Clinical, counseling, and school clinical psychology at Purdue University.

"Confusion exists in some quarters about the distinction between clinical and counseling psychology." "Whereas the clinical psychology major most often prepares for work with persons whose behavior represents the extreme of maladjustment and for work within the medical setting, the counseling psychologist will most often apply his training within the relatively normal range of adjustment." Similarities and differences in academic requirements at Purdue University for clinical, counseling, and school clinical psychology curricula are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The behavioral sciences in medical education: A view from psychology.

Argues that a number of unsolved issues confront the behavioral sciences in medical education and that the most pressing problem is the type of core basic science curriculum that should be provided. The behavioral sciences often seem to fail in their teaching mission because they do not provide that information which can be "converted" into specific clinical skills. Recent studies of behavioral science programs at 9 major medical schools underscore the fact that there is no unanimity of opinion about the material that should be taught to all medical students. Although diversity is valuable because it promotes experimentation with curricula, the behavioral sciences, particularly psychology, should develop a model of the doctor's job which contains the basic information required for primary patient care. Some examples of clinically applicable behavioral science content that could be included in all curricula are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional reflection: have you looked in the mirror lately?

Computerized testing has a place in nursing curricula with benefits shared between faculty and students. The author chronicles the activities surrounding the implementation of computerized testing in a nursing program. Key issues concerning faculty involve software selection, test proctoring, student honesty, and security of computer files. Students prefer the new testing format, question feedback and the option of Saturday examinations and they feel more prepared for the computerized licensure exam.     

Symposium on relationships between religion and mental health: Introductory remarks.

"We are witnessing a conspicuous change in the climate between religion and science in recent years." In psychology this has been evidenced in seminars on religion and psychiatry, work shops on pastoral care and psychotherapy, grants to universities for developing mental health curricula for theological students, creation of an Academy of Religion and Mental Health, and the establishing of an APA committee to study relationships between religion and mental health. "The hitherto existing chasm between religion and psychology is somewhat unusual because… both concern themselves with human nature and behavior." This symposium spotlights: expanding links between psychology and religion, religious experience and psychological conflict, the nature of religious controls, and moral issues in psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The hurrieder you go, the behinder you get.

Replicated J. M. Branan's (see record 1972-09781-001) study which indicated that teachers were more often involved than any other person in the most negative life experience reported by undergraduates. 321 undergraduates in 5 courses were asked to describe their 2 most negative experiences. Results indicate that investigators' bias and situational factors may have influenced the original findings. Only 10.3% of the present Ss mentioned teachers vs 28.0% in the earlier study and educational psychology students mentioned teachers more often than students in other courses. The earlier study did not distinguish Ss in different courses. It is concluded that although teachers may create negative experiences for students, poorly designed research will not create support for changing and strengthening the affective aspects of teacher training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation of the Minnesota Vocational Interest Inventory for vocational high school boys.

The concurrent validity of the MVII was investigated with over 1000 vocational high school boys in Grades 9 and 12 in Buffalo, New York, schools. Scores of boys in particular trade curricula were checked against relevant MVII scales. At Grade 12, the food, electrical, and printing trade choices were well predicted; students in building trade, machinist, and mechanical programs were not well spotted. Similar results, but less encouraging, were found for the Grade-9 sample. With 1 student sample only (electrical), aptitude test data were unrelated to MVII scores. Students with "high" academic or shop school averages earned higher MVII criterion scale scores than did others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Ethnic differences and the closing of the sex gap in alcohol use among college-bound students": Correction to Corbin, Vaughan, and Fromme (2008).

Reports an error in "Ethnic differences and the closing of the sex gap in alcohol use among college-bound students" by William R. Corbin, Ellen L. Vaughan and Kim Fromme (Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2008[Jun], Vol 22[2], 240-248). The article was published with incorrect figures. The correct Figures 1 and 2 are reprinted in this correction. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-06772-009.) In this study, the authors used Web-based surveys to examine differences in alcohol use by sex and ethnicity and factors associated with these group differences among 2,241 college-bound students. A Sex × Ethnicity interaction indicated that the sex gap was much larger for Latino than for Caucasian students. Although peer influence was important for both Caucasian and Latino students, family influences were significant only for Latino youths. The sex differences in drinking among Latino youths were largely explained by the combination of same-sex family member and same-sex peer drinking through values about the acceptability of drinking behavior. Among Caucasians, perceptions of peer behavior exerted a stronger influence on drinking behavior than among Latinos. These results suggest that interventions targeting peer influence are likely to be most effective for Caucasian students. In contrast, for Latinos, particularly Latina women, family characteristics may be an important target for prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Disability, work and social policy—Models for social welfare (Springer series on social work, vol. 2).

Reviews the book, Disability, work and social policy—Models for social welfare (Springer series on social work, vol. 2) by Aliki Coudroglou and Dennis L. Poole (1984). This book is dedicated "to the people of PUSH for their determination and courageous example." PUSH, or "People United for Self-Help," was established in 1970 in Phoenix, Arizona. The book addresses rationally and at times with understandable emotion the social and moral problems of caring for disabled persons; it describes the merits of and need for an advocacy organization like PUSH; and it offers a mainstreaming model that conceivably might provide "occupational opportunity for all disabled workers in the least restrictive environment." While most students of social work, rehabilitation, policy science, sociology, and even psychology or medicine would profit from reading this book, it is not clear as to the audience for which it was written or the role it should play in graduate curricula. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning "facts" versus learning that most questions have many answers: Student evaluations of contrasting curricula.

In interviews, urban African American students (Grades 1–8) were asked to compare the memorization of noncontroversial information with the learning and discussion of information designed to help students develop personal stances on controversial matters. Younger students did not clearly see one curriculum as more fair. Older students, more so than younger students, saw collaborative inquiry about controversial topics as fair and as likely to foster motivation. They also more strongly agreed that school should foster motivation and understanding, and they valued memorizing less than did younger students. That is, older students' views resembled the view of critics who argue that schools place undue emphasis on "fixed facts and skills to be acquired" (J. I. Goodlad, 1984, p. 209). Possible roles of student voice in curricula matters are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

You can’t always forget what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you’ll forget what you need.

Reviews the book, Intentional forgetting: Interdisciplinary approaches by J. Golding and C. MacLeod (see record 1997-36412-000). I was left with three impressions when I finished reading this volume. The first impression concerns the degree to which research in the cognitive and social/legal traditions has been largely independent. Given differences in historical antecedents, perspectives, methodologies, and results, it is easy to appreciate why the cognitive and social/legal approaches have developed separately. However, both literatures have much to contribute and gain from one another, as their juxtaposition in this volume illustrate. The second impression was the amount of consensus in terms of both data and theory. In the cognitive and in the social/legal domain, researchers are largely in agreement with regards to important issues, principal findings, and interpretations. Indeed, the most controversial debate in this volume is provided by Grant and Zentall, Roper, Kaiser, and Sherburne who argue the question of whether animals can develop control over memory processes. Finally, despite their differences, I was struck by the similarities and common themes in the cognitive, social/legal, and clinical literatures. The main goal of the editors of this volume was to bring together the various forms of research on intentional forgetting in one place to highlight the "commonalities that link these seemingly disparate areas of research" (p. ix). Golding and MacLeod have been remarkably successful in this endeavour. I thoroughly enjoyed, and greatly benefited from reading this volume. It brings together a wealth of findings, ideas, and directions for future research. Bjork concluded his perspective by reiterating that intentional forgetting "is inextricably intertwined with intentional remembering. If our goal is to understand how information is selected, encoded, learned, and remembered, we also need to understand how information is ignored, inhibited, discounted, and forgotten" (p. 478). This volume represents the considerable progress that has made toward the second half of this goal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"I show how you feel": Motor mimicry as a communicative act.

Elementary motor mimicry (e.g., wincing when another is injured) has been previously considered in social psychology as the overt manifestation of some intrapersonal process such as vicarious emotion. A 2-part experiment with 50 university students tested the hypothesis that motor mimicry is instead an interpersonal event, a nonverbal communication intended to be seen by the other. Part 1 examined the effect of a receiver on the observer's motor mimicry. The victim of an apparently painful injury was either increasingly or decreasingly available for eye contact with the observer. Microanalysis showed that the pattern and timing of the observer's motor mimicry were significantly affected by the visual availability of the victim. In Part 2, naive decoders viewed and rated the reactions of these observers. Their ratings confirmed that motor mimicry was consistently decoded as "knowing" and "caring" and that these interpretations were significantly related to the experimental condition under which the reactions were elicited. Results cannot be explained by any alternative intrapersonal theory, so a parallel process model is proposed in which the eliciting stimulus may set off both internal reactions and communicative responses, and it is the communicative situation that determines the visable behavior. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnic and gender differences in sexuality: variations in sexual behavior between Asian and non-Asian university students

Seven hundred and two (346 non-Asian, 356 Asian) undergraduate volunteers were assessed in a confidential laboratory setting on levels of interpersonal sexual behavior (e.g., petting, intercourse), intrapersonal sexual behavior (e.g., fantasy, masturbation), and sociosexual restrictiveness (e.g., lifetime number of partners, number of "one-night stands"). The purpose was to examine possible differences in sexual behavior between Asian and non-Asian Canadian university students and to determine the association between North American residency and the sexual behavior of Asians. The role of gender on sexual behavior both across and within ethnic groups was also examined. Statistical analyses revealed that Asian students were significantly more conservative than non-Asian students on all measures of interpersonal sexual behavior and sociosexual restrictiveness. Significant differences were also noted between Asian and non-Asian students on most measures of intrapersonal sexual behavior. With the exception of two fantasy items, length of residency in Canada was unrelated to interpersonal sexual behavior, intrapersonal sexual behavior, or sociosexual restrictiveness among Asians. Although gender differences were substantial for intrapersonal sexual behaviors such as fantasy and masturbation, no significant gender differences were found for measures of interpersonal sexual experience, with the exception of reported number of one-night stands.     

Social skills training with parent generalization: Treatment effects for children with attention deficit disorder.

The effectiveness of brief social skills training (SST) was evaluated in a controlled outcome study with 27 children meeting criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(3rd ed., revised; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) for an attention deficit disorder. Children were randomly assigned to either SST with parent-mediated generalization (SST-PG), child-only SST, or a wait-list control group. SST consisted of 8 group sessions in which skill modules were taught sequentially. Parents of children in the SST-PG group simultaneously participated in group generalization training designed to support their children's transfer of skills. Significant improvement in children's skill knowledge and in parent reports of social skills and disruptive behavior occurred for both treatment groups relative to the wait-list control group and maintained at a 4-month follow-up. More modest evidence was found for generalization of SST to the school setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Observing leader behavior: Toward reciprocal determinism in leadership theory.

Developed and explored observational measures of leader behavior, relying on a "reciprocal determinism" viewpoint of causality (leader behavior is seen as both a cause of subordinate behavior and caused by it). In Exp I, 28 male undergraduates assumed the role of subordinate in groups of 2 Ss and took part in 1 of 5 experimental interchanges with a "supervisor" (1 of the experimenters). Results show that observational methods of leader verbal behavior were feasible. In Exp II, 10 graduate students performed the role of leader and were subjected to laboratory manipulations of subordinate performance. Results show that 80% of verbal behavior of Ss concentrated on a methods approach as opposed to about 20% effort oriented toward a motivational-verbal approach. Motivational behavior was the most responsive to the performance manipulations. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modeling techniques, drug-abstinence behavior, and heroin addicts: A pilot study.

Investigated the applicability of a "vicarious behavior induction" (VBI) strategy to a residential treatment program for heroin addicts. This strategy was tested using a "videomodel" procedure, in which Ss viewed a series of videotapes developed to depict a model exhibiting "coping" behavior in solving problems related to maintaining drug abstinence (i.e., accepting help, job interviewing, capitalizing on street skills). These results were compared to those obtained from Ss who had viewed a videotaped lecture about coping behavior ("videolecture"). 22 Black heroin addicts from an urban community-based residential drug-abuse treatment program were randomly assigned to either a videomodel or videolecture group. In small subgroups they discussed their respective videotapes with an ex-addict paraprofessional and the E. Ss who participated in the videomodeling group had substantially better vocational outcomes 30, 90 and 180 days after treatment than those who participated in the videolecture group. Advantages of the VBI behavior change strategy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal study of the reciprocal nature of risk behaviors and cognitions in adolescents: What you do shapes what you think, and vice versa.

Adolescents' reckless driving, drinking, and smoking, along with their cognitions about these behaviors, were assessed in a 3-year longitudinal design. Consistent with most models of health behavior, the results indicated that health cognitions predict risk behavior. In addition, the current data demonstrate that increases in risk behavior are accompanied by increases in perceptions of vulnerability and prevalence and by decreases in the influence of concerns about health and safety. Furthermore, the changes in prevalence estimates and concern about health and safety predicted subsequent risk behavior. These results demonstrate reciprocity between risk behaviors and related cognitions and suggest that adolescents are aware of the risks associated with their behavior but modify their thinking about these risks in ways that facilitate continued participation in the behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What you say and how you say it: The contribution of speech content and voice quality to judgments of others.

14 groups of undergraduates (2 for each of 7 conditions) made judgments based on separated channels (speech content, voice quality, face alone, and body alone) and judgments based on combined channels (speech, face plus speech, and face plus body plus speech). Ss observed (via videotape) and heard (via audiotape) the spontaneous behavior of 15 stimulus persons in 2 types of interview situations and rated various aspects of the behavior. In Study 1, criterion judgments were based on a task similar to answering a phone. In Study 2, they were similar to watching TV. In Study 3, a complete set of behavioral clues was the basis of the criterion judgments. Results show that correlations between separated and combined channels varied significantly, depending on the kind of behavior judged. Judgments of honestly described positive feelings based on nonverbal channels were highly correlated with judgments of the whole person, while most speech-content judgments were uncorrelated. Judgments of stimulus persons' lied-about negative feelings were less influenced by nonverbal behavior. Judgments based on content of what was said were most highly correlated with how the person making the statement was judged. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Relation of eighth graders' family structure, gender, and family environment with academic performance and school behavior": Correction to Kurdek and Sinclair.

Reports an error in "Relation of eighth graders' family structure, gender, and family environment with academic performance and school behavior" by Lawrence A. Kurdek and Ronald J. Sinclair (Journal of Educational Psychology, 1988[Mar], Vol 80[1], 90-94). Table 2 contained incorrect data. The first column of data contained correlations whose signs should have been reversed. The complete correct table appears in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1988-24801-001.) The purpose of this study was to assess how family structure, gender, and family environment were related to both academic performance (end-of-the-year grades and quantitative and verbal achievement factor scores) and school behavior (number of days absent, number of days tardy, and number of in-school detentions). Subjects were 219 middle-class eighth graders (96 boys, 123 girls). Generally, students in two-parent nuclear families had better academic performance and less problematic school behavior than did students in either mother-custody or stepfather families. Boys had more detentions than did girls. Despite significant differences among the three family structures, the family structure variable accounted at most for only 7% of the variability in academic performance and school behavior. A family environment that emphasized achievement and intellectual pursuits accounted for variability in end-of-the-year grades beyond that accounted for by family structure, gender, and family conflict. The joint consideration of family structure, gender, and family environment accounted at most for 17% of the variance in academic performance and school behavior. For students in the mother-custody and stepfather families, contact with father was unrelated to academic performance. Findings are discussed in terms of models of achievement motivation and behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

You're changed if you do and changed if you don't: Mechanisms underlying paradoxical interventions.

We examined 2 mechanisms of change under paradoxical interventions: reactance and increased sense of self-efficacy. Procrastinating college students were randomly assigned to either paradoxical or self-control interventions. Effective study time and perceived self-efficacy were measured before and after treatment. In Study 1 nonverbal measure of initial reactance was employed. In Study 2 reactance was experimentally manipulated. Under paradoxical interventions, Ss higher on initial reactance benefited more from therapy than did Ss with low reactance; nonreactant Ss did not increase their effective study time, but they did improve in perceived efficacy to control their procrastination; increased study time was negatively correlated with increased self-efficacy. In self-control treatment, increased study time was accompanied by increased self-efficacy. Paradoxical interventions seem to reduce procrastination through the mechanism of reactance in some clients, whereas in others they lead to a cognitive change, possibly mediating a subsequent behavior change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)