The hegemony of natural scientific conceptions of learning.

Questions the adherence to a natural scientific approach to learning in the field of psychology. It is argued that there is a danger of psychologists and educators neglecting meaningful alternatives to natural scientific psychology, such as the human scientific approach. An article by J. G. Greeno (see record 1980-26706-001) is discussed as a case-in-point. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Use of analogy in learning scientific concepts": Correction to Donnelly and McDaniel.

Reports an error in "Use of analogy in learning scientific concepts" by Carol M. Donnelly and Mark A. McDaniel (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 1993[Jul], Vol 19[4], 975-987). The captions for Figures 1 and 2 on pp. 979 and 980, respectively, were transposed. The figures and the correct captions are included in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1993-44140-001.) Four experiments compared learning of scientific concepts as expressed in either traditional literal form or through an analogy. Comprehension of basic-level details and inferential implications was measured through multiple-choice testing. In Exp 1, literal or analogical renditions were presented in textual form only. In Exp 2, text was accompanied by a dynamic video. In Exp 3, the video and text literal rendition was compared with a text-only analogical rendition. In Exp 4, Ss read only about a familiar domain. Ss consistently answered basic-level questions most accurately when concepts were expressed literally, but answered inferential questions most accurately when concepts were expressed analogically. Analysis of individual differences (Exp 2) indicated that this interaction strongly characterized the conceptual learning of science novices. The results are discussed within the framework of schema induction. [A correction to this article appears in Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 1993, Vol 19(5), 1093. The captions for Figures 1 and 2 are corrected.] (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to "Cognitive remediation following traumatic brain injury."

Comments on the discussion by J. S. Kreutzer et al (see record 1990-02650-001) on cognitive remediation (CRM) following traumatic brain injury and proposes that a central problem in CRM should be viewed as one of motivation and attitude. The heterogeneity of neuropathology and supported employment interventions are examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Token" learning programs.

Emphasizes F. M. Levine and G. Fasnacht's (see record 1975-07966-001) statement that a distinction must be made between operant techniques in motivational applications vs those in learning applications. Thus, there is a difference between what clients cannot do and what they do not do. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"In the beginning was the 'name' ": Response to Terrace.

Responds to H. S. Terrace's (see record 1986-11457-001) ideas about the development of naming behavior in children and apes. Data are presented that contradict Terrace's findings that nonhuman primates rarely approach anything close to human thinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Revisioning the unconscious": Response to commentaries.

The author responds to comments by R. S. Lazarus, P. L. Wachtel, D. P. Spence, A. W. Kruglanski, E. L. Rossi, M. Eagle, J. F. Kihlstrom, N. F. Dixon, and D. Holender (see PA, Vol 75:16881, 16907, 16900, 16880, 16896, 16860, 16878, 16856, and 16872, respectively) regarding his (see record 1988-16849-001) article on the unconscious. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intelligence and "lifeshort" learning.

Comments on the special issue entitled "Intelligence and lifelong learning" (American Psychologist, Vol 52, Oct 1997, 1029–1139). The author contends that there is no reference to how intelligence contributes to successful aging. The role of intelligence and education in aging is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to "A note on the MMPI as a suicide predictor."

Replies to J. R. Clopton's (see record 1979-05119-001) comments on the present author's (1977) article on the MMPI as a suicide predictor. Clopton's viewpoint that patients who attempt suicide are probably all members of the same population regardless of the success of their attempts is discussed. His concern that future research should emphasize the development of useful MMPI indices of suicidal risk and should recognize the need to cross-validate these indices is endorsed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sensitivity to violations of "run" and "trill" structures in rat serial-pattern learning.

Rats learned serial patterns composed of either "run" chunks (e.g., 123 234…) or "trill" chunks (e.g., 121 232…). For each type of pattern, 1 group of rats encountered an element at the end of the pattern that violated the run or trill structure. In both run and trill patterns violations were unusually difficult for rats to learn, whereas corresponding elements in "perfect" patterns that did not violate pattern structure were easy. Additionally, rats' errors on violation elements conformed to the structure of the patterns in which they were embedded. Thus, rats were sensitive to the run or trill organization of their patterns and mastered the rules governing the pattern before learning "exceptions to the rule." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to "Psychotherapeutic interventions with traumatically brain-injured patients".

Comments on the original article "Psychotherapeutic interventions with traumatically brain-injured patients," by K. D. Cicerone (see record 1990-02095-001). The article by Cicerone presents a thoughtful and cogent rationale for the inclusion of psychotherapeutic intervention in the comprehensive rehabilitation of the brain-injured patient. The author's review of studies of emotional and personality disturbances following brain injury highlights the significance of overcoming the barriers of lack of self-awareness and acknowledgment of deficits. It can be argued that just as the end of posttraumatic amnesia represents a landmark or turning point in the recovery process during the acute phase of rehabilitation, similarly the process of achieving enhanced self-appraisal and awareness of deficits is a critical obstacle to overcome if postacute rehabilitation is to lead to successful community reentry. What Cicerone provides in this article is a practical framework encompassing the special problems of the head injured, which psychotherapists may use in their work with this population. It should be stressed that the psychotherapist working with the traumatically brain injured must be well versed with an understanding of the neuropathology, neurobehavioral correlates, and long-term consequences of head trauma to be truly effective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to Flaks's "Homophobia and the psychologist's role in psychoanalytic training institutes."

Responds to D. K. Flaks's (see record 1993-23357-001) article by describing recent steps taken by the American Psychoanalytic Association to address the issue of discrimination and sexual orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to "Roles of the psychologist on a traumatic brain injury rehabilitation team."

Asserts that the blend of talents suggested by P. Barry and J. O'Leary (see record 1990-02635-001) to be necessary for psychologists on a head injury rehabilitation team is an excellent outline but that the issues presented (e.g., team facilitation, behavior management) need to be more fully described. The present authors suggest that other elements, such as the development of a working model of personality, should be integrated into a comprehensive brain injury rehabilitation environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to "Care continuum in traumatic brain injury rehabilitation".

Comments on the original article "Care continuum in traumatic brain injury rehabilitation," by J. M. Uomoto and A. McLean (see record 1990-02670-001). As someone working within the insurance industry with the responsibility for purchasing services for TBI patients, I think that the TBI care continuum, as presented by Uomoto and McLean, represents a sensible response to a critical need. It does not offer, however, any specific information on what is effective and simply restates what has already been recognized by many in the insurance industry: head trauma rehabilitation is long, complex, multidisciplinary, intensely individualistic, and enormously expensive. The insurance industry is aware that a continuum care approach is necessary. Clearly, no one can dispute that treatment has to be ongoing and multifaceted to address a disability that has such a colossal medical, social, vocational, and psychological impact. In addition, the need for acute hospitalization, acute rehabilitation, and a protective environment to provide care and address basic needs is readily accepted. The problem for the insurance industry is what constitutes effective treatment beyond the acute phase of trauma stabilization and maintenance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reaction to "The creation and destruction of value."

Suggests that B. Schwartz's (1990) article on the question of creating vs destroying value in human interactions may raise false hopes about the possibility of achieving an enlightened society. It is not solely the social milieu that is responsible for cultural variations of "goodness" and "badness," nor is an individual's proclivity for creating value totally responsible for existing value orientations within a social milieu. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Addendum to "Consciousness."

The author extends his previous discussion (see record 1979-22877-001) to encompass the role of a concept of awareness in each of 7 ordinary concepts of consciousness: joint or mutual knowledge, internal knowledge or conviction, awareness, direct awareness, personal unity, normal waking state, and double consciousness. In each case, the crucial involvement of a certain concept of awareness is brought out and references are included of authors who have used similar scientific concepts that implicate the same concept of awareness. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Is social evolution a moral inversion?": Response.

D. T. Campbell (see record 1976-12046-001) responds to A. R. Dyer's (1978) comments and agrees with the general direction of Dyer's comments but finds the specifics inappropriate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The new causal principle of cognitive learning theory: Perspectives on Bandura's "reciprocal determinism."

In conceptualizing person–environment interaction, A. Bandura (see record 1979-08427-001) contended that the traditional view of unidirectional causation had to be abandoned in favor of what he called "reciprocal determinism." It is argued that the unidirectional account can be made to work in the cases that Bandura cited and that the criticisms of the neo-Hegelian view of causation can also be applied to Bandura's arguments. In addition, in his Social Learning Theory (1977), Bandura stressed the history of the interaction between a person and the environment, and here "reciprocal determinism" is a misleading expression. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Do not mislabel counseling": Response.

Responds to L. O. Bascue's (see record 1986-20566-001) comments on the present authors' (see record 1985-18426-001) work regarding the problems encountered in describing the practice of specialty areas within professional psychology. Issues on defining the population for role delineation studies and describing distinguishing features of specialty practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Observing the social world": Response.

Replies to the student reviewers (see record 1993-35323-001) of the author's original study (see record 1993-35289-001) concerned with developing research ideas from observations of real-life events. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Another response to "Homosexuality: The ethical challenge."

Discusses the ethical integrity of accepting a voluntary patient's wish to change his sexual orientation, emphasizing G. D. Davison's article (see PA, Vol: 56:Issue 6) which argues that homosexuality is not pathological state. The problem of how a therapist can discriminate between his/her own values and what is a set of symptoms elicited by environment (e.g., social pressures) is examined. Four tasks must be accomplished before a therapist can attempt a sexual orientation change in a homosexual--deciding how the patient's biological state, past learning, access to information, and the impact of the current environment affect him or her. A therapist, behavioral or otherwise, is obligated to engage in a dialogue involving a scrupulous, nonmystical, time-consuming information exchange with the patient, such interchange being directed toward the clarification in the patient's mind of whether in fact he or she really wants to change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)