Review of Childhood disorders: Behavioral-developmental approaches.

Reviews the book, Childhood disorders: Behavioral-developmental approaches edited by Robert J. McMahon and Ray Dev. Peters (1985). This volume includes 11 original chapters from the 1983 Banff International Conference on Behavioral Sciences. Together, these chapters provide an overview of a number of high-quality programmes of research in the area of childhood disorders. The editors state that the purpose of the current offering is to focus on recent advances in the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of childhood behaviour disorders, with particular attention being given to the role of developmental processes. The book contains two major sections. The first provides an overview of the conceptual foundations for a "behavioural-developmental" approach to childhood disorders. The second, which constitutes approximately 80% of the volume, illustrates programmes for the assessment and treatment of childhood disorders spanning the developmental spectrum from infancy to adolescence. Although this volume's attempt to bridge the gap between behavioural and developmental work may fall short, it is nevertheless a worthwhile contribution that nicely illustrates a range of outstanding programmes of clinical research for a variety of childhood disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The psychology of humor: An integrative approach.

Reviews the book, The psychology of humor: An integrative approach by Rod A. Martin (see record 2006-21361-000). This book is not a particularly funny read--though it has its moments--but it is a very well-written, well-organized, comprehensive reference guide to the psychology of humor. The Introductory chapter provides a nice overview of the rest of the book. Here Martin defines what is meant by the broad term humor, discusses the many forms and functions of humor, and provides a concise, informative history of thinking about humor. Martin then includes two chapters that address five theoretical approaches: psychoanalytic, superiority/disparagement, arousal, incongruity, and reversal theory. The second part of the book is organized into different psychological subtopics, which makes it very easy to navigate. This part includes sections on the cognitive, social, psychobiological, personality, and developmental approaches to the study of humor. The book concludes with chapters on the link between humor and both mental and physical health, and presents research on the application of humor in psychotherapy, education, and the workplace. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Philosophy of science: The central issues.

Reviews the book, Philosophy of science: The central issues, edited by Martin Curd and J. A. Cover (1998). This book provides a very comprehensive philosophy of science anthology. The collection consists of forty-nine articles and self-contained excerpts by many leading philosophers. The volume is divided into nine major sections, and each of the sections is preceded by a brief introduction that sketches out the major issues addressed in the subsequent readings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavior modification and coaching: Principles, procedures, and research.

Reviews the book, Behavior Modification and coaching: Principles, procedures, and research edited by Garry L. Martin and Dennis Hrycaiko (1983). The book is intended primarily for physical education students, but should be useful for already practising coaches as well. It is divided into seven sections. The first two introduce the reader to behavioural principles and techniques as they apply to coaching. The second chapter, is a very concise review, whereas other chapters contain statements that beg for substantiation. Sections three and four illustrate applications with respect to skill and motivation. Section five introduces cognitive behavioural techniques that help alleviate anxiety and enhance performance under competitive conditions. The penultimate section is concerned with the performance of the coach, and the final chapter points to recent literature and directions for future research. For the readership to whom the book is addressed, the reviewer greatly suspects that many will find it strongly influential. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Best practices in school psychology.

Reviews the book Best Practices in School Psychology edited by A. Thomas and J. Grimes (1985). The practice of school psychology, in one sense, can be described as so diverse that it is only through an integration of all the facets of practice that optimal services can be provided to a school system. This book, a collection of 39 brief chapters, serves as a resource for the professional. It is difficult to go beyond this general statement of purpose because no introduction is provided, regarding either the goal(s) of the editors or the conceptualization of Best Practices that was to be used by the authors. Each chapter does follow a common outline in which a "Brief Overview" of the topic is initially presented, with a "Brief History/Background/Historical Perspective" section, and some "Basic Considerations" also included. A "Best Practices" comments section completes the outline provided for each chapter. The fact that the overwhelming percentage of chapters in this volume was written by academicians (80%) may point out our specialty's failure to foster the scientist-practitioner model of functioning. If nothing else, it is further evidence of the need for increased collaboration between the trainer and the practitioner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychology and health.

Reviews the book, Psychology and health by Myles Genest and Sharon Genest (see record 1987-97178-000). Myles and Sharon Genest have ventured into the rapidly developing, but hazily delimited, area of health psychology and they have produced a brief, readable book that shows what all the excitement is about. They have selected a number of key areas for sharply focused, and sometimes penetrating, examination and the reader comes away with a fair understanding of the scope of the field. They set the broad context for health psychology by discussing the determinants of health, emphasizing the need for a multidimensional view of health; one which includes psychological, social, and environmental factors as well as the more traditional medical ones. They also introduce a preventive orientation and a public policy perspective, themes which are continued through the book. The authors are writing for a primary audience of psychologists and they write from a largely, although not exclusively, cognitive/behavioural point of view. Much of the book is a review of research in health psychology and the summaries of the research findings are outstanding in their organization and clarity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Research in Soviet social psychology.

Reviews the book, Research in Soviet social psychology by L. H. Strickland, V. P. Trusov, and E. Lockwood (1986). This volume includes invited reports of social psychological research by Soviet contributors from a single institution: Leningrad State University. The volume includes eight chapters, with brief introductions by the editors in each case. Overall, the chapters in this volume are generally well written, with only the occasional lapse of grammar or turgid prose. I enjoyed the opportunity if afforded me to acquaint myself further with the research efforts of Soviet colleagues in social psychology. With this volume, Strickland and his colleagues achieve their aim of giving us a perspective on contemporary social psychology in the USSR that we certainly would not otherwise have. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of the psychology of aging, 7th edition.

Reviews the book, Handbook of the psychology of aging, 7th edition edited by K. Warner Schaie and Sherry L. Willis (see record 2010-26788-000). The Handbook of the psychology of aging has been a fixture since its inception in 1977. Although the departure of former senior editor James E. Birren has given rise to a “generational turnover” (p. xi), the new volume keeps alive the interdisciplinary spirit of the series by continuing to combine cutting-edge basic and applied perspectives from a diverse set of contributors. Section editors and authors include senior figures in the field who have contributed to prior volumes of the Handbook, as well as new scientific leaders who may not yet be “household names.” The volume is organized into four sections: theory and methods, neuroscience and cognition, social and health factors, and psychopathology. Each section contains 3–8 chapters of varying structure and length. With the exception of the first section, each section includes topics that were not included, or received significantly less coverage, in prior editions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychotherapy after Kohut: A textbook of self psychology.

Reviews the book, Psychotherapy after Kohut: A textbook of self psychology by Ronald R. Lee and J. Colby Martin (see record 1991-98948-000). More than a decade since Kohut's death, the volume of writing in the field of self psychology continues to expand, testifying to the stimulating challenge of his theories not only to mental health professionals in all disciplines but to those in the humanities as well. The latest contribution, Psychotherapy after Kohut: A textbook of self psychology, is a welcome arrival. Each chapter opens with a paragraph outlining teaching goals and closes with a summary and suggested readings for the following chapter. Lee and Martin provide a review of classical Freudian theory, brief excerpts of the classic cases from which it was derived, the principal early controversies, and a new view of Ferenczi's contributions. Lee and Martin provide a thoughtful, carefully reasoned, and comprehensive synthesis of the work of those writers who in their opinion have enhanced and expanded the concepts of self psychology and those who deny the significance of self-psychological concepts for psychoanalysis or psychotherapy or seek to demonstrate that the ideas are not new. Informative and challenging, Psychotherapy after Kohut, with its integration and synthesis of many points of view, is a contribution to the field of textbooks. Readers will find much to inform and strengthen their understanding of psychotherapy after Kohut. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Critical psychology: An introduction.

Reviews the book, Critical psychology: An introduction edited by Dennis Fox and Isaac Prilleltensky (see record 1997-08663-000). The subtitle of this book implies that it is written for readers unfamiliar with critical approaches to psychology, but it should attract the attention of the already-critical professional as well as the beginner. The student making a first acquaintance with critical psychology will find this book to be a valuable primer, one that synthesizes a large amount of information while avoiding much of the jargon that often weighs down critical methodologies. The book consists of 19 chapters, organized into four sections. Section one, "Critical Overview," gives a general overview of critical methodologies. Section two, "Critical Arenas," is a collection of critiques of established fields in psychology. A third section on "Critical Theories" suggests experimental and novel ways to study psychology, such as hermeneutics, discourse analysis, and feminist research. In the final section, "Critical Reflections," one can perhaps best see the editors' commitment to keeping critical psychology an open system. The editors' decision to end the volume with a reflexive, critical examination of itself, rather than a simple summary, is a large part of what holds this book together. Even if one admires the editors' ability to unite so many different perspectives under the common banner of critical psychology, they have not done so in a manner that treats all psychologies equally. Yet, despite this minor blemish, the book remains a solid piece of work, one that is often inspiring. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Animal models for psychiatry.

Reviews the book, Animal models for psychiatry by J. D. Keehn (1986). The topic of this book is timely, for the use of nonhuman laboratory animals in behavioural research has become a controversial issue. As an expert on ethical issues in psychological research, Keehn is an appropriate person to examine and summarize the role of nonhuman species in the study of abnormal behaviour. In the first section of the book, Keehn attempts to evaluate the ethics of behavioural experimentation with nonhuman subjects and to summarize several principles of humane experimental procedures. In the second part of the book he catalogues various clinical syndromes in nonhumans and describes various experimental paradigms that he believes are appropriate for the study of "psychiatric" disorders. As a defence of animal research and a summary of animal syndromes, the book is successful. As a summary of animal models and a guide for the researcher, both novice and experienced, I found the book disappointing on two scores. First, the book is not held together by any theoretical glue but rather seems more of a catalogue of examples of psychopathology in nonhumans. My second disappointment comes from the author's uneven emphasis on different disorders. Overall, I enjoyed the book and feel it is a useful volume. It provides an extensive summary of examples of psychopathology in nonhumans and illustrates the usefulness of behavioural studies as models of neurotic conditions in particular. Further, it argues forcefully for the importance of behavioural research in the study of mental disorders and could serve as a good place for undergraduates to read about the issues involved in animal research. The book falls short, however, as a "must have" volume for those active researchers or clinicians. Unfortunately, it offers us little insight into the nature of psychopathologic behaviour in either human or nonhuman subjects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of emotion regulation.

Reviews the book, Handbook of emotion regulation edited by James J. Gross (see record 2007-01392-000). The purpose of this edited volume is to bring the reader and the scientific community up-to-date on the burgeoning field of emotion and particularly how it is regulated. The book comprises 30 chapters divided amongst seven traditional sections within psychology: foundations, biological bases, cognitive foundations, developmental approaches, personality process and individual differences, social approaches, and clinical outcomes. Gross very nicely captures the range of topics and issues surrounding the topic of emotion and emotion regulation in this edited volume. Gross is to be congratulated for taking on the task of editing such a timely and important volume for the field. Given the scope of the volume, it should have wide appeal to researchers as well as graduate and advanced undergraduate students in the areas of personality and social psychology, human development, child clinical psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive and affective neuroscience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Stress inoculation training.

Reviews the book, Stress inoculation training by Donald Meichenbaum (1985). The present volume is an update and extension of the claim that mild forms of stress, elicited in a therapeutic context, can serve to defuse maladaptive responses to major life stresses. The cognitive/behavioural method described in this book consists of three phases. In the conceptualization phase, the client is given a theoretical explanation of the presenting problem. This is followed by a skills-acquisition and rehearsal phase, in which mainly cognitive coping skills are taught to counter dysfunctional stress perceptions. The final phase of application and follow-through is ushered in by imagery and behaviour rehearsal, role playing and modelling. The author devotes a chapter to each training phase. This core content is preceded by two chapters, dealing respectively with some theoretical and applied issues raised by Stress Inoculation Training (SIT). The last chapter describes some specific applications of the method. This book will be read to advantage by anyone embarking on the practice of cognitive/behaviour therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preventing and managing adolescent health problems.

Reviews the book, Health-promoting and health-compromising behaviors among minority adolescents by D. K. Wilson, J. R. Rodrique, and W. C. Taylor (1997). Although this book was not written specifically for the school-based practitioner, this edited volume provides a comprehensive review of the health-related behavior of diverse adolescent populations and describes empirically validated intervention and prevention models that are very useful to school mental health professionals, particularly those working in urban settings with culturally diverse youth. The editors have divided the text into four sections. The first section provides a useful theoretical framework encompassing developmental, biological, social, and cultural perspectives. The second section describes behavioral patterns among culturally diverse adolescents that compromise and promote health, including drug use, eating habits, physical activity, and sexual behavior. The third section describes several intervention models that have been demonstrated to be effective with minority adolescents. The concluding section provides insight into health policy issues impacting minority adolescents, including access to adequate health care. This volume represents an important contribution to the literature in the area of pediatric, prevention, and community psychology. Although the text generally fails to highlight sufficiently the power of the school as a protective context for adolescents, the conceptual models and examples of community-based programs presented offer the school psychologist very useful information about designing and implementing prevention and intervention programs in schools. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavior Modication: What It Is and How To Do It.

Reviews the book, Behavior Modication: What It Is and How To Do It by Garry Martin and Joseph Pear (1978). Martin and Pear have put forth this very comprehensive and carefully constructed book for the aspiring behaviour analyst. But, lest we too hastily conclude that this is just another "how-to-do-it" paperback, the only similarity is its soft cover. To its credit, it is both a primer for practice and a conundrum for controversy. Thus, as a supplement to its extensive "how-to-do-it", each chapter ends with a consideration of select alternate views (behavioural and non-behavioural, empirically founded or speculative) which generate riddles for the readers. This is a refreshing and more honest approach to an endeavour which, in the hands of others, has too often merely produced a cookbook or a comic book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cross-Cultural Studies of Behavior.

Reviews the book, Cross-Cultural Studies of Behavior by Ihsan Al-Issa and Wayne Dennis (see record 1972-06603-000). Cross-cultural behavioural studies have been long neglected in psychology. Further, the published results are widely scattered. The collection of readings by Al-Issa and Dennis are, therefore, a useful adjunct to the class-room literature. The organization of the readings includes sections on Cross-Cultural Studies of Perception, Intellectual Functioning, Personality, Child Rearing and Behavior, Mental Health and Psycholinguistics. There are 39 articles in all representing a good selection of authors prominent in their field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behaviour Therapy in Clinical Psychiatry.

Reviews the book, Behaviour Therapy in Clinical Psychiatry by V. Meyer and Edward S. Chesser (see record 1970-21119-000). This is a Penguin paperback psychology series book of 288 pages. It deals mainly with principles. In some sense, it is an annotated review and represents a thorough search of the recent literature. As such, this book has the fault of being both too telegramatic and a bit pedantic. Its major value would seem to be for students of behavioural sciences, thesis writers, and other academics. The contents of the book involve initially a review of psychiatric disorders and learning theories. A second major section reviews principles of conditioning and learning, followed by specific learning theory formulations of psychiatric disorders. A later section covers the theory and methods of treatment, and finally, onto the efficacy of behaviour therapy, current research studies, clinical applications and a consideration of the present status and prospects for behaviour therapy. The general value of this book for "clinical psychiatry" would, I think, be limited. One can imagine that some editor has imposed the title "Behaviour Therapy in Clinical Psychiatry" with a view more to the marketplace than out of respect for the quite commendable research goals and content of the text. In summary, this is a thorough review of the state of the science (but not of the art) and, I would judge, worth the money. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of APA dictionary of psychology.

Reviews the book, APA dictionary of psychology by Gary R. VandenBos (see record 2006-11044-000). This book is an impressive comprehensive reference book that includes germane entries of overlapping and interrelated disciplines. This dictionary is a useful resource not only for professionals who work in the field of psychology, but also for the professionals who work in related and/or overlapping disciplines (e.g., social workers, psychiatrists, practitioners, lawyers). The long list of editors and contributors shows that the making of this book was a major joint effort. The hard-covered book has 1,023 pages and more than 25,000 entries that are accompanied by thousands of cross-references. The dictionary provides a brief history of the book's development and a brief guide to its layout and format. The book has high-quality paper, a double-column layout, large boldface headwords, and small boldface subentries, all of which make it easy to read. In addition, each entry is generously indented under the headword making the pages appear less crowded when compared to other dictionaries. The size of the book is very reasonable, which will be appealing to the reader. Overall, this high-quality dictionary is a very useful resource for professionals and students in the field of psychology, as well as for professionals in related disciplines. Regardless of whether the reader is a professional or novice, he or she will no doubt appreciate this comprehensive "user friendly" dictionary. The wait for a psychology reference book was worth it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Weight Control: The Behavioural Strategies.

Reviews the book, Weight Control: The Behavioural Strategies by Michael D. LeBow (1981). This book does a more than adequate job in examining behavioural methods currently used in treatment of obesity. The influence of behaviour therapy on weight control is evaluated with realistic appraisals of its values and limitations. As an introduction for the novice therapist this book will be extremely valuable. Even the appendices of weight charts, skin fold measurement procedures, food calories and calorie expenditures may be used by the practitioner. The greatest limitation of the methodology presented and thus of the book itself, however, is the failure to recognize serious problems in behavioural technology (e.g., there is great variability in patients' responses to a behavioural program). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)