The program in psychology at the United States Air Force Academy.

The attempt has been made to formulate learning outcomes or educational goals for the USAFA courses in psychology in terms of knowledge and understandings, habits and skills, and attitudes and values. 2 courses are outlined: (a) basic psychology which includes consideration of Scientific Method and Measurement, Individual Differences, Growth and Development, Motivation, Emotion, and Perception, Learning and Thinking, and Adjustment and Personality; (b) psychology in the Air Force which includes Engineering Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Leadership, and Problems of Military Adjustment. Conduct of the courses includes the use of "provocative and stimulating examples and illustrative materials" and psychological films are used liberally. "Effort is made to allow all students to have some contact throughout the academic year with each of the seven instructors in the department." Classes are restricted to 12 students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Military psychology in the United States of America.

"Between World War I and World War II, there was almost no interest of American psychologists in military problems, perhaps because there was almost no interest of the military in gaining the assistance of psychologists." The 1948 APA Directory identifies 98 psychologists as working for the Departments of Defense, Army, Air Force, or Navy. "This represents about 2% of the 5,047 members of the APA at that time. In the 1957 APA Directory, I have counted 729 psychologists who are listed as working for agencies of the military departments." This represents "almost 5% of the 15,000 members listed in the 1957 APA Directory." Various branches of military psychology within the Army, the Navy, and the Air Forces are indicated "to give appropriate emphasis to the great diversity of uses to which psychologists are put and to the consequently great variety of projects these agencies must, by their very titles and associations, engender." It also provides a statement "about how military psychology is organized within the Armed Forces in the States." The roles of the psychologist in military personnel management and in weapons development are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of the redistribution of psychologists in the United States.

A table is provided indicating distribution of psychologists by state, during 1950 and 1960-61, and a growth index for the decade; a 2nd table indicates regional distribution of psychologists and growth index by region. "One conclusion seems quite definite. The geographic pattern of distribution and concentration of psychologists has shown considerable growth in the decade, but no real change in the pattern. There were in 1950 15 states above the national average in concentration of psychologists, and the District of Columbia, 16 units. Of these 11 were still above the national average in 1960-61 and no state had risen from below the national average in concentration in 1950 to above it in 1960-61. District of Columbia, New York, and California are home to over ? of all APA members." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The state of psychotherapy in the United States.

This article stems from the 2003 Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI) international panel on the state of psychotherapy. I am pleased to be included in the printed version of this discussion. The state of psychotherapy in the United States is a huge topic. Does psychotherapy reach enough people and meet enough needs? What changes have occurred in response to political, financial, or cultural influences? Many of the subheadings deserve entire conference meetings to thoroughly consider the issues. However, in a time of significant transition for psychotherapy, a broad look at trends and influences may help keep the field of psychotherapy on a desired course. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists in industry in the United States.

There are "at least 1,000 psychologists today, as compared with less than two dozen some 30 years ago, who devote full time to employment in industry." Their activities are diverse and are discussed under the following major headings: Personnel Selection (Employee selection and assignment, Executive selection, Criterion research); Personnel Development (Appraisal, Employee training, Management development, Counselling); Human Factors in Design (Equipment design, Product design); Productivity; Management; and Miscellaneous. "Psychologists are performing a variety of functions for industry. No one person is engaged in all of these activties." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Production of psychology doctorates in the United States.

Presents an analysis of data provided by Rechtenwald (1961) on psychology doctorates. His data, taken from "Statistical Abstract of the United States, originated with the U.S. Office of Education, as a portion of its "Earned Degrees Conferred" series. Disparities in data are examined, including discrepancies between the USOE data and the OSP data for the period 1949-56. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Psychology in Latin America": Errata.

Reports an error in the original article by Ruben Ardila (American Psychologist, 1968[Aug], 23[8], 567-574). The next to the last sentence in the first column on page 573 should read "In Table 5 I have listed 39 Latin American journals of psychology." On page 568 of the same article corrections for Table 1 are noted, and the corrected Table 1 listing the number of South American psychologists in 1941 and 1968 is given. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1969-01690-001.) Psychology in Latin America began as a practical discipline related to medicine, education, and philosophy. Scientific psychology started in 1898 with the foundation of the 1st laboratory of experimental psychology in Buenos Aires. Today there are departments of psychology in the majority of the Latin American countries, the main areas of interests being clinical psychology, cross-cultural research, psychometrics, operant conditioning, etc. Clinical psychology is growing as a profession, and in most of the countries there are professional associations of psychologists. Most psychological journals are devoted to general and applied psychology. Research and its applications are in progress, showing that psychology is a growing science and profession in Latin America. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marriage counselors and psychologists in the United States.

In view of the fact that clinical and counseling psychology have much in common with the growing profession of marriage counseling, this new profession merits special scrutiny by psychologists. Yet it has been found difficult to know who constitutes the new profession or even to identify those who call themselves marriage counselors. Whoever the marriage counselors of the United States are, it seems clear that few of them claim to be psychologists. Since the work of clinical and counseling psychologists often includes marriage counseling, and since announced marriage counselors often could be regarded as or mistaken for psychologists, it is of importance that a study of the relation of each profession to the other be made by APA. The marriage counseling movement is here to stay. In spite of the interdisciplinary character of the movement, APA should follow it vigorously and take appropriate action whenever such would be of value to the professions and to the public. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The concept of personality in 19th-century French and 20th-century American psychology.

Since the 1920s, the road to the acknowledgment of personality psychology as a field of scientific psychology that has individuality as its object began with the founding of the discipline by Gordon W. Allport. Historians of psychology have made serious attempts to reconstruct the cultural, political, institutional, and chronological beginnings of this field in America in the 20th century. In this literature, however, an important European tradition of psychological studies of personality that developed in France in the 2nd half of the 19th century has been overlooked. The aim of this article is to cast some light on this unexplored tradition of psychological personality studies and to discuss its influence on the development of the scientific study of personality in the United States. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Study of Recent Building Failures in the United States

A total of 225 building failures in the United States from 1989 to 2000 were recorded in this study. The result shows that failures of low-rise buildings constitute about 63% of all cases, followed by multistory buildings as a distant second. In terms of their functions, apartments are the most frequent to fail. External events and construction and maintenance deficiencies have been identified as the most frequent principal causes. External events include rain, wind, snow, vehicular impact, and collision. Construction deficiencies encompass improper renovation, unplanned demolition, poor workmanship, and unsafe excavation operations. Maintenance deficiencies are associated with building deterioration that was overlooked and improperly maintained. A comparative analysis conducted between this study and two previous studies indicates an inclined trend of relative failure occurrences of low-rise and multistory buildings. The study also suggests that, despite the recent enhancement of information technology, current sources of information are still incomplete. The creation of new complete databases, further improvement of information sources, and their dissemination through the Internet are deemed essential to prevent building failures from recurring.     

Competitive Positioning in United States Construction Industry

The concept of competitive positioning is explored in the context of the United States construction industry along two dimensions—scope and mode of competition. The effects of competitive positioning on construction company performance are also explored while controlling the size of construction companies. Construction firms’ choices regarding scope and mode of competition and their economic performance are self-reported. The statistical analyses used in this research include cluster analysis, Duncan multiple range tests, one-way analysis of variance, and one-way analysis of covariance. Research findings point out that construction companies address the challenges of the industry by adopting a number of competitive positioning alternatives. Research findings also reveal that construction companies’ choices regarding scope and mode of competition are significantly related to company performance, measured by means of three criteria—profitability, growth in contract awards, and overall performance. Construction firms that place a strong emphasis on all modes of competition and adopt a neutral approach to scope of competition outperform their rivals.     

Whatever happened to Canadian psychology?

Up until about 1950, psychology in Canada was showing a healthy, balanced development comparable to that occurring in the USA. Since then, however, psychology in Canada has become more and more lopsided -- strong in those areas supported by federal agencies such as NRC and DRB, but weak in all those areas for which responsibility was turned over to the provinces. This did not happen in the United States where the growth of the discipline as a whole was recognized as a national responsibility, and where federal agencies were created as required to foster healthy, balanced development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A survey of training in rehabilitation psychology practice in the United States and Canada: 2007.

Objective: Examine the structures, processes, and outcomes of training for rehabilitation psychology practice in the United States and Canada during 2007. Methods: Public data sources provided 947 potential training sites and programs, with 635 meeting selection criteria, from which 328 unique sites were identified. Of these, 117 sites (36%) reported providing training in rehabilitation psychology practice, and were sent a survey. Eighty percent (80%) returned the survey (n = 94). Results: There were nearly equal numbers of intern and resident training sites. Of the resident training sites, 46% had a complete rehabilitation focus, and 41% had faculty with American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology (ABRP) certification. Resident training sites ranged from 73% to 100% in meeting the Patterson and Hanson (1995) training guidelines, and ranged from 7% to 100% in formally teaching the current ABRP required competencies. Discussion: Many rehabilitation patients receive psychological services from practitioners whose professional emphasis is not in rehabilitation psychology, and many trainees involved with rehabilitation populations do not receive comprehensive training in rehabilitation psychology. There is a need for increased structure in and funding of training programs for rehabilitation psychology practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative psychological studies of Negroes and whites in the United States: A reclarification.

Pasamanick's "clarification" of Dreger and Miller's article extends the meaning of the original beyond its intent. In conjunction with Pasamanick's 1946 article it is shown that the samples of white and Negro infants are inadequate. Dreger and Miller could not have been aware of Pasamanick's 1946 reliability procedures for these were not described until his 1962 clarification. In 1962 Pasamanick's "major comparison" between white and Negro infants does not seem to be the same as it was in 1946. Contrary to Pasamanick's contention, Dreger and Miller did not attack Gesell's Developmental Schedules. Later work done by Pasamanick may substantiate his conclusions, but the criticisms of his 1946 article still hold. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analysis of Recent Bridge Failures in the United States

Over 500 failures of bridge structures in the United States between 1989 and 2000 were studied. The age of the failed bridges ranged from 1 year (during construction) to 157 years, with an average of 52.5 years. The most frequent causes of bridge failures were attributed to floods and collisions. Flood and scour, with the major flood disaster in 1993, contributed to the frequency peak of bridge failures (almost 53% of all failures). Bridge overload and lateral impact forces from trucks, barges/ships, and trains constitute 20% of the total bridge failures. Other frequent principal causes are design, detailing, construction, material, and maintenance. Comparison made among three periods of similar studies (1977–1981, 1982–1988, and 1989–2000) revealed almost similar trends, with most failures occurring during the bridge’s service life. Also, human-induced external events occurred frequently in all three periods, but were most dominant in the first and third periods. Technological advances in information systems have a great impact on data collection and analysis.     

On the introduction of Gestalt psychology into America.

Criticizes F. McKinney's (see record 1977-28569-001) account of the introduction of Gestalt psychology into US psychology for neglecting to mention the contributions of R. M. Ogden. Ogden provided early translations of Koffka's work and wrote the first book by a US psychologist from the viewpoint of Gestalt theory and principles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of parenting stress among gay adoptive fathers in the United States.

The authors examined correlates of parenting stress among 230 gay adoptive fathers across the United States through an Internet survey. As with previous research on adoptive parents, results showed that fathers with less social support, older children, and children who were adopted at older ages reported more parenting stress. Moreover, gay fathers who had a less positive gay identity also reported more parenting stress. These 4 variables accounted for 33% of the variance in parenting stress; effect sizes were medium to large. Our results suggest the importance of social support and a positive gay identity in facilitating successful parenting outcomes among gay adoptive fathers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Engineering psychology in the United States.

Describes the origins and history of engineering psychology noting the successes: (1) Explosive expansion and growth, (2) a wide range of research efforts and engineering applications, (3) interest and acceptance by engineering associates, (4) an increasing number of graduate training programs in departments of psychology as well as schools of engineering, and (5) general benefits to psychology as a science and profession. The deficiencies in engineering psychology are attributed to too great an involvement between art and science. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding and Interpreting Baseline Perceptions of Sustainability in Construction among Civil Engineers in the United States

The highly influential Brundtland report released in 1987 was the first document to define the three pillars of modern sustainable development as environmental, social, and economic. The Rio Summit in 1992, the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, and the Johannesburg Meeting in 2002 followed up with primary focus on the needs of society and the environment. Economic issues were secondary at these meetings. This movement was the beginning of what has been passed down to the construction industry as sustainable construction. Within the industry, however, confusion reigns, and attitudes toward sustainable construction vary wildly. Understanding perceptions of sustainability in the industry would help to navigate a path towards a common understanding of the issues, to reach a point from which a reasoned dialogue could ensue concerning the relative merits of different approaches to sustainability and to sustainable construction itself. To understand perceptions of sustainability in the construction industry, a survey of close to 200 practitioners was conducted between July and Sept. 2006. Its results are described and analyzed in this article. Some conclusions are made and recommendations are suggested based on this analysis. In particular, it is clear that a persistent and broad-based effort will be required to introduce sustainability effectively to the profession.