Playing cards with Thomas Kuhn: A critical reexamination of the Bruner and Postman (1949) experiment.

Two experiments replicated Bruner and Postman (1949), on which Kuhn (1962, 1970) relied in his argument that humans resist experience that is incongruous with their expectations—an argument essential to Kuhn's thesis of scientific revolutions. The first experiment measured reaction times for identifying playing card stimuli in three conditions: (a) where all the stimuli were standard playing cards, (b) where stimuli had color reversed (trick), or (c) which included both regular and trick card stimuli (mixed set). Participants were equally adept at identifying regular and trick stimuli in homogenous sets but took longer to identify the same stimuli in a mixed set. The second experiment, a conceptual replication of Bruner and Postman's original experiment, obtained recognition thresholds for regular and trick stimuli while measuring participants' frustration. Participants responded similarly to procedural difficulties for both trick and regular stimuli. An analysis of participants' responses shows that participants used systematic trial-and-error strategy to identify any ambiguous stimulus. These findings are inconsistent with an interpretation of resistance to incongruities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is there a mechanism of perceptual defense? A reply to Postman, Bronson, and Gropper.

"The present article is a rebuttal of the point of view expressed in this journal by Postman, Bronson, and Gropper, [see 28: 2283] who criticized the concept of perceptual defense and argued that it is not supported by the experimental evidence. Issue was taken with these authors concerning their understanding of the concept of defense, their espousal of the notion of word frequency as an explanation of perceptual recognition, and the limited variety of studies which they criticize and cite as relevant to the defense concept." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Benton J. Underwood (1915–1994): Obituary.

Memorializes Benton J. Underwood, who was a preeminent leader in the development of research on the acquisition and retention of verbal materials. Underwood served as president of the Midwestern Psychological Association (1956–57), president of the Experimental Psychology (1959–60) and the General Psychology (1969–70) divisions of the American Psychological Association, and chair of the psychology section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1964). He was also an editor of the American Journal of Psychology and a member of the editorial boards of 3 other journals. With L. Postman, Underwood founded the Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, serving as a consulting editor for nearly 2 decades. His numerous professional honors include the Warren Medal by the Society of Experimental Psychologists and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the APA in 1973. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Minnesota conference on associative processes in verbal behavior.

The Committee on Linguistics and Psychology of the Social Science Research Council held a work conference at the University of Minnesota on April 25-26, 1955, "to facilitate communication among a small group of research workers who were interested in problems of verbal association." "The program consisted of seven discussion sessions and a summary session." Papers were presented by W. A. Russell, J. J. Jenkins, W. A. Bousfield, L. J. Postman, C. N. Cofer, D. H. Howes, S. Saporta. Titles of the papers are given and a summary statement concerning each is given. Similarities and differences, types of objectives emphasized, and methodological trends are discussed. "With reference to differences in conceptualization, the participants seemed to be divided with respect to practically all dimensions." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Proceedings of the Forty-fifth Annual Meeting of the Western Psychological Association.

The Honorable John A. Burns, Governor of the State of Hawaii, opened the Forty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the Western Psychological Association with a welcoming address on June 14, 1965. The meeting, which was held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, continued through June 19, 1965, and was jointly sponsored by the University of Hawaii. There were 561 convention registrants. Ronald C. Johnson was the Convention Manager, assisted by Warner Wilson, Leonard Diamond, Christopher Davis, Jerry Cochran, Harold Dent, Kelly Naylor, Agnes Niyekawa, DWane Collins, Stanley Standal, Robert Blanchard, Colin Herrick, Robert Cole, and Abe Arkoff. The program, which included 151 papers and 17 symposia, was developed under the direction of Richard C. Atkinson of Stanford University. Program Committee Chairmen were Frank Beach, Lee Cronbach, Allen Edwards, Harold Kelley, Howard Kendler, Donald Lindsley, Leo Postman, Eliot Rodnick, and Alberta Siegel. The program is presented here. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The processes of therapy.

(This reprinted article originally appeared in the Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1940, Vol 4, 161–264. The following abstract of the original article appeared in PA, Vol 14:6018.) Certain basic conditions for successful therapy are: the client's awareness of dissatisfaction with his current adjustment, his intelligence being above borderline level; a reasonable expectation of manipulating adverse social factors; and a skilled therapist where the purpose is to strengthen the individual. The steps in successful therapy are: (1) establishment of rapport with a delicate balance between identification and objectivity; (2) a client's free expression of thoughts and feelings; (3) his recognition and acceptance of his spontaneous self; (4) his responsibility for making his own choices; (5) his gain in insight through assimilated interpretation; and (6) his growth of independence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Harry Goichi Yamaguchi (1921-2002).

Reports the death of Harry Goichi Yamaguchi (1921-2002) and notes his contributions to to teaching, research, and clinical supervision and research. In keeping with his clinical experience with children and adolescents, Yamaguchi emphasized developmental psychology in his teaching. Learning theory remained the focus in his research, his publication, and his approach to clinical work. Yamaguchi's work with several professional organizations is also noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Frank Landy (1942–2010).

Frank Landy died peacefully with his family by his side on January 12, 2010. His legacy to the education, research, and practice of industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology will live on in his students, his books and articles, and his ability to define and shape science and practice. Landy believed that good practice followed from good science and spent his career applying what he learned from his own research and the work of others to diverse problems related to selecting employees, managing performance, creating successful human–machine interfaces, and ensuring fair employment practices through his litigation-related work. He was the definition of a scientist–practitioner. Landy was born in Philadelphia on December 30, 1942. He began his study of psychology at Villanova University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1964. He earned a master’s degree (1966) and his doctorate (1969) from Bowling Green State University. Landy joined the faculty at Pennsylvania State University, and during his 26 years there he helped to build one of the most successful I/O psychology programs in the country. He was a member of many professional organizations and won many awards for his outstanding contributions to the field. He began his consulting career in 1965 and helped hundreds of organizations by applying psychological research to the solution of practical problems in human resource management, employee relations, and work motivation. Landy was an avid runner, completing more than 60 marathons, and he often participated in runs at the SIOP conferences. He played and collected guitars and was a great lover of music, often playing and singing publicly. He is survived by his wife Kylie Harper, his two daughters Erin and Elizabeth, his son-in-law George, and his four grandchildren. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A man of his country and his time: Jewish influences on Lev Semionovich Vygotsky's world view.

Lev Semionovich Vygotsky created the cultural-historical school of psychology, yet all too few of those writing about his work take into account the family, education, and cultural tradition from which he came. The authors contend that the Jewish nature of these elements was of some importance in forming his personality and his consciousness. The 1st part of the article traces his early upbringing, describes the Jewishness of his environment, notes 3 instances in which his "otherness" was imprinted on his consciousness, and points to the sources of his determination to forge a harmonious synthesis with his environment. The 2nd part examines his writings, both earlier journalistic and mature psychological, and points to evidence of the influence of his Jewish upbringing and environment on his work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

David Shakow: Distinguished Professional Contribution Award.

Recognizes the receipt of the American Psychological Association's 1976 Distinguished Professional Contribution Award by David Shakow. The award citation reads: "In a career that spans almost five decades, his activities reflect his abiding concern with psychology's historical antecedents, his leadership in creating a training model for clinical psychology that would retain the unique quality that characterizes a psychologist, and his research contributions in the psychological study of schizophrenia. David Shakow by his imagination, by his influence on his many students--graduate and postdoctoral--as teacher and mentor, by his dedication to important scientific studies, by his advocacy of the coordinate role of researcher and practitioner for the clinical psychologist, and by his broad knowledge and commitment to humanistic values has indeed made a distinguished contribution to professional psychology." A biography and a listing of the recipient's scientific writings are also included. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Frank Lee Collins Jr. (1950–2009).

An accomplished academician and nationally prominent training director, Frank Lee Collins Jr. died unexpectedly on December 19, 2009, at age 58, in Dallas, Texas. Born December 30, 1950, in Charlotte, North Carolina, Frank spent his childhood moving with his Air Force family throughout the United States and overseas. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern State University in Louisiana. He completed his doctoral work in clinical psychology at Auburn University under Leonard Epstein, graduating in 1980. He received numerous honors recognizing his contributions to education and training, including awards from CUDCP, the Association of Psychology Training Clinics, and the Society of Pediatric Psychology (APA Division 54). Frank effectively articulated the role of scientifically based broad and general training in professional psychology. He is survived by his wife Jennifer Callahan, his daughter Erin Collins, his stepdaughter Ali Dittloff, his parents Frank and Evelyn Collins, and his siblings and their families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stephen A. Mitchell, Relational Psychoanalysis, and Empirical Data.

Stephen A. Mitchell's theoretical writings are examined, with particular emphasis on his differences with drive theory, the consequences of his recommendation for greater involvement by the analyst, his (naive) trust in psychoanalytic self-correction, and the problems that follow from his belief that empirical data have little to contribute to psychoanalysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Premature conclusions regarding Black and White suicide attempters: A reply to Steele.

The conclusion reached by R. E. Steele (see record 1978-27665-001) that his samples of Black and White suicide attempters were clinically similar is questioned, as is his inference that his results require a reexamination of the supposed need for separate Black and White psychologies. Specific criticisms are raised regarding some of the variables chosen by Steele for his comparisons, and the manner in which he chose to interpret his data. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Todd R. Risley (1937-2007).

This obituary of Todd R. Risley explains his life in Alaska and his lifelong journey to eventually becoming a pioneer of applied behavior analysis. He was born in Alaska on September 8, 1937, and died in his home there on November 2, 2007, after returning from Minnesota for heart surgery. He credited some of his vigor and appreciation for the importance of change to his early days in the rugged territory of Alaska, where his father was a homesteader and railroad worker. Todd received his bachelor's degree from San Diego State College and his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Washington. Todd applied the principles of behavior analysis to a variety of populations and settings. Todd felt that his most important work was his and Betty Hart's study of the language use of middle-class and low socioeconomic status (SES) families. He argued that the single most important parenting practice was for parents to talk as much as possible to their children about anything and everything and to require as much language use as possible back from them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gustav Theodor Fechner: Life and work in the mirror of his diary.

The diaries of Gustav Fechner reveal much about his motivations to develop the field of psychophysics, as well as some of the steps toward its formulation. Together with his publications on various subjects, the diaries show how psychophysics fits into Fechner's broader scientific program, illuminate his worldview, and reveal his hopes for acceptance of his work by his colleagues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Freud, father, and mother: Quantitative aspects.

The frequency with which Freud used father and mother in his psychological writings was investigated. Overall, he used father much more frequently than mother. This difference began with those writings that followed his father's death and his self-analysis. A most striking, though transitory, reversal followed immediately upon the death of his mother. The data suggest that Freud blended objective, scientific, and sublimated, personal issues in his parental psychology. An ancillary result shows the yearly creation of the pages of his psychological writings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Irvin Rock (1922-1995).

Irvin Rock was a distinguished perceptionist in the classical tradition: an influential theoretician of broad scope and a brilliant experimentalist who made landmark contributions to a wide variety of topics, including perceptual organization, adaptation, constancy, shape, motion, visual dominance, attention, and learning. Rock passed away June 18, 1995, of pancreatic cancer. In addition to his many research contributions, Rock was a beloved teacher, prized colleague, and inspirational role model to several generations of perceptual psychologists. Those who worked with him during his long and productive career will miss him deeply, not only for his brilliant theorizing and his ingenious experiments but also for his love of psychology and his profound humanity. His death has silenced his voice, but his ideas live on through his published legacy and his influence on the students, colleagues, and friends who were touched by his greatness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A draft of Lethe: A neglected statement from the works of Sigmund Freud.

The myth of Oedipus plays an important role in psychoanalysis. Freud's relationship with his mother influenced his theoretical insights and the development of his approach to analysis. But a careful reading of Freud's letters to Wilhelm Fliess shows that it is highly probable that it was not Freud's mother, but his father who was the decisive factor in his life and works. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)