Gibson's affordances.

J. J. Gibson (see PA, Vol 29:5103; see also PA, Vol 81:28168) developed an interactionist view of perception and action that focused on information that is available in the environment. He thereby rejected the still-prevalent framing assumption of factoring external-physical and internal-mental processes. The interactionist alternative, which focuses on processes of agent–situation interactions, is taken in ecological psychology as well as in recent research on conversational communication, research on complex, socially organized activity, and philosophical situation theory. The concepts of affordance and ability are key ideas in an interactionist account. In situation theory, abilities in activity depend on attunements to constraints, and affordances for an agent can be understood as conditions in the environment for constraints to which the agent is attuned. This broad view of affordances includes affordances that are recognized as well as affordances that are perceived directly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gibson's inspired but latent prelude to visual motion perception.

J. J. Gibson's (see PA, Vol 29:5103; see also PA, Vol 81:28168) article is paradoxical: This forward-looking review of visual motion perception anticipates developments in the field, yet those developments were achieved without closely following Gibson's footsteps. This commentary offers several possible reasons for the dormancy of Gibson's ideas about motion perception and evaluates contemporary work on motion perception in the context of Gibson's perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Further thoughts on professionalism in school psychology.

The author responds to comments by J. I. Bardon, L. H. Levy, and C. R. Reynolds (see PA, Vol 74:13964, 13981, and 13990, respectively) regarding his (see record 1987-13985-001) article on professionalism in school psychology. The 3 reaction papers develop a number of common themes that are then addressed by the present author: the need to clarify the roles and functions of school psychology, the generic nature of psychology within which school psychology resides, the unique characteristics of this specialty, and skepticisms regarding the future. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lightner Witmer's legacy.

Comments on J. Seeman's (se PA, Vol 42:18124) article about L. Witmer, which suggests that the beginnings of clinical psychology are rooted in the behavioral science tradition. Witmer's legacy and different implications of his work and philosophy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thinking about postmodernism and gender theory.

The authors respond to critiques by J. C. Stanley, B. B. Barratt and B. R. Straus, and J. Walkup (see PA, Vol 77:26; 18; and 31, respectively) regarding their article (see record 1988-31397-001) on gender theory, postmodernism, and psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some further thoughts about the problem-finding challenge of consultation.

Responds to comments by L. Idol, F. J. Medway, and J. L. Graden (see PA, Vol 76:38276, 38289, 38265) to the present author's (see record 1989-38304-001) views on consultation. It is asserted that the application of the cognitive psychology perspective to consultation seems to be a promising research area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Complementarity means freedom and equality for all.

Responds to comments by S. N. Jones and D. T. Pfenninger, W. W. Tryon, and I. Kirsch and M. E. Hyland (see PA, Vol 82:3929, 3930, and 3933 respectively) regarding J. F. Rychlak's (see record 1993-43676-001) discussion of suggested principles of complementarity for psychology. Rychlak pursues an exclusively Logos formulation in his responses to the above authors. Rychlak believes that psychology should remain a science. This requires psychologists to take an additional step in validation of theoretical conceptions. Although traditional scientific designs lend themselves more readily to Physikos and Bios than to Logos formulations, due to an efficient-cause bias, there is no reason why final-cause formulations cannot be tested in traditional scientific methodology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A constructivist view of the frame problem in artificial intelligence.

Asserts that N. M. Agnew and J. L. Brown's (see PA, Vol 76:35329 and 35330) articles on "Foundation for Model of Knowing" address central issues in psychology, philosophy, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On productive and unproductive: Comments about productivity.

Replies to comments on the measurement of research productivity in psychology by G. S. Howard et al (see record 1988-09385-001) by A. J. Nederhof, W. M. Cox and J. P. Blount, R. F. Strahan, and J. L. Matson et al (see PA, Vol 76:27440, 27400, 27463, and 27435) concerning generalizability of productivity estimates, treatment of data from medical schools, correlation metrics, and sampling techniques, respectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Kelly's pragmatic constructivism.

Concurs with N. M. Agnew and J. L. Brown's (see PA, Vol 76:35329 and 35330) views that ontological and epistemological presuppositions impose certain constraints on the pursuit of knowledge. These authors have captured the constructivist thrust of G. A. Kelly's (1955) psychology of personal constructs in their central theme. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating sex and gender into school psychology.

Discusses the psychology of sex and gender in terms of issues and problems raised by J. L. Alpert et al, J. C. Conoley and K. Welch, and E. Jacobs and R. H. Meltzer (see PA, Vol 75:18336; 18338; and 16764, respectively). Discussion focuses on sex-related differences in the light of findings about the multiple roles of women in school psychology; the finding of behaviors that are often considered status- and gender-inconsistent for women in school psychology; and concerns raised by women's developmental needs and multiple roles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Representational momentum and memory for luminance.

Representational momentum (RM) is a distortion in memory for the final position of an object in the direction implied by a set of discrete inducing displays (J. J. Freyd; see PA, Vol 75:12823; J. J. Freyd and R. A. Finke; see PA, Vol 71:16934). The effect has been shown under a wide variety of circumstances, which has led to assertions that it is a general enough phenomenon to extend to virtually any dimension of change. It is reported here that decisions about luminance seem not to be subject to RM. Instead, a robust effect in the direction opposite to that predicted by the RM hypothesis was observed. It is argued that RM might be more usefully considered limited to dimensions of change correlated with motion in the real world, and some initial hypotheses as to the nature of the mechanism underlying this new luminance effect are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The road not taken: A false start for cognitive psychology.

"Psychology and History" was H. Münsterberg's presidential address at the 1898 American Psychological Association conference (see also PA, Vol 81:27847). After a short academic career in Germany, Münsterberg had accepted a chair at Harvard University. In his address, he presented to his American colleagues his conception of psychology as unitary science of the individual human mind. However, this conception that endeavored to import idealistic philosophy from Germany was skeptically received in America where pragmatism prevailed. Münsterberg adapted to his new environment. During the following decade, he incorporated into his theory what he had objected to before: purposive, social, and applied psychology. Yet, Münsterberg's initial conception was a sophisticated design for psychology as a cognitive science. In retrospect, it can be evaluated as a road taken much later. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The rhythms of reality: Entrainment theory.

Responds to comments by D. T. Campbell; D. N. Robinson; M. J. Mahoney; K. M. Ford; and J. Adams-Webber (see PA, Vol 76:35338; 35361; 35354; 353543 and 35327) on the present authors' (see PA, Vol 76:35329 and 35330) articles. Issues related to the concepts of pragmatic and existential constructivism, relativism, realism, and entrainment are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Can psychology reveal the ultimate values of humankind?

Replies to comments by I. Prilleltensky, J. J. Plaud and N. Vogeltanz, W. L. Stroud, and K. L. Pellegrin and B. C. Frueh (see PA, Vol 82:5106; 5105; 5108; and 5104, respectively) on H. H. Kendler's (see record 1994-09190-001) article on psychology and the ethics of social policy. Moral-philosophical, epistemological, and political issues are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new formula for behaviorism.

The 80 yrs since the publication of "Psychology as the behaviorist views it" (J. B. Watson, 1913; see also PA, Vol 81:27851) have witnessed changes in psychology that require revisions of the behavioristic formula. The 2 most important of these changes were the introduction of the intervening variable approach and the understanding that psychology is 2 companion sciences: 1 experimental, 1 psychometric. The acceptance of those insights allows psychology, without abandoning behaviorism, to avoid the silliness that arises from mistaking the field for common sense, philosophy, or one of the arts. Beyond that such a liberalized behaviorism is psychology's best hope for becoming a unitary science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Schizophrenia, personal constructs, and Riedel's constructs: A rejoinder.

Responds to the criticisms of J. Mancuso and T. Sarbin (see PA, Vol. 48: Issue 5) that a previous study by the author contributed nothing to the construct of schizophrenia and that his methodology was inappropriate in dealing with G. Kelly's personal constructs. Emphasis is placed on the theoretical notions upon which the study was based. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Extraversion and performance: A response to Eysenck.

Discusses H. J. Eysenck's (see PA, Vol 52:Issue 6) criticisms of the present authors' study (see PA, Vol 52:Issue 6) which questioned the validity of Eysenck's hypothesis concerning the relationship between extraversion and performance depending on cortical inhibition. Additional data are presented which refute Eysenck's criticisms of Horn and Cohen's sample selection, choice of parameter values, and theoretical formulations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An evaluation of 80 psychology journals based on the Science Citation Index..

Ranked 80 psychology journals and those from closely related fields in terms of their impact factors (average citations per article) where the numerator for the impact factor was based on the total number of citations accruing to 1972–1973 articles in that journal in the 1974 Science Citation Index. The top 3 journals were Psychological Review, Cognitive Psychology, and Psychological Bulletin. Comparisons are made with a ranking study conducted by M. J. White and K. G. White (1977). For related article, see PA, Vol 56:4649. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)