Conflict and organizational commitments.

Used a multiple constituency framework to examine the correlates (antecedents) of organizational commitment among 124 mental health professionals (mean age 28 yrs). Ss completed a constituency endorsement measure and an organizational commitment questionnaire. Conflicts among multiple commitments and multiple commitments to several constituencies (3 internal and 1 external) were correlated with global organizational commitment. Results indicate that the perceived conflict between individual and managerial goal orientations was significantly associated with organizational commitment. In addition, only commitment to top management's goals was positively associated with commitment to the organization. It is suggested that commitments may develop over time and should therefore be studied longitudinally. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment as an intervention in the child and family forensic setting.

Before a Children's Court decision is reached, a clinical assessment may be ordered by the court. This assessment often occurs when tension is high for the family and when well-established defenses may falter, and it can provide a prime, critical opportunity to facilitate positive change. Comprehensive psychological assessment at the Children's Court Clinic in Melbourne, Australia, indicates the intervention value of a serious attempt to understand the complexity of the psychological issues facing a child and family. With the aid of illustrative case studies, this article discusses the therapeutic aspects and implications of such assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol breeds empty goal commitments.

According to alcohol-myopia theory (C. M. Steele & R. A. Josephs, 1990), alcohol leads individuals to disproportionally focus on the most salient aspects of a situation and to ignore peripheral information. The authors hypothesized that alcohol leads individuals to strongly commit to their goals without considering information about the probability of goal attainment. In Study 1, participants named their most important interpersonal goal, indicated their expectations of successfully attaining it, and then consumed either alcohol or a placebo. In contrast to participants who consumed a placebo, intoxicated participants felt strongly committed to their goals despite low expectations of attaining them. In Study 2, goal-directed actions were measured over time. Once sober again, intoxicated participants with low expectations did not follow up on their strong commitments. Apparently, when prospects are bleak, alcohol produces empty goal commitments, as commitments are not based on individuals’ expectations of attaining their goals and do not foster goal striving over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Epistemological commitments of behavioral and psychoanalytic therapists.

Administered the Psycho-Epistemological Profile—Experimental Form VI to 53 behavioral therapists (mean age 41.8 yrs) and 66 psychoanalysts (mean age 54.7 yrs) in order to determine the epistemological differences underlying the philosophy of each therapy. Ss also provided information about their orientation and amount of time devoted to service vs research activities. Results support the hypothesis that basic visions of reality, operationalized as epistemic styles, are possible barriers to therapeutic integration. However, simply demonstrating a difference does not prove incompatibility, even if the finding is specifically predicted by theories that claim that such differences are a direct cause of therapeutic incompatibility. Findings provide empirical verification of a theoretically predicted phenomenon. Virtually all the observed differences between the behavioral therapists and psychoanalysts appear attributable to the extreme homogeneity of the psychoanalytic therapists. It is suggested that, since behavioral therapists and psychoanalytic therapists are characterized by distinctive epistemological commitments, the differences can be ascribed to Ss as individual persons. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Team productivity and contradiction of management policy commitments.

What is the relationship between management consistency of policy and team productivity? "A simulated small industrial plant was the setting for an experiment in which a team of Ss worked together on a manufacturing problem. Their assigned task was to produce different kinds of toys at a profit… . Twenty four-man teams were divided into ten consecutive team pairs, each member of a pair being subjected either to (a) a condition under which the team's expectations of management were contradicted by subsequent events or (b) a condition under which the team's expectations were confirmed. The hypothesis that team productivity would be greater under the confirmation condition was supported by the data. Some theoretical implications of the experiment were suggested." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological effects on surviving family members of seeing the deceased person after forensic autopsy.

In medicolegal autopsy, it is essential to consider the emotions experienced by relatives of the deceased person. This study examined the psychological effects on surviving family members of seeing the deceased person’s body after forensic autopsy. Participants (n = 359) were surveyed by means of a questionnaire designed to measure posttraumatic symptoms; 62 participants had been involved in traumatic events related to the bereavement (trauma-involved group), and 297 participants had not (no-involvement group). Statistical analyses using structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that the model implying a significant difference between these groups was better fitted, than that implying no difference. The trauma-involved group showed a higher score for posttraumatic symptoms than the no-involvement group (Ms = .32 and .00, respectively). However, there was a negative correlation in the trauma-involved group between seeing the deceased person after forensic autopsy and posttraumatic symptoms (r = ?.43), but there was no correlation (r = ?.01) in the no-involvement group. Furthermore, factor structure for posttraumatic symptoms in bereaved people showed that treatment focused on avoidance behavior would be most effective Japan. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Philosophical commitments and therapy approach preferences among psychotherapy trainees.

Examined the role of philosophical beliefs in psychotherapy approach preference. It was hypothesized that trainees would prefer approaches that most closely correspond to their personal philosophical beliefs. 59 students (median age 27 yrs) were given audiotaped presentations. Three dimensions of the Ss' philosophical commitments (ontological, epistemological and causal) were examined in relation to their relative preferences for 3 therapy approaches: rationalist, constructivist and behavioral. Results show that Ss tended to prefer a specific approach that most corresponded to their own ontological, epistemological and causal commitments. This suggests a role for philosophical beliefs in therapists' preferences for different theoretical orientations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Advances in forensic toxicology

Over the last 15 years there have been many changes in the practice of forensic toxicology. One of the most noteworthy has been the recognition of the need for good laboratory practices in the forensic toxicology laboratory. This has resulted in the development of an accreditation program for laboratories. Increasingly, forensic toxicologists are asked to interpret results in driving under the influence of drug cases. These interpretations are also difficult because of the lack of data correlating blood (or plasma) concentrations with impairment. The development of newer immunoassays and hyphenated mass spectrometric techniques now allow the forensic toxicologist to assay a large number of drugs (both traditional and products of the biotechnology revolution) with increasing sensitivity. This article focuses on these changes and some of the challenges facing the forensic toxicologists of the 21st century.     

Research training in forensic psychology: National survey of forensic facilities.

A survey was sent to the 103 directors of public forensic facilities in the United States. Responses were received from 68, a response rate of 66%. Information on the facilities' involvement in training and research in forensic psychology was obtained. A number of facilities reported involvement in psychology training at different levels; graduate practicum (43%) and predoctoral internship (41%) were among the most common. Forensic psychological research was either "encouraged" or "strongly encouraged" by 59% of responding facilities. Some institutional support was also available for research. Results suggest that forensic facilities have a largely untapped potential for helping to meet the growing research and training needs in forensic psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Capillary electrophoresis in clinical and forensic analysis

During the past decade, capillary electrophoresis (CE) emerged as a promising, effective and economic approach for separation of a large variety of substances, including those encountered in clinical and forensic analysis. Reliable and automated CE instruments became commercially available and promoted the exploration of an increasing number of CE methods and fields of application. The widespread applicability of CE, its enormous separation power and high-sensitivity detection schemes make this technology an attractive and promising tool. This review discusses the principles and important aspects of CE-based assays and provides an overview of the key achievements encountered with CE in clinical and forensic analysis, including those associated with the analysis of serum proteins, hemoglobin variants, drugs and nucleic acids. Validated assays, interesting applications and future trends in clinical and forensic analysis are also discussed.     

Compatibility of therapeutic and forensic roles.

An article by S. A. Greenberg and D. W. Shuman (1997; see record 1997-02162-009) has been prominently referenced as an authoritative document making the argument that "explicit ethical precepts" (p. 50) are violated when a therapist provides expert forensic testimony. Greenberg and Shuman (1997) claimed that psychologists attempting to do so are engaging in an "irreconcilable conflict between therapeutic and forensic roles" (p. 50). Their arguments are challenged here and shown to conflict with established ethical standards and guidelines for forensic psychologists. The current author discusses serious potential negative ramifications to the public interest and the profession of psychology if state boards of psychology adopt the position of Greenberg and Shuman as a basis for the discipline of psychologists both treating patients and providing expert testimony. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

浅谈商事信用法律系统的构建

我国目前在商事活动中信用缺失的根本原因在于法律制度体系的整合功能没有得到充分释放.市场经济的良性发展有赖于商事交易中恒存的普遍的诚信,而诚信的建立不仅需要完善私法范畴的商事法律制度体系,而且需要完善公法领域的法律制度体系,只有将私法体系和公法体系在规则的制定及实施中进行有效的连接,对产生不信任的各个环节进行系统的法律控制,商事信用才能在经济生活中得到最终的确立.     

An introduction to forensic dentistry

Dental science has much to offer law enforcement agencies in the detection and solution of crime. The permanent teeth develop throughout the first two decades of life, and physiologic variations, pathoses, and the effects of dental therapy may be recorded in the hard tissues of the remaining dentition throughout life and beyond. It is the role of the forensic dentist to extract this information and use it in the identification of the unknown body. The teeth may also be used as weapons and, under certain circumstances, may leave information as to the identity of the biter. Analysis of bite marks is the second major responsibility of the forensic dentist. The general practitioner has a major role to play in providing the accurate dental records on which much of forensic activity is based.