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)     

A scientist–practitioner's viewpoint on the admissibility of behavioral and social scientific information.

Problems in applying the Daubert (1993) test to social science evidence are discussed, and new issues are raised. In particular, the difference between the legal treatment of clinical evidence, as opposed to actuarial evidence, is discussed. The changing nature of science and the effect of societal norms on evidence requirements are noted. Questions are raised about the definition of the scientific method, and an alternative to the traditional scientific treatment of data is offered and discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use and acceptance of social science evidence in business litigation after Daubert.

The landmark U.S. Supreme Court case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals , which overturned the venerable Frye test for the admissibility of scientific evidence, has sparked considerable interest among scholars and practitioners, within both the law and the various sciences. The discussion of the impact of Daubert on social science evidence, however, has been largely confined to a narrow range of issues, primarily concerning criminal law and mental health. Indeed, the Daubert case thus far has received relatively scant attention in the published cases involving business litigation, and in most of these instances, the focus has been on evidence from the hard sciences rather than from the social sciences. The author explores the use and acceptance of social science evidence in business litigation within the post- Daubert era. First, the specific Daubert factors are analyzed from the perspective of social science evidence in business litigation. Second, the scope of business litigation which has been impacted-or which is potentially impacted-by Daubert is outlined and discussed. Third, various procedural issues in the post- Daubert era are explored, including motions for summary judgment to dispose of social science issues… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How to write a highly cited article without even trying.

The personal story behind a much-cited article, "The hippocampus and behavior," is related in some detail. The twists and turns of this 8-yr odyssey form a context in which many important issues in psychology are discussed. The greatest emphasis is placed on an analysis of citations and what they mean, but this inevitably leads to such seemingly unrelated issues as the interpretation of history, the stealing of ideas, fads and fashions, the possible dangers of peer review, and others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping on the witness stand: Learned responses to "learned treatises."

Describes the learned treatise cross-examination tactic, identifies substantive areas possibly vulnerable to such an assault, and identifies several of the potentially damaging learned treatises. Recommendations for rebutting this tactic are also provided for mental health experts serving as witnesses. (50 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Patient" or "client": What's in a name?

Discusses some aspects of the terms "patient" and "client," especially regarding issues of dependency and responsibility in psychotherapy. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reactions to the names "Counseling Center" and "Psychological Center."

A questionnaire administered to 376 college students on 3 campuses found consistent differences in Ss' reactions to the names counseling center (CC) and psychological center (PC). CC was associated with the treatment of minor problems and PC with more serious problems. PC was also seen as more medical, expensive, professional, embarrassing to go to, and competent than CC. The CC-PC differences are related to issues in clinical and counseling psychology. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

But is it good for the psychologists? Appraisal and status of DSM-III.

Presents a critical analysis of the 3rd edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III). Improvements over DSM-II are acknowledged; it is suggested, however, that problems with larger issues (e.g., multiaxial, diagnosis, operational criteria, and the medical model) overshadow these positive features. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editorial: January 1992.

Explains changes in the American Psychologist (AP) and reveals plans for 3 special issues in 1992 and 1993 (including a commemorative issue to observe the American Psychological Association's (APA's) centennial year. AP's standard editorial procedure, reasons for some rejections, and reconsideration of submissions are discussed. The editor notes that APA's new building (already a financial success) and its highly successful publications program can become an additional source of income to APA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Freedom and tyranny: Descriptions and prescriptions.

Responds to comments by A. Ahuvia, D. Resnick, J. L. Brand, and R. Solomon (see record 2002-15384-005, 2002-15384-006, 2002-15384-007, and 2002-15384-008, respectively) concerning B. Schwartz's (see record 2000-13324-008) discussion of excessive personal freedom, autonomy, self-determination, and life satisfaction and meaning. Schwartz states that the extent that psychology can develop a substantive vision of a good (healthy, productive, socially responsive and responsible) human life, psychologists should articulate it, and they should try to rally public opinion around it to encourage people to pursue it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Content analysis of research in the Journal of Counseling Psychology (1973–1998).

A content analysis of the research published in the Joumal of Counseling Psychology (JCP) was conducted for a 26-year period (1973–1998). A total of 2,027 articles were classified into 14 substantive content categories. Frequency distributions were used to identify the most frequently published authors and institutional affiliations, as well as the gender and ethnic characteristics reported. The principal areas of research activity and publication in the JCP were process only, process and outcome, vocational behavior research, and the development and evaluation of tests and measures. These 4 categories accounted for 55.2% of the articles examined. Typical reported samples contained college students of both genders. This content analysis revealed that over this 26-year time span, the research reported in the JCP has remained consistent with the mission statement of the journal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ending child psychotherapy: Continuing the cycle of life.

Focuses on the termination of psychoanalytic treatment with young children, taking into account the relationship to the parents and its impact on the conduct of treatment, especially at the sensitive ending phase. The author reflects on D. W. Winnicott's (1977) case, "The Piggle," from this perspective. The verbatim notes and comments offer a classic, detailed example of the complex factors impinging upon the conclusion of treating a young child and the wisdom of an outstanding therapist. A 2nd case of a 7-yr-old girl who came to treatment because of a reaction of delayed mourning is also reviewed. The case illustrates the issues involved in the early traumatic loss of a parent, how this loss is reflected within the transference relationship, and the subsequent unfolding of treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adverse impact: Is it a viable concept?

It appears that those federal agencies responsible for enforcement persist in the belief that a given test score can mean one thing in one subgroup and something else in another and/or that inferences from a set of test scores can be valid for one subgroup but not for another. First surfacing in early agency regulations in connection with the now discontinued "differential validity" requirement, the belief still manifests itself in the concepts of "unfairness" and "adverse impact." Furthermore, the determination of the presence or absence of adverse impact on the basis of the impact ratio involves numerous statistical and measurement issues. Use of the impact ratio to establish the prosecutorial posture of an enforcement agency is clearly flawed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Tokyo Declaration on work-related stress and health in three postindustrial settings—the European Union, Japan and the United States of America.

Sponsored by Tokyo Medical University, a "triangular" conference on "Work-Related Stress and Health in Three Postindustrial Settings—the European Union, Japan, and the US"—was held in Tokyo on October 31–November 1. Its 28 international scientists from all 3 settings and relevant disciplines described and discussed (1) present conditions of work, stress, and occupational health; (2) foreseeable trends; (3) needs for action; and (4) needs for research, education, and information. Discussions focused on the similarities and differences in all these respects between the 3 postindustrial settings. Agreement was reached concerning a number of conclusions and recommendations, including options for continued information exchange and concerted actions. This article discusses the conference and the specific proposals of the participants, which led to a document entitled the Tokyo Declaration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Science, common sense, and the determination of mental capacity.

In 1993, when the Supreme Court decided Daubert and created the modern standard for the admissibility of scientific evidence, it almost certainly did not consider its possible effect on evidentiary hearings in probate courts even though such courts routinely admit expert testimony in will contests and guardianship hearings. Probate courts also admit testimony of lay witnesses who express their opinion as to the mental capacity of the individual in question. Yet both expert and lay witnesses are only "fact bringers" and not "fact interpreters" because the ultimate question of capacity is legal, not factual. Because the determination of legal capacity is made by the judge or jury, the role of experts in capacity trials is not fundamentally different than that of lay persons. The limited role of the expert suggests that probate courts should allow great latitude in the admission of expert testimony because the fact finders must ultimately rely on their own amorphous sense of "legal capacity." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Theoretical and philosophical issues in industrial/organizational psychology.

In preparing to address the question posed to the various divisions regarding the extent and character of theoretical and philosophical concerns in the various areas of psychology, I informally solicited input from about 20 Division 14 members. Almost without exception I received the same response: the observation that philosophical issues are not central to the daily activities of most I/O psychologists. After a bit more thought, most were able to identify areas or issues within I/O psychology to which philosophical issues are relevant. In the comments which follow, I will make no attempt to be systematic or complete in presenting the philosophical/theoretical issues facing I/O psychology. I will present examples of different types of issues facing the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Freud's unwritten case.

Discusses Freud's unpublished 5-yr treatment of the male patient "E.," whose therapy provides numerous examples of Freud's developing theories of psychodynamics and the role of infantile sexuality. The resonances between E.'s therapy and Freud's self-analysis suggest a number of conjectures about the role of oedipal and pre-oedipal issues in the construction of psychoanalysis. The use of material from E.'s therapy in The Interpretation of Dreams (Freud, 1900) links E.'s therapy to Freud's own anxiety-neurotic difficulties in the late 1890s and to the nascent theories of neurotic etiology, psychoanalytic interpretation, and transference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Le syllogisme catégorique: Une réexamination du terme "certains" dans une perspective développementale.

Studied the meaning of the quantifiers "some" and "some… not" from a developmental perspective, using 326 participants aged 10 yrs to adulthood. Results show that the pragmatic interpretation of "Some" as equivalent to "Some… not" (and vice versa) appears as the dominant response from the age of 14 yrs (67% of the responses), and becomes still more dominant in adulthood (90%). Among 10-yr-olds, this interpretation is rarely made (16% of the responses), which fixes the limits of the classical pragmatic approach to "Some" based only on its interpretation as "Some but not all." Contrary to the prediction of the pragmatic approach, 10-yr-old children completely reject the equivalence between "Some" and "Some… not." Between the ages of 11 and 13 yrs, in contrast, such equivalence is only accepted by 50% of participants; at this age, one cannot argue that the pragmatic factor is predominant. Yet the progressive evolution of "compatible-type" responses is consistent with the progressive acquisition of reasoning based on the implication "Some" implying '…and not all," which contradicts the premise "all." Results overall demonstrate a real developmental evolution in the pragmatic interpretation of the quantifier, "Some." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Supreme Court and the APA, AERA, NCME test standards: Past references and future possibilities.

A survey of US Supreme Court references to the Standards for Educational and Psychological Tests and to federal agency guidelines on testing over the past 7 yrs suggests that the Court is beginning to rely on the Standards as an authoritative source for objective answers to technical, psychometric questions. Implications of this trend for the Joint Review Committee on Test Standards, its parent organizations, and the relationship between science and government are discussed. It is suggested that agency guidelines are based on a combination of research evidence and policy preferences. It is further suggested the Standards should not be based on such evidence and preferences and will be most useful to the Court if they maintain scientific fidelity. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)