Central factors in auditory frequency selectivity.

Evidence for involvement of cognitive factors makes it seem clear that the number, the frequency locations, and the widths of the critical bands which are operative in a given auditory task reflect to a substantial extent the strategy of listening that is adopted by O for that particular task. Central modulation of sensory information is extensive enough to make unlikely the discovery, through psychophysical methods, of a unitary peripheral process that remains stable despite changes in O's task, his information, and his aims. The value of a psychophysical approach to peripheral sensory mechanisms depends upon the ability to specify, and then on the ability to isolate, the central contribution to O's response. (34 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Dynamics of groups at work.

As I studied this book, I constantly found myself seeing an authoritarian dean of students read it, nod his head in satisfaction, and then go forth and quote formulas from it to justify the disruption of democratic student experiments. When the princes had such as Machiavelli, propaganda analysts for the common man had it difficult enough. Now that they have such polished social engineers as Thelen who sincerely work "for the development of the 'humane community' toward which man's nature . . . is driving him," analysis becomes all the more difficult and efforts to communicate it all the more confusing. But I trust I am overrating the group dynamics cult! Fortunately society has many antitoxins against its continued successful manipulation. Some of them may work slowly, but they work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social Crisis.

I am bewildered at the fact that the pages of the American Psychologist reflect almost no awareness of the tragic social upheaval which is accompanying the efforts of the American Negro to win his political, economic, and no less important, his psychological integration with the remainder of American society. This crisis will not disappear because we ignore it. It will be resolved one way or another. The Negro has apparently turned his face from acceptance of his unhappy circumstances and is determined to fight for his human and Constitutional rights. I think it is time that we, as a profession, give recognition to what is occurring around us, that we discuss what our role can and should be, and that each of us, in our own communities volunteer our services and our knowledge to work towards a just and peaceful integration of the American Negro into the American society of the twentieth century. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"He Sees the Development of Children's Concepts Upon a Background of Sociology": Jean Piaget's Honorary Degree at Harvard University in 1936.

In the recent memory, Jean Piaget has been known as a cognitive developmental psychologist. But in 1936 when Harvard gave him his first honorary degree, he was recognized mainly as a sociologist. Why did Harvard honor him in 1936? Who knew his work well enough to nominate him? This article will address these questions by exploring archival documents from different sources. Evidence draws our attention to a broad social and intellectual endeavor in philanthropy, other social sciences, and especially industrial research that brought Piaget across the water. This article also attempts to interpret the circumstances of the nomination process inside and outside of Harvard University by using a theory of institutional design. It suggests that embodied in Harvard's honor of Piaget in 1936 was an idealistic act in social designing for a future society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Realms of value.

Reviews "Realms of value," by R. B. Perry (see record 1954-05170-000). Professor Perry offers an extension of his earlier "General Theory of Value" (1926), which has remained the standard work in its field. The scope of the present work is suggested by the subtitle, "A critique of human civilization." Its significance, from the psychologist's point of view, lies more in the pointing up of a number of critical problems that need to be met, ultimately, than in any specific contributions to content or method. The importance of psychology in Perry's thinking is attested by the prominence of recourse to psychological principles and problems in the first few chapters. In these he endeavors to develop a fundamental definition of "value" for exposition in a-wide variety of fields of knowledge throughout the remainder of the book. His main theme is that value is based upon interest, which in turn is based upon expectations of the outcomes of actions. Perry's failure to come up with any satisfactory answers to the problems of motivation, with which he is squarely faced at this point, is hardly an occasion for surprise; he is to be credited with at least having begun to ask some of the important questions, rather than to have sidestepped them, as has been customary in similar philosophical treatises. A major failing in Perry's treatment of motives, as I see it, concerns his emphasis (or perhaps overemphasis) upon the role of cognition as a determiner of interest. Although he does upon occasion mention the role of habitual and unconscious factors, these are not elaborated, and they are considered to operate in an entirely subsidiary manner. This is a reflection of his general bias. Although I do not see how this book can have any very direct effect upon the development of psychological science, it is nonetheless an important one for contemporary psychologists to consider. It presents a great many problems which are at once disturbing and challenging, and which are today of particular concern to the scientist-citizen. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Optimizing work performance: A look beyond the bottom line.

Reviews the book, Optimizing work performance: A look beyond the bottom line by Martin Morf (1986). This book is an interesting addition to the rapidly growing list of publications which deal with "improving performance" or "increasing productivity" in the workplace. It is an addition, however, for which an appropriate audience may be difficult to find. Indeed, in attempting to be "of particular interest to those involved in personnel, corporate organization, or industrial relations, as well as to scholars and students of organizational psychology", the book may fail to appeal strongly to any of these groups. This is unfortunate because Martin Morf makes a number of interesting comments in his book--particularly about the relationship between the individual, his or her work, and society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fit as a mediator of the relationship between work hours and burnout.

The authors studied number of hours worked and estimated its relationship to burnout in a nonrandom sample of 141 married physicians. It was hypothesized that this relationship is mediated by a process called fit, conceptualized as the extent to which workers realize the various components of their work–family strategies. Results of structural equation modeling supported the mediation hypothesis. Employees whose work hours are more or fewer than they and their partner prefer and whose work hours are distributed differently than they and their partner prefer will be more disengaged, distracted, and alienated at work than will their counterparts who are working their preferred schedules. Thus, the relationship between number of hours worked and burnout depends on the extent to which work schedules meet the needs of the worker, her or his partner, and their children, if any. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Beliefs, Attitudes and Values.

Reviews the book, Beliefs, Attitudes and Values by Milton Rokeach (1968). I believe that Rokeach does not believe that his beliefs about beliefs, attitudes, and values are beliefs. The author seems to believe that he presents in this collection of previously published papers something other than his beliefs. Yet, from his presentation it would appear that there exists nothing but beliefs. Much of the confusion which appears in this book is due to the various ways in which the word "belief" is used. The author states that "the task for psychology is . . . to learn enough about the structure of belief systems to know how to form them, and how to modify them so that they will best increase the happiness and freedom of the individual and his society." As a result of the task the author sees for psychology he has undertaken a number of experiments presented in the papers which make up this volume. A detailed discussion of those experiments seems useless in the light of the fact that they are all based on Rokeach's confusing use of the word 'belief in terms of which he also defines "attitudes" and "values." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supervisory theory into practice: Differential perception of supervision by Ekstein, Ellis, Polster, and Rogers.

58 experienced supervisors (median age 35.1 yrs) evaluated videotaped supervision sessions conducted by either Rudolph Ekstein, Albert Ellis, Erving Polster, or Carl Rogers, who had all supervised the same therapist, based on the same work sample. The 4 supervisors, originators or major interpreters of their theoretical models, were perceived as differing in attractiveness and in their use of the critic, model, and nurturing roles identified by B. Apfelbaum (1958); they also were perceived as differing in the extent to which they functioned as counselor and as teacher and in the extent to which their work focused on the supervisee's technical skills, on his/her use of his/her personal reactions and feelings, and on case conceptualization. These differences generally were consistent with theory. Raters did not perceive the supervisee or client differentially across supervision sessions, although the supervisee was perceived to be differentially satisfied with supervision. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Attachment, play, and authenticity: A Winnicott primer.

Reviews the book, Attachment, play, and authenticity: A Winnicott primer by Steven Tuber (see record 2008-04633-000). This book is a vibrant introduction and explication of one of the most important writers and thinkers in our field. The British pediatrician and psychoanalyst D.W. Winnicott gave us many concepts that have become part of our therapeutic lexicon, such as the “transitional object”, “good enough mothering”, “holding”, “the true and false self”, and “the capacity to be alone.” However, reading Winnicott’s work often proves to be a difficult task; his writing is often idiosyncratic and dense. This is where Steven Tuber has given us a real gift. This clear and clinically relevant book spells out with great clarity and richness the main ideas and structure of Winnicott’s contribution and how to apply them to one’s clinical thinking and work. The reviewer provides details on his personal experience while reading this book and concludes that this book is essential reading for every psychotherapist, regardless of one’s orientation or of the clinical population with which one works. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Obituary: Hans-Lukas Teuber (1916-1977).

Hans-Lukas Teuber, Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, lost his life on January 4, 1977, while swimming off Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. Professor Teuber had won worldwide recognition as a leader in psychology and in the neurosciences. His pioneering research into the behavioral after-effects of brain injury, begun during the final years of World War II in collaboration with Professor Morris Bender, led to his recognition as an authority on the relationship between brain and behavior. His work, which encompassed both basic and clinical investigations, provided a foundation for contemporary neuropsychology and its integration with related disciplines. He is survived by his wife, Marianne, who shared his professional work to a remarkable extent, and by two sons, Andreas and Christopher. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Freud and Wittgenstein: Language and human nature.

One of the dramatic consequences of Sigmund Freud's work is its seminal role in the search for valid answers about the nature of the human mind and individual personality. His search for a scientific basis for understanding undercut nineteenth-century traditions that placed emphasis on primitive conceptions of race. Central to Freud's work is the theory of language and its function in the mind of the individual and in society. Using the historical contexts surrounding the evolution of Freud's theories from The interpretation of dreams to civilization and its discontents, his self-conception as a Jew, and the dynamics of Viennese society and politics, this essay explores the conflicts and correspondences between Freud's theories and the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein, his near-contemporary and fellow Viennese, on questions of mind, language, and identity. Freud's legacy will be assessed not in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, or hermeneutics, but explored instead in terms of its importance in politics and ethical and social theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Calling and vocation in career counseling: Recommendations for promoting meaningful work.

Clients presenting with career-related concerns often desire a greater sense of meaning in their work. Therefore, incorporating the constructs of calling and vocation into the career counseling process may have utility. An overview of conceptual and empirical work on these constructs is provided. Drawing from recent integrated definitions of calling and vocation, the authors present suggestions for incorporating these constructs in practice. Counselors are encouraged to explore the extent to which clients feel a transcendent summons to a particular career, the extent to which clients’ careers bring meaning to their lives, and the extent to which clients’ careers serve society. For clients who wish to view their career as a calling or vocation, the authors provide strategies to help bring meaning and social purpose to their work lives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distinguished Scientific Contribution Awards: 1969: Citation for Stanley Schachter.

Gives a citation to Stanley Schachter "For consistent, coherent, and creative work that has materially advanced our understanding of behavior in social contexts. He has chosen to explore new areas and new problems that promised to be important and applied exceptional experimental ingenuity in making his explorations successful. Bringing to bear on his problems a fine sense of the necessary relation between theory and data, his studies always produced meaningful knowledge. By exploring his ideas in natural setting:; as well as in the laboratory, he kept richness and precision together in his work. The measure of a man's contribution to science is what we have learned as a result of his work. From the work of Stanley Schachter we have gained new knowledge of the social psychological effects of being deviant in a group; of the circumstances under which people seek out others and the basic: nature of group support; of how groups provide the context within which emotions are defined; and even the effects of the social context on psychophysiological effects. He has contributed broadly and deeply." The citation is followed by a biography of Schachter and a list of his scientific publications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental psychology and social responsibility.

Argues that (1) the roles of scientist and human being are to some extent inseparable, (2) the scientist cannot escape responsibility for the uses made of his knowledge, and (3) basic research must be defended in terms of its potential social value, however remote. It is argued that experimental psychologists have a series of obligations which can be met through formal organizations. They include: (1) the responsibility to interpret its basic research to society as a whole; (2) the responsibility to encourage its own social support through social action; (3) the need to step up its attack on pressing social problems; and (4) the responsibility to oppose political climates that would inhibit the progress of free psychological inquiry and to encourage political climates that permit and encourage such progress. A few illustrative examples are cited of the involvement of psychological associations in social action and of instances in which they might have been involved and were not. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Dictionary of analytical psychology.

Reviews the book, Dictionary of analytical psychology by C. G. Jung (1987). It is unusual for an author to publish a dictionary based entirely upon the concepts in his or her own work, but that's precisely what this volume is. Given the title, there is an uncomfortable structure to the volume because the first half is a prose introduction to the "extroverted" and "introverted" types, with a detailed account of the thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting characteristics of these two personalities, while only the second half is in a traditional dictionary form. It is this moiety that catches the reader's interest and makes this publication particularly valuable. Central Jungian terms are described, with definitions averaging about a page in length each, long enough to provide some substantial information about each concept. Reading through the dictionary is a sentimental experience, revealing how much the philosophical tradition mastered by Jung has now been lost in developmental and psychoanalytic thought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The prophetic vision of Giambattista Vico: Implications for the state of social psychological theory.

Discusses 3 heuristic themes that emerge in Vico's writings and their implications for social psychology: (a) that human nature and society are in perpetual flux; (b) that there are recursive trends in social behavior influenced by human events; and (c) that it is possible, by transhistorical analysis, to identify these cyclical patterns, as well as their systematic influence upon trends in theories of human nature and society. The question is raised whether some motive explanations and psychological norms or processes that are presumed to be space–time universals may, analogous to Newtonian physics, turn out to be "closed theories," which in the case of social psychology are dependent upon what Vico conceived of as the course and recourse of events. A discussion of current research examples is presented that illustrates the applicability of these themes pursuant to a genetic social psychology, which emphasizes the origins (genesis) and development of social behavior. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social psychology, an interdisciplinary approach.

Reviews the book, Social psychology, an interdisciplinary approach by Hubert Bonner (1953). According to the reviewer, it has been argued that most textbooks in the social sciences are really written from other textbooks in the same area. Bonner's text seems singularly invulnerable to this complaint. The author has brought together materials from an unusually wide variety of sources and organized them into a book which shows definite signs of some original thinking about how a text in social psychology should be put together, and what should go into it. The reviewer states that in general, Bonner's theoretical position is, for today, not an especially distinctive one. The extent of his concern with the social and cultural context within which behavior occurs, however, is unusual and can be conveyed only in part by the headings of the three main divisions of his book: Social Interaction, the social matrix of behavior; Culture and Behavior, cultural values and personal-social adjustment; Group Dynamics, social change and collective behavior. The reviewer states that this book is particularly useful for students who are interested in getting an understanding of social behavior within the scope of a single course, and who do not intend to do advanced work in the social sciences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Commonsense notions of unfairness in Japan and the United States.

The concept of fairness has been centrally situated within justice and legal discourses, yet some have suggested that a deeper understanding is possible by looking at the "injustice" end because those instantiations tend to be clear, concise, hot, passionate, insistent, and have primacy. In this cross-cultural work, the authors apply this suggestion by deconstructing instantiations of unfairness from American and Japanese samples of students and their parents. Although all major types of unfairness were invoked in both countries, significant differences emerged in the frequency distribution patterns and quantitative severity ratings of unfairness by culture; to a lesser extent, by generation within culture; and to a still lesser extent, by gender. Why discriminatory treatment instantiations were significantly more salient for Japanese than American respondents (and why the reverse was so for misfortune instantiations) is discussed, along with foundational links of unfairness notions to communal relationships and society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived organizational support.

Administered a survey of perceived organizational support (SPOS) to 361 employees (among them postal clerks, financial trust company employees, and manufacturing firm workers) and 71 private high school teachers in 2 studies. Teachers also completed an exchange-ideology questionnaire that measured their belief that work effort should depend on treatment by the organization. Results show that (a) employees in an organization form global beliefs concerning the extent to which the organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being, (b) such perceived organizational support reduces absenteeism, and (c) the relation between perceived organizational support and absenteeism is greater for employees with a strong exchange ideology than those with a weak ideology. These findings support the social exchange view that employees' commitment to the organization is strongly influenced by their perception of the organization's commitment to them. Perceived organizational support is assumed to increase the employee's affective attachment to the organization and his/her expectancy that greater effort toward meeting organizational goals will be rewarded. It is concluded that the extent to which these factors increase work effort depends on the strength of the employee's exchange ideology favoring the trade of work effort for material and symbolic benefits. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)