On the mitosis of JCPP.

Addresses the concerns surrounding the division of the Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology (JCPP) into separate comparative and physiological publications. There is ample research to justify a journal of comparative psychology. The growing theoretical importance of etiological, ecological, and sociobiological approaches to behavior demands the institution and nurturance of a genuinely comparative publication within the American Psychological Association. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

L'Année Psychologique: History of the founding of a 100-year-old French journal.

The authors present the history of the founding of the French journal L'Année Psychologique. The names of T. Ribot (1839–1916), H. Beaunis (1830–1921), and A. Binet (1857–1911) are closely associated with the journal. Ribot's election to the chair of Experimental and Comparative Psychology at the Collège de France in 1888 marked the official emancipation of psychology in France. Because there was no laboratory associated with the chair, Beaunis, a physiological psychologist from Nancy, proposed to Ribot the creation of the first French laboratory of experimental psychology (1889). Under Beaunis's direction, this laboratory was established at the Sorbonne in Paris but was in fact dependent on another educational institution, L'Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes. In 1893 the laboratory's research was first published in a yearly journal named Travaux du Laboratoire de Psychologie Physiologique (2 volumes: 1893–1894). Binet, who joined the laboratory in 1891, was not satisfied by the form of this publication. With Beaunis's agreement, he then created L'Année Psychologique in 1894 to develop the reputation of the laboratory's research. The authors present the evolution and vicissitudes of the journal from 1895 to 1912, with a glance up to the present. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reasons for clinical research: Characteristics of contributors and their contributions to the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

A representative sample of contributors (333) to the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology was asked to report on their motivations for conducting studies that had been published in that journal. Results indicate that the primary motivation of these clinical researchers was to build on prior theory and research through the gathering and analysis of new data to answer socially significant applied-clinical questions. More immediate pragmatic considerations (e.g., tenure, funding, degree or job requirements, and availability of Ss) were reported to be of secondary, but nevertheless significant, importance. Most respondents described the training model in which they had received their doctoral education or oriented toward an integrated scientist-practitioner approach rather than one that focused primarily on research, therapy, or assessment training. It was also found that these clinical researchers rarely conducted investigations in the context of community service or consultation interventions or in order to replicate past research. Results are discussed in light of current controversies in clinical psychology concerning the optimal model for training and the relevance of clinical research. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Constructing knowledge: The role of graphs and tables in hard and soft psychology.

Because graphs provide a compact, rhetorically powerful way of representing research findings, recent theories of science have postulated their use as a distinguishing feature of science. Studies have shown that the use of graphs in journal articles correlates highly with the hardness of scientific fields, both across disciplines and across subfields of psychology. In contrast, the use of tables and inferential statistics in psychology is inversely related to subfield hardness, suggesting that the relationship between hardness and graph use is not attributable to differences in the use of quantitative data in subfields or their commitment to empiricism. Enhanced "graphicacy" among psychologists could contribute to the progress of psychological science by providing alternatives to significance testing and by facilitating communication across subfields. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The founding of the American Psychologist: The professional journal that wasn't.

The American Psychologist began publication 50 years ago this month as the official journal of a reorganized American Psychological Association. The journal was created as a centerpiece of the new Association, reflecting its acknowledgment of a broader role for the APA, a role that called for the advancement of psychology as a profession. The American Psychologist was intended to be the "professional " journal of the new Association, but it never really filled that responsibility. Drawing on published records and the unpublished documents of the APA Archives, this article recounts the history of this journal's founding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The future of monographs.

Argues that the trends of the explosion of knowledge go against the discontinuation of general and applied monographs. Focus is on the demise of Psychological Monographs and the need to reinstitute the publication with new editorial policy. Advantages of Psychological Monographs, compared with the International Journal of Psychiatry, include its ability to make a basic contribution in issues important to psychology (e.g., psychotherapy). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative psychology 25 years after.

Examined articles published in the Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology (JCPP) and Animal Behavior (AB) in the 25 yrs since F. A. Beach first surveyed the literature in 1950. In the JCPP, the number of species studied remained relatively low in view of the greatly increased number of articles published, while the reverse was true of AB, whose articles were also more diversified in terms of number of species. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canadian feminism and psychology: The first decade.

The history of the Canadian Psychological Association's recognition of the validity of a feminist perspective in psychology is outlined, and the current status of women psychologists in the nation is discussed. Documenting the development of a "psychology of women" speciality, a selected review is presented of the research conducted by psychologists in Canada dealing with sex roles, sex differences, achievement, feminism, and psychobiology. In the applied areas of the discipline, analogous developments have occurred in terms of the establishment of a link between sex roles and psychopathology, the critical appraisal of traditional therapies, the creation of alternative therapy approaches, and the generation of ethical standards pertinent to the provision of psychological services to women. The interdisciplinary quality of the psychology of women is discussed and an overview of this new field is provided. (French abstract) (4 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Hebb legacy.

Discusses the influence of Donald Olding Hebb (1904–1985) on the discipline of psychology. The author notes that Hebb's principled opposition to radical behaviourism and emphasis on understanding what goes on between stimulus and response (perception, learning, thinking) helped clear the way for the cognitive revolution. His view of psychology as a biological science and his neuropsychological cell-assembly proposal rejuvenated interest in physiological psychology. Since his death, Hebb's seminal ideas exert an ever-growing influence on those interested in mind (cognitive science), brain (neuroscience), and how brains implement mind (cognitive neuroscience). Specific events in Hebb's career are outlined, with particular attention to the influence on psychology of his book The Organization of Behavior: A Neuropsychological Theory (1949). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the 100th anniversary issue of the Psychological Review..

Discusses the evolution of the Psychological Review from its inception in 1894 as a general journal to its current status as a forum for theoretical discussion. A historical overview of Psychological Review is presented, and its 2 main subfields, cognition and perception, are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social science evidence in the courtroom: Daubert and beyond?

Recent Supreme Court decisions suggest that judges should conduct a gatekeeping inquiry before admitting testimony that is based on psychology or other social sciences. Perspectives from other areas of applied social research may be of use to psychologists and others as they consider these decisions by the Court. A view of research as "assisted sensemaking" highlights (a) the importance of better understanding the capacities and limits of the natural sensemaking of jurors, (b) reasons why the gatekeeping function is appropriate, and (c) possible ways in which researchers can better serve the courts as they deal with the implications of gatekeeping. The possible impact of different types of expert testimony and the potential development of nonadversarial support mechanisms are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the fall of comparative psychology.

R. B. Lockard's (see record 1971-24449-001) criticisms of comparative psychology (CP) are the latest in a series indicating that CP has no real basis in contemporary American psychology. CP's status is shown by its lack of professional organization or archival journal and by hiring attitudes that place CP secondary to other areas of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology in action: Psychological classics: Older journal articles frequently cited today.

Presents a list of "psychological classics," journal articles published before 1933 which appear from 3-10 times in 18 general psychology textbooks currently in use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Animal psychology in journals, 1911–1927: Another look at the snark.

Frank A. Beach's 1950 article, "The Snark Was a Boojum," has been one of the most influential in the history of comparative psychology. A reanalysis of the data used by Beach for the period between 1911 and 1927 reveals flaws in Beach's analyses caused primarily by the inclusion of data from different journals, of much research by biologists during the 1910s, and of research on humans during the 1920s. This reanalysis forces a reinterpretation of historical trends in the field. With a corrected analysis, it becomes evident that the greatest increase in research on rats by psychologists occurred around 1917, not during the 1930s. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Institutional affiliations of contributors to scholarly and professional activities in counseling psychology: 1980–1983.

Used presentations at Division 17 programs of the American Psychological Association conventions, affiliations of authors of articles in the Journal of Counseling Psychology and The Counseling Psychologist, and Division 17 leaders to determine that the University of Maryland (College Park), Ohio State University, and the University of Iowa were the most highly active institutions in counseling psychology over the period 1980–1983. The size of the faculty and faculty rewards and pressures appear to be factors in determining ratings. Counseling psychologists in nonacademic settings are disadvantaged in making research contributions by these factors. Since most current counseling and clinical psychology graduate students are trained to be practitioners, it is suggested that research and professional leadership dimensions should be measured on their value to practitioners. It is further suggested that quality of supervision, knowledge of practitioner skills, and capacity to meet credentialing and/or licensing requirements should be included in evaluating graduate education in counseling psychology. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The 1992 ethics code: boon or bane?

Discusses the 1992 version of the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct that marks the first major revision since 1981. It has a table of contents that facilitates location of standards about specific topics and it is the 1st code to be divided into 2 sections. These include a set of principles that are aspirational, representing the professional ideals, and a set of enforceable standards that are intended to be used as compelling rules. The most controversial standard pertains to sexual relationships with former psychotherapy clients. Standards related to other topics for the first time, such as the practice of forensic psychology and bartering, distinguish the 1992 APA code from its predecessors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A minority of one.

Opposes a "Proposal for a Study of the Future Institutional Development and Organization of the American Psychological Association" (APA). The author disputes the premise of the study that psychology and the APA are on an ever-rising curve and suggests that APA would do better to address its clear and present defects than to project an uncertain future. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scale of dragon, toe of frog, and the compleat consultant.

Three historical roots of consulting psychology that have influenced its development are "the wise old man" archetype identified by Jung, charlatanism, and functionalism. This article traces these concepts from antiquity to their residual presence in the consulting practices of today and explores them by using analogies and practical work examples. It also review's the evolution of formalized organizations of consulting psychology. Multiple sources are cited from literature, research, and the experiences of consultants in the field. The author discusses the inherent dangers of consultants drinking their own snake oil, of misperceiving style as substance, and of succumbing to the standards of the marketplace rather than adhering to those of the profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)