Pediatric consultation: New concepts in training.

Consultation-liaison has become increasingly important to the diversification of psychological practice. With the advent of national health proposals, the ability to service individuals (including the youth of this nation) in a variety of settings will be critical. This article describes a comprehensive training program in consultation-liaison child and adolescent psychology and encourages its adoption in other training programs. Psychology training programs will need to provide practice experiences in a variety of settings for psychologists to remain viable in an increasingly competitive mental health market place. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of organizational disequilibrium training on structural elaboration.

100 53-78-mo old children who displayed pretest structural profiles of varying levels of structural elaboration participated in a training condition, based on the organizational disequilibrium model that predicts that the successively alternating application of different partial structures should lead to cognitive advance. Findings show that (a) training was more effective within and between concepts for Ss with structural mix than for those who had no measured structural mix; (b) the number of Ss acquiring an ontogenetically later concept increased as a function of increasing pretest structural elaboration of ontogenetically earlier concepts; (c) structural application disruption for earlier concepts impeded acquisition of later concepts; and (d) acquisition of later developing concepts influenced structural elaboration of earlier developing concepts. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of time, speed, and distance concepts.

Used the rule-assessment approach to examine understanding of the concepts of time, speed, and distance in 36 5-, 8-, and 11-yr-olds and 12 undergraduates. Parallel tasks were developed for the 3 concepts that allowed specification of whether Ss were relying on time, speed, distance, end point, end time, beginning point, or beginning time cues in making their judgments. It was found that 5-yr-olds understood all 3 concepts in the same way: Whichever train ended farther ahead on the tracks was said to have traveled for the longer time, at the faster speed, and for the greater distance. Undergraduates, at the other extreme, understood all 3 concepts as distinct and separate ideas. The transitional period was marked by specific confusions among the 3 concepts: Time was regularly confused with distance, distance was confused with time, and speed was confused with distance and to some extent with end point. Both speed and distance concepts appeared to be mastered well before the concept of time. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Area and volume conservation among the elderly: Assessment and training.

Conducted 2 studies to examine whether the elderly maintain the competence to adequately solve problems of logical thinking. In the 1st study the performance of 60 noninstitutionalized middle-class elderly females was assessed on area and volume conservation tasks. On overall performance only 33.3% of the Ss were classified as conservers. In the 2nd study a training paradigm was used to determine whether simple verbal feedback activated the strategies required for adequate performance on conservation tasks. 22 Ss who failed at least 2 conservation tasks in the assessment study were administered a 20-trial training procedure. Half of these Ss received simple verbal feedback following each response, while half received no feedback. Results on an immediate posttest indicated that the feedback group performed significantly better than the control group on the near transfer posttest task and on the majority of far transfer tasks. The results are discussed in terms of a distinction between competence and performance. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Length of graduate training for experimental and clinical psychologists.

Tabulations of data on Division 3 (experimental) and Division 12 (clinical) members listed in the 1959 "American Psychological Association Directory" are reported. It "takes the average experimental psychologist slightly over 2 years to receive the MA after he receives the BA, but over 3.25 years are spent by the average clinical psychologist… . It also takes the average clinical psychologist much longer to progress from the MA to the PhD degree"—about 3.5 years for the experimental psychologist and over 6 years for the clinical psychologist. From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2AM78V. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changing concepts in the training of therapists.

Many professionals in the mental health field recognize the ability of nontraditional workers with relatively little training to produce good therapeutic results. The question is raised and discussed as to why the guardians of our present system are slow to use fully new resources, the effectiveness of which has been demonstrated. The suggestion is made that professionals with long traditional training should identify themselves with the advancement of knowledge and leave more of the practice of crafts to new categories of workers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Length judgments by squirrel monkeys: Evidence for conservation?

Investigated the applicability of Piaget's (1971) theory and methods to the study of conservation in nonhumans. Four monkeys were trained to make same–different judgments of length (yellow rectangular blocks) before and after transformations of distance. Several controls were used to insure that (a) Ss did not merely learn specific stimulus properties or patterns and (b) attended to the stimuli before and after transformation. A generalization test that used green cylinders was also given. Two monkeys achieved stringent and statistically significant criteria of performance on both tests, and they showed significant generalization in the fewest possible trials. Methodological questions regarding the relevance of the present work to Piaget's concept of conservation are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A group measure of the Piagetian concepts of conservation and egocentricity.

Presents a group test of Piagetian tasks. 30 male and 30 female 1st graders were tested using both group and individual procedures. A correlation was obtained across the 2 methods of assessment. Properties of the test were examined for internal and conceptual consistency. 2 scales employing a cartoon format were examined, each consisting of 6 items drawn from various clinical test situations described by Piaget. Scale I, conservation of substance, was shown to possess high internal consistency and a high degree of correspondence across the 2 methods of presentation. Scale II, egocentricity, was shown to possess poorer scale properties which are suggestive of a need for further refinement. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Associations between autobiographical memories and concepts.

Three experiments investigated associations between autobiographical memories and different types of concepts. Two types of concepts, goal-derived categories and taxonomic categories, were used to prime memory retrieval to related category exemplar cues. In all 3 experiments, only goal-derived categories were found to reliably speed memory retrieval. Weak associations between speed of memory retrieval and both the specificity and the personal importance of the memory were found; memories that were high in these qualities were retrieved more quickly than memories low in these qualities, and this was independent of the type of cue used to prompt retrieval. These findings demonstrate that goal-derived categories are closely associated in long-term memory with records of specific experiences. It is proposed that this close association is mediated by the role of goal-derived concepts in event knowledge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational and programmatic issues in operating a psychology training clinic.

I identify a number of organizational and programmatic issues that create problems in the operation of psychology training clinics. Several levels of problems are noted, including those involving the goals of the clinic, the organization of the clinic, and the clinic's relation to the department, the university, and the community. Suggestions for clarification and resolution of some of these issues are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement or training: An examination of method in conservation studies.

Presents procedural considerations for measuring optimal performance of children on Piagetian tasks. A questioning sequence based on a hierarchy of subordinate capabilities is proposed, with supporting data from a study of 37 59-77 mo. old nursery school and kindergarten children that used such a sequence. It was found that questioning trials had little or no effect below age 66 mo., but did influence achievement of conservation concepts beyond that age. Transfer across tasks and retention of conservation concepts were observed in conservers. A rationale is proposed that explains the results in terms of measurement of optimal performance rather than successful training. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-efficacy training to speed reemployment: Helping people to help themselves.

Assessed the impact of training designed to boost general self-efficacy (GSE) on job-search activity and on reemployment among 66 persons unemployed for up to 18 wks. Randomly assigned experimental participants attended 8 behavioral-modeling workshop sessions over 2.5 wks. The manipulation check showed that training boosted GSE as intended. The workshop also increased job-search activity, confirming the hypothesis that raising GSE motivates intensification of effort. The treatment increased reemployment among participants low in initial GSE but not among those with high GSE. The greater plasticity of individuals low in GSE suggests that the practical utility of training is moderated by initial GSE. It is concluded that individuals of low GSE should be given priority access to scarce behavioral-modeling training resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Length of training, opportunities for comparison, and imprinting in chicks.

Trained 112 1-day-old domestic chicks for 30 or 60 min with 1 of 2 different stimuli. One-half of the Ss were given an opportunity to compare simultaneously the familiar stimulus with the novel one for the last 15 min of training. Subsequently all Ss were given a choice between the 2 stimuli. The opportunity to compare the 2 stimuli beforehand had no effect on Ss' behavior in the test. In contrast, the length of training was found to have a marked effect on the Ss; the longer they were exposed the more they attempted to approach the familiar stimulus. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships between associative and content structure of physics concepts.

Investigated the development of the associative structure of physics concepts as a result of the content presented to the learner and the relationship between associative structure (as determined by a series of word association tests) and academic achievement. College students were divided into a treatment group of 19 Ss who received physics instruction and a control group of 11 Ss who did not. Experimental Ss' associative structures indicated significantly greater correlation with the instructor's associative structure after exposure to course content than previously; experimental Ss also were more similar to the instructor than control Ss. Comparison of regression models showed that associative structure itself contributed significantly to the prediction of achievement. Results suggest that assessment of associative structure may allow insight into a learner's progress which complements achievement testing. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Countertransference and empathy: The complex relationship between two divergent concepts in counseling.

Examined the relationship of 20 male counselor trainees' empathic ability (the Barret-Lennard Relationship Inventory) to measures of countertransference behavior and countertransference feelings toward 20 undergraduate female clients. It was expected that empathic ability would be negatively related to the manifestation of countertransference behavior, operationalized as the withdrawal of personal involvement, but positively related to self-reports of openness to countertransference feelings. Empathy was found to be negatively related to countertransference behavior with seductive female clients but not with hostile or neutral clients. Counselor empathic ability was positively related to counselor reports of openness to countertransference feelings. Findings suggest, however, that there was a limit to how often countertransference feelings could be experienced in a given counseling session without spilling over into countertransference behavior. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transfer between instrument and contact flight training.

22 Ss were taught two flight maneuvers (straight and level flight and turns) under both visual contact and instruments-only conditions. Contact training took significantly fewer trials to learn. However, transfer from contact to instruments was -22%, while transfer in the other direction was +47%. "The results confirm indications from previous studies that these instruments involve learning habits which are incompatible with population stereotypes. Implications for training and for instrument design are discussed." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational issues: Section introduction.

AIDS does not only affect individuals, it also affects organizations. Employers probably have as much opportunity as any element of human society to help prevent the spread of the AIDS virus through education and prevention programs based at the worksite. Employers also face increasing responsibilities for dealing with the reality of AIDS in their own environments. This section of the American Psychologist contains articles addressing some of the ways in which employers and labor organizations are dealing with these challenges, and the ways psychologists have been and are contributing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational socialization: Its content and consequences.

Content dimensions of the socialization domain were defined to determine relationships between learning particular features of a job/organization and the process and outcomes of socialization. Six socialization dimensions (performance proficiency, politics, language, people, organizational goals/values, and history) were supported by a factor analysis on data from 594 full-time professionals. The socialization process was then examined by comparing 3 groups of respondents who did not change jobs, changed jobs within the organization, or changed jobs and organizations. Results showed these groups had significantly different response patterns on all dimensions. Finally, relationships between socialization content and career outcomes showed the dimensions accounted for more variance in all criteria than typical tenure operationalizations of socialization. Furthermore, socialization changes were significantly related to changes in career outcomes for 1-, 2-, and 3-yr time intervals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships between child training and the pictorial arts.

Pictorial art of 30 nonliterate cultures was rated on several variables of art style, 11 of which were related to each other on a complexity of style dimension. These variables were correlated with a measure of severity of socialization. Complexity of style tended to be positively related to severity of socialization. Possibly, a personality characteristic is related to both severity of socialization and complexity of art style. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identity conservation and equivalence conservation: A critique of Brainerd and Hooper's analysis.

C. J. Brainerd and F. H. Hooper (see record 1975-31383-001) concluded that identity conservation develops earlier than equivalence conservation. Failures to verify such a sequence were attributed to 1 of 2 methodological errors: the use of a judgments-plus-explanations criterion and the testing of Ss too developmentally advanced to show the sequence. The present review indicates that neither of these purported errors has had much effect on the comparison of identity and equivalence. It also indicates that the evidence in support of an identity–equivalence sequence is much weaker than Brainerd and Hooper claimed. It is suggested that, for most children, identity and equivalence appear to be contemporaneous developmental achievements. Some general methodological and theoretical issues raised by the identity–equivalence studies are discussed. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)