psychological research: fiscal year 1955.

"This is the third in a series of annual reports on the Federal Government's support of research in psychology and closely related areas by means of contracts and grants with colleges, universities, and other nongovernment agencies." It endeavors "… to provide systematic information on the amount and sources of funds which are available from the Federal Government for the support of psychological research." Four tables summarizing expenditures are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Performance Monitoring of a Rammed Aggregate Pier Foundation Supporting a Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall

The use of rammed aggregate pier (RAP) foundations for support of retaining walls and earth fill embankments has increased in recent years to become a geotechnical solution for rapid construction of earth structures in soft ground conditions. A nominal 6-m mechanically stabilized earth wall was constructed over piers installed in relatively compressible soil to investigate the performance of RAP foundation elements in terms of stress-deformation and settlement behaviors for such applications. Geotechnical instrumentation consisting of total earth pressure cells, settlement plates, and vibrating wire piezometers was installed within the pier elements and at the foundation surface for short- and long-term monitoring of pier response. Monitoring data indicate: (1) mobilization and concentration of vertical stress on pier elements and matrix soil; and (2) load transfer response for the boundary condition associated with support of geogrid-reinforced earth fill. The practical implications of the experimental research findings are briefly discussed.     

Social psychology and desegregation research.

"The role of social science, particularly sociology and psychology, in the desegregation process has been much publicized and criticized by southern segregationists." Reasons are considered for the failure of foundations to support desegregation research. The concept of latent liberal is introduced. The "definitive inter-disciplinary case study of desegregation has yet to be started. Properly buttressed by the necessary foundation aid, such a study should involve comparisons before, during, and after desegregation of a wide variety of communities." From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2GA05P. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Translating research into policy for children: The private foundation experience.

In the field of child development, research findings that could benefit society often must wait years and even decades before they are used in developing social policy. Reasons for this are cited, and the efforts of private foundations, specifically the work of the Foundation for Child Development, in surmounting these obstacles are described. These actions include support of policy-related applied research, reviews of research related to policy, support of new research relevant to practice, creation of new services and institutions devoted to children, support of child advocacy in a direct transfer of findings to policy, and increasing cooperation between the public and private sectors in their work in child development. Several illustrations of each of these modes of activity are presented. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Statement on mental illness and mental retardation.

The statement made on behalf of the American Psychological Association is in support of Senate Bills 755 and 756 developed by Congress in response to President Kennedy's message on mental illness and mental retardation. "The psychologist is vitually concerned with the problems of mental disorders and of mental retardation. He is especially interested in research, and in the provision of services to people through the organized agencies of society, such as the public schools, community mental health centers, hospitals, institutions for the retarded, and rehabilitation agencies of many kinds." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Navigating politics, policy, and procedure: A firsthand perspective of advocacy on behalf of the profession.

Psychology's expertise as a behavioral science is essential to effectively address society's most pressing concerns. Advocacy for clients and the public good--and in turn, for the profession of psychology--occurs on multiple levels through active participation in local and federal legislatures, agencies, foundations, and nonprofit organizations that influence implementation of regulations and policies. The authors offer a number of observations and recommendations from their cumulative past experience to argue that presence, persistence, and long-term vision are absolutely essential for the ultimate success and advancement of professional psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analytic complexities associated with group therapy in substance abuse treatment research: Problems, recommendations, and future directions.

In community-based alcoholism and drug abuse treatment programs, the vast majority of interventions are delivered in a group therapy context. In turn, treatment providers and funding agencies have called for more research on interventions delivered in groups in an effort to make the emerging empirical literature on the treatment of substance abuse more ecologically valid. Unfortunately, the complexity of data structures derived from therapy groups (because of member interdependence and changing membership over time) and the present lack of statistically valid and generally accepted approaches to analyzing these data have had a significant stifling effect on group therapy research. This article (a) describes the analytic challenges inherent in data generated from therapy groups, (b) outlines common (but flawed) analytic and design approaches investigators often use to address these issues (e.g., ignoring group-level nesting, treating data from therapy groups with changing membership as fully hierarchical), and (c) provides recommendations for handling data from therapy groups using presently available methods. In addition, promising data-analytic frameworks that may eventually serve as foundations for the development of more appropriate analytic methods for data from group therapy research (i.e., nonhierarchical data modeling, pattern-mixture approaches) are also briefly described. Although there are other substantial obstacles that impede rigorous research on therapy groups (e.g., evaluation and measurement of group process, limited control over treatment delivery ingredients), addressing data-analytic problems is critical for improving the accuracy of statistical inferences made from research on ecologically valid group-based substance abuse interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

From the community mental health movement to the war on drugs: A study in the definition of social problems.

In the 1980s, the Reagan and Bush administrations reduced funding for community mental health programs and began instead to support substance abuse treatment agencies. One reason for this shift in policy was that the social problem of mental illness had been captured by progressives in the community mental health movement. Conservatives, therefore, needed a new problem to redefine and use to enact new social control policies. The conservatives' claim that substance abuse is primarily the result of a defect in the character or constitution of the abuser has had profound effects on both social policy and the research community. Greater awareness is needed on the part of researchers as to how social problems have been defined and how government research grants affect our thinking about substance abuse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Population control I: Birth of an ideology

Population control, as a major international development strategy, is a relatively recent phenomenon. However, its origins reach back to social currents in the 19th and early 20th centuries, culminating in an organized birth control movement in Europe and the United States. The conflicts and contradictions in that movement's history presage many of today's debates over population policy and women's rights. Eugenics had a deep influence on the U.S. birth control movement in the first half of the 20th century. After World War II private agencies and foundations played an important role in legitimizing population control as a way to secure Western control over Third World resources and stem political instability. In the late 1960s the U.S. government became a major funder of population control programs overseas and built multilateral support through establishment of the U.N. Fund for Population Activities. At the 1974 World Population Conference, Third World governments challenged the primacy of population control. While their critique led population agencies to change their strategies, population control remained a central component of international development and national security policies in the United States.     

Investigations of Pile Foundations in Brownfields

“Brownfields” are real estate properties with subsurface or surface contamination. The redevelopment of Brownfields is required to clean, improve, and protect the environment. Pile foundations are often used in Brownfields and other contaminated site situations to support structures. Regulators are concerned about the environmental safety of pile foundations in Brownfields sites, since piling in Brownfields may lead to transport of contaminants from the contaminated region to underground aquifers. This investigation is an extension of previous research programs on pile foundations in Brownfields or contaminated sites conducted at the University of New Orleans. The purpose of the overall investigation is to evaluate the potential for contaminant transport due to pile foundations in Brownfields. The current paper summarizes the research carried out to ascertain the potential for contaminant transport from concrete piles of different shape, depth of penetration, and method of installation. The results of bench scale model tests and numerical studies are presented. Under full penetration conditions, the square shaped and circular cast-in-place piles were found to have a higher potential for contaminant transport than circular driven piles. There is a low potential for contaminant transport in the case of piles penetrating less than 95% of an aquitard. Selected results from a previous program on wooden and steel piles are summarized for comparison.     

Efficacy of etodolac for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip joints in dogs

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To arrive at a consensus on the priorities for future research in emergency medical services for children. METHODS: A consensus group was convened using the Rand-UCLA Consensus Process. The group took part in a 3-phase process. Round 1 involved reviewing a compendium of relevant research articles and answering a mailed questionnaire. Panel members were asked to prioritize topics on the basis of the 1993 Institute of Medicine Report on Emergency Medical Services for Children. Participants were asked to rate each topic based on the significance of the research, and whether the topic would (1) improve general knowledge, (2) change behavior, (3) improve health, (4) decrease the cost of care, or (5) change public policy. A 4-point Likert scale was used. Participants were also asked if the research would require a multicenter study and if the research were feasible. Round 2 of the study involved a meeting of the panel, where the results of Round 1 were discussed and the topics were reprioritized. The topics were given a rank order and a final ranking was done in Round 3. RESULTS: The panel considered a list of 32 topics; these were combined and reworded to give them more precise meaning. Several new topics were also added. Fifteen topics were given a rank order and placed within the 7 broad categories of the Institute of Medicine report. Clinical aspects of emergency care, systems organization, configuration, and operation and injury prevention were given high priority rankings. The first 5 topics were very close in point-rank order. CONCLUSION: The panel was able to develop a list of important topics for future research in emergency medical services for children that can be used by foundations, governmental agencies, and others in setting a research agenda for such services.     

The multiple partnership: Scientist, university, agency, and government.

In the US, a significant portion of scientific effort is carried out in universities and financed by government and private agencies. While partnerships among these bureaucratic and social systems are strung together institutionally, the connecting links are provided by individuals in these institutions whose ideas, proposals, and advocacies shape the programs that ultimately are established. These human and political realities, while contributing to the richness and diversity of US science, may also have negative implications for the progress of science, particularly in the face of limited resources. Despite this, science is likely to be enhanced overall by multiple sources of influence and multiple partnerships. The key element will be the careful selection of effective advocates linking foundations, universities, agencies, and government. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internships for doctoral training in clinical psychology approved by the American Psychological Association.

"On the recommendation of the Committee on Evaluation, the Education and Training Board with the concurrence of the Board of Directors of the American Psychological Association has approved the internships for doctoral training in clinical psychology which are offered… " by various agencies listed (see 25: 6647). "All of these agencies provide supervised experience in the three activities of diagnostic work, psychotherapy, and research… ." The "list is complete for those agencies which had been evaluated by November 1, 1957… . The list… includes only independent agencies, that is, those agencies accepting interns from more than one university." The 45 institutions listed are in 23 states and the District of Columbia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The influence of accreditation on educational change in U.S. medical schools

The authors examined the influence of accreditation on educational change and reform in U.S. medical schools in the past decade, by reviewing the survey databases and site visit reports of 90 schools that had comprehensive accreditation surveys by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) between July 1992 and June 1997. In this study, substantive change was defined as centralizing the design and management of the curriculum, as well as one or more of the following reforms: integrating basic and clinical science instruction and/or conversion to interdisciplinary courses; implementing methods of active, small-group, independent, and hypothesis-based learning; and substantially increasing students' exposure to ambulatory and primary care. Accreditation reports were reviewed to determine the extent to which the LCME previously had admonished schools for shortcomings in their educational programs and advised curricular changes. Notice was taken of grant support by national foundations promoting educational reform, in relation both to the correction of accreditation deficiencies and to curricular reform undertaken by schools on their own initiative. The study also scrutinized the evolution of accreditation standards promoting educational reform, and the LCME's support of initiatives for shortening the period of medical education and promoting performance-based teaching and the assessment of clinical skills. On entering the 1990s, the LCME toughened the standards for design and management of the medical curriculum and for the evaluation of educational program effectiveness that schools must conduct. The greater assessment rigor identified educational shortcomings in 61 of 90 medical schools coming up for accreditation surveys during 1992-1997. On those occasions, 34 of the 61 schools had instituted reforms or were on the verge of doing so. Twenty-five of the schools carrying out reforms (73%) had received major foundation grants, compared with ten of the 27 schools (37%) that had accomplished little. Fifteen schools that had not been reproached earlier were found on the 1992-1997 surveys to have undertaken substantial innovation on their own initiative, five with the help of major foundation awards. The study also shows that a number of schools implemented parts of more sweeping reforms with the help of smaller foundation grants for more discrete purposes. In some instances, it has not been possible to differentiate the influence of the LCME as a force for educational reform from the incentives for change created by national foundations. Overall, the LCME, through its standards and assessment practices, and in synergy with schools and kindred agencies promoting change, is now on the leading edge of improved education and evaluation in the nation's medical schools.     

Lawyers with ADHD: The special test accommodation controversy.

As a psychologist, you may be asked to provide a university or professional licensing board with recommendations concerning special test accommodations for a student you diagnosed with a learning problem. In this article, the author discusses experience consulting with states administering the bar examination to law graduates diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who requested test accommodations; this experience illustrates the controversies surrounding this issue. Psychologists' recommendations for test accommodations are too often based on incomplete evaluations with unclear rationale for their support. Test agencies lack research to support their concern that validity is altered when test accommodations are granted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping with job stress and burnout in the human services.

Conducted a mail survey of 141 human service workers (aged 25–65 yrs) to investigate the effects of coping on psychological strain and burnout produced by job stress. The survey assessed job stressors and coping strategies with open-ended questions and measured strain using closed-ended alienation, satisfaction, and symptom scales. Because previous research suggested that individual coping responses do not alleviate strain produced by job stress, the survey elicited information on group coping (social support) and on coping strategies initiated by agencies. Job stress was associated with high levels of strain, and group coping with low levels, but individual responses had little effect. Although Ss identified many strategies that agencies could use to reduce stress and strain, actual use of such strategies was slight. Because men and women worked in the same jobs, no sex differences in individual coping were predicted and none were found; women, however, reported more social support than men. There was no evidence for moderating (interaction) effects of stress and coping on strain. Results suggest that social service agencies should take actions to reduce stress among employees. (57 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of Moment-to-Shear Ratio on Combined Cyclic Load-Displacement Behavior of Shallow Foundations from Centrifuge Experiments

Current design guidelines for shallow foundations supporting building and bridge structures discourage footing rocking or sliding during seismic loading. Recent research indicates that footing rocking has the potential to reduce ductility demands on structures by dissipating earthquake energy at the footing-soil interface. Concerns over cyclic and permanent displacements of the foundation during rocking and sliding along with the dependence of foundation capacity on uncertain soil properties hinder the use of footing rocking in practice. This paper presents the findings of a series of centrifuge experiments conducted on shear wall-footing structures supported by dry dense to medium dense sand foundations that are subjected to lateral cyclic loading. Two key parameters, static vertical factor of safety (FSV), and the applied normalized moment-to-shear ratio (M/(H?L)) at the footing-soil interface, along with other parameters, were varied systematically and the effects of these parameters on footing-soil system behavior are presented. As expected, the ratio of moment to the horizontal load affects the relative magnitude of rotational and sliding displacement of the footing. Results also show that, for a particular FSV, footings with a large moment to shear ratio dissipate considerably more energy through rocking and suffer less permanent settlement than footings with a low moment to shear ratio. The ratio of actual footing area (A) to the area required to support the vertical and shear loads (Ac), called the critical contact area ratio (A/Ac), is used to correlate results from tests with different moment to shear ratio. It is found that footings with similar A/Ac display similar relationships between cyclic moment-rotation and cumulative settlement, irrespective of the moment-to-shear ratio. It is suggested that shallow foundations with a sufficiently large A/Ac suffer small permanent settlements and have a well defined moment capacity; hence they may be used as effective energy dissipation devices that limit loads transmitted to the superstructure.