Government support of psychological research: Fiscal year 1959.

"The report presents information on the amount and sources of funds for the support of psychological research and reflects the relative emphasis being placed on specific areas of psychology… . In the fiscal year 1959 (ending June 30, 1959) there was a substantial increase over the preceding year in federal support of psychological research. Approximately $31,300,000 was obligated by some 12 departments and subdivisions of the federal government for the conduct of research in psychology and closely related areas." 4 tables indicating annual rate of support of extramural research in psychology and related fields are provided; a 5th table indicates obligations by scientific fields for fiscal years 1958, 1959, and 1960. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Government support of psychological research fiscal year 1957.

"The purpose of the report is to provide information on the amount and sources of funds which are available from the Federal Government for the support of psychological research. In addition, the report reflects the relative emphasis being placed on specific areas within the general field by such support programs and shows the distribution of funds geographically… . In fiscal year (ending June 30, 1957), approximately $15,600,000 were obligated by some 20 departments and subdivisions of the Federal Government for the conduct of research in psychology and closely related areas." 3 tables indicating annual rate of support of extramural research in psychology and related fields are provided; a fourth table indicates obligations by scientific fields for fiscal years 1956, 1957, and 1958. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and the Office of Naval Research: A decade of development.

"During its tenth year, the Psychological Sciences Division of ONR was supporting 143 separate contracts for research in various fields of psychology." Summary tables are presented of financial support of contract research projects by the Psychological Sciences Division, ONR from 1946 through 1956, areas of contract support by Psychological Sciences Division 1946-1956 and the geographic distribution of 143 ONR contracts active in the year 1956. Psychology's place within ONR, the substantive work of the branches of the Psychological Sciences Division (Physiological Psychology Branch, Personnel and Training Branch, Group Psychology Branch, Engineering Psychology Branch, and the Manpower Branch), ONR's impact on psychology (in terms of publications, conferences and symposia, and the training of graduate students), the evolution of psychology in a government agency, and perspectives of the present and the future are presented. 24 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mary L. Northway (1909-1987).

Presents an obituary for Mary Northway (1909-1987). Mary joined the faculty of psychology at the University of Toronto in 1939 and left as associate professor in 1958 to devote her full time to the post of supervisor of research at the Institute of Child Study at the same university. At an early stage in the development of sociometry she recognized that these techniques were capable of delivering useful information about both group structure and function as well as information regarding individual adjustment. Her extensive research and many publications in these areas over more than three decades received considerable attention. Her books dealing with sociometric methods applied to classrooms and other groups have been translated into five foreign languages and excerpts have appeared in additional languages. For many years Mary Northway was an outspoken advocate of the value of longitudinal research in child study. Mary Northway established the Brora Centre, a non-profit organization to sustain the child development research that she and a number of her colleagues perceived to be needed, but which was lacking institutional support at that time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Awards for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest: 1980.

The Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest is presented to a person (or persons) who has advanced psychology as a science and/or profession by distinguished contributions in such areas as the identification or solution of significant social problems; unusual initiative or dedication, in activity that makes psychology more accessible in meeting client and/or community needs; and the integration of psychology with social action. This year awards were presented to Isidor Chein and Nicholas Hobbs at the APA convention in Montreal. Chein and Hobbs each received a check for $1,000 and an engrossed citation detailing their contributions. A citation and brief biography is presented for each award recipient. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists and rehabilitation: New roles and old training models.

The role of psychologists in physical rehabilitation settings has expanded considerably over the past decades. Unfortunately, the lack of clarity regarding roles, functions, and research of psychologists in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation settings has hampered efforts to establish guidelines for training graduate students to work in rehabilitative settings. Despite ongoing debate since the Princeton Conference in 1958, no guidelines have been recommended by Division 22 of the American Psychological Association (Division of Rehabilitation Psychology) for training doctoral students in clinical and counseling psychology programs for work in rehabilitation. This article asserts that psychology graduate students who want to work in physical rehabilitation settings should (a) have core training in psychology and (b) receive coursework and practica in working with persons who have chronic illnesses and injuries. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 on home healthcare agencies and nurses

"Medicare home health agencies are facing a regulatory purgatory as measures to reduce home health spending by about $16 billion over five years take effect with little government guidance. Home health providers are grappling with new surety bond requirements, the banning of venipuncture as a qualifying procedure for other home health services, and an interim payment system to scale back reimbursement levels before a prospective payment system takes effect in fiscal year 2000" (Cassil, 1998). The challenges of surviving and conquering all of the current issues facing home healthcare nurses and agencies seem overwhelming. All of these legislative and regulatory issues with the resulting financial and clinical implications are occurring as agency staff and administrators continue to provide quality home healthcare services to patients of all ages. Please share your strategies for meeting the challenges of 1998 with the editor.     

The psychology department and society.

The current crisis for departments of psychology arises from (a) cuts in research and training grants; (b) rising costs, (c) level-off of public appropriations; and (d) attacks on the efficiency and relevance of higher education by students, alumni, legislators, and the public. Pressures toward greater involvement in society and greater attempts to relate research and teaching to social problems are blocked by the need for retrenchment resulting from the budgetary crisis and anxiety about lack of skills. However, responsiveness to society is made much more feasible than in the past by (a) increasing interest in tackling problems of human psychology with experimental methods; and (b) the upsurge of interest in developmental psychology, experimental social psychology, and other areas relating formerly applied areas to the more scientific aspects of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The master’s degree in clinical psychology: Longitudinal program evaluation.

The usefulness of a master's degree in psychology as a facilitator of admission to doctoral programs or as a means of securing full-time, psychology-related employment still remains a debatable issue. All persons who received degrees over a 28-year period (1958-1986) from a terminal master's program in psychology were surveyed on two occasions: in 1973 and in 1986. The data presented focus on the responses of the 105 persons who received clinical MS degrees. Over the 28-year period, 61% of the MS clinical graduates entered doctoral programs in psychology or related areas. Also, except for those who chose to become full-time homemakers or those who were still working toward doctoral degrees, all respondents were employed full time in psychology-related settings. A review of the empirically based reports on master's-level training in psychology between 1971 and 1987 is also presented, so as to provide a continuing historical overview of the master's-level issue in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

1957 and 1958 Russian books in psychology, psychophysiology, and related areas in psychiatry.

"I have in my possession 51 Russian books in psychology, psychophysiology, and related areas of psychiatry—24 published in 1957 and 27 in 1958." The increased quantity of Russian books "is by all tokens being matched by a rise in quality." The "most outstanding books are in psychophysiology and not in psychology proper… . I would be glad to lend my books to Russian-reading psychologists planning published reviews." An annotated list of the 51 books is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Government support of psychological research: fiscal year 1954.

A second annual summary of government support of research in psychology showing sums spent by government bureaus, fields of psychology, and geographic regions. Data for 1953 and 1954 are given. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Basic readings in psychology.

"Perhaps one of the best criteria of a book's present significance is whether or not it is deemed important enough to be chosen to appear on the reading lists for graduate students preparing for their doctoral examinations. With this criterion in mind, letters were sent to all American and Canadian psychology departments granting doctor's degrees in 1953-54 and again, five years later in 1958-59." Listed are books recommended by ? or more departments in 1958-59, books recommended by ?-? the departments in 1958-59, and additional books recommended by ? the departments in 1953-54 but not listed by ? in 1958-59. "The basic readings in psychology today may then be represented by the 30 books recommended by at least a third of the psychology departments." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethics of psychological research: New policies; continuing issues; new concerns.

The implementation over the past year within Canadian universities of the new Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS) usher in a new era in the oversight of the ethics of psychological research in Canada. Although these new policies apply to all human research, our interest is how they apply to psychology, primarily to deception, undergraduate subject pools, and other continuing concerns. Why have the granting agencies decided that government regulation of research ethics is necessary and what is the relationship between federal regulations and discipline codes? The history of the Canadian Psychological Association's involvement in protecting psychology's interests in the final revisions to the TCPS is recounted. In spite of what has been achieved, many psychologists feel that the TCPS has created new concerns for the discipline. Although there is the potential for startup problems, it is in our collective and individual best interests to make the policy work, thereby ensuring that escalation of government regulation or legislation will not be pursued. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cost of comprehensive pharmaceutical services in a 45-bed rural hospital

The financial impact of a comprehensive pharmacy program on patient charges and hospital operating costs in a 45-bed community hospital was studied. Data were collected retrospectively for the fiscal year prior to initiating pharmacy services (FY73), the fiscal year during program development (FY74) and the fiscal year following full operations (FY75). The total cost of pharmacy services increased 75% from FY73 to FY75, with the largest dollar increase being in pharmacy salaries. Large increases among other cost items also were noted. The average total cost for pharmacy services increased from $3.28 per patient day in FY73 to $6.04 in FY75 (84%). Total hospital cost per patient day increased by approximately $35 from FY73 to FY75 (5%). The pharmaceutical services fee per dose of medication administered did not change from FY73 to FY75. Patient charges per day for medications and pharmaceutical services increased $0.55 (9.8%) from FY73 to FY75. There was a 55% reduction in the number of items carried in pharmacy inventory from FY73 to FY74 following the initiation of a formulary and a unit dose drug distribution system.     

Animal research in psychology: More than meets the eye of the general psychology student.

The general psychology course provides a unique opportunity to present the science of psychology to a wide audience. Informing the general public about the importance of animal research in psychology is especially important given contemporary concerns about animal rights and animal welfare. A study of 8 leading introductory psychology textbooks indicated that with the exception of principles of conditioning and learning, the contributions of animal research to psychology were often not explicitly acknowledged. In addition, major findings from animal research were frequently presented as if they had been obtained with humans. In obscuring the contributions of animal research, introductory psychology textbooks miss the opportunity to ensure that public policy is based on accurate information about the significance of this research to many areas of psychological science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is social evolution a moral inversion?

Uses awareness of irony as a clue to understanding D. Campbell's (see record 1976-12046-001) ethical concerns about conflicts between biological and social evolution and between psychology and moral tradition. This epistemological consideration of Campbell's thesis is illuminated by the work of M. Polanyi (1958). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Awards for distinguished scientific early career contributions to psychology.

Presents the citations, biographies, and selected bibliographies of the 2008 recipients of the American Psychological Association's Awards for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology. The Early Career Awards, given for the first time in 1974, recognize the large number of excellent young psychologists. Recipients of this award may not have held a doctoral degree for more than nine years. For purposes of this award, psychology has been divided into 10 areas: animal learning and behavior, comparative; developmental; health; cognition/human learning; psychopathology; behavioral and cognitive neuroscience; perception/motor performance; social; applied research; and individual differences. Five areas are considered each year, with areas rotated in two-year cycles. The areas considered in 2007 were behavioral and cognitive neuroscience; perception/motor performance; social; applied research; and individual differences. Each year, panels are selected for the areas under consideration, and these panels recommend nominees to the Committee on Scientific Awards. The 2008 recipients are John J. Curtin (psychopathology), Elissa S. Epel (health psychology), Linda C. Gallo (health psychology), Samuel D. Gosling (animal learning and behavior, comparative), Jodi A. Quas (developmental psychology), and Joshua B. Tenenbaum (cognition and human learning). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology majors in the paraprofessional role.

Surveyed 39 employed mental health paraprofessionals (mean age 27.6 yrs) with undergraduate degrees in psychology in an attempt to clarify the characteristics of their positions, their satisfaction with the paraprofessional role, and the relevance of undergraduate training in psychology to their work. Ss were engaged in a variety of tasks with particular emphasis on therapeutic intervention with diverse client populations. Their average salary of $10,184 is comparable to that received by other social science baccalaureates, but over half had no opportunity for promotion. These paraprofessionals expressed the greatest satisfaction with their job duties, less with their salaries and promotion opportunities. A majority reported that they did not intend to remain in their positions longer than a year, and 62% were either currently enrolled in or planning to begin graduate study. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology from 1971 to 1986: Perspective on and appraisal of current training emphases.

Observers have speculated about changes in counseling psychology over the past decade. In this investigation we compared the perspectives of 1971 and 1986 directors of American Psychological Association-approved counseling programs on emphases given to various components of training and found no changes over the 15-year interval. The 1986 directors perceived current training as emphasizing applied and theoretical aspects of social-emotional and education-vocational counseling, group work, and research skills. Although 1986 directors felt that their training programs' strengths rested on more traditional aspects of the counseling specialty, they perceived counseling students' interests as focused on other areas (e.g., marriage counseling). Implications for the identity of counseling psychology and training in the specialty are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)