Response to Amato's (2002) letter.

Responds to J. J. Amato's commentary (see record 2003-02090-007) on articles by M. A. Yarhouse (see record 1998-11146-011) and M. A. Yarhouse and W. Throckmorton (see record 2002-13988-007). Yarhouse contends that by claiming he is surreptitiously importing ideology in the name of science, Amato is setting this up as a false dichotomy, as though science is a completely objective enterprise and that beliefs and values can be avoided altogether. This position is a modernist view and it ignores the postmodern society and the advances in philosophy of science over the past 50 years. Yarhouse also addresses Amato's claims regarding changing same sex attraction and the concept of autonomy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Letter to the editor.

Comments on the original article by M. A. Yarhouse et al (see record 2002-13988-007) which identified the ethical issues in efforts to ban reorientation therapies. Given the highly charged debate around reparative or conversation therapies, the current authors were disappointed in the approach taken by the authors in their discussion and review of the empirical research, scholarly literature, and ethical concerns. The authors assert that Yarhouse et al failed to represent the issues accurately and comprehensively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Letter to the editor.

Comments on articles by M. A. Yarhouse (see record 1998-11146-011) and M. A. Yarhouse and W. Throckmorton (see record 2002-13988-007). Amato argues that the articles serve to masquerade ideological positions regarding homosexuality as science. It is contended that although here are various reasons for individuals wanting "not to be gay," the scientific literature has repeatedly failed to demonstrate the legitimacy of the "desire for reorientation" or the possibility that sexual orientation is even open to change. To couch the legitimacy of the change therapies in the garb of the ethics of autonomy and self-determination is an attempt to have prejudice masquerade as science by co-opting the notion of autonomy. Yarhouse's articles have demonstrated his repeated attempt to find a home for a biblically, not scientifically, founded hatred of homosexuality within the scientific community. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical issues in attempts to ban reorientation therapies.

The purpose of this article is to identify the ethical issues in efforts to ban reorientation therapies. The 3 primary arguments cited in the literature in favor of such a ban are discussed: (a) homosexuality is no longer considered a mental illness, (b) those who request change do so because of internalized homophobia, and (c) sexual orientation is immutable. The authors present 3 arguments in favor of providing reorientation and related services: (a) respect for the autonomy and self-determination of persons, (b) respect for valuative frameworks, creeds, and religious values regarding the moral status of same-sex behavior, and (c) service provision given the scientific evidence that efforts to change thoughts, behaviors, and feeling-based sexual orientation can be successful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A bridge and a couple of fences for clinicians and researchers: A comment on Silverman's (2001) editorial.

In this commentary, the author responds to W. Silverman's (2001) editorial, which emphasized how much clinicians and researchers need each other to advance in their respective fields and to adequately promote the fields of psychology and psychotherapy. The commentary proposes the concept that perhaps the friction that exists between clinicians and researchers has more to do with ego identity and an innate need for territoriality as opposed to solely being a matter of maintaining theoretical differences. The commentary further highlights some of the theories of territoriality espoused by contemporary anthropologists and suggests that the benefits of clinicians and researchers working together far outweigh the costs and that more energy needs to be expended in working together harmoniously than in fortifying fences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological Bulletin: Correction to Logan et al. (2002).

Reports errors in the original article by T. K. Logan et al (Psychological Bulletin, 2002, Vol 128[6], 851-885). Errors in Table 1 (p. 862), Table 2 (p. 863), and Table 4 (p. 865) are noted and corrected. Errors in the text on page 869 and page 871 also are corrected. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record record 2002-18663-001). This article is focused on examining social and contextual factors related to HIV-risk behavior for women. Specifically, this article has three main purposes: to review the literature on selected social and contextual factors that contribute to the risk for the heterosexual transmission of HIV and AIDS, to review and conduct a meta-analysis of HIV-prevention interventions targeting adult heterosexual populations, and to suggest future directions for HIV-prevention intervention research and practice. Results suggest that the HIV-prevention interventions reviewed for this article had little impact on sexual risk behavior, that social and contextual factors are often minimally addressed, and that there was a large gap between research and practice of HIV-prevention intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Cantor et al. (2005).

Reports an error in the original article by James M. Cantor, Ray Blanchard, Lori K. Robichaud, and Bruce K. Christensen (Psychological Bulletin, 2005, Vol. 131, No. 4, pp. 555-568). As a result of an editorial error the article listed the link to online supplemental data incorrectly. The correct URL is provided here. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2005-08334-004.) General intelligence has been the most commonly studied neuropsychological characteristic of sexual offenders for over 70 years. Results, however, have been highly inconsistent. To assess whether sexual offenders score lower in IQ than nonsexual offenders and to explore which sexual offense characteristics relate to IQ, the authors reanalyzed all reports providing sufficient information. Data spanned 236 samples, comprising 25,146 sexual offenders and controls. The literature contained sufficient information to permit comparison of adult versus juvenile sexual offenders, offenders targeting children versus adults, offenders targeting their own versus unrelated children, and offenders targeting boys versus girls. Results confirm the association between IQ and sexual offending and suggest that previous discrepancies are attributable to how many pedophilic individuals were in each sample. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Venter et al. (2002).

Reports an error in the original article by A. Venter et al (Psychological Methods, 2002[Jun], Vol No. 7[2], 194-209. On page 202, there were 2 errors. Appendix B correctly shows that Equation 17 and 18 should read as indicated here. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2002-13431-003.) Adding a pretest as a covariate to a randomized posttest-only design increases statistical power, as does the addition of intermediate time points to a randomized pretest-posttest design. Although typically 5 waves of data are required in this instance to produce meaningful gains in power, a 3-wave intensive design allows the evaluation of the straight-line growth model and may reduce the effect of missing data. The authors identify the statistically most powerful method of data analysis in the 3-wave intensive design. If straight-line growth is assumed, the pretest-posttest slope must assume fairly extreme values for the intermediate time point to increase power beyond the standard analysis of covariance on the posttest with the pretest as covariate, ignoring the intermediate time point. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Haggbloom et al (2002).

Reports two errors in the original article by S. J. Haggbloom et al (Review of General Psychology, 2002[Jun], 6[2], 139-152). The errors are noted by S. L. Black of the Dept of Psychology at Bishop's U, Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada. Black calls for a reassessment and revision of the list. The original author responds with corrections. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2002-02996-001.): The following A rank-ordered list was constructed that reports the first 99 of the 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century. Eminence was measured by scores on 3 quantitative variables and 3 qualitative variables. The quantitative variables were journal citation frequency, introductory psychology textbook citation frequency, and survey response frequency. The qualitative variables were National Academy of Sciences membership, election as American Psychological Association (APA) president or receipt of the APA Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award, and surname used as an eponym. The qualitative variables were quantified and combined with the other 3 quantitative variables to produce a composite score that was then used to construct a rank-ordered list of the most eminent psychologists of the 20th century. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Forrest et al. (2008).

Reports an error in "Psychology trainees with competence problems: From individual to ecological conceptualizations" by Linda Forrest, Nancy S. Elman and David S. Shen Miller (Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 2008[Nov], Vol 2[4], 183-192). The order of authorship was printed incorrectly, both in the issue Table of Contents and in the article. The correct order of authorship for this article is: Linda Forrest, Nancy S. Elman, and David S. Shen Miller. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-17021-001.) Problems with professional competence or impairment in psychology have been viewed almost exclusively as residing within the individual trainee or psychologist, with limited attention to the contexts in which such difficulties are embedded. The authors propose an ecological perspective (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1989, 1995) to capture the influence of multiple factors that affect trainee development and provide a stronger base from which to conceptualize and address problems of professional competence. The authors describe Bronfenbrenner's ecological model and use it as a framework to understand professional competence problems, recommend best practices for prevention and intervention, and suggest future research directions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Gloster et al. (2011).

Reports an error in "Psychological treatment for panic disorder with agoraphobia: A randomized controlled trial to examine the role of therapist-guided exposure in situ in CBT" by Andrew T. Gloster, Hans-Ulrich Wittchen, Franziska Einsle, Thomas Lang, Sylvia Helbig-Lang, Thomas Fydrich, Lydia Fehm, Alfons O. Hamm, Jan Richter, George W. Alpers, Alexander L. Gerlach, Andreas Str?hle, Tilo Kircher, Jürgen Deckert, Peter Zwanzger, Michael H?fler and Volker Arolt (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2011[Jun], Vol 79[3], 406-420). In the article, the name of author Georg W. Alpers was misspelled as George W. Alpers. In Table 2, in the footnote, line two, the criteria should read “MI≤1.8”. The online versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2011-08726-001.) Objective: Cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) is a first-line treatment for panic disorder with agoraphobia (PD/AG). Nevertheless, an understanding of its mechanisms and particularly the role of therapist-guided exposure is lacking. This study was aimed to evaluate whether therapist-guided exposure in situ is associated with more pervasive and long-lasting effects than therapist-prescribed exposure in situ. Method: A multicenter randomized controlled trial, in which 369 PD/AG patients were treated and followed up for 6 months. Patients were randomized to 2 manual-based variants of CBT (T+/T?) or a wait-list control group (WL; n = 68) and were treated twice weekly for 12 sessions. CBT variants were identical in content, structure, and length, except for implementation of exposure in situ: In the T+ variant (n = 163), therapists planned and supervised exposure in situ exercises outside the therapy room; in the T? group (n = 138), therapists planned and discussed patients' in situ exposure exercises but did not accompany them. Primary outcome measures were (a) Hamilton Anxiety Scale, (b) Clinical Global Impression, (c) number of panic attacks, and (d) agoraphobic avoidance (Mobility Inventory). Results: For T+ and T? compared with WL, all outcome measures improved significantly with large effect sizes from baseline to post (range = ?0.5 to ?2.5) and from post to follow-up (range = ?0.02 to ?1.0). T+ improved more than T? on the Clinical Global Impression and Mobility Inventory at post and follow-up and had greater reduction in panic attacks during the follow-up period. Reduction in agoraphobic avoidance accelerated after exposure was introduced. A dose–response relation was found for Time × Frequency of Exposure and reduction in agoraphobic avoidance. Conclusions: Therapist-guided exposure is more effective for agoraphobic avoidance, overall functioning, and panic attacks in the follow-up period than is CBT without therapist-guided exposure. Therapist-guided exposure promotes additional therapeutic improvement—possibly mediated by increased physical engagement in feared situations—beyond the effects of a CBT treatment in which exposure is simply instructed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

EBP ≠ EST: Reply to Crits-Christoph et al. (2005) and Weisz et al. (2005).

Replies to Crits-Christoph et al. (see record 2005-04167-007) and Weisz et al (see record 2005-04167-008). Evidence-based practice (EBP) is not a synonym of empirically supported therapies (ESTs). ESTs reflect 1 kind of evidence that should guide EBP. The authors focus in this response on 4 issues: the distinction between 2 functions of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with very different methodological and clinical implications, problems with the experimental designs used to test ESTs that have unnecessarily limited their clinical and scientific utility, the question of how to integrate findings from RCTs with findings from other empirical methods to guide evidence-based interventions, and what one means by clinicians (i.e., whether clinicians should be paraprofessionals who implement procedures developed by researchers or full-fledged partners in the development and implementation of evidence-based psychological practice). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Sherman et al. (2009).

Reports an error in "Adapting the multifamily group model to the Veterans Affairs system: The REACH Program" by Michelle D. Sherman, Ellen P. Fischer, Kristen Sorocco and William R. McFarlane (Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 2009[Dec], Vol 40[6], 593-600). The copyright for this article was incorrectly listed. This article is in the Public Domain. The online version has been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2009-23462-008.) The Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center modified an evidence-based model of family psychoeducation (the multifamily group model; McFarlane, 2002) and implemented it for the first time in a VA setting and with veterans living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Named the REACH Program (Reaching out to Educate and Assist Caring, Healthy Families), the 3-phase program begins with 4 weekly “joining sessions” with the individual veteran and his/her family focused on rapport building, assessment, and goal setting. Phase II consists of 6 weekly diagnosis-specific educational/support sessions for cohorts of 4 to 6 veterans and their families. In Phase III, veterans/families attend 6 monthly multifamily groups to support the maintenance of gains. This article describes the rationale for modifying the original Multifamily Group Program (MFG) for a unique setting (the VA) and the needs of families of veterans in a new diagnostic group (PTSD). The changes to the MFG curriculum are specifically described, and details of the new REACH intervention are explained. Attendance, retention, and satisfaction data for 2 diagnostic cohorts, PTSD and affective disorders, are also presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Should childhood be a journey of a race? Response to Harackiewicz et al. (2002).

In this response, the authors, dispel interpretation of their critical review of research on performance-approach goals as support for a dichotomous perspective of achievement goal theory. Second, the authors challenge the suggestion that accepting recent research findings and adopting a multiple goals perspective constitute, a theoretical revision of the assumption that "mastery goals are always good and performance goals are always bad" (J. M. Harickiewicz, K. E. Barron, P. R, Pintrich, P. R. Elliot, & T. M. Thrash. 2002, p. 643). The authors make a distinction between developments that contribute to the explanatory power of the theory and value-laden interpretations of theory and research. The authors argue that phrasing the latter in terms of the former is misleading and that it masks the necessity for a critical discussion over the desired purposes in different types of achievement contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Casas et al.

In the article, "Sexual Preference Biases in Counseling: An Information Processing Approach," by J. Manuel Casas, Stephen Brady, and Joseph G. Ponterotto (see record 1983-26490-001), the word no was omitted in the last sentence of the Results section on page 143. That sentence should read as follows: "Finally, when sex was used as a between–subjects factor, there was no significant effect due to sex of the respondent." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring change: A commentary on Keith et al. (2002).

A study by J. R. Keith et al. (2002) purported to find postoperative changes in attention in a sample of patients who underwent cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Detecting differential patterns of neuropsychological change following treatment presents formidable methodological and statistical challenges. This commentary examines the findings of J. R. Keith et al. with regard to (a) the feasibility of randomizing research participants into treatment and control groups, (b) the handling of missing data, (c) the selection of statistical techniques to measure change, and (d) the measurement of differential neuropsychological deficit. Alternative strategies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Janes et al. (2009).

Reports an error in "Brain fMRI reactivity to smoking-related images before and during extended smoking abstinence" by Amy C. Janes, Blaise deB. Frederick, Sarah Richardt, Caitlin Burbridge, Emilio Merlo-Pich, Perry F. Renshaw, A. Eden Evins, Maurizio Fava and Marc J. Kaufman (Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2009[Dec], Vol 17[6], 365-373). In the article the authors find it necessary to redefine the thresholding procedure used for data analyses, due to problems in the Brain Voyager software. This does not affect the main findings of the paper. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2009-23091-001.) Reactivity to smoking-related cues may play a role in the maintenance of smoking behavior and may change depending on smoking status. Whether smoking cue-related functional MRI (fMRI) reactivity differs between active smoking and extended smoking abstinence states currently is unknown. We used fMRI to measure brain reactivity in response to smoking-related versus neutral images in 13 tobacco-dependent subjects before a smoking cessation attempt and again during extended smoking abstinence (52 ± 11 days) aided by nicotine replacement therapy. Prequit smoking cue induced fMRI activity patterns paralleled those reported in prior smoking cue reactivity fMRI studies. Greater fMRI activity was detected during extended smoking abstinence than during the prequit assessment subcortically in the caudate nucleus and cortically in prefrontal (BA 6, 9, 44, 46), primary somatosensory (BA 1, 2, 3), temporal (BA 22, 41, 42), parietal (BA 7, 40) anterior cingulate (BA 24, 32), and posterior cingulate (BA 31) cortex. These data suggest that during extended smoking abstinence, fMRI reactivity to smoking versus neutral stimuli persists in brain areas involved in attention, somatosensory processing, motor planning, and conditioned cue responding. In some brain regions, fMRI smoking cue reactivity is increased during extended smoking abstinence in comparison to the prequit state, which may contribute to persisting relapse vulnerability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Wei et al. (2005).

Reports an error in the original article, "Adult Attachment, Depressive Symptoms, and Validation From Self Versus Others," by Meifen Wei, Brent Mallinckrodt, Lisa M. Larson, and Robyn A. Zakalik (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 2005[Jul], 52[3], 368-377). In this article, boxes were inadvertently placed around every path coefficient in Figure 2 (p. 374) as the result of a technical error in the final stages of journal production. The correct figure is provided here. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2005-08078-010.) Attachment working models of self and others may govern adults' preferences for internal vs. external sources of reassurance, which, if unavailable, lead to depressive symptoms. This study examined a model in which the link between depressive symptoms and attachment anxiety is mediated by (a) capacity for self-reinforcement and (b) need for reassurance from others, whereas the link between depressive symptoms and attachment avoidance is mediated only by the capacity for self-reinforcement. Analysis of survey data from 425 undergraduates indicated that both capacity for self-reinforcement and need for reassurance from others partially mediated the link between attachment anxiety and depression. Capacity for self-reinforcement fully mediated the link between attachment avoidance and depression. Moreover, 54% of the variance in depressive symptoms was explained by attachment anxiety, self-reinforcement, and need for reassurance from others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)