Classification in psychopathology: rationale, alternatives, and standards

The elements that constitute a scientific taxonomy are outlined and presented with reference to the structure of psychopathologic categorization and diagnosis. The terminology, logic, and conceptual issues associated with clinical classification are discussed. Alternatives for the selection of substantive clinical attributes, the overall structural format into which categories are organized, and construction procedures used in developing a psychopathologic taxonomy are elaborated, as are a number of criteria for evaluating the taxonomy's utility and efficacy.     

The impacts of goal orientation,terminology effect,and source credibility on communication effectiveness

This research explores the interaction effect of terminology and source credibility on communication effectiveness between prevention‐focused and promotion‐focused individuals. Results reveal that communication messages containing terminologies are more effective than those containing no terminologies for promotion‐focused individuals, whereas messages containing no terminologies are more effective than those containing terminologies for prevention‐focused individuals. Furthermore, messages containing terminologies endorsed by either a high‐ or a low‐credibility source are more effective than those containing no terminology information for promotion‐focused individuals. However, for prevention‐focused individuals, communication messages containing terminologies endorsed by a highly credible source are more effective than those containing no terminology information. Alternatively, communication messages containing no terminology information are more effective than those containing terminologies endorsed by a low credible source.     

Refinement of terminology in qualitative analysis of human movement

The emergence of qualitative analysis of human movement as a sub-discipline within the discipline of Kinesiology has led to a slow refinement in definitions and terms used to describe the area as a whole and parts of the total analysis process. A 2003 paper by McKethan, Kernodle, Brantz, and Fischer illustrates some differences in use of terminology. Using their terminology, differences are noted with a view to standardizing terminology in the subdiscipline.     

Overcorrection: Reviewed, revisited and revised

Overcorrection is a widely used behavior management procedure, the success of which has been well documented. However, overcorrection is not a simple, single procedure. Rather, it is a complex combination of procedures that often make it a complicated strategy to understand conceptually and to implement correctly. The complex nature of overcorrection combined with the use of multiple labels has created much confusion and debate among both researchers and practitioners. A number of issues relating to overcorrection are examined and evaluated. A proposal is made for revising the present overcorrection terminology. Finally, directions for future research are suggested.     

Recognizing Specialized Terminology Presented Through Different Modes

In the present study, the authors examined how previous experience and modes of presenting information affect the recognition of terms in new, specialized terminologies. The specialized terminology used was related to orienteering. Orienteering concepts representing features found in the woods may be communicated verbally (as definitions or words) or symbolically. There were 225 participants (101 reported no orienteering experience and 122 reported varying amounts of orienteering experience; 2 did not respond to that question) who tried to identify which of 5 entities was an orienteering definition, word, or symbol. Those with orienteering experience found that recognizing the specialized terminology was significantly easier than for those without experience. Recognizing symbols was significantly more difficult than recognizing definitions or words, particularly for non-orienteers. Performance of the orienteers was similar for the three modes. Within the orienteering group, the number of years of experience and usual course difficulty attempted were significant predictors of overall test success. Applications to training of both low-level specialized terminology (e.g., used in algebra), and higher level terminology (e.g., used in computer science) are discussed.     

Recognizing specialized terminology presented through different modes

In the present study, the authors examined how previous experience and modes of presenting information affect the recognition of terms in new, specialized terminologies. The specialized terminology used was related to orienteering. Orienteering concepts representing features found in the woods may be communicated verbally (as definitions or words) or symbolically. There were 225 participants (101 reported no orienteering experience and 122 reported varying amounts of orienteering experience; 2 did not respond to that question) who tried to identify which of 5 entities was an orienteering definition, word, or symbol. Those with orienteering experience found that recognizing the specialized terminology was significantly easier than for those without experience. Recognizing symbols was significantly more difficult than recognizing definitions or words, particularly for non-orienteers. Performance of the orienteers was similar for the three modes. Within the orienteering group, the number of years of experience and usual course difficulty attempted were significant predictors of overall test success. Applications to training of both low-level specialized terminology (e.g., used in algebra), and higher level terminology (e.g., used in computer science) are discussed.     

needed: more evaluation,not research

The mandate for greater and more thorough accountability is here. The authors of this article point out that more traditional kinds of research per se are not needed; what is needed is more evaluation. They briefly clarify some of the terminology (namely, accountability, evaluation, and research) and illustrate some of the characteristic differences between evaluation and research. The authors point to some reasons that little evaluation is taking place and, with tongue in cheek, mention some of the more commonly used evaluative approaches. Finally, they provide five basic steps to good evaluation, along with examples.     

Where is Culture in the Acculturation Model?

The lead article provides a useful overview of the broad literature concerned with immigration and acculturation. Much of the paper concerns the terminology that might be used to study these phenomena. Thus, it is appropriate to ask if the proposed terminology is optimal. In addition, the paper presents a broad model of the factors that lead to adaptation. It is appropriate, then, to ask if the model is sufficiently complete.     

Religion, Spirituality and Therapy: Implications for Training

Religion and spirituality are recognized coping resources but are neglected in psychological training and practice. However, religion and spirituality can be successfully used to cope with psychological disorders, prevent unhealthy behaviors and promote resilience. This study explored and described two questions regarding the concepts of the terminology religion and spirituality, and the perceptions of the use of religion and spirituality in therapy. Purposive sampling was utilized in a qualitative study of 15 registered psychologists, and data were analyzed using Tesch’s model of qualitative content analysis. The concepts religion and spirituality appear difficult to define but the importance of their use as coping mechanisms in their own and their clients’ lives was recognized. These findings have implications for professional training.     

Clarifying Construct Validity: Definitions,Processes, and Models

Despite definitions in standard sources, personnel managers, psychologists, and psychometricians persistently encounter problems that are best referred to as the ambiguous nature of validity. The purpose of this article is to pro- vide an overview of construct validity and personnel testing, to demonstrate its practical utility, and to clarify with concrete examples certain theories and models, as well as to illustrate the meaning of the terminology used by com- mentators on the topic. A brief historical overview of testing and validation is presented; the progress of construct validity and its acceptance by various sec- tors of society is discussed parsimoniously in the section The Seven Wonders of Personnel Psychology. In the past, personnel psychologists have not done a very good job of understanding the constructs that underlie test perform- ance. Some new approaches can help to correct this. A process should be rou- tinely used on all tests in order to develop an understanding of the constructs that underlie performance on an employment test; only by knowing the cor- rect criterion and method of measuring it can we ascertain the intrinsic valid- ity of our measures.     

The influence of instructions and terminology on the accuracy of remember–know judgments

The remember–know paradigm is one of the most widely used procedures to examine the subjective experience associated with memory retrieval. We examined how the terminology and instructions used to describe the experiences of remembering and knowing affected remember–know judgments. In Experiment 1 we found that using neutral terms, i.e., Type A memory and Type B memory, to describe the experiences of remembering and knowing reduced remember false alarms for younger and older adults as compared to using the terms Remember and Know, thereby increasing overall memory accuracy in the neutral terminology condition. In Experiment 2 we found that using what we call source-specific remember–know instructions, which were intended to constrain remember judgments to recollective experiences arising only from the study context, reduced remember hits and false alarms, and increased know hits and false alarms. Based on these data and other considerations, we conclude that researchers should use neutral terminology and source-specific instructions to collect the most accurate reports of the experiences of remembering and knowing arising from the study context.     

The Ethics of Bias in Counselor Terminology

Mental health counselors (MHCs) are generally perceived as empathic, caring professionals. However, the terms that mental health counselors use to describe their clients sometimes contribute little to the valid assessment and treatment of psychological problems and are disrespectful to clients. This article reviews the literature on counselor terminology with foci on the types of terms used, the effects such terminology has on clients, the corresponding ethical responsibilities of MHCs, and the implications for practice.     

Representational momentum,internalized dynamics,and perceptual adaptation

In this paper I look at dynamic mental representations, motion detection under conditions of certainty or uncertainty, perceptual adaptation, and priming of motion direction. The goal is to bridge the boundaries created in part by the use of different terminology within different literatures. The most fruitful parallel may be between the phenomenon of dynamic mental representation and representational momentum on the one hand, and perceptual adaptation as revealed by motion priming on the other. I suggest an overlap between the two phenomena.     

Diagnosis,assessment, and comorbidity in psychosocial treatment research

This paper identifies problems in prevailing terminology and conceptual models that may hinder research on treatment. To avoid the multiple meanings of diagnosis,the term assessmentis used in reference to identifying the distinguishing features of individual cases, while taxonomyis used to designate the grouping of cases according to their distinguishing features. Treatment research requires clear specification of the behavioral/emotional problems and competencies targeted for intervention. Artifactual comorbidity can be avoided by specifying treatment targets at several levels, including competencies, specific problems, syndromes, profiles of syndrome scores, and global problem scores. To select subjects for treatment research and to evaluate outcomes, multisource data can be coordinated by using a cross-informant computer program, taxonomic decision tree, and averaging of multisource standard scores. This work was supported by NIMH grant MH40305 and W. T. Grant Foundation grant 92145892.     

Scientist and practitioner role preferences: The undergraduate dilemma

Research on preference for the scientist and practitioner roles in psychology has focused mainly on professionals and graduate students. The current study focused on undergraduates in a formative stage of career development to determine whether scientist and practitioner preferences could be indentified using instrumentation such as the Scientist-Practitioner Inventory (Leong & Zachar, Journal of Counseling Psychology, 38, 331- 341, 1991). The results indicated that comprehension of terminology within the field may affect students' indication of preference and that the divergence of preference seen in studies using professionals and graduate students does nto exist among undergraduate students. These finding could be due to a lacak of comprehension of terminology used to determine preferences. The need for an instrument that accurately measures undergraduate preferences for scientist and practitioner activities is clearly indicated to determine scientist or practitioner role preferences.     

Does understanding relational terminology mediate effects of intervention on compare word problems?

The purpose of this study was to assess whether understanding relational terminology (i.e., more, less, and fewer) mediates the effects of intervention on compare word problems. Second-grade classrooms (N=31) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: researcher-designed word-problem intervention, researcher-designed calculation intervention, or business-as-usual (teacher-designed) control. Students in word-problem intervention classrooms received instruction on the compare problem type, which included a focus on understanding relational terminology within compare word problems. Analyses, which accounted for variance associated with classroom clustering, indicated that (a) compared with the calculation intervention and business-as-usual conditions, word-problem intervention significantly increased performance on all three subtypes of compare problems and on understanding relational terminology, and (b) the intervention effect was fully mediated by students' understanding of relational terminology for one subtype of compare problems and partially mediated by students' understanding of relational terminology for the other two subtypes.     

Analysis of variance of one-, two-, and three-treatment designs for a PDP-8

Operating instructions for a series of analysis of variance programs for one-, two-, and three-treatment experimental designs is described. The emphasis is on versatility, speed, accuracy, and sufficiency of output. The on-line aspect of FOCAL allows extensive transformations of raw data. Procedures and terminology conform to Kirk (1968) to provide information for pooling error terms for various models, mean comparisons, and trends analysis. Patches are given for data tape input.