"Child health psychology": Erratum.

Reports an error in "Child health psychology" by Dennis Drotar, Suzanne Bennett Johnson, Ron Iannotti, Norman Krasnegor, Karen A. Matthews, Barbara G. Melamed, Sharon Millstein, Rolf A. Peterson, Debbie Popiel and Donald K. Routh (Health Psychology, 1989, Vol 8[6], 781-784). The name of the author, Sharon Millstein, should be Susan Millstein. It appears correctly in this record. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-09118-001.) The term child health psychology refers to the field of research on the behavioral aspects of children's health and illness. At this time we need to continue the work of the child health psychology special interest group and to draw into the Division of Health Psychology a much larger number of developmental psychologists, who need to be informed about the relevance of their scientific training to child health issues. We call the Division's attention and that of granting agencies such as the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the following high-priority child health research issues: adherence to pediatric medical regimens; child health promotion; family influences on child and adolescent health and disease; and stress and coping in childhood illness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Teaching about animal research in psychology": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by M. Domjan and J. E. Purdy (American Psychologist, 1996 [Jul], Vol 51[7], 736–737). Portions of the text were inadvertently omitted in the production process; the comment is presented in its entirety. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in PA, Vol 83:32272.). Responds to P. F. Cunningham's (see record 83:32271) and S. D. Gosling's (see record 1995-45383-001) study of the acknowledgment of contributions of animal experimentation in leading introductory psychology textbooks. The authors agree with Gosling that the primary goal of the general psychology course is to facilitate the students' understanding of psychology and that animal research is not presented in an educationally effective fashion in general psychology textbooks. However, it is argued that students need to know not only the conclusions of research but also something about how the research was conducted. In response to Cunningham's contention that psychology instructors will have to address why research animals are kept under stressful laboratory conditions, the authors note that psychology experiments typically do not involve deadly diseases or experimental pathologies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Loosely organized "organized psychology": 1988 executive officer's report.

Reviews the important events in the American Psychological Association (APA) during 1988. Conflict and collaboration (CC) that ensued during 1988 is described; however, a brief history of APA shows that such CC has been present since APA's founding in 1892. This CC is ascribed to the range of diversity among psychologists as illustrated by the number of associations that exist. "Organized psychology" is defined and APA's role in organized psychology is discussed. It is noted that APA cannot meet all the needs within the field of psychology, hence the need for state, specialized, and international organizations, as well as other multidisciplinary groups whose interests intersect with psychology. APA as the largest association of psychologists in the world forms the integrative force in the loosely organized "organized psychology." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The hunt: Job hunting for the new PhD psychology": Comment.

Comments on B. Perlman's (see record 1976-21272-001) article on job hunting for the new PhD psychologist and argues that Perlman missed 2 important points: (1) the type of degree the job seeker holds, and (2) where the degree was obtained. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A periodic table of personality elements? The "Big Five" and trait "psychology" in critical perspective.

Within contemporary personality psychology there is widespread consensus that, at long last, the basic elements of "the" human personality have been empirically discovered, and that the systematic search for the underlying causes and consequences of personality differences can be pursued on this basis. The putatively basic trait dimensions are neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, and are referred to collectively as "the Big Five." In the present article, this perspective on the psychology of personality is examined critically and found wanting. It is argued that neither the "Big Five" framework in particular nor trait "psychology" more generally is adequate as the basis for a scientific psychology of the human person. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a "global-community psychology": Meeting the needs of a changing world.

Changes in telecommunications, transportation, and economic ties are linking our welfare and well-being to events and forces in distant lands. Emerging social, cultural, political, and environmental problems around the globe are imposing intense and complex demands on individual and collective psyches, challenging our sense of identity, control, and well-being. The fabled global community is now upon us. Psychology can assist in addressing and resolving these problems, especially if it is willing to reconsider some of its fundamental premises, methods, and practices that are rooted within Western cultural traditions and to expand its appreciation and use of other psychologies. The present article advocates the development of a superordinate or meta-discipline of psychology—global-community psychology—defined as a set of premises, methods, and practices for psychology based on multicultural, multidisciplinary, multisectoral, and multinational foundations that are global in interest, scope, relevance, and applicability. Characteristics of global-community psychology as a disciplinary specialty are discussed, as are various issues supporting its development and need. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Supplement to listing of APA-accredited doctoral and predoctoral internship training programs in psychology": Clarification.

Reports an error in the American Psychologist, 1994[Jul], Vol 49[7], 671. The supplement noted the phasing out of the accredited program in clinical psychology at Yeshiva University. However, this notice referred only to Yeshiva's clinical PhD program, not to its clinical PsyD program. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1994-42940-001.) Reports the changes announced by the American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Accreditation in the list of APA-accredited doctoral programs in professional psychology and predoctoral internships for doctoral training in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Toward a science of personality psychology": David McClelland's development of empirically derived TAT measures.

The experimentally derived scoring systems for motives, developed between 1947 and 1953 by David McClelland and his associates at Wesleyan University, marked a scientific transformation of the Thematic Apperception Test (C. D. Morgan & H. A. Murray, 1935) and were an important milestone in personality research. These scoring systems combined the humanistic approach to personality, pioneered by H. A. Murray at Harvard University, with the experimental tradition of McClelland's training at Yale University. This article suggests some factors that led to this transformation, presents some of the characteristics of the experimentally derived scoring systems, and discusses some implications for the understanding of scientific innovation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A response to Richard Lettieri's "The ego revisited."

R. Lettieri (see record 2005-08806-004) maintained that a modern conflict theory needs a concept of an ego. This commentary is in response to that suggestion. Because the construct of the ego has been seriously criticized in the psychoanalytic literature, such a suggestion must first address the tenability of the criticisms before such a recommendation can be actualized. In this response to Lettieri's paper, I try to do just that. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comment on Cooper's "The passing of psychology" (Vol. 23, no. 4, October 1982).

Comments on R. M. Cooper's original article, "The passing of psychology" (see record 1983-26906-001). According to Cooper, psychology has become fruitless, devoid of substance and honest accomplishment and the real productivity of science is to be seen in material accomplishments. According to the current author, a materialist view makes any step in the world of ideas pitifully small by comparison. Materialist "science" will seem awesome, while enlargement of understanding that does not have an immediate physical expression can only be trivial musing. This is an all too prevalent view of science. Psychology is not dead. The science and practice of psychology are blessed, as they have long been, with keen and competent minds. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Another response to "Homosexuality: The ethical challenge."

Discusses the ethical integrity of accepting a voluntary patient's wish to change his sexual orientation, emphasizing G. D. Davison's article (see PA, Vol: 56:Issue 6) which argues that homosexuality is not pathological state. The problem of how a therapist can discriminate between his/her own values and what is a set of symptoms elicited by environment (e.g., social pressures) is examined. Four tasks must be accomplished before a therapist can attempt a sexual orientation change in a homosexual--deciding how the patient's biological state, past learning, access to information, and the impact of the current environment affect him or her. A therapist, behavioral or otherwise, is obligated to engage in a dialogue involving a scrupulous, nonmystical, time-consuming information exchange with the patient, such interchange being directed toward the clarification in the patient's mind of whether in fact he or she really wants to change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A response to "Educational uses of tests with disadvantaged students."

Responds to the paper by T. A. Cleary et al (see record 1976-03505-001) on the use of standardized tests with minorities and notes substantial shortcomings in the article. These include (1) lack of response to the key arguments of many critics of extant testing, (2) lack of recommendations for improving test development, and (3) placement of blame for bad testing on the practitioner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Does motor programming necessitate response execution?": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by A. Osman et al (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1990, Vol 16[1], 183–298). In Table 3 on page 192, 2 responses for high-complexity sequences should read "1 Ri?+?3 Li or 1 Li?+?3 Ri.' (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1990-13808-001.) The complexity of a movement is known to affect the time it takes to initiate the movement. This effect is thought to reflect changes in the duration of processes that operate on a motor program. This question addressed here is whether programming a movement compels the start of its overt execution. If it does, then the programming processes may be said to occur after the "point of no return.' We report results from an empirical procedure and a theoretical analysis designed to study processes before and after this point separately. According to our results, changes in the complexity of a movement affect only the prior set of processes. From this we argue that motor programming does not necessitate response execution and that the point of no return occurs very late in the information-processing system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Contributing to a field of investigation": A response to Pasley.

Responds to K. Pasley's (see record 1989-15304-001) comments on the study of parent–child relationships in stepfamilies reported by L. E. Sauer and the present author (see record 1989-15310-001). The deficit-comparison design is discussed, and methodological limitations are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and public policy in the "health care revolution."

In this article we give a brief overview of the rapid changes taking place in health care delivery in this country, focusing particularly on cost-containment efforts, organizational restructuring of the medical-industrial complex, and this decade's procompetitive market. Psychologists need to be aware of current policy trends and potential future changes in health and to consider alternative roles in emerging health care systems. Further, mental health policy is heavily influenced by the form and context of health policy. We argue that a top-down analysis of resource allocation is necessary for responsible public policy in health and mental health care. We discuss opportunities and challenges for psychology within this framework in service, research, and education. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Eating for optimal health: how much should we eat?": Comment.

Responds to commentaries by K. M. Vitousek and J. Gray (see record 2002-12932-011) and F. P. Manke and K. M. Vitousek (see record 2002-12932-012) on the original article (see record 2000-02781-002) that argued that because of the scarcity and unpredictability of food in nature, humans and other animals have evolved to eat to their physiological limits when food is readily available, so that excess energy can be stored in the body as a buffer against future food shortages. The current authors state that neither of the two commentaries challenged the main thesis of their article; they focused instead on its potential implications for good health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A third "trap."

Comments on B. E. Sandler's remarks (see record 1975-08484-001) on the potential dangers that can limit the success of behavioral scientists in exploiting the possibilities of industrial psychology (IP). Sandler fails to distinguish IP generally and those applications of it by practitioners working for industry in programs designed to further management goals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A public health perspective on "The ethics of asking and not asking about abuse."

Comments on the article by K. Becker-Blease and J. Freyd (see record 2006-03947-003), which provides a thought-provoking and important perspective regarding the ethics of researchers asking or not asking adults about abuse they experienced as children. Many of these authors' concerns with research on abuse during childhood apply equally to abuse and violence experienced at all life stages. Focusing on intimate partner violence (IPV), we wish to amplify upon and respond to their observations from the perspective of public health scientists involved in large-scale telephone survey research on violence (including family violence, IPV, sexual violence, and suicide). We strongly agree with Becker-Blease and Freyd that decisions not to ask about abuse play directly into the social forces that perpetuate IPV and other forms of violence as pervasive and pernicious social and public health problems. From a public health perspective, the question is not whether to ask but how to ask about participants' experiences with violence and abuse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

MMPI performance, response set, and the "self-concept hypothesis."

The MMPI can be viewed as communicating information about the self to a tester or institution. It is suggested that self-information is organized by self-concepts and that these more abstract self-concepts mediate specific responses to inventory items. This self-concept hypothesis provides an alternative to explanations emphasizing acquiescence response set, social desirability response set, or deviation set. In Study 1, replicated self-concept scales were constructed to index varied content dimensions of the MMPI. These scales, as well as the MMPI and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, were administered to 83 neuropsychiatric (NP) patients and the results factor analyzed. Inclusion of self-concept markers produced an unusually differentiated factor solution, with self-concept dimensions accounting for two-thirds of the explained MMPI variance. In Study 2 these procedures were replicated with a larger (201 Ss) and more heterogeneous group of respondents (NP patients, participants in alcoholism programs, and college students) and additional self-concept measures. Results support the conclusions that no evidence exists for additional and important self-concept dimensions within the MMPI item pool and that the MMPI acts mainly as a medium for the transmission of self-concept information and that self-concepts mediate and organize specific item responses. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A response to "The relevance of Sigmund Freud for the 21st century."

The relevance of Freud's ideas for the 21st Century had been discussed (Reppen, 2006; see record 2006-05420-001). Although most of the contributors to that compendium believed that they were, I suggest that a 'yes' or 'no' answer is not possible with regard to the corpus of Freud's ideas as a whole; each idea has to be evaluated separately. Freud's theorizing is built on two different bases: a psychological and a biological one. Not only do these eventuate in two different kinds of formulations throughout this theory, but sometimes even with regard to the same construct at different times in his writing. As a consequence, the assessment of the relevance of Freud's ideas for the 21st Century must be made construct by construct. A sampling of Freud's ideas about motivation, psychopathology and treatment were examined as to their contemporary relevance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)