Prediction of college achievement from the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule at three levels of intellectual ability.

The scores on the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) were correlated with the semester grade point average on a sample of 357 undergraduates, 206 males and 151 females, with the variance attributable to a brief vocabulary test estimate of scholastic ability partialled out. While the results of the analysis of the total male and female groups were essentially negative, further analyses which followed a subdivision of each of the 2 sex groups into low, middle, and high ability groupings yielded more promising results, especially for the middle ability male subgroup. Following a comparison of the obtained results with previous studies, the importance of using levels of intellecutal ability as a control variable in studies of nonintellectual factors in achievement was noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

He4 on copper: Some effects of preadsorbed noble-gas layers

We have made adsorption measurements of He⁴ on a copper sponge preplated with a series of noble-gas layers. The behavior of the isosteric heat of adsorption and the partial molar entropy of submonolayer He⁴ on these substrates is presented and discussed. The general behavior is of a rapid decrease in the average entropy of the helium as helium coverage is increased, on all substrates. Changing the substrate seems only to change scaling factors in the behavior of the helium film.Work supported in part by a Frederick Gardner Cottrell Grant-In-Aid from the Research Corporation, New York.Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow.     

Accreditation of graduate programs in psychology: An analysis.

Accreditation refers to the process by which an organization or agency formally recognizes that a college or university, or a program of instruction in a college or university, has met certain qualifications or standards. The purpose of this system is to maintain quality among the accredited institutions or programs. It is basic to an understanding of the unique accrediting function in psychology to recognize that psychology is the only discipline within the traditional graduate school of arts and sciences which has, thus far, attempted formal accreditation of the PhD degree. In order better to understand the issues as well as the present status of accreditation in graduate education in psychology, we will review briefly the historical development of accreditation and will sketch the current operational procedures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring the Heat Capacity of Superfluid 4He in the Presence of a Heat Flux Near Tλ: Progress and Prospects

It has been predicted that the heat capacity of superfluid ⁴ He will diverge strongly at a depressed transition temperature in the presence of a constant heat flux, Q. We have built a cell to measure this effect, and have taken preliminary measurements at various heat flux values. Our data indicate an enhancement of the heat capacity that varies as a function of Q. However, the temperature dependence of our measurements leads us to believe that our initial findings were affected by spurious heat flow.     

Report of the Executive Officer: 1985: Volunteerism in organized psychology.

Defines the American Psychological Association (APA) in terms of its membership, 42 divisions, publications, activities, policy-making body, boards, committees, and subcommittees. It is estimated that in 1985, APA members contributed 16,234 days, exclusive of travel time, to governance activities. The functions and needs of the central office staff are outlined, with emphasis on organizational problems currently being addressed. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editorial statement of the American Psychologist: III.

Presents an editorial statement about the publication policies of the American Psychologist (AP). About half the contents of the AP are documents that report on the activities of the Association—the minutes of the Council of Representatives, the address of the immediate Past President, and those reports of the Association boards and committees of concern to a large percentage of the membership. The remaining pieces are articles that the editorial board and the ad hoc reviewers judge to be of sufficient interest and consequence to appeal to the large and heterogeneous readership of the AP. These articles should explicitly address the broadest scientific and practical implications of the topic under consideration. In addition, a new series, tentatively called "Science Watch," will appear in the AP on an irregular basis. The purpose will be to cover articles that broaden our understanding of the discipline, that enable us to understand the connections between our discipline and others, and that help us glimpse the directions in which our science is moving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Report of the Executive Vice President: 1987: The growth of the American Psychological Association.

Traces the growth of the American Psychological Association (APA) since its founding in 1892 from an initial size of 31 to over 95,000 members. Some of the issues raised by that growth are addressed and include the changing discipline of psychology, the evolution of the APA from learned society to professional organization, the APA central office and its organization, and the financial picture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reasons for staying alive when you are thinking of killing yourself: The Reasons for Living Inventory.

65 adults generated 72 distinct reasons for not committing suicide; these were reduced to 48 by factor analyses performed on 2 additional samples, and the items were arranged into the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL), which requires a rating of how important each reason would be for living if suicide were contemplated. In addition, factor analyses indicated 6 primary reasons for living: Survival and Coping Beliefs, Responsibility to Family, Child-Related Concerns, Fear of Suicide, Fear of Social Disapproval, and Moral Objections. The RFL was then given to 2 additional samples, 197 Seattle shoppers (mean age 36 yrs) and 175 psychiatric inpatients (mean age 31 yrs). Both samples were divided into several suicidal (ideators and parasuicides) and nonsuicidal groups. Separate multivariate ANOVAs indicated that the RFL differentiated suicidal from nonsuicidal Ss in both samples. In the shopping-center sample, the Fear of Suicide scale further differentiated between previous ideators and previous parasuicides. In the clinical sample, the Child-Related Concerns scales differentiated between current suicide ideators and current parasuicides. In both samples, the Survival and Coping, the Responsibility to Family, and the Child-Related Concerns scales were most useful in differentiating the groups. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychiatry clerkship success: skills and styles

In recent years, medical students and psychiatry have been a provocative mix, causing much concern among students and faculty. Disagreement has been frequently offered regarding clerkship content, degree of learning, and even the basic importance of the topic of psychiatry itself. To help overcome these problems, 10 suggestions are offered for a curriculum learning skill foundation and 13 suggestions for clerkship teaching staff approach. These truism ingredients have been the major formula of a successful psychiatry teaching program as consistently reported by almost a decade of students and faculty. It is believed these principles might have wider applicability for enhancement of student recruitment to psychiatry residencies and for general stimulation of interest and learning in clerkship programs of various medical disciplines. Relevant literature is cited which addresses some of these individual issues.     

More on conceptualizing community psychology.

Responds to comments of D. S. Glenwick (1979) on L. D. Goodstein and I. Sandler's (see record 1979-22507-001) conceptual analysis of community psychology (CP). Topics covered include the role of program evaluation, multidisciplinary knowledge, and the drawing of boundaries between CP and related fields. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)