Defining Samples in Multicultural Psychological Research

This review of domestic “ethnic” psychological literature draws attention to recurring problems that impede progress in research. Many of these problems are associated with the use of labels that lack meaningful definition and validity. Some guidelines are offered in conducting research in which ethnicity is a variable.     

A critical review of pediatric preoperative preparation procedures: Processes,outcomes, and future directions

Many hospitals currently provide psychological preparation for children facing impending surgery. This article discusses the processes which are presumed to operate in various preparation techniques and the impact of these strategies on children and their parents. In critically reviewing previous work, it is shown how the research is fraught with methodological problems and interpretive limitations. In addition, there is a lack of empirical efforts to actually measure the various change processes at work in preparation procedures. The importance of taking into consideration individual difference dimensions is pointed out. Future directions for research are suggested.     

Retrospective studies of the origins of phobias: A review

Abstract

Studies using retrospective subject reports to investigate etiological models of fears and phobias are reviewed. It is argued that the research effort to date has been plagued by a multitude of methodological problems which bring into question the validity of the major findings. In particular, it is shown that most investigators have begun with the assumption that all phobias are indebted to some traumatic experience with the object or situation and, as a result of this assumption, have predisposed themselves to support learning-based accounts of phobia onset. Other problems, including the lack of demonstrations of adequate levels of inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability and construct validity are also discussed. Finally, recommendations for future research are made.     

我国近十年来汉语阅读障碍研究回顾与展望

发展性阅读障碍（developmentaldyslexia,DD）是一种严重的学习障碍。文章回顾了l996~2006年间中国内地作者发表的有关汉语DD的实证性文章,发现我国学者近十年来对汉语DD的研究主要包括DD的诊断筛选、亚型分析、认知特点和认知神经机制研究、教育干预等几个方面。文章同时探讨了现有研究中存在的不足,如诊断标准不统一;研究领域比较狭窄;缺乏有效的干预模式和实证研究等,最后提出了研究的发展趋势和未来研究方向     

Behavior Therapy and Callous-Unemotional Traits: Effects of a Pilot Study Examining Modified Behavioral Contingencies on Child Behavior

The conduct problems of children with callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e., lack of empathy, lack of guilt/lack of caring behaviors) are particularly resistant to current behavioral interventions, and it is possible that differential sensitivities to punishment and reward may underlie this resistance. Children with conduct problems and CU (CPCU) are less responsive to behavioral punishment techniques (e.g., time-out), whereas reward techniques (e.g., earning points for prizes or activities) are effective for reducing conduct problems. This study examined the efficacy of modified behavioral interventions, which de-emphasized punishment (Condition B) and emphasized reward techniques (Condition C), compared with a standard behavioral intervention (Condition A). Interventions were delivered through a summer treatment program over 7 weeks with an A-B-A-C-A-BC-A design to a group of 11 children (7–11 years; 91% male). All children were diagnosed with either oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, in addition to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Results revealed the best treatment response occurred during the low-punishment condition, with rates of negative behavior (e.g., aggression, teasing, stealing) increasing over the 7 weeks. However, there was substantial individual variability in treatment response, and several children demonstrated improvement during the modified intervention conditions. Future research is necessary to disentangle treatment effects from order effects, and implications of group treatment of CPCU children (i.e., deviancy training) are discussed.     

青少年应激及其应对研究综述

目前应激及应对问题的研究已经成为心理学界研究最多的重要课题之一,青少年的应激及应对问题更是其中非常重要的一部分,然而通过与成人应激及应对研究的比较发现,对于青少年的相关研究是不足的.文章结合国内外有关研究的现状,分析了当前应激及应对研究中存在的4个主要问题:(1)应激与应对的评定方法问题;(2)缺乏纵向研究与跨文化研究;(3)研究对象范围较窄,对大学生的研究偏多;(4)缺乏应用方面的研究,并对解决上述问题提出了一些建议.     

RESEARCH ON OCCUPATIONAL STRESS: AN UNFINISHED ENTERPRISE

Job stress (and more generally, employee health) has been a relatively neglected area of research among industrial-organizational psychologists. The empirical research that has been done is reviewed within the context of six facets (i.e., environmental, personal, process, human consequences, organizational consequences, and time) of a seven facet conceptualization of the job stress–employee health research domain. (The seventh facet, adaptive responses, is reviewed in the forthcoming second article of this series.) A general and a sequential model are proposed for tying the facets together. It is concluded that some of the major problems of the research in this area are: confusion in the use of terminology regarding the elements of job stress, relatively weak methodology within specific studies, the lack of systematic approaches in the research, the lack of interdisciplinary approaches, and the lack of attention to many elements of the specific facets.     

JOB STRESS,EMPLOYEE HEALTH,AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS: A FACET ANALYSIS,MODEL, AND LITERATURE REVIEW1

Job stress (and more generally, employee health) has been a relatively neglected area of research among industrial/organizational psychologists. The empirical research that has been done is reviewed within the context of six facets (i.e., environmental, personal, process, human consequences, organizational consequences, and time) of a seven facet conceptualization of the job stress–employee health research domain. (The seventh facet, adaptive responses, is reviewed in the forthcoming second article of this series.) A general and a sequential model are proposed for tying the facets together. It is concluded that some of the major problems of the research in this area are: confusion in the use of terminology regarding the elements of job stress, relatively weak methodology within specific studies, the lack of systematic approaches in the research, the lack of interdisciplinary approaches, and the lack of attention to many elements of the specific facets.     

Easing the adaptation to parenthood

Abstract

Despite the proliferation of marital adjustment studies, basic methodological problems remain unresolved. Not the least of these is the lack of a clearly defined and uniformly understood concept of what is being studied. The purpose of the present paper is to illuminate methodological problems which are specific to research in marital adjustment. Therefore, problems which would be true for all research in the behavioral studies and are not specific to marital adjustment are either not included or are discussed minimally. More detailed research is available elsewhere that relates to but is not the same as marital adjustment. Research in marital therapy would be an example of related data (Gurman, 1975).     

In defense of cultural competency in psychotherapy and treatment

Cultural competency guidelines and policies are being widely established. Yet some critics have challenged the evidence for cultural competency and the lack of efficacy studies that demonstrate its outcomes. Various positions are examined that discuss cultural competency research. They include the need for more resources for research, scientific practices that overlook ethnic research findings, fruitfulness of theory-driven rather than population-based research, problems in defining cultural competency as a technique, and development of policies in the absence of research. Implications of these positions are discussed.     

非言语学习不良的研究现状和展望

非言语学习不良日益成为学习不良研究的新热点,非言语学习不良的概念界定、筛查和诊断标准以及非言语学习不良的神经心理、认知、社会性和教育干预等领域取得了大量的研究成果。但是,非言语学习不良研究中还存在许多需要解决的问题,如：界定标准不统一;对非言语学习不良的系统研究有待完善;缺乏有效的干预模式及实证研究等。这些问题都需要进一步的研究、探讨     

质性研究中的资料饱和及其判定

在质性研究中,资料饱和通常被用以评估研究资料的充足性。但在研究实践中,资料饱和却存在概念模糊及操作性问题。作为某项质性研究所抽取的样本量已满足研究需要的标志,按照在研究过程中判定时点的先后顺序,资料饱和可划分为数据饱和、编码或主题饱和、意义饱和及理论饱和4种主要形式。4种形式的资料饱和各有其特定的内涵、评估方式和判定标准。研究认为,达到资料饱和的样本量标准不应统一设定,其检验需嵌入具体的研究过程;资料饱和存在逻辑上的不确定性,适度追加抽样有助于进一步确认;资料饱和作为考察研究质量的一项重要指标,并不适用于所有质性研究。     

Counselor Intentions: A Critical Review of the Literature

Researchers have become increasingly interested in the role of counselor intentions in the psy-chotherapeutic process. This interest is rooted philosophically in a recognition that to understand human action, we must also understand motivation and intention. The author traces recent concepts of intentions and proposes a model that locates intentions on a continuum of counselor strategy. Techniques for measuring intentions are discussed, with an emphasis on reliability and validity problems. Published empirical studies are reviewed through 1991; a lack of findings of practical or theoretical significance are traced to methodological and design problems. Implications for practice are discussed, and recommendations for future research are suggested.     

Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction Versus Complaints: A Discrepancy in Long-Term Findings

This review describes the discrepancy in findings between postoperative cognitive performance and postoperative cognitive complaints long time after an operation under general anesthesia. Shortly (from 6 hr to 1 week) after an operation a decline in cognitive performance is reported in most studies. However, long time (from 3 weeks to 1–2 years) after an operation this is rarely found although some patients are still reporting cognitive complaints. In general this kind of research is suffering from severe methodological problems (use of insensitive tests, lack of control groups, lack of parallel tests, different definitions of cognitive decline). However, these problems cannot totally explain the discrepancy in findings in the long term. Thus, there are patients who have persistent cognitive complaints long time after an operation, that cannot be measured with cognitive tests. More psychological factors such as fixation on short-term cognitive dysfunction, mood, coping style, and personality are possible explanations for these cognitive complaints in the long term. As a consequence, these factors should be a topic in future research elucidating the persistence of these cognitive complaints long time after an operation under general anesthesia.     

Hardiness and health: a critique and alternative approach

Recent research has suggested that individual differences in the personality variable of hardiness are related to health and illness. Despite some success at predicting health outcomes, there are several theoretical and empirical problems that must be addressed before research on this topic can proceed. Most critical are (a) how hardiness is to be measured; (b) whether hardiness should be treated as a unitary phenomenon or as three separate phenomena associated with commitment, control, and challenge; and (c) whether hardiness has direct effects on health or indirect effects by virtue of buffering the impact of stressful life events. After reviewing the literature and presenting our own study of the psychometric properties of the Hardiness Scale and its subcomponents, we draw the following conclusions: (a) Hardiness is not a unitary phenomenon, but should be treated as involving three separate phenomena; (b) of the three subcomponents of hardiness, only commitment and control have adequate psychometric properties and are systematically related to health outcomes; (c) lack of control and lack of commitment have direct effects on health because they are psychologically stressful; and (d) if there are buffering effects of commitment and control, they are in addition to these direct effects and are situation specific. Such a systematic consideration of the problems and prospects of the hardiness literature should facilitate research on this important topic.     

Reflections on the Field of School Attendance Problems: For the Times They Are a-Changing?

This article presents reflections on the seven articles included in this special series. The classification of school attendance problems (SAPs) based on structured checklists of SAP types (school refusal, truancy, school withdrawal, and school exclusion) together with functional analysis opens the way for establishing norms and social referents. We discuss how authorized nonattendance can also be problematic if it is persistent, and that it is important to take this type of SAP into account if the field is to effectively understand and respond to the complex range of bio-psycho-socio-cultural determinants of absenteeism. We highlight other gaps in the current literature, one of which is the lack of attention to evidence-based prevention and early intervention strategies. Avenues for future research are suggested, with emphasis on the need for pragmatic approaches to address the complexities of SAPs. Promising work is beginning to address the SAPs that are prevalent in special populations such as those with autism spectrum disorder. Overall, our reflections highlight the incremental changes that have characterized the field, exemplified by this series of articles, and the promise of transformational change in tackling the major challenge of SAPs as research in the field continues.     

Forced Termination of American Clergy: Its Effects and Connection to Negative Well-Being

Forced termination of clergy involves constant negativity found in personal attacks and criticism from a small congregational faction. The minister feels psychologically pressured to step down from the ministry position and this process is often demeaning to the emotional and physical well-being of the minister. The prevalence of forced termination among clergy has ranged from 25% among many denominations to 41% among Assemblies of God ministers. Forced termination and its effects are serious problems that have yet to be adequately addressed by scholars in social science research. The lack of scholarly research in this area called for a large national study from a reputable research institution. This online study shows that 28% of ministers among 39 denominations experienced a forced termination. Forced termination was associated with high levels of depression, stress, and physical health problems. Forced termination was also associated with low levels of self-efficacy, and self-esteem.     

The aim of the training analysis

Although the training analysis is considered by many to be the most important element of a candidate's analytic training, its aim remains unclear. Some think of the training analysis as being a strictly therapeutic tool, while others assign it a more frankly educational role. This paper reviews the literature on this topic from Freud to the present, discusses the problems that lack of clarity about the aim of the training analysis generates for psychoanalytic education, and proposes future research in this area.     

认知与决策领域的中国研究现况分析

由于决策科学对于社会经济建设有着直接的意义,所以一直是诸多学科的研究焦点。中国在认知与决策领域经过二十几年的积累,在相当广泛的课题上进行了研究也取得了不小的成就。该文对近年来国内决策科学的研究进行了初步的归纳和总结,其特点为：（1）研究主题广泛;（2）与国际前沿课题保持了高度的一致但仍然缺乏系统性。（3）结合实践课题进行了有益的探讨。同时,该文也尝试对该领域未来发展的趋势进行了分析,目的是抛砖引玉,更好地促进中国决策科学领域的发展。