Comment on Fagan's "School psychology's dilemma."

Considers the article by T. K. Fagan (see record 1987-02406-001), a comprehensive and revealing analysis. The present author suggests that the time has come for the American Psychological Association and the National Association of School Psychologists to agree on a means to implement a coherent set of training models. The present author maintains that the traditional issue of entry level only perpetuates organizational identity and purpose and does not promote the field's professional integrity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Grappling with diverse conceptions of diversity.

Replies to comments made by S. R. Wester and D. L. Vogel (see record 2002-12457-009), E. E. Sampson (see record 2002-12457-010), R. S. Campbell et al (see record 2002-12457-012), and S. C. Rooney (see record 2002-12457-013) regarding the article by R. E. Redding (see record 2001-00465-001) which discusses pluralism and sociopolitical diversity in psychology and argues that the discipline of psychology is liberally biased. The current author addresses the various articles' comments individually. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School psychology today: Progress, not impasse.

J. I. Bardon's (see record 1983-24212-001) proposal to resolve school psychology's (SP's) dilemma is analyzed in the context of traditional problems in SP. The problems of role dissatisfaction, mixed identity, external influences, and survival concerns have existed throughout the history of SP; it is suggested that they would be resolved only to a modest degree by Bardon's proposal. Continued cooperation between the American Psychological Association's Division 16 and the National Association of School Psychologists is strongly endorsed. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trial by Internet: Cybercascades and the Lilienfeld case.

Comments on the article by S. O. Lilienfeld (see record 2002-10795-003), which examined the controversies surrounding the publication of the B. Rind et al (see record 1998-04232-002) article and the responses to the controversies by the American Psychological Association (APA). The purpose of this commentary is to try to understand the role of the Internet in the controversy and to suggest remedies for "cybercascades." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comments on Gresham, MacMillan, and Siperstein's paper "Critical analysis of the 1992 AAMR definition: Implications for school psychology."

Commends F. M. Gresham et al (see record 1995-37454-001) for their critical analysis of the 1992 definition of mental retardation written by the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR). The AAMR appears to have abandoned a pragmatic/scientific definition in favor of one that is primarily political, espousing a "rights" philosophy which has become prominent in the general field of developmental disabilities. The approach of the AAMR appears to be antithetical to science and may promote more inaccuracies in diagnoses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Perceived Social Support Predicts Outcomes Following Myocardial Infarction: A Call for Screening?: Response.

Replies to comments by B. D. Thombs (see record 2008-00647-001) on the original article by H. S. Lett et al (see record 2007-09406-005) on social support and prognosis in patients at increased psychosocial risk following myocardial infarction. Lett et al agree that there is no "gold standard" for how to best assess social support but disagree with the premises that we should not screen what we cannot treat and that low social support is not modifiable. They believe that the limited time and mental health resources busy cardiology practices have to devote to psychosocial assessment is not a legitimate reason not to assess for risk factors and comorbidities such as depression and low social support. They indicate that there is now compelling evidence for the prognostic importance of both depression and low social support. Currently, organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recognize this clinical need and are working with psychologists and other mental health professionals to develop clinical guidelines for assessing and treating depression and determining when to refer patients for more formal assessment and treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diversity American style.

Comments on the article by R. E. Redding (see record 2001-00465-001) which argues that psychology lacks sociopolitical diversity and that conservatives are vastly underrepresented in the profession. The current author argues that by clinging to the favorite American political categories and defining diversity in terms of its favorite dualism (Republican vs Democrat), Redding hardly touched the issue of diversity of sociopolitical voices. It it maintained that diversity in the field of psychology will never be meaningfully accomplished by refusing to recognize the true diversity of voices that goes well beyond the dualistic system that animates US politics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Definitions in mental retardation: Effects on research, practice, and perceptions.

Applauds the critical analysis by F. M. Gresham et al (see record 1995-37454-001) of the 1992 definition of mental retardation written by the American Association on Mental Retardation. The effects of that definition on (1) research, (2) clinical practice, and (3) perceptions of mental retardation are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A funny thing happened on the way to my American Psychologist publication.

Replies to comments made by various authors in reference to S. O. Lilienfeld's (see record 2002-10795-003) article published in response to, and in criticism of, the controversies surrounding the publication of the article by B. Rind et al (see record 1998-04232-002). Here Lilienfeld examines the original controversy as well as a secondary controversy which arose from his published criticism of the American Psychological Association's (APA) handling of the controversy spawned by the Rind et al article. Of particular interest to Lilienfeld is the article concerning the 'editor's dilemma" described in comments published by R. McCarty (see record 2002-10795-006). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nontraditional employment opportunities for applied psychologists.

Comments that the American Psychological Association Committee on Employment and Human Resources report on "The Changing Face of American Psychology" by A. Howard et al (see record 1987-11619-001) has performed a valuable service, and describes additional nonacademic employment settings for psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Epistemological status of equivocal death analysis.

Discusses several points raised in the N. Poythress et al (see record 1993-19880-001) article on equivocal death analysis (EDA). The authors argue that since they are law enforcement professionals who use EDA as an investigative technique, they are not mental health professionals and do not need to hold to American Psychological Association guidelines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Serious Satire.

It is a pleasure to have two humorous pieces in one issue of the usually sober American Psychologist. I enjoyed the article "Adventures in Implied Psychology" by Frank Landy (see record 1979-24949-001), but I was much more amused by the seemingly serious piece, "Humanistic Psychology and the Humane but Tough-Minded Psychologist," by Michael Wertheimer (see record 1979-22531-001). It is instructive to us all to see satire masked as scholarship pretending to take a serious look at a major area of American psychology. Those of us in the field, of course, were most amused by the tacit assumption that real psychology is something that is rigid and undertakes no interior change, but it may be necessary to point out to same of the other readers that although the article was vastly amusing, it was totally irrelevant to the several thousand members of the Association of Humanistic Psychologists. Keep up the good work. We are looking forward to a similar silly piece on behaviorism that will, of course, suggest that the initial definitions of Watson and Skinner are now made hopelessly vague and diffuse by the meanderings of later writers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Boyer et al. (2000).

Reports an error in the original article by B. A. Boyer et al.(Rehabilitation Psychology, 2000, Nov, Vol. 45, No. [4], pp. 339–355). The authors used the same patient sample as a study titled "Prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Patients with Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury: Relationship to Functional Independence", but did not list the reference. The reference list for the Rehabilitation article should include: Boyer, B. A., Knolls, M. L., Kafkalas, C. M., & Tollen, L. G. (2000). Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in patients with pediatric spinal cord injury: Relationship to functional independence. Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation, 6(Suppl.), 125–133. (The following abstract appeared in record 2000-02948-001). Objective: To investigate the severity of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in individuals with pediatric spinal cord injury (SCI) and their parents and to assess relationships among family members' degree of PTS and PTSD diagnoses. Study Design: Cross-sectional mail survey. Setting: A pediatric orthopedic surgical and rehabilitation hospital. Participants: A volunteer sample of 64 pediatric SCI patients (59% male and 41% female), 64 mothers, and 49 fathers… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In the right direction but slightly off course.

Comments on the article by R. E. Redding (see record 2001-00465-001) which discusses pluralism and sociopolitical diversity in psychology. The current author compliments Redding for calling attention to the incongruity between the narrowness of psychology's liberal sociopolitical mentality and its simultaneous reverence for cultural diversity. However, it is stated that Redding's justified criticism fails to come to grips with the moral and methodological issues underlying his complaint. In this comment, the author addresses these issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Perceived parental social support and academic achievement: An attachment perspective": Correction to Cutrona et al.

Reports an error in "Perceived parental social support and academic achievement: An attachment theory perspective" by Carolyn E. Cutrona, Valerie Cole, Nicholas Colangelo, Susan G. Assouline and Daniel W. Russell (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1994[Feb], Vol 66[2], 369-378). This article, which appeared in the Personality and Individual Differences section, was accepted for publication by Guest Editor Irwin Sarason. We wish to thank Professor Sarason for his help and to apologize for our oversight in not acknowledging this contribution. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1994-31441-001.) Tested the extent to which parental social support predicted college GPA among undergraduates. A sample of 418 undergraduates completed the Social Provisions Scale--Parent Form (C. E. Cutrona; see record 1990-01422-001) and measures of family conflict and achievement orientation. American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program college entrance exam scores (American College Testing Program, 1986) and GPA were obtained from the university registrar. Parental social support, especially reassurance of worth, predicted college GPA when controlling for academic aptitude (ACT scores), family achievement orientation, and family conflict. Support from parents, but not from friends or romantic partners, significantly predicted GPA. Results are interpreted in the context of adult attachment theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Taking the high road: Toward an applied educational psychology.

Presents the author's perspective on the future of school psychology as an applied field of psychology. The author responds to J. I. Bardon's (see record 1983-24212-001) proposals with respect to the National Association of School Psychologists/American Psychological Association dilemma and discusses school psychology's current status and model of functioning within the schools. A new conceptualization of school psychology is offered that calls for a broader domain than the schools for the provision of psychological services as well as for a new orientation of the field. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discussion 1.

Discusses the three articles by Meyers (see record 1989-17318-001), Phillips (see record 1989-17118-001), and Genshaft and Wiesniewski (see record 1989-17107-001) that comprise the symposium on the challenges and opportunities inherent in the future of social psychology, which centers on the linkages between psychological theories and research and school practice; the implications for the current state of knowledge and practice for professional education and training, especially the evaluation of professional preparation components; and finally, the ultimate effect that these new directions will have on credentialing and licensing standards, statues, and regulations. This is an important session for school psychology because we now enter a phase in our professional history where there are more than 10,000 practitioners identified with the field, more than 40 APA-accredited school psychology programs, a recently adopted set of policy statements for the joint accreditation of doctoral-level school psychology programs by the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and standards for professional practice promulgated by these two organizations that share common elements and emphases. Moreover, national attention to the state of education at the elementary and secondary levels as well as precollege preparation, in combination with longstanding concerns for exceptional individuals, the handicapped, and the gifted, place psychology and school psychology in an advantageous position to contribute significantly to the education of all children as well as to the promotion of mental health and social role functioning of children, youths, and adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"University productivity rankings: A psychologist by any other name": Reply.

Responds to the report by J. Levin et al (1978) of inconsistencies between data reported by W. M. Cox and V. Catt (see record 1978-21651-001) and that of J. Levin et al regarding productivity ratings of graduate psychology programs based on publication in American Psychological Association journals. A reexamination of Cox and Catt's tabulations suggests that the inconsistencies are in fact errors of J. Levin et al. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The genetic hypothesis": It was not tested but it could have been.

Comments on the "genetic hypothesis" issue in the U. Neisser et al (see record 83-26553) article, with particular reference to 2 cited studies (J. C. Loehlin et al, see record 51-04436; S. Scarr et al, 1977) which used blood groups to estimate the degree of African ancestry in American Blacks in relation to IQ scores. The methodologies of these studies share the misconception that all blood groups are useful in estimating the proportion of White ancestry in American Blacks. The author argues that this error nullifies the negative finding of the studies, and leaves open the question of whether definitive tests of the genetic hypothesis are possible. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A biased view of liberal bias.

Comments on the article by R. E. Redding (see record 2001-00465-001) which discusses pluralism and sociopolitical diversity in psychology. Redding argues that those with liberal political views dominate the field of psychology and that, as a result, conservative viewpoints are underrepresented in empirical research. To support this argument, Redding reports the results of a content analysis of American Psychologist articles which indicates that 97% of the articles reflected a liberal agenda, compared with 3% that reflected a conservatist agenda. The current authors highlight problems with this analysis and present results of their own content analysis which resulted in contrasting data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)