Spontaneous alternation behavior in humans: Implications for psychological research.

It is suggested that 1 response-influencing variable in psychological experiments may be the individual S's need for sensory variation as manifested in alternation behavior. The proposition is put forth that in an experimental situation where a discriminatory response to one of a series of successively presented stimuli is required, the organism will seek to optimize the amount of stimulus variability or complexity by alternation behavior. (32 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intrinsic motivation and psychological stress.

"Three issues were explored experimentally in this study… . the proposition that the arousal of a state of stress depends upon intrinsic motive states in the individual as well as the nature of the stressor conditions… . The proposal… that stress would tend to improve sensory-motor output and impair conceptual performance on the basis of different amounts of interference… .the importance of the S's past history of success or failure in a particular motivational direction in determining whether a stress state would be aroused." 15 refs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Causal attributions in posttraumatic stress disorder: Implications for clinical research and practice.

In this paper we seek to illuminate connections among basic research findings in cognition and causal inference, clinical research on the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the practices of clinicians who work with trauma survivors. We examine one particular (and, we believe, important) aspect of PTSD: The creation and maintenance of causal attributions about trauma. We suggest that elements of two principal theories of causal induction (the connectionist model and the "Power PC" causal power model) clarify the role of causal attributions in creating and sustaining the symptoms of PTSD. By exploring the role of causal attributions in creating and sustaining posttraumatic symptoms, we hope to understand better the subjective experience of trauma and its sequelae. We then suggest new directions for clinical research on cognitive restructuring in PTSD patients as well as ideas for optimizing attribution-based therapies for trauma survivors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ageism in psychological research.

Insufficiently informed psychologists may draw erroneous or incomplete conclusions from their research findings that result in public representations that enhance adverse stereotypes held with respect to the elderly. Such inappropriate interpretations of age-related data may become accepted as the scientific basis for policy positions that lead to discrimination against and disadvantages for our older citizens. This article identifies major sources of ageist bias in psychological research that may inadvertently result in adverse consequences for the elderly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The dissemination of psychological research.

Examined the extent to which the research of a group of psychologists was concerned with real-world issues and how they sought to make the findings known in light of J. Kupfersmid's (see record 1989-03023-001) treatment of the issue of psychologists' dissatisfaction with selections made for publication in professional journals. Whether on their own or in the hands of a psychologist, relevant studies rarely reached the desks of policymakers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some unprinciples of psychological research.

Presents 8 fictitious examples of information that contains errors of design or analysis. These examples include (1) the nonsample sample, (2) insignificant significance, and (3) the Byzantine bypass (avoiding the obvious). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A center for research on psychological practice.

A center for research on psychological practice was developed in order to train practitioner psychologists to do applied mental health research and provide a research resource to the provider community. The center's organization, funding, practice experiences, research opportunities, and results dissemination are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuroendocrine responses to physical and psychological stress.

Endogenous plasma levels of melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) and ACTH were determined in 279 male albino Holtzman rats following physical (shock) and psychological stress (shock and subsequent replacement in the shock apparatus but with no shock administered). Physical stress resulted in elevation of both MSH and ACTH. Nonphysical stress increased plasma MSH levels. Results suggest that MSH may facilitate adaptive behavior by leading to increased attention or awareness of the environment. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple comparison in psychological research.

In testing the significance of differences involving more than 2 groups, the F-test permits statements concerning the overall null hypothesis but does not provide a technique for comparing specific means. This paper discusses the logic and basic assumptions underlying several techniques for making multiple comparisons. Tukey's method for multiple comparisons is briefly outlined. 23 refs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tort liability in psychological research.

Comments on S. E. Golann's (see record 1969-16572-001) article on ethical concerns in research and presents several tort actions in mental distress. A number of jurisdictions allow recovery without evidence of physical symptoms. Individuals cannot recover merely for hurt feelings or commonplace annoyances. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimal design in psychological research.

Psychologists often do not consider the optimality of their research designs. However, increasing costs of using inefficient designs requires psychologists to adopt more efficient designs with many factor levels and equal allocations of observations are often inefficient for the specific questions most psychologists want to answer. Happenstance allocations determined by random sampling are usually even more inefficient and some common analysis strategies can exacerbate the inefficiency. By selecting treatment levels and allocating observations optimally, psychologists can greatly increase the efficiency and statistical power of their research designs. A few heuristic design principles can produce much more efficient designs than are often used. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating deception in psychological research.

Reviews studies on the use of deception in psychological research, indicates other directions that such investigations might take, and suggests solutions to the problems posed by this tactic. Deception is widely used, but its efficacy is rarely evaluated. Ss' suspicion is a useful index of effectiveness and the only aspect that has been investigated so far. Many Ss may be suspicious of the deceptions in a study. This disbelief can be triggered by the experiment itself, operating in conjunction with the Ss' characteristics. Suspicion can affect the level of experimental performance or interact with it. Problems connected with this methodology may be minimized by improving the design of deception studies, by routinely assessing the effectiveness of dissimulations, and by modifying data analyses. (43 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex bias in psychological research.

Sex bias occurs at different stages in research on sex differences. Review articles often attribute greater value to tasks on which good performance is more frequent among males and undervalue those tasks at which females excel. There is bias in reporting primary sources. Public statements by psychologists concerning sex differences are misleading and irresponsible. Journals more readily publish reports of sex differences and turn down reports of no differences. The conventional linguistic format describing sex differences does not adequately reflect group overlap. Research should seek to determine underlying causes for differential frequencies of good and bad performance among the sexes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aristotle and epistemology: Implications for professional psychological training.

In this article I propose that epistemological considerations are crucial to effective training. Present-day epistemologies have arisen in response to social and economic forces rather than to an a priori consideration of psychology's understanding of knowledge. Aristotle's epistemology can be used as an example, and the implications for psychology and training are explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

International cooperation in psychological research.

"The United Nations Assembly has designated 1965, the 20th anniversary of the UN, as International Cooperation Year (ICY)." A 3 man subcommittee of the APA Committee on Psychology in National and International Affairs met with Eugene Jacobson representing the APA Committee on International Relations in Psychology and suggested "4 distinctive categories of projects on which psychologists could work." (1) Cross-National Involvement in General Psychological Problems. (2) Comparative Cross-National Research. (3) Psychological Research on Universal Human Problems. (4) Research on International Tensions. "The APA will play an active facilitating role by maintaining a directory of projects and by providing information concerning work instigated by the ICY." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methodology and research on the prognostic use of psychological tests.

This review covers the period from 1952 through June 1959. The methodological difficulties in deciding on sample attributes, instrument selection, and criteria in research on prognosis are examined as well as the problems in determining type of treatment, the selection of the person administering the treatment, and the determination of the patient who receives treatment. The suggestion is made that a 1-stage design, where a predictor is correlated with a measure of outcome is an inadequate design. (178 ref.) From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2HI77F. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)