Nudging aside Meehl's paradox.

P.E. Meehl (1967) attacked significance tests used to appraise directional theoretical predictions. With perfect statistical power, the probability approaches .5 of significance in the predicted direction, even for meritless theories. Feeble theory corroboration results. This article argues that directional predictions, not significance tests, produce the feeble corroboration. The author reviews previous solutions to Meehl, rejecting all except the multiple corroboration solution by D.T. Lykken (1968) and A. Kukla (see record 1991-31958-001). This solution is defended against Meehl's (see record 1991-31961-001) criticisms and extended. The complexity of a typical research design enables a theory to make multiple directional predictions, each of which can be adequately tested with a significance test. Reasonable theory corroboration results when all or most predictions succeed, and techniques to assess this are discussed here. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microgenetic methods revisited.

Responds to the comments of R. C. Fowler (see record 1993-05092-001) and M. Pressley (see record 1993-05123-001) to the authors' article (see record 1991-27066-001) regarding the microgenetic method (MM) of studying cognitive development. The authors discuss views of development and methodological issues to assert that the MM produces more useful data than available alternatives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MAXCOV pseudotaxonicity.

Responds to M. B. Miller's (see record 83-32894) comments on P. E. Meehl's (see record 1995-29291-001) discussion of the use of taxometric procedures for classification in psychopathology. Meehl defends the MAXCOV-HITMAX procedure, stating that, mathematically, deviations from the classical psychometric model can produce a single pseudotaxonic MAXCOV graph but not panels of several clearly taxonic graphs that also satisfy multiple consistency tests. Meehl agrees with Miller that the dichotomous indicator variant of MAXCOV needs further study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

'The structure of phenotypic personality traits": Author's reactions to the six comments.

L. R. Goldberg replies to the comments by R. O. Kroger and L. A. Wood (see record 1994-17497-001), S. Guastello (see record 1994-17488-001), D. R. Comer (see record 1994-17481-001), H. J. Eysenck (see record 1994-17486-001), W. D. Shadel and D. Cervone (see record 1994-17520-001), and H. E. Cattell (see record 1994-17479-001) on Goldberg's (PA, Vol 80:17546) article on the Big Five personality traits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

More theoretical risks.

Responds to the comments by F. Paniagua ("Kuhn's paradigmatic view of psychology and Skinner's theory of behavior." Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 11, 1991, 122-125) on the current author's original article, "Meehl revisited: A look at paradigms in psychology" (Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology 9, 1989, 30-36), in which the current author reviewed Paul Meehl's (see record 1979-25042-001) famous article "Theroetical risks and tabular asterisks: Sir Karl; Sir Ronald, and the slow progress of soft psychology." According to the current author, Paniagua takes exception to two casual remarks made in the current author's paper, one about Kuhn and the other about Skinner, but neither remark is related to the actual thesis. Paniagua's comments do not carry the substantive aspects of the article forward, which is unfortunate asserts the current author, because the theory discussed therein may prove useful in understanding the nature and evolution of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward an emancipatory psychology.

Responds to comments by W. Mieder (see record 1991-03996-001), K. L. Dion (see record 1991-03991-001), and K. J. Gergen (see record 1991-03993-001) on T. B. Rogers's (see record 1991-03999-001) examination of the role of proverbs in psychology. It is argued that theory is important for the critical social functions it serves, rather than just for the quest for truth. Also, consideration of an emancipatory psychology is recommended, in which psychology is viewed as a socially embedded discipline. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Meehl revisited: A look at paradigms in psychology.

Comments on Meehl's (see record 1979-25042-001) article on the nature of psychological debates. The author is in agreement with Meehl that there is a need to reconsider how research is designed and carried out within psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Got a minute? Attentional limits revisited.

Responds to comments by R. C. Tees (see record 1991-03035-001), J. G. Adair (see record 1991-03013-001), J. E. Grusec (see record 1991-03021-001), K. Danziger (see record 1991-03016-001), L. P. Mos (see record 1991-03027-001), H. J. Stam (see record 1991-03033-001), and V. Vikis-Freilbergs (see record 1991-03039-001) on W. Thorngate's (see record 1991-03036-001) contention that the overproduction of psychological literature will lead to fragmentation of the discipline. As the works of psychologists proliterate, their scientific truth may capture less attention than their practical importance or personal interest. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reemphasizing Martin and Terris's (1991a) "Predicting infrequent behavior: Clarifying the impact on false-positive rates."

High false-positive rates have been used to argue against the use of valid psychological tests, and this argument is typically adopted when base rates are low. S. L. Martin and W. Terris (see record 1991-28965-001) noted that this argument has merit in some situations but is generally inappropriate in the context of personnel selection. G. Ben-Shakhar and M. Bar-Hillel (see record 1993-23709-001) criticized Martin and Terris's article for a number of reasons. The present article demonstrates that each of these criticisms is either inappropriate or incorrect. Furthermore, the authors show that Ben-Shakhar and Bar-Hillel's article repeats the same error that was identified by Martin and Terris. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Effective dissemination of energy-related information: Applying social psychology and evaluation research": Rejoinder.

Responds to comments by E. S. Geller (see record 1992-37385-001) and P. B. Crabb (see record 1992-37381-001) on the M. L. Dennis et al (see record 1991-08669-001) review of social and behavioral science literature related to energy conservation (EC). The Dennis et al article was not an attempt to recommend a comprehensive EC policy but rather intended to show how prior research and experience could be used to make information more effective in producing changes in public behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity of phallometric measures with sex offenders: Comments on the Quinsey, Laws, and Hall debate.

In a recent debate, V. L. Quinsey and D. R. Laws (see record 1991-10127-001) and G. C. Hall (see record 1991-10106-001) discussed several major methodological issues in research on the validity of phallometric tests. This article examines specific points of the debate more closely and uncovers questionnable assumptions underlying some of the Quinsey and Laws criticisms. The implications of unresolved problems for the clinical use of phallometric measures are stressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Concerning dual-coding and simultaneous-successive processing.

Replies to J. R. Kirby and J. P. Das's (see PA, Vol 59:0000) criticisms of the author's (see record 1976-02530-001) imagery theory and views of dual coding research. It is argued that their criticisms serve only to confirm and extend misconceptions of dual coding theory such as alleged distinctions between that approach and simultaneous successive processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Note on Mixed Group Validation.

Comments on the original article by R. M. Dawes and P. E. Meehl (see record 1966-11283-001) which considered mixed group validation. In the current article, a basic assumption of mixed group validation is questioned and a means of checking the validity of the assumption is suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The case of Helen R: A therapeutic failure?" A rejoinder to Hans Strupp's reply.

Responds to H. H. Strupp's (see record 1993-06521-001) reply to M. Snyder's (see record 1993-06522-001) comment on H. H. Strupp's (see record 1991-16137-001) article on the alleged failure of time-limited dynamic psychotherapy with a particular patient. When empathy is viewed as entering the other person's lifeworld, rather than simply experiencing his or her immediate psychological state, the risk of being programmed by a client to deliver a complimentary response that is self-limiting is greatly alleviated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental lines, schemas, and archetypes.

Responds to H. G. Furth's (see Pa, Vol 82:21230) comments on S. Guisinger and S. J. Blatt's (see record 1994-25035-001) evolutionary solution to integrate egocentric and sociocentric directions of ontogenetic development. Guisinger and Blatt present supporting (Guisinger) and opposing (Blatt) views on Furth's argument that humans have separate innate schemas for individuation, interpersonal, and wider societal relations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diatribe is not dialogue: On selected attempts to attack and defend behaviorism.

Describes the emotional nature of responses to M. J. Mahoney's (see record 1990-03226-001) discussion of the differences between scientific psychology and radical behaviorism. Responses are offered to comments from R. W. Proctor and D. J. Weeks (see record 1991-06227-001), E. K. Morris (see record 1991-06224-001), C. J. Lonigan (see record 1991-06220-001), and W. J. Wyatt (see record 1991-06231-001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Rereading text: Words and their context": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by B. A. Levy et al (Canadian Journal of Psychology, 1991[Dec], Vol 45[4], 492–506). Corrections to tables 2 and 3 regarding mean reading times during original reading and rereading in Exps 1 and 2, respectively, are provided. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in PA Vol 79:18597.) Two experiments examined whether the benefits of rereading are mediated by abstract word-level representations and are subject to the reader's focus of attention (T. H. Carr and J. S. Brown; see record 1990-27485-001). The effect of prior reading history was measured when 50 undergraduates reread a normal text and a scrambled word version of the text. The prior reading history was either with the normal or the scrambled version. In Exp 1, readers were oriented to surface level processing by a Greek letter detection task while reading. In Exp 2, Ss were oriented to message level processing by being required to write a summary of the text after each rereading. Transfer to normal text rereading is context specific, and this specificity is resistant to influences by focus of attention. Transfer to rereading scrambled word displays is variable, usually nonspecific, and perhaps open to attentional strategy. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex bias and the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.

Criticizes D. Becker and S. Lamb's (see record 1994-29756-001) paper reporting that women are more likely than men to be diagnosed as having a borderline personality disorder (BPD). Results from the previous research of D. A. Adler et al (see record 1991-15353-001), K. A. Henry and C. I. Cohen (see record 1984-06917-001) and M. R. Ford and T. A. Widiger (see PA, Vol 76: 26071), indicate that the gender of a client does not have a statistically significant effect on whether the client is given a diagnosis of BPD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Perceived parental social support and academic achievement: An attachment perspective": Correction to Cutrona et al.

Reports an error in "Perceived parental social support and academic achievement: An attachment theory perspective" by Carolyn E. Cutrona, Valerie Cole, Nicholas Colangelo, Susan G. Assouline and Daniel W. Russell (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1994[Feb], Vol 66[2], 369-378). This article, which appeared in the Personality and Individual Differences section, was accepted for publication by Guest Editor Irwin Sarason. We wish to thank Professor Sarason for his help and to apologize for our oversight in not acknowledging this contribution. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1994-31441-001.) Tested the extent to which parental social support predicted college GPA among undergraduates. A sample of 418 undergraduates completed the Social Provisions Scale--Parent Form (C. E. Cutrona; see record 1990-01422-001) and measures of family conflict and achievement orientation. American College Testing (ACT) Assessment Program college entrance exam scores (American College Testing Program, 1986) and GPA were obtained from the university registrar. Parental social support, especially reassurance of worth, predicted college GPA when controlling for academic aptitude (ACT scores), family achievement orientation, and family conflict. Support from parents, but not from friends or romantic partners, significantly predicted GPA. Results are interpreted in the context of adult attachment theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Approach and avoidance coping responses among older problem and nonproblem drinkers": Clarification.

Reports a clarification in the article by R. H. Moos et al (Psychology and Aging, 1990[Mar], Vol 5[1], 31–40). The authors wish to note that research reported in the article by P. L. Brennan and R. H. Moos (see record 1991-10154-001) was based on the sample used in the research reported by Moos et al and that this information was inadvertently deleted in the Brennan and Moos article. (The following abstract of the article by Moos et al originally appeared in PA, Vol 77:14961.) The Coping Responses Inventory (CRI) was used to study coping among older problem and nonproblem drinkers. The CRI organizes coping efforts according to their focus (approach or avoidance) and method (cognitive or behavioral). Compared with nonproblem drinkers, older problem drinkers were more likely to use cognitive and behavioral avoidance responses to manage life stressors. Problem drinkers who experienced more negative life events and more severe stressors used both more approach and more avoidance coping. Those who had more financial and social resources relied more on approach and less on avoidance coping. Problem drinkers who relied more on avoidance coping tended to have more drinking problems and to report more depression and physical symptoms and less self-confidence. Positive reappraisal was associated with less depression and more self-confidence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)