A research framework for investigating information acquisition and loss.

Much of human cognition consists of information acquisition from the environment (learning) and information loss from the cognitive system (forgetting). My concern here is with developing a framework for characterizing the effects of certain independent variables (hereafter, focal variables) on information acquisition and loss. In the following four sections, I discuss (1) the monotonicity assumption which is the theory data link, (2) general models of focal variable effects, (3) applications of the framework, and (4) problems with the framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Levels of processing: A retrospective commentary on a framework for memory research.

Reviews literature showing how the levels of processing framework (F. I. Craik and R. S. Lockhart; see record 1973-20189-001) has influenced memory research since 1972. Principles underlying the framework include the claim that the memory trace should be understood as a by-product or record of normal cognitive processes (e.g., comprehension, categorization). Subsequent research has confirmed the value of much of the framework. It is now generally accepted that memory performance is directly and strongly linked to the nature of processing underlying the original experience, and theories of memory now include an analysis of these processing operations. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A principled design framework for college admissions tests: An affirming research agenda.

The debate over affirmative action policies in higher education has called into question the role of standardized tests in the admissions process. These developments suggest to some that future generations of college admissions tests ought to capitalize on advances in psychological theory to broaden and deepen what it is that admissions tests presumably measure. The author argues that to remain relevant in the educational environment(s) of the future, succeeding generations of college admissions tests must capture the promise of advances in psychology, measurement science, and technology so as to foster access and equity and further ensure the role of cognitive ability testing in the college admissions process. The author outlines a generative research agenda designed to advance a more principled test design framework in the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A conceptual framework and methodological criteria for family therapy process research.

This article presents a conceptual framework for family therapy process research that integrates a new process perspective with family systems theory. Consistent with a systemic epistemology, the framework focuses on the circular interaction, over time, between and within the therapist and family systems and their subsystems. Attacking the process–outcome distinction, the framework targets key variables and patterns in change processes that occur within and outside of sessions. The empirical implications of each framework component are explored. The article concludes with three methodological criteria for developing and evaluating certain research instruments to be used in process studies within the new conceptual framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An integrative conceptual framework of disability: New directions for research.

Advances in research on disability and rehabilitation are essential to creating equal opportunity, economic self-sufficiency, and full participation for persons with disabilities. Historically, such initiatives have focused on separate and specific areas, including neuroscience, molecular biology and genetics, gerontology, engineering and physical sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. Research on persons with disabilities should examine the broader context and trends of society that affect the total environment of persons with disabilities. This article examines the various disability paradigms across time, assessing the relative contribution of the socioecological perspective in guiding research designed to improve the lives of persons with disabilities. The authors recommend new research directions that include a focus on life span issues, biomedicine, biotechnology, the efficacy and effectiveness of current interventions, an emphasis on consumer-driven investigations within a socioecological perspective of disability, and the implications for research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The science of prevention: A conceptual framework and some directions for a national research program.

A conceptual framework for studying the prevention of human dysfunction is offered. On the basis of recent advances in research on the development of psychological disorders and methods of preventive intervention, generalizations about the relation of risk and protective factors to disorder are put forward, along with a set of principles for what may be identified as the science of prevention. Emerging themes from the study of human devlopment, in general, need to be incorporated in the models for explaining and preventing serious problems of human adaptation. The article concludes with a set of recommendations for a national prevention research agenda. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A guiding framework and approach for implementation research in substance use disorders treatment.

This paper introduces readers to the concepts of implementation science, implementation theory, and implementation frameworks and models. A wide range of models has been published in the literature related to implementation. The paper will present an overview of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), which is a comprehensive typology that unifies and consolidates the array of constructs that influence implementation from the perspective of these models. The CFIR is then used to evaluate implementation models used in studies of substance use disorder (SUD) treatments. Implementation research is scarce, with few prospective studies of theory-driven implementation. We assert that future research in SUD needs to meet three overarching objectives to promote wider implementation of evidence-based practices: (a) differentiation of core versus adaptable components of evidence-based interventions need; (b) development of methods to design implementation strategies, effectively adapted to the broad context; and (c) design and testing of predictive models to assess likelihood of effective implementation and prospects for sustainability while taking into account salient contextual factors. A recommended strategy for accomplishing these objectives is described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Qualitative data analysis: A compendium of techniques and a framework for selection for school psychology research and beyond.

Qualitative researchers in school psychology have a multitude of analyses available for data. The purpose of this article is to present several of the most common methods for analyzing qualitative data. Specifically, the authors describe the following 18 qualitative analysis techniques: method of constant comparison analysis, keywords-in-context, word count, classical content analysis, domain analysis, taxonomic analysis, componential analysis, conversation analysis, discourse analysis, secondary analysis, membership categorization analysis, narrative analysis, qualitative comparative analysis, semiotics, manifest content analysis, latent content analysis, text mining, and microinterlocutor analysis. Moreover, the authors present a new framework for organizing these analysis techniques via the four major sources of qualitative data collected: talk, observations, drawings/photographs/videos, and documents. As such, the authors hope that our compendium of analytical techniques should help qualitative researchers in school psychology and beyond make informed choices for their data analysis tools. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Positive uncertainty: A new decision-making framework for counseling.

Changing one's mind will be an essential decision-making skill in the future. Keeping the mind open will be another. Positive uncertainty helps clients deal with ambiguity, accept inconsistency, and utilize the intuitive side of choosing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-condemnation: A comprehensive framework for assessment and treatment.

Presents an ordinary language framework that encompasses self-condemnation and integrates different psychotherapeutic positions to contrast a rational–emotive approach with an alternative that addresses the purposiveness of perfectionistic tendencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Executive functioning: A conceptual framework for alcohol-related aggression.

The causal mechanisms underlying alcohol-related aggression are not well understood. This article presents a conceptual framework designed to guide thinking and generate new research in this area of study. According to the framework, executive functioning is both a mediator and a moderator of intoxicated aggression. Literatures describing associations between alcohol and aggression, executive functioning and aggression, and the acute effects of alcohol on executive functioning are reviewed. On the basis of these findings, it is proposed that (a) executive functioning mediates the alcohol-aggression relation in that acute alcohol intoxication disrupts executive functioning, which then heightens the probability of aggression, and (b) executive functioning moderates the alcohol-aggression relation in that acute alcohol consumption is more likely to facilitate aggressive behavior in persons with low, rather than high, executive functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological compensation: A theoretical framework.

The 2 main objectives of this article are to review a variety of literatures in which the concept of compensation is used and to integrate the results of this review into a general framework of compensation. The review focuses on 4 domains of psychological inquiry: compensation for sensory handicaps, cognitive deficits, interpersonal losses, and brain injury. In the proposed framework, underlying dimensions and 4 basic steps in the progression of compensatory behavior are distinguished. The latter includes origins, mechanisms, forms, and consequences. Finally, the authors describe ways in which researchers in particular domains can benefit from the proposed global, process-oriented framework. For most of the areas of compensation research reviewed, investigators can profit from a consideration of a broader selection of dimensions, additional steps in the process, alternative outcomes, and both objective and subjective assessment procedures. (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)     

The five-factor model of personality as a framework for personality-health research.

The NEO Personality Inventory and representative personality scales drawn from health psychology were administered to 2 samples of male military recruits (Ns?=?296 and 502). Factor analysis of health-related personality scales revealed 3 conceptually meaningful domains. Examination of these domains and their constituent scales, with reference to the 5-factor model of personality, permits 3 general conclusions. First, most health-relevant dimensions and scales appear to be complex mixtures of broad personality domains. Second, variation in many health-related personality instruments is explained to a significant degree by the 5-factor model. Third, 2 of the 5 personality domains (i.e., conscientiousness and openness) appear to be substantially neglected in health psychology research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

International psychological research that matters for policy and practice.

After a brief history of the Committee on International Relations of the American Psychological Association, 3 points are made about international psychological research that matters. First, it matters when the definition of the research problem area and the findings can potentially be reflected in policy change, in the practice of educators or psychologists, or in the mindsets of a new generation of researchers. Person-centered analysis of adolescents’ social and political attitudes has this potential and can complement variable-centered analysis. A cluster analysis of the IEA Civic Education Study’s data in 5 Western European and 5 Eastern European countries illustrates this. The following 5 clusters of adolescents were identified: those supportive of social justice but not participative, those active in conventional politics and the community, those indifferent, those disaffected, and a problematic cluster of alienated adolescents. Second, research that matters is situated in a cultural context. It is proposed that publications using data from any single country be required to include information about the cultural context in which the research was conducted. Finally, it matters that attention be given to the dynamics of the collaborative international research process, not only to research results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A framework for consulting to organizational role.

Role is a key component in any organizational change and a critical place for such change to be initiated. This article discusses the concept of organizational role and its complexities. The article offers both a framework for thinking about organizational role and a process for consulting to organizational "role holders." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-concepts of institutionalized adolescents: A framework for conceptualizing labeling effects.

Assessed the self-concepts of 111 delinquents, 33 adolescent psychiatric inpatients, and 119 high school students in relation to 3 social labels (popular teenager, juvenile delinquent, and emotionally disturbed teenager). A semantic differential technique and discriminant analyses were used to compare profiles of self-ratings to profiles of role ratings. One analysis compared self-ratings with the control group's stereotypes, and the other compared self-ratings with an S's own group's stereotypes. Results reveal modest support for labeling effects only when self-ratings were matched with an S's own group's stereotypes. Findings suggest that an adolescent might choose one of several responses to a socially assigned label. Possible responses included accepting or rejecting the label as well as misperceiving the content of the role. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Metrics and mappings: A framework for understanding real-world quantitative estimation.

Estimation is influenced by a variety of processes: application of heuristics, domain-specific reasoning, and intuitive statistical induction among them. In this article, the authors propose the metrics and mapping framework to account for how these processes are integrated to generate estimates. This framework identifies 2 types of information as critical: knowledge of distributional properties (metric knowledge) and knowledge of relative status of individual entities within the distribution (mapping knowledge). Heuristics and domain-specific knowledge are both viewed as cues that contribute to mapping knowledge; intuitive statistical induction is viewed as providing cues to metric properties. Results of 4 experiments illustrate the framework's usefulness for integrating these types of information and for predicting when people emphasize heuristics and when they emphasize domain-specific knowledge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)