Categorical thinking is the target.

Replies to the commentaries by R. G. Tweed, L. G. Conway, III, and Andrew G. Ryder (see record 1999-11644-006), T. L. Holdstock (see record 1999-11644-007), and R. J. Smith (see record 1999-11644-008) on Hermans and Kempen's article (see record 1998-12442-002) on the issues of globalization and localization in cross cultural psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Happiness, flow, and economic equality.

Replies to comments by D. Belle et al (see record 2000-02781-018), S. Reiss (see record 2000-02781-019), T. B. Smith (see record 2000-02781-020), and J. R. Sink (see record 2000-02781-021) on the article by M. Csikszentmihalyi (see record 1999-11644-003) on materialism and the flow experience as an explanation of happiness. Csikszentmihalyi addresses the concerns of each author. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cigarette smoking does cause distress.

Replies to comments by J. D. Kassel (see record 2000-02781-014), T. M. Piasecki and T. B. Baker (see record 2000-02781-015), and D. G. Gilbert and F. Joseph McClernon (see record 2000-02781-016) on A. C. Parrott's (see record 1999-11644-002) article regarding the link between cigarette smoking and stress. Parrott responds by focusing on several articles published during the past year. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Let's be realistic!

Replies to comments by M. B. Smith (see record 2000-02781-010), K Sheldon et al (see record 2000-02781-011), and J. M. DuBois (see record 2000-02781-012) on H. H. Kendler's (see record 1999-11644-004) article on the role of value in the world of psychology. They incorrectly read into Kendler's position an espousal of a so-called value-free science, a discipline that is free of all values. A major thrust of Kendler's article was not that all of science is value free but instead that scientific data are value neutral; there is no logical connection between the natural is and the moral ought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human individuality, happiness, and flow.

Comments on the article by M. Csikszentmihalyi (see record 1999-11644-003) on materialism and the flow experience as an explanation of happiness. His analysis put forth research issues psychologists should attend to in greater detail. However, he made a number of errors in logic and paid inadequate attention to human individuality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Politics and Science: A Combustible Mixture. Comment.

Comments on the article by Crosby et al (see record 2003-03405-003) in which psychological research is brought to bear on an examination of the policy of affirmative action. In their article, Crosby and colleagues cite the current author's paper "The Role of Value in the World of Psychology" (1999; see record 1999-11644-004) to support their contention that "science can never be fully free of values". The current author states that Crosby and colleagues misinterpreted his position. Specifically, the author believes that the question of whether science is value-loaded or value-free is pointless because the scientific enterprise consists of a variety of independent activities. Discussion centers on the implications of the fact/value dichotomy, science and politics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychophysiology and racism.

Comments on the article by R. Clark et al (see record 1999-11644-001), which outlines a biopsychosocial model for perceived racism as a stressor among African Americans. This model and the questions it raises can and should inform empirical investigations of racism and health. The model can be situated in the debate over the diversification of psychology, the social meaningfulness of research, and bias in scientific research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Values, politics, and psychology.

Comments on H. H. Kendler's positivist critique regarding the role of value in the world of psychology (see record 1999-11644-004). Smith objects to Kendler's interpretation of Smith's justification for a socially activist psychology. He argues that psychologists, as scientists and professionals, have just as much justification as anybody else, and more than many, to enter into democratic controversy about value choices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Historical racism: Implications for Native Americans.

Comments on the article by R. Clark et al (see record 1999-11644-001), which outlines a biopsychosocial model for perceived racism as a stressor among African Americans. One long-standing example of intergroup racism that continues to have pervasive effects is historical racism. It is argued that historical racism has had and continues to have a profound impact on Native Americans. The authors outline some possible ways in which historical racism constitutes a stressor with biopsychosocial implications for American Indians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A smoke cloud of confusion.

Comments on the article by A. C. Parrott (see record 1999-11644-002) regarding the link between cigarette smoking and stress. It is argued that Parrott's conclusions that smoking increases negative affect and that quitting smoking decreases negative affect are based on a highly selective review of studies that were for the most part not designed to accurately characterize these effects. The authors review these studies, provide alternative interpretations of their findings, and note important misrepresentations of relevant work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is value-free science possible?

Comments on H. H. Kendler's (see record 1999-11644-004) article on the role of value in the world of psychology. The authors criticize some of the positions that seem problematic for the future of psychology and that seem to have overlooked similar inquiries that have appeared in the American Psychologist in the past 30 yrs. They also suggest an alternative approach, which acknowledges the inevitability of values and suggests a way of treating them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural values and happiness.

Comments on the article by M. Csikszentmihalyi (see record 1999-11644-003) on materialism and the flow experience as an explanation of happiness. In looking at his data through the common Western values of individualism, rationalism, and the Protestant work ethic, Csikszentmihalyi may have overlooked the substance of happiness that has been frequently described in other cultures as experiencing the absence of self by being in a state of intimate connectivity with others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does smoking amortize negative affect?

Comments on the article by A. C. Parrott (see record 1999-11644-002) regarding the link between cigarette smoking and stress. It is argued that, owing to inferential constraints that arise from self-selection in both smoking initiation and maintenance, the notion that smoking increases stress is only one of an array of possible explanations for the observed patterns of stress–smoking relations. The authors highlight this indeterminance with an illustrative example of 1 alternative concept: the idea that smoking redistributes or amortizes stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Who is rich? Who is happy?

Comments on the article by M. Csikszentmihalyi (see record 1999-11644-003), in which he argued that the relationship between materialism and well-being is ambiguous, with wealthy individuals no more likely and sometimes less likely than impoverished ones to report they are happy. In contrast to the studies Csikszentmihalyi cited, however, decades of research show economic research show economic status to be a significant correlate of psychological distress and diagnosable mental disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking and stress: Correlation, causation, and context.

Comments on the article by A. C. Parrott (see record 1999-11644-002) regarding the link between cigarette smoking and stress. Parrott was correct in claiming that nicotine provides relief from the subjective distress evoked by withdrawal, as ample evidence supports this contention. However, his assertions that (1) smoking has no direct effect on affective distress and (2) smoking actually causes stress must be questioned. Identifying the contexts in which smoking exerts its effects on behavior, cognition, and emotion is crucial to furthering the understanding of why nicotine is so reinforcing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beyond the naturalistic fallacy.

Comments on H. H. Kendler's (see record 1999-11644-004) article on the role of value in the world of psychology. Kendler maintained that the American Psychological Association has made unwarranted moves from neutral facts to support for morally loaded policies (e.g., regarding abortion) and cautioned that this kind of behavior could undermine public trust in psychologists as scientist. However, Kendler failed to acknowledge the extent to which his overall position rests on a denial of the possibility of ethical knowledge—not just for psychologists, but for scientists and ethicists alike. In turn, this failure contributed to a distorted presentation of W. K?hler's (1938) work on values and its relation to Nazism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Narrow view of attachment or broad view of protection? Rejoinder to the commentaries.

The authors address 3 general issues raised by the commentaries on S. Goldberg, J. E. Grusec, and J. M. Jenkins (see record 1999-15264-001) by J. Braungart-Rieker and J. Karrass (see record 1999-15264-003), S. Dickstein (see record 1999-15264-002), R. Isabella (see record 1999-15264-006), K. MacDonald (see record 1999-15264-004), and D. R. Pederson and G. Moran (see record 1999-15264-005). (a) In response to questions regarding the nature of protection, they outline a definition consistent with J. Bowlby's (1969) that extends beyond predation and survival to include protection in times of illness, injury, and emotional distress; (b) they argue that protective needs extend well beyond infancy into adulthood and are relevant to a lifespan perspective on attachment; and (c) the challenges of differentiating aspects of relationships are discussed, and the significance of a narrow definition of attachment in such efforts is emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a resolution of the Rorschach controversy.

Comments are made about the articles comprising the first round of the Special Series on the Rorschach. G. Stricker and J. R. Gold (see record 1999-11130-002) and D. J. Viglione (see record 199911130-003) praised the Rorschach, but they consistently failed to cite negative findings. R. M. Dawes (see record 1999-11130-006) obtained results that provide modest support for the Rorschach, but one of his data sets is flawed. J. B. Hiller et al (see record 1999-11130-005) reported the results of a meta-analysis, but, among other problems, their coders were not blind to the results of all the studies. J. Hunsley and J. M. Bailey (see record 1999-11130-004) made a strong case for concluding that there is no scientific basis for using the Rorschach. Recommendations are made for resolving the Rorschach controversy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Advancing the science of psychological assessment: The Rorschach Inkblot Method as exemplar.

This article comments on a series of 5 articles, concerning the utility of the Rorschach Inkblot Method (RTM; R. M. Dawes, see record 1999-11130-006; J. Hiller et al, see record 1999-11130-005; J. Hunsley and J. M. Bailey, see record 1999-11130-004; G. Stricker and J. R. Gold, see record 1999-11130-002; and D. J. Vigilone, see record 1999-11130-003). Two of the articles provide extensive empirical evidence that the RIM has been standardized, normed, made reliable, and validated in ways that exemplify sound scientific principles for developing an assessment instrument. A 3rd article reports a meta-analysis, indicating that the RIM and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory have almost identical validity effect sizes, both large enough to warrant confidence in using these measures. The other 2 articles adduce sketchy data and incomplete literature reviews as a basis for questioning the psychometric soundness of Rorschach assessment. Unwarranted skepticism should not be given credence as an adequate platform from which to challenge abundant evidence that the RIM works very well for its intended purposes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)