Review of Understanding peer influence in children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Understanding peer influence in children and adolescents edited by Mitchell J. Prinstein and Kenneth A. Dodge (see record 2008-08239-000). Peer influence on children and adolescents is the subject of many myths and fears. Many parents and teachers loathe it because they understand it as a force beyond their control and as a force that is likely to undermine their efforts at socializing their children according to their wishes and values. The first two sections of this book constitute beyond any doubt the most articulate and most informative account of extant theoretical models explaining the mechanisms of peer influence. The final section of the book opens with an interesting consideration of the influence of peers at the intimate, dyadic level—the influences of romantic partners. The book closes with a brief chapter on the motives underlying the emulation or tolerance of bullying behaviour by peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Countertransference in psychotherapy with children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Countertransference in psychotherapy with children and adolescents edited by Jerrold R. Brandell (see record 1992-97833-000). Books on child analytic work are rare, and books on countertransference in child treatment are basically nonexistent, despite the proliferation of writing on countertransference in work with adults. Thus, Jerrold Brandell's edited volume is a welcome and long-overdue addition to the literature. Although the book is not strictly about analysis, it is analytically informed. Brandell's stated goal is to advance the principle that "countertransference is a ubiquitous factor in child and adolescent treatment, and that its recognition, understanding, and management are essential to effective psychotherapy." This is indeed a worthy if not essential undertaking, and the collection of articles in Brandell's book advances this goal. Brandell prefaced the chapters with his own thorough historical literature review of countertransference in both adult and child work. He then subdivided the book into two sections, with the first containing two classic articles an countertransference and the bulk of the book devoted to the following "scientific situations" in child psychotherapy: racial and cultural issues, depressed and suicidal children and adolescents, infant-family treatment, severely disturbed adolescents, eating disorders, abused children and adolescents, parent loss and divorce, borderline children and adolescents, life-threatening illness, and substance-abusing adolescents. This book is a very good resource for child analysts and therapists, especially those who espouse a more relational or intersubjective point of view. It is suitable both for inexperienced analysts and as a reminder to more seasoned ones of the importance and pervasiveness of countertransference issues in our work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Preventing substance abuse among children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Preventing substance abuse among children and adolescents by Jean E. Rhodes and Leonard Jason (see record 1988-98428-000). This text is a recent volume in Pergamon Press's Psychology Practitioner Guidebooks series. The volumes in the series are reflective of the current trend to "manualize" various intervention approaches to specific behavior problems. The present volume is potentially valuable in that the content and implementation of various school-based prevention programs carried out in recent years (primarily in the context of research protocols) have not been disseminated widely to psychologists through the traditional means of professional texts. When the results of these investigations are presented in scholarly journal articles and chapters, the focus is usually on research aspects (e.g., methodological issues and outcome) and not the "nuts-and-bolts" of actually developing and implementing interventions. Furthermore, the need for materials of this type appears to be increasing. Many local organizations are actively attempting to develop substance abuse prevention programs and recently there have been major increases in federal funding for these activities. Thus, the publication of the text is clearly timely. Despite the shortcomings, the present text certainly fills an existing need. For the professional interested in educating him or herself in substance abuse prevention in adolescence, it is a good place to start. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Pain in children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Pain in children and adolescents by P. J. McGrath and A. M. Unruh (1987). This book is an extremely comprehensive work, dealing not only with specific clinical problems but also with such broader and complex issues as ethics and service delivery in pediatric pain. McGrath and Unruh go a long way to unravel the 'mystery' of pain in children by discussing clearly and concisely the literature on the assessment and measurement of pain in children. Clinical problems such as post-operative pain, abdominal pain, headache, muskuloskeletal pain, colic, injuries, psychogenic pain, and chronic intractable pain are all dealt with in individual chapters divided into clearly labelled sections, making it very easy for busy clinicians to locate their particular area of interest. One of the strengths of this book is the methodological expertise of the authors, which is evident in their evaluations of the research cited in the text. Novice researchers reading this book will be reminded of the many pitfalls to be avoided in research design, and postgraduate students seeking topics for research will find numerous suggestions in the 'future directions' sections of the book. The publishers are to be congratulated on their attractive presentation of the book. The type is large and very easy to read, the text is well spaced, and considering the amount of material in the book, it is remarkably compact in size and very reasonably priced. Providing as it does a comprehensive summary and analysis of the literature to date on pain in children, it is essential reading for all clinicians, paramedics, and researchers concerned with this important and long neglected area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of depression in children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Handbook of depression in children and adolescents by John R. Z. Abela and Benjamin L. Hankin (see record 2008-01178-000). The editors of this book embraced the ambitious objective of assembling a comprehensive review of the burgeoning literature on the etiology, prevention, and treatment of depression in children and adolescents. The book is divided into five parts. In an unusually brief introductory chapter, the editors emphasise the need for a critical analysis of the research on diverse theories of the etiology of depression in young people and coverage of interventions based on current theories. It is clear that this objective is met throughout the book. Abela and Hankin warn the reader that the reviews may generate more questions than answers. They hope the book will inspire the development of integrative and developmentally sensitive models. The book provides a comprehensive overview that clearly conveys the vibrancy of research in this area. The current format separates research on etiology from that on intervention. The authors of individual chapters do a good job of briefly highlighting the etiological factors on which the interventions are based. In a future edition, it would be very helpful for the editors to play a more explicit role in providing integrative syntheses to weave the themes together. In addition, to lay the foundation for the inclusion of positive psychotherapy and positive youth development programs, it would be useful to include a chapter addressing resilience and protective factors. In conclusion, this book will be appreciated by clinical scientists and scientist-practitioners alike. Abela and Hankin are to be congratulated for editing a book that convinces the reader that this is an exciting research area with great promise for further development of prevention and treatment of depression in children and adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Techniques and issues in abuse-focused therapy with children and adolescents.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 43(1) of Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne (see record 2007-16926-001). In the biographical note following the review of Sandra Wieland's Techniques and issues in abuse-focused therapy with children and adolescents (Canadian Psychology, 2001, 42(4), p. 330), the author was identified as Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa. In fact, Dr. Wieland's appointment at the University of Ottawa ended in 1997.] Reviews the book, Techniques and issues in abuse-focused therapy with children and adolescents by Sandra Wieland (1998). Sandra Wieland's second book deals with difficulties faced by all kinds of therapists when dealing (in therapy) with young victims of sexual abuse. This book is unusual in that it emphasizes intervention over theory. It is based on clinical experience and includes a large number of excerpts from interviews. Another unusual aspect is the importance Wieland gives to adolescent experience. Basically, the book has four parts. The first part is a reiteration of the theoretical trauma model; the second deals with techniques; the third involves individual challenges corresponding to dissociation, sexuality, and resistance. In the fourth part, 15 adolescents and young adults present their point of view on what hindered and what helped their therapy. The techniques described have rarely been written about before, which makes this book highly interesting. This book stands out for its great sensitivity and understanding of children. It offers solid and imaginative approaches for caseworkers, as well as a wealth of information on methods seldom discussed elsewhere. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Head injury rehabilitation: Children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Head injury rehabilitation: Children and adolescents edited by M. Ylvisaker (1985). This is an edited text written by an interdisciplinary team of clinicians that provides a consolidated source of medical, psychological, and educational information pertaining to traumatic head injury (THI) in youth of use to a wide range of professionals. Part I deals with the pathophysiology and outcome of THI in children and adolescents. Part II addresses the family response to THI. Part III deals with the medical management of THI during the acute phase of hospitalization. Part IV addresses the physical rehabilitation of THI youngsters. Part V focuses upon cognitive rehabilitation and "cognitive retraining." Part VI covers behavioral and psychosocial issues and interventions. Finally, Part VII deals specifically with the educational and vocational rehabilitation of THI children and adolescents. This text comes close to painting a comprehensive picture of THI. The inclusion of practical data and specific recommendations makes this text relevant. The text also does a fine job of distinguishing THI youngsters from other classes of exceptional children while clearly pointing out that appropriate educational programs often do not exist for this unique group of learners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language, society and identity.

Reviews the book, Language, society and identity by John R. Edwards (1985). This book attempts to bring together the main lines of thought on ethnic identity, nationalism, language maintenance, and bilingualism. The book is divided into seven chapters which discuss: the definitions of such concepts as ethnic identity, ethnicity, nationalism, language, and dialect; consideration of language and nationalism; language maintenance and shift; issues of "ethnic revival" and the "new ethnicity; education; language attitudes, behaviour, and research and; the separation of language maintenance from ethnic maintenance. Despite what seem to be numerous reservations, I find that this book has many good features. It does take us a lot closer to an interdisciplinary view on language and ethnicity; it reminds us about the variety of social settings in which language contact (and conflict) plays a role; it brings out many controversial points and supplies arguments from different perspectives for such controversies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language, the sexes and society.

Reviews the book, Language, the sexes and society by Philip M. Smith (1985). The book under review is topical, as it deals with gender issues and language approached from a social psychological perspective, two areas that have seen a flurry of activity in recent years. The reader is taken to the forefront of research in these areas and encounters a substantial amount of information. The book contains an extensive critical review, as well as a report of Philip Smith's own studies dealing with the recognition of masculinity-femininity of speakers by listeners. In the review section, speech forms associated with speaker sex, as studied by anthropological linguists, sociolinguists, and social psychologists are reviewed. We learn further about how women and men are represented in language (e.g., in the media, in advertisement, reference material). I would use this book as suggested reading to advanced undergraduates and graduate students. But the primary market for the book is among scholars and researchers engaged in the study of language and gender issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language in the Americas.

Reviews the book, Language in the Americas by Joseph H. Greenberg (1987). Greenberg's work on universals of language has crossed disciplinary boundaries to become known to many psychologists interested in language. His equally important work in language classification, of which Language in the Americas is one part, remains unfamiliar to psychologists. This book is a pioneering work in that it is the first genetic classification of the indigenous languages of both North and South America. Greenberg maintains that all of the languages of the Americas belong to three families: Eskimo-Aleut, Na-Dene, and a family that he has named Amerind. This assertion is both important and controversial; the controversy lies in the grouping of most of the languages including all of those of South and Central America into the Amerind family. Most of Language in the Americas consists of the Amerind etymological dictionary, arranged so that the reader can assess lexical similarities within and between subgroups. Greenberg's discussion is informed, articulate, profound, and to the point. He draws on relevant sources and examples from diverse fields of knowledge. The depth and breadth of his scholarship and the clarity of his presentation create a work that is an intellectual pleasure to read. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language functions and brain organization.

Reviews the book, Language functions and brain organization edited by Sidney J. Segalowitz (1983). This volume attempts an up-to-date summary of our knowledge of brain/language relationships by 24 distinguished researchers in the field (six of them Canadian). The four parts deal with "the general concept of language as a mental organ or a mental complex," "the brain base for language," developmental aspects, and hemispheric lateralization. For each part, the editor has written a brief introduction, which is followed by three or four chapters. The book as a whole presents a delightful though somewhat idiosyncratic selection of topics, loosely focused on the general theme of brain and language. Systematic coverage is not attempted, nor is it likely to be gained from an edited book with its inevitable problems of unevenness in style, differences in approach, and overlap in content. The editor seems to have given at least some of his authors free rein to write about their topic of specialization, and they do it well. It is fun to pick and choose chapters of interest, but I would not recommend front-to-back reading in the expectation of a textbook introduction to the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language, cognition and deafness.

Reviews the book, Language, cognition and deafness by Michael Rodda and Carl Grove (see record 1987-97707-000). In this book, Rodda and Grove clearly subscribe to the view that along with speech and hearing, deaf persons should be allowed to use their "natural" language, Sign Language, American Sign Language (ASL), or in Canada, Canadian Sign Language (CSL). What makes this book unusual and important is that the authors have taken great pains to document their position through reference to hard experimental evidence, much of which has been done by psychologists. It is hard to imagine that anyone reading this book would not be definitively persuaded by their arguments, which are based on recent developments in psychology, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, as well as many other allied fields. Rodda and Grove clearly want to see Sign Language (ASL) accepted as part of the educational, psychological and cultural world of deaf adults, without demeaning the importance of speech and hearing in the communication process. This highly readable and informative book will undoubtedly help move the field in that direction, and I highly recommend it to the specialist and non-specialist alike. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language development in the preschool years.

Reviews the book, Language development in the preschool years by Gordon Wells (1985). This is the second report of a massive study of child language that has come to be known as "the Bristol study." It was carried out on local children by members of the University of Bristol. It is the best longitudinal study of its type that I have seen. Educators will find the book useful. Many people are worried about the "permissible" limits of variability: when a child is to be treated as normal and when professional intervention is required. The book gives no precise rules, but it can help to inform judgement. Taking one thing with another, the book is replete with useful information that the student of child language will not want to be without. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language, the sexes and society.

Reviews the book, Language, the sexes and society by Philip M. Smith (1985). As with any growing field that encompasses the diversity of orientations characterizing research on sex and language, there is a need periodically to take stock so as to bring a more integrative impulse to the accumulated findings. Philip Smith's recent book provides such an overview and critical evaluation of the current status of sex-language research, an endeavour to which he brings the perspective of a social psychologist. For those interested in a social psychological perspective on sex-language questions, Smith's book provides a very useful evaluation of the state of research in this field and identifies promising directions for future research. Those whose particular interests focus more on women and language or communication within same-sex groups will find little coverage of such topics. However, despite these gaps, the book provides much food for thought and warrants a careful reading by researchers working in the sex-language area. Because of its research emphasis, I feel this book would be most relevant to graduate courses and, in particular, would serve as a valuable source for work in women's studies, sociolinguistics, and social psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language learning and concept acquisition: Foundational issues.

Reviews the book, Language Learning and concept acquisition: Foundational issues edited by William Demopoulos and Ausonio Marras (1986). This is a stimulating and informative book presenting various attempts to account for the highly regular nature of language acquisition. Although many of the individual chapters in this book are quite excellent, the book suffers from a lack of cohesiveness because: (1) the chapters vary tremendously in their complexity and completeness--some are written at an introductory level, whereas others assume the reader to have a highly sophisticated knowledge base; and (2) the editors make no attempt to tie the book together. There are no introductory or summary comments to the various sections in the book and, in fact, there is not even a proper foreword. This severely limits the usefulness of the book. Nevertheless, I would recommend this collection of readings to researchers and scholars in the fields of psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and the cognitive sciences. It contains many provocative ideas, and would be particularly useful to study in a seminar (or other group) setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent psychopathology, parenting, and child internalizing problems in substance-abusing families.

A structural model accounting for child internalizing problems in substance-abusing families was tested. Parents receiving substance abuse treatment (N = 242) completed forms about children between the ages of 6 and 18 who resided in their home. The effects of parent gender, child gender, and child age were controlled. Negative parenting was examined as a mediator between parent internalizing and externalizing problems and child anxiety and affective problems using path analysis. Negative parenting mediated relations only between parent internalizing problems and child affective problems. High-positive involvement moderated relations between parent externalizing problems and child internalizing problems. Relations between parent externalizing problems and child anxiety and affective problems were significant only among families in which high-positive involvement was present. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Pediatric and adolescent behavioral medicine: Issues in treatment.

Reviews the book, Pediatric and Adolescent Behavioral Medicine: Issues in Treatment edited by Patrick J. McGrath and Philip Firestone (1983). With recent advances in behavioural medicine more generally, paediatric behavioural medicine has been expanding rapidly during the last decade. At this time, it seems most opportune to integrate notions from psychological and developmental models of treatment with medical treatment models, practice, and services. This book covers a number of childhood and adolescent disorders, including abdominal pain syndrome, asthma, elevated blood pressure, cigarette smoking, and obesity. The issues raised in this edited volume cover a number of important difficulties in the behavioural paediatrics area. Psychologists and other professionals working with difficulties associated with treating paediatric problems in well-child health care facilities will find it very useful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language beyond postmodernism: Saying and thinking in Gendlin’s philosophy.

Reviews the book, Language beyond postmodernism: Saying and thinking in Gendlin’s philosophy, edited by David Michael Levin (1997). Eugene Gendlin's influence on contemporary theory of language is the focus of this collection. Essays in the volume examine not only the way in which concepts grow out of ordinary, lived-experience, but the relations between Gendlin's philosophy of language and experience and the philosophies of Wittgenstein, Dilthey, and Heidegger. Each of the volume's essays is followed up by a response prepared by Gendlin himself. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)