The transference and the zone of proximal development

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is discussed, a construct that, when introduced into psychoanalysis, advances understanding of the key clinical relationship between the intrapsychic and the interpersonal. Strands from several psychoanalytic formulations are brought together and forged into a coherent construct, which is then contrasted with the transference. It is shown how the ZPD provides the transference with its mutative potential. Just as the transference provides the motivation for the recruitment of objects to accomplish its purposes (repetition), the ZPD leads to the recruitment of objects in order to accomplish its purposes (to learn by ushering individuals into a speech and internalization community). Under the sway of the transference objects are sought so that early disregulating experiences can be repeated and an opportunity provided for a better resolution. The ZPD works in tandem with the transference, capitalizing on the impetus provided, allowing for the possibility of internalization, a beneficial outcome to transference repetition which otherwise would have no agent of conflict resolution. In analysis, when the transference and the ZPD enjoin smoothly, the potential outcome is "insight" in a broad sense. The processes of the ZPD define the optimal interpersonal context of psychoanalysis, one that allows the intrapsychic to be best reached by analytic interventions. Given the inevitability of mutual influences between analyst and analysand, the analyst strives simultaneously to be in the ZPD yet outside the transference with the analysand, a crucial tension that is a constant, precarious technical factor. This useful tension casts light on such procedural guides as optimal frustration and abstinence.     

Dyadic drumming across the lifespan reveals a zone of proximal development in children.

Many social interactions require the synchronization—be it automatically or intentionally—of one's own behavior with that of others. Using a dyadic drumming paradigm, the authors delineate lifespan differences in interpersonal action synchronization (IAS). Younger children, older children, younger adults, and older adults in same- and mixed-age dyads were instructed to drum in synchrony with their interaction partner at a constant, self-chosen tempo. Adult-only dyads showed the highest and children-only the lowest levels of IAS accuracy. It is important to note that children improved reliably in IAS accuracy when paired with older partners. The observed age-related differences in IAS accuracy remained reliable after statistically controlling for individual differences in the ability to synchronize to a metronome and for between-dyad differences in tempo. The authors conclude that IAS improves from middle childhood to adulthood and that adult interaction partners may facilitate its development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

"最近发展区"理论在中专教育中的应用

"最近发展区"理论是前苏联学者维果斯基提出的关于教学和智力发展的关系的观点.其含义是:学生在有指导的情况下,借助教师的帮助所达到的解决问题的水平与在独立活动中所达到的解决问题的水平之间的差异.     

The computer as clinician.

Discusses the use of computational and noncomputational computers in profile analysis, interviewing, personality assessment, and medical/clinical data processing and simulation. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of reading-related phonological processing abilities: New evidence of bidirectional causality from a latent variable longitudinal study.

Results from a longitudinal correlational study of 244 children from kindergarten through 2nd grade indicate that young children's phonological processing abilities are well-described by 5 correlated latent abilities: phonological analysis, phonological synthesis, phonological coding in working memory, isolated naming, and serial naming. These abilities are characterized by different developmental rates and remarkably stable individual differences. Decoding did not exert a causal influence on subsequent phonological processing abilities, but letter-name knowledge did. Causal relations between phonological processing abilities and reading-related knowledge are bidirectional: Phonological processing abilities exert strong causal influences on word decoding; letter-name knowledge exerts a more modest causal influence on subsequent phonological processing abilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reading as a generative process.

From a model of learning as a generative process, it was hypothesized that familiar stories, in contrast to unfamiliar stories, facilitate the learners' generation of meaning for low-frequency, undefined words. In 3 experiments, 468 6th graders were randomly assigned to across-S treatments which applied the hypothesis. Across 3 levels of reading ability (determined by Science Research Associates Reading Placement and Listening Skills Tests), 4 elementary schools, and 2 modes of presentation, the hypothesis was supported (p     

Countertransference as a prototype: The development of a measure.

Countertransference is a concept that is widely acknowledged, but there exists little definitional consensus, making research in the area difficult. The authors adopted a prototype theory (E. H. Rosch, 1973a, 1973b; see C. B. Mervis & E. Rosch, 1981, for a review) to examine this construct because it conceptually fits well with constructs that elude explicit definition. In Study 1, 45 experienced psychologists highly agreed with the prototypicality of 104 different examples of countertransference providing support for the presence of a prototype. In Study 2, the usage of this prototype in a sample of 35 trainees was related to ability to perceive countertransference in a case example drawn from the literature and positively correlated with self-reports of their experiences of countertransference but not with their self-reported ability to manage countertransference once it was manifest. Implications for training and research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early reading-related skills and performance, reading self-concept, and the development of academic self-concept: A longitudinal study.

Relations between academic self-concept (ASC) and measures of reading-related performance and self-concept were examined in 60 beginning school children who, after 2 years of schooling, were assessed as having positive, negative, or typical ASCs. Data were collected soon after school entry, toward the end of Years 1 and 2, and during the middle of Year 3. Children with negative ASCs performed poorly on reading-related tasks and reported more negative reading self-concepts than did children with positive or typical ASCs. Reading was also highly predictive of negative and positive ASC group membership, but not of typical ASC group membership. Past studies of relations between ASC and achievement involving full-range samples of young children have underestimated the point in time when these factors become causally related to each other. The negative consequences of young children developing patterns of difficulty in learning to read are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology of computer use: XLV. Cognitive spontaneity as a correlate of computer anxiety and attitudes toward computer use

The relationship of cognitive spontaneity with measures of computer anxiety and attitudes toward computer use was investigated in a sample of 178 individuals attending advanced courses in management. As expected, a significant negative relationship between cognitive spontaneity and computer anxiety was found. The relationship remained significant even with statistical control for computer experience. The relationship between cognitive spontaneity and attitudes toward computer use was positive but not significant. The results imply both a direct and an indirect relationship between cognitive spontaneity and computer anxiety. Further, the results support the suggestion that computer anxiety and attitudes toward computer use are related but distinct constructs.     

Partner support as a mediator of intervention outcome

Following up on previous work demonstrating that an intervention with at-risk mothers made a positive impact on the quality of mothers' partner support, responsiveness to the needs of the child, the child's expectation of being cared for, and child's response to a brief separation, the present paper examines whether quality of the mother's partner support mediated the impact of the intervention on these outcomes.     

The Development of Reading in Children Who Speak English as a Second Language.

Patterns of reading development were examined in native English-speaking (L1) children and children who spoke English as a second language (ESL). Participants were 978 (790 L1 speakers and 188 ESL speakers) Grade 2 children involved in a longitudinal study that began in kindergarten. In kindergarten and Grade 2, participants completed standardized and experimental measures including reading, spelling, phonological processing, and memory. All children received phonological awareness instruction in kindergarten and phonics instruction in Grade 1. By the end of Grade 2, the ESL speakers' reading skills were comparable to those of L1 speakers, and ESL speakers even outperformed L1 speakers on several measures. The findings demonstrate that a model of early identification and intervention for children at risk is beneficial for ESL speakers and also suggest that the effects of bilingualism on the acquisition of early reading skills are not negative and may be positive. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Worker equality and adult development: The kibbutz as a developmental model.

Adults' social status, particularly their occupations, is a powerful predictor of their level of moral and ego development. This association's inevitability was tested by examining the relationship of personal development with social status among 3 groups of workers. Results showed that kibbutz workers' moral and ego development were not significantly associated with educational, occupational, or social class standing, but that Israeli city and North American worker's moral and ego development were significantly associated with all measures of social status. In further contrast, work complexity was significantly associated with both moral and ego development only for kibbutz workers, suggesting that they engage in jobs that are appropriate to their psychological development without creating social inequality. Implications for developmental theory and workplace research are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A general-purpose computer system for a research and development center.

Describes a time-sharing PDP-15 computer system, the Experimental Time-Sharing System (ETSS), which has 16 on-site terminals that operate 12 hrs/day, 6 days/wk, and is located at an elementary school 12 miles from the university laboratory which designed it (the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh). 16 remote terminals access the system through public telephone lines. Issues related to tailoring the ETSS to a laboratory environment, strategies for the interfacing and control of laboratory devices, and application environments are examined. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Death of One's Partner: The Anticipation and the Reality.

The loss of a chosen partner is, for many people, one of the most tragic events that can occur. The severity of the sense of loss and grief is contingent on length of marriage/relationship, age of partner and of their children, whether the partner's death was sudden or followed a long illness, socioeconomic status, existence of a support network, and whether the relationship was predominantly happy or discordant. This article explores the fear about and reactions to death of a partner. It is based on over 35 years of clinical practice and draws on myriad observations about how family, friends, and patients perceive and cope with this life-altering event. Case illustrations are used, and interventions are highlighted to provide a possible template for clinicians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reading difficulties as a cause of behavior problems in adolescence.

It is difficult to state whether the learning and reading problems cause the socially deviant behaviour, or whether the emotional problems lead to the reading and learning problems in adolescents of normal intelligence. This may be a difficult question to answer in general, but in a given specific case with proper assessment, it is not hard to decide which came first. It has been stated that no deviant child among exceptional children suffers more in the way of retaliatory and rejecting attitudes on the part of those around him than does the delinquent youngster. It has also been found that teachers and youth workers do not like to deal with a delinquent child. This is in fact a sad state of affairs because though these youngsters may be difficult and lack motivation however, they do possess the potential to become successful criminals or tax paying citizens of our Community of tomorrow. Very much depends upon the help provided during the difficult years of adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Treatment for Partner Abuse: Time for a Paradigm Shift.

The standard approach of arresting abusers and mandating their participation in short-term group treatment produces mixed results at best. Six problematic assumptions compromise the outcome of this 1-size-fits-all intervention. A review of these assumptions suggests the need for a paradigmatic shift toward the need to identify abusers who can and cannot be helped. For those amenable to treatment, intervention should include the assessment of both partners and their interaction as well as the provision of individualized, 4-step multidimensional services for both abusers and their victims. Activism, research, and skill-building are all required to promote the vitally needed changes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Treatment for all: the computer as a patient assistant

Hypertension and hyperlipidemia are common and powerful risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Although they may coexist in the same individual by chance, the syndrome of insulin resistance is the common mechanism in many individuals, in whom there is a specific lipoprotein profile of small, dense, low-density lipoprotein particles, reduced plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and increased plasma triglycerides. This lipoprotein profile may be exacerbated by diuretics or beta-blockers. Initial management of the insulin resistance syndrome is by weight loss and dietary measures. Optimum antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drug strategy remains to be established.