The Graduate Record Examination : Testing :: Yale University : Academics.

Comments on the article by R. J. Sternberg and W. M. Williams (see record 1997-04591-002) regarding the empirical validity of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) in predicting graduate student performance in psychology. It is contended that Sternberg and Williams attempted to show that the GRE is not valid for important criteria. As their work indicated, the prediction and measurement of professional-level attainment is an extremely difficult problem, and institutional validity studies are indeed useful. However, studies at the single-school of single-program level are commonly plagued with small sample sizes, severe restrictions of range of talent, and several criterion measurement problems, all of which combine to produce low and erratic validity coefficients. Such is the case with Sternberg and Williams's study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Should we resist the seductiveness of the space:time::vision:audition analogy?

According to Handel (1988), the analogy space:time::vision:audition is seductive but misleading: we cannot "imagine a visual or auditory event that is nonspatial or atemporal" (Handel, 1988, p. 315); this statement either begs the question or is false. He claims that people mentally transform space and time in both modalities; I argue that we never mentally transform auditory space but often transpose in pitch and translate in time. Handel claims that all other "modality translation," including my theory of indispensable attributes (space-time:pitch-time::vision:audition), "are possible and relevant" (p. 316) and that theoretical commitment on this matter is unnecessary; I reject this tolerance. I show that the analogy rejected by Handel is partly true: (a) Space is the province of vision. (b) Vision is not inherently temporal. (c) Audition is intimately tied to time. (d) Audition is not inherently spatial. These statements are implied by my theory of indispensable attributes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

requivalent: A Simple Effect Size Indicator.

The purpose of this article is to propose a simple effect size estimate (obtained from the sample size, N, and a p value) that can be used (a) in meta-analytic research where only sample sizes and p values have been reported by the original investigator, (b) where no generally accepted effect size estimate exists, or (c) where directly computed effect size estimates are likely to be misleading. This effect size estimate is called requivalent because it equals the sample point-biserial correlation between the treatment indicator and an exactly normally distributed outcome in a two-treatment experiment with N/2 units in each group and the obtained p value. As part of placing requlvaient into a broader context, the authors also address limitations of requivalent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Section 2: Salaries: Editor's Commentary.

Provides a preview of articles in a special section dedicated to the salaries of psychologists. The articles in this section discuss an economic model for forecasting the demand for psychology's manpower as well as salaries for psychologists in academic and non-academic settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Section I: Perspectives: Editor's Commentary.

Any thoughtful scrutiny of psychology's manpower will be less than fully useful unless our discipline is perceived and assessed as part of the larger scheme of events, goals, and pressures constituting life in America. Hence we have attempted to inaugurate this issue with perspectives, many of which transcend our more provincial concerns with psychology as a profession and a science. This editorial previews these perspectives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Noncontact Er:YAG laser ablation: clinical evaluation

The A3243G mutation of mitochondrial DNA is associated to the MELAS syndrome and to transmitted forms of diabetes mellitus. This mutation exists in a heteroplasmic state and can be present at a minor and hardly detectable level. The aim was to design a method which could be applied to large series of samples and could provide rapid, sensitive and quantitative detection of this mutation in the wild-type mitochondrial DNA background. The ability of ligation detection reaction (LDR) to satisfy these objectives was evaluated. Ligation detection reaction was performed on a model template composed of mixtures of various proportions of plasmids bearing the wild-type or mutant mitochondrial DNA sequence. Radiolabelled or fluorescent primers and the wild-type and mutant LDR products were separated by electrophoresis on conventional denaturating gel or on an Applied Biosystem 373. The ratios of mutant/wild-type products were consistent with the initial ratios of the plasmids in the template. The sensitivity and accuracy of the fluorescence and isotopic detection methods were similar. The detection limit of mutant DNA was 10% of total mitochondrial DNA. The percentage of mutant DNA in DNA samples extracted from leukocytes of 19 patients having the mutation at different levels, was evaluated by fluorescent or isotopic LDR.     

Working with families: A practitioner's perspective:.

Suggests that school psychologists face a challenge to provide assessment and intervention within a family context. Comments are provided on a discussion by J. C. Hansen et al (see record 1990-18461-001) of the types of ethical dilemmas school psychologists are likely to face in providing services to families. The key to providing appropriate and ethical interventions with families will depend on the development of sound policies, professional awareness, and supervision. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editorial: Lung biopsy: how vs whom?

A method is presented for permanent catheterization of the aorta and the pulmonary artery in dogs. The preparation of single vessel catheters and double catheters for simultaneous arterial and venous sampling is described. The catheters, made of S-50-HL Tygon tubing, are introduced into the aorta and the pulmonary artery through the omocervical vessels, leaving the cerebral circulation intact. Removal of the catheter by the dog, thrombophlebitis and vascular embolism have not been observed. The catheters have remained functional for up to one year.     

Editorial: Sex and alcohol: a second peek

The effects of alcohol on male sexual function is discussed. Various phenomena affecting sexual function in males have been reported: 1) increased conversion of androgens to estrogens in the liver, 2) interconversion of weak and potent estrogens, 3) increased rate of conversion of adrenocortical steroid precursor to estrogenic substances, 4) decreased plasma levels of luteinizing hormone(LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and 5) diminished uptake of androstenedione by the liver and increased peripheral conversion to estrone. It is proposed that the pathogenesis of feminization in alcoholic males may be due partly to the derivative effects of liver damage and to a direct action of alcohol on the testes. Rats fed alcohol have shown atrophy of the gonads and accessory organs, and impaired spermtogenesis. In normal men ingesting alcohol for short periods of time, the frequency and intensity of bursts of testosterone secretion by the testes is dampened, and testosterone concentrations and production rates are increased while the metabolic clearance of testosterone is diminished. Deranged hypothalamic-pituitary function has also been observed. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism(s) by which alcohol influences sexual function.