Introduction to the special issue on program evaluation.

It is argued that psychologists, through activities related to program evaluation, can make contributions to at least four pressing issues: participation in and formulation of public policy regarding rehabilitation; clarification of the nature and scope of rehabilitation itself; practice of theory-driven evaluation; and the cumulation of knowledge through meta-analytic methods. Papers in the Special Issue are briefly introduced and described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children in perspective: Introduction to the section.

Traces the history of developmental psychology in the US to the beginnings of child welfare groups and institutions for children in the 19th century. The reflective, action-oriented documents of this period led to knowledge-oriented writings about children and to a faint form of methodology for studying them. G. Stanley Hall and many of his contemporaries advocated an evolutionistic view of child development in their writings of the late 19th century. In the 20th century, the child study movement gave way to developmental psychology in the 1950s. While developmental psychology does not necessarily follow classical psychological conceptions of science in its methods of inquiry, it has been reasonably successful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Families and HIV/AIDS: Introduction to the special section.

This article provides an introduction and overview of the role of families in preventing and adapting to HIV/AIDS. The unique definition of family in the context of HIV/AIDS is discussed as well as the importance of considering the family as a context for research in this area. Families can be important in deterring the spread of the disease because of their pivotal role in education and training about sexual behavior and health promotion. Families also serve a critical role in helping their HIV-infected members cope with disease. A taxonomy of the problems faced by families is presented. The role of the National Institute of Mental Health's Initiative on Family and HIV/AIDS in supporting and stimulating current and future research is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Families in transition: Introduction and overview.

Outlines topics of concern regarding families in transition, noting that high rates of divorce, single parenting, and remarriage have created a generation of adults and children who regularly experience multiple marital and family transitions. Marital transitions set in motion a series of changes in residential arrangements, economic circumstances, and family roles, all of which have implications for family adjustment. How family members adapt to these reorganizations depends on the timing of the transition, characteristics of the individual, situational variables associated with each stage of the transition, and familial and extrafamilial resources available to promote adaptation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transforming Mental Health Care for Children and Their Families.

In April 2002, the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health was created by executive order to study the mental health care delivery system in our nation and to make recommendations for improvements so that individuals with serious mental disorders can live, work, learn, and fully participate in their homes and communities. In its report, "Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America," the commission provided strategies to address critical infrastructure, practice, and research issues. This article focuses on the work of the commission's Subcommittee on Children and Families, describing its vision for mental health service delivery for children and providing suggestions for strengthening community-based care for youths with or at risk of behavioral health disorders. Training, research, practice, and policy implications for psychologists are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

This special issue of the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors includes papers that were presented the second annual symposium of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors (SPAB), held in New Orleans in August 1989. The symposium offerings sampled several significant addiction treatment and research issues, including new treatment populations and new treatment interventions, biogenetic factors in chemical dependency, and the impact of AIDS on the addiction field and on psychologists' roles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Problems of alcohol and drug abuse among children and adolescents are drawing unprecedented attention from researchers, policymakers, and the lay public. Clearly warranted, that attention focuses on vexing questions about the nature and prevention of substance abuse among youth. The most common questions include these: Are substance rates among youth on the rise? Why do young people use alcohol and drugs? How can we prevent substance abuse among youth? What works in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse? Do we need special programs to prevent substance abuse among youths from different backgrounds? Where should we put our resources to exert a maximum impact on the demand for drugs and alcohol among youth? By answering these and other questions, the 10 articles in this special series lay a foundation for future practice, policy, and research on alcohol and drug abuse among youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue.

Rudolf Arnheim was born July 15, 1904, and he has maintained contact with colleagues past his centenary year. A symposium, "Honoring Rudolf Arnheim at 100: Creating Psychology and the Arts," was held at the 113th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in Washington, DC, on August 20, 2005, and he sent along a welcoming note (see Figure 1). Presenters included Claire Golomb, John Kennedy, Ellen Winner, and myself, with our current Division 10 president, Lauren Seifert, serving as moderator and discussant. At the end of the session, Michael Wertheimer offered reminiscences about his relations with Rudolf Arnheim, and his written reflections appear as the first contribution in this issue of the journal (Wertheimer, 2007). Ian Verstegen (2007) has also contributed an article based on his book Arnheim, Gestalt and Art: A Psychological Theory (Verstegen, 2005). A collection of these articles are presented in this issue of Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Provides an introduction to the special series on cross-cultural clinical applications. The broader application of clinical assessment and treatment technology with diverse populations and settings has increased in the United States and has expanded to numerous other countries as well. The application of psychological procedures and methods with patients from different cultural backgrounds raises numerous methodological issues. This special series is devoted to those issues and problems inherent in applying techniques developed in one culture with individuals from another—either in other lands or with immigrant populations here. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Cancer is a term that was once synonymous with death. It affects one of every five individuals and one of every three families. Recent improvements in the identification and treatment of cancer have resulted in improved prognosis of cancer patients. The challenges that have evolved from aggressive treatment strategies and increases in patient longevity have been met by the emergence of the field of biopsychosocial oncology. This special series provides samples from the contributions of clinical psychologists to this rapidly expanding field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Provides an introduction to the special series on the development of chronic pain. The entry of psychology into the field of medical disorders has been gained through the portal of chronic pain. As methodologies have improved and as both psychological and medical advances have accrued, we have been forced to confront the inevitable conclusion that pain, like any other self-observed experience, represents the final common pathway of a variety of factors. The present special series is designed to explore the proposition that pain represents a multidimensional condition whose subjective manifestation is worth understanding and modifying. The articles presented attack the problem from theoretical, conceptual, and applied viewpoints. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special section.

Higher education will play an increasingly prominent role in determining a nation's competitiveness in the world marketplace. Just as raw resources were once considered as critical factors for survival in the 20th century, intellectual capacity and technological innovation will provide key ingredients for success in the 21st century. Instruction will make a major contribution to these developments. This article introduces the Special Section on Instruction in Higher Education, a collection of articles addressing issues of concern from the evaluation of teaching to the remediation of student failures. It provides a brief review of the studies and offers a critical analysis of key issues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Eating disorders represent a major health problem in the United States. This special series cannot hope to answer definitively the many questions about eating problems facing the scientific and health care communities. However, it is the intention of this series to clarify some of the issues facing clinicians and scientists. In accomplishing this task, we have tried first to apprise the reader of the scope and significance of the problem. The first article addresses this broad task and pays special attention to anorexia and bulimia. This article provides a suitable overview for the more specific articles that follow. The remaining articles in the series provide the reader with a view of the most persuasive and innovative views of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Their topics range from normal eating to obesity, and they review primary preventions and provide information on the biological precursors and consequences of eating disturbances as well as on cultural-familial contributors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue.

This article introduces this special issue of the American Psychologist. The topics in this section concern the physical and mental health of children, and how social policies affect their development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Provides an introduction to the special series on the assessment and treatment of marital and family dysfunction. Despite the absence of a dominant, coherent theoretical model, both clinical practice and research in marital and family therapy have demonstrated exponential growth in the last two decades. More recently, attention has turned to the role of marital and family dynamics not only in psychological difficulties in children or domestic violence but also in such "individual" disorders as depression, schizophrenia, and substance abuse. The series begins with three articles examining the role of marital and family dysfunction in more traditional psychiatric disorders. Three additional articles examine considerations in marital therapy from both conceptual and empirical perspectives. Altogether, the series argues for the adoption of a broad interpersonal perspective in investigating and treating all emotional, behavioral, and even physical difficulties, regardless of presenting symptoms or diagnostic classifications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Alcoholism is prevalent in virtually all sectors of western society and has serious social, economic, and health consequences. The purpose of this special series is to review the current status of research and to highlight the need for further studies concerning risk factors, prevalence and patterns of abusive drinking in the general population, differences among ethnic minority groups, biological vulnerability to alcoholism, the role of cognitive variables in the development and maintenance of problem drinking, chronic effects of alcohol abuse on the brain and on adaptive abilities, and factors related to treatment outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special issue.

Provides an introduction to the special issue of the American Psychologist, which is one of several publications prepared for the celebration of the centenary of the American Psychological Association (APA). The 25 invited articles in this special issue constitute a unique collection portraying the founding and development of the "new" psychology in America. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of APA, this special issue showcases the work of many of the leading scholars writing in the history of psychology today—individuals trained in psychology and history. There is great diversity in this collection of articles that tells the story of American psychologists involved in the advancement of psychology as a science, a profession, and a means of promoting human welfare. The author concludes by briefly describing the founding of history as a specialty area within the discipline of psychology by Robert Watson, and this special issue is dedicated to his memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special series.

Infant attachment to the caregiver may serve as the base for later social, affective, and cognitive development, but clinical research focused on the origins of competent or dysfunctional behavior has been rare. This special series examines attachment as it relates to maternal processes and infant temperament and as it predicts later adaptive and maladaptive functioning. Nonpathological attachment to inanimate objects is described, and the impact of maternal drinking, child abuse, and infant prematurity on attachment is considered. The study of the early bonds between infant and caregiver promises to extend our awareness of normal and psychopathological development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)