Clients, roles, and functions of the school psychologist.

The basic credo held by American school psychologists is that of child advocacy. Yet, with most school psychologists being employed by local school systems—where administrators often place institutional needs over individual student needs—the practitioner role is usually conflict-laden. Even though the preferred practitioner role is generally direct service to children through counseling or indirect student help via teacher consultation or parent counseling, at this time the school practitioner's major role in many settings is that of "gate keeping," which involves testing and certifying pupil eligibility for special education. If we look forward to the time when inappropriate gatekeeping—that is, formally labeling the mildly handicapped as eligible for special education—is eliminated, other functions performed must be strengthened and made more desirable to make the role of the school psychologist more viable. In addition to competent counseling skills, the ability to provide effective teacher consultation within schools is essential, not only for dealing with behavior, but instruction as well. The upgrading of school psychologists' skills is essential to ensure that, regardless of possible conflicts engendered, there will be at least one highly skilled child advocate working in the schools. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychologist as change agent.

Given the press of contemporary social problems, psychologists are confronted with opportunities to become agents for social change. The academic, research-oriented training of psychologists does not equip him with the relevant values, knowledge, or skills to become an effective change agent and predisposes: him to reject the role as unscientific or unprofessional. This is true for the clinical, educational, and industrial psychologist as well as for the experimental and comparative psychologist. Professionals are being trained in management schools and departments of applied behavioral science who possess the requisite values, interdisciplinary knowledge, and consultative skills to be effective change agents in large organizations. Their general strategy is to transmit their knowledge and skills to non-professionals in the organization who share their values. Psychologists have typically viewed this activity by non-psychologists as a threat and their response has been characterized more by a defence of the discipline than by a concern for solving problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudinal comparison of business employees and students in the school of business administration.

"An attitude survey blank containing 40 statements and covering the areas of government control, personnel policy, profit distribution, unionism, and the free enterprise system was completed by 49 business employees and 146 business administration students. 1. Significant differences between responses of the two groups were found on 6 of the 40 statements. 2. Disagreement was greatest in the area of equality of profit distribution. Students regarded equality of distribution with considerable disfavor." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychologist as novelist.

Exacting change in patients, students, supervisees, and other parties need not be limited to the classroom, consulting room, self-help books, or psychological texts. Authors may also educate and impact others through fiction. Specifically, the literary or commercial novel affords psychologists the opportunity to enlighten, empower, or otherwise touch the lives of those not normally privy to our expertise. To be sure, some mental health professionals have made the leap into fiction, but psychologists have been slow to follow, especially when compared with other professions (e.g., law, medicine). This article invites psychologists to apply their knowledge of human behavior and facility with the written word to the modern novel. Steps for starting are itemized as is other information pertinent to persisting in the face of opposition and resistance. A case study briefly describing this author's journey is also offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The behavioral scientist in business and industry.

Specifies roles for the behavioral scientist in business and industry, focusing on the areas of human resources retention, morale and productivity, job enrichment, and training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychologist as an instrument of prediction.

This selection system is meant to be a synthesis of a statistical and a clinical approach. Psychologists administered group and individual tests to applicants for copilot courses in the Scandinavian Airlines System. "During the years 1951-56 a total of 780 applicants were examined." Remaining and dismissed pilots were compared and the resulting data served as the criteria of the validity of the selection system. The psychologists discussed their evaluations until they agreed on ratings. The results suggest that in this instance clinical prediction was better than statistical. "There is no magic in the fact that psychologists, when given this leading role, can be more effective as predictors than batteries of tests." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychologist looks at language.

In this Presidential Address the author examines language—limited to the simple, declarative, present tense sentence—from the point of view of a learning psychologist. The basic assumption is "that what the sentence does is to shift or transfer meanings, not from person to person, but from sign to sign within the mind of the recipient." Language is not conditioning alone but requires postulation of a "mediating reaction." Animal communication is limited to thing-thing or thing-sign while human language is sign-sign. "Language is a device whereby another person, on the basis of experience with one reality, may be made to react… somewhat differently toward another reality, without any new direct experience with that reality." 90-item bibliography. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The APA international scientist and visiting scientist programs: 1961-62.

The International Scientist Program involves a small number of first rank scientists and their visits to a limited number of American universities. The Program of Visiting Scientists continued for the 2nd year (in 1961-62); visits were arranged to each of the 96 institutions applying. A table listing the colleges and their respective visitors is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychologist as an expert witness in court.

"An important problem in psychology today is the legal status of the psychologist and his relationship to the courts; and of special importance in the position of the psychologist as an expert witness… . There is considerable evidence of the use of psychologists in court cases in the federal courts… " as well as in state courts. "There is… conflicting evidence as to state court opinions on the expertness of testimony given by psychologists… . Once an adequate definition of a psychologist is established by legal authorities… [the problem of the position of the psychologist as an expert witness]… will be much nearer to a solution." Certification or licensing legislation seems to be desirable. 29 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of the psychologist in labor unions.

"The arguments presented in this paper indicate that psychology has very much to offer trade unions in terms of specific skilled services. Unions, in turn, inasmuch as they contain a population of individuals upon whom relatively meagre research has been inaugurated, can contribute important empirical findings to the existing body of psychological knowledge. Each in its own constituted uniqueness has a great deal to offer the other." Major topics discussed are the union and psychology (industrial unrest, relations with management, working conditions within the plant, internal union organization) and psychological research with union populations. 26 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychologist as an expert witness on the issue of insanity.

Psychologists have made assertions in the courtroom "that do not have the blessings of the entire professional psychological community, and these assertions have brought court opporpribum to them and perhaps to the psychologist in general." Testimony from a District Court of the District of Columbia is presented; it provides "psychologists who rely on projective tests with information on how such evaluations may be treated by an opposing and often hostile attorney, or how they may be interpreted in a court of law which permits cross examination of witnesses, including expert witnesses." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When the psychologist testifies.

Prompted by an article by J. L. McCary (see record 1961-01526-001), author Wolfgang Schwarz wanted to relate his own experiences of being an expert witness. The introduction in the article by McCary states that "this case material should familiarize the psychologist with some of the usual problems encountered in testifying as an expert witness." However, Schwarz's qualifications as an expert witness were not challenged to the degree related in McCary's experiences. McCary's presentation in its condensed and extensive deleted form does not allow for an evaluation regarding the specific testimony. Expert testimony experiences have led Schwarz to the conclusion that satisfactory preparation for the court requires command of the material about which one is testifying, a thorough knowledge of behavioral norms and psychopathology, and an adequate fund of general information. McCary's case material may be unusual in the amount of repartee it contains and the number of ad hominem exchanges. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychologist and the small mental hospital.

A brief questionnaire was sent to the directors of the 82 hospitals belonging to the National Association of Private Psychiatric Hospitals. Replies were received from 49 or 60% of the sample of which 47 could be used for tabulation. "Only two hospitals say they do not use psychological tests; four more use them occasionally; one does not say; and the other 40, or 85% of our sample, gives an unqualified 'yes.' All those hospitals giving tests even occasionally, indicate the Rorschach as routine. All but two also list the Wechsler in this way." "Only 14 of the hospitals employ full-time psychologists. 23 more employ part-time psychologists." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The American psychologist abroad.

A 50-60% return is estimated on a questionnaire distributed to American psychologists abroad. Geographical distribution of respondents and their major professional activities are reported. Major sections are: Advantages of Working and Living Abroad, Disadvantages Associated with Working Abroad, Relations with Inhabitants, Standard of Living, Requirements for Working Abroad, Demand for Psychologists Abroad, and How to Get a Job Abroad. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Linking assessment to intervention in the 21st century.

Reviews the book, Building positive behavior support systems in schools: Functional behavioral assessment by D.A. Crone and R.H. Horner (see record 2003-02190-000). Children with behavioral disorders present to school psychologists and educators some of the greatest challenges in terms of assuring education in the least restrictive environment while preserving these children's basic rights. To address the outcomes successfully within the book's three sections and eight chapters, the authors employ several conventions, such as recurring case examples; sample completed forms, protocols, and blank drafts of these forms; and supplementary sections of additional readings and resources at the end of chapters. The authors note both the effectiveness and rewards of collecting data for evaluation purposes in this section but fail to recognize some of the barriers to data collection and to provide strategies to overcome them. The authors conclude the book by discussing the process of building a behavior support team within an individual school. Overall, the book is a valuable resource for use in creating behavior support teams in schools by practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Job satisfaction among school psychologists: A meta-analysis.

Meta-analytic techniques were used to analyze data from a collection of school psychologist job satisfaction studies that were conducted between 1982 and 1999. Eight studies, all of which used the Modified Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (m-MSQ) to measure job satisfaction among school psychologists, were included in the analysis. Two national studies and six state studies totaling 2,116 participants were analyzed. Results indicated that nearly 85% of school psychologists were satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs. School psychologists were most satisfied with their relationships with coworkers, the opportunity to stay busy on the job, the opportunity to work independently, and the opportunity to be of service to others. School psychologists were least satisfied with compensation, school policies and practices, and advancement. Findings were generally consistent between state and national studies, and between 1980s and 1990s studies. Results offered some evidence that overall job satisfaction may be related to state school psychology organization membership and to the opportunity to expand and influence the role of the school psychologist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The APA visiting scientist and international scientist programs: 1962-63.

With support of the NSF, visits were arranged and completed to 80 institutions. A table specifies colleges visited and the names of the visiting scientists. 3 European scientists are visiting American universities under the International Scientist Program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

State certification of school psychologists.

"Nine questions… were answered by the responsible departments of all 50 states and the District of Columbia." 23 states and the District of Columbia are reported as having certification requirements. General requirements stipulated by states with explicit certification standards are specified in a table. The "majority of states are certifying psychological personnel mainly to assist in the placement of children for special education… . There are encouraging signs that certification requirements are gradually being improved." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)