Psychology and phenomenology: a clarification

Controversies are rampant in contemporary psychology concerning the appropriate method for observing consciousness and the role inner experience should play in psychological theorizing. These conflicting orientations reflect, in part, methodological differences between natural science and human science interpretations of psychology. Humanistic psychology and philosophical phenomenology both employ a human science approach to psychology that seeks to explain behavior in terms of a person's subjective existence. Maslow's and Heidegger's formulations are both fulfillment theories in that they specify moral values that suggest how life ought to be lived. Natural science methodology rejects the possibility that moral imperatives can be validated, whereas human science methodology allows phenomenological convictions to justify recommendations about a fulfilled life and a good society. The social role of psychology is analyzed within the framework of phenomenological convictions and scientific truth.     

Complex learning and information processing by pigeons: a critical analysis

Three models of conditional discrimination learning by pigeons are described: stimulus configuration learning, the multiple-rule model, and concept learning. A review of the literature reveals that true concept learning is not characteristic of the behavior of pigeons in matching-to-sample, oddity-from-sample, or symbolic matching studies. Instead, pigeons learn a set of sample-specific S^D rules. Transfer of the discrimination to novel stimuli, at least along the hue dimension, is predicted by a “coding hypothesis”, which holds that pigeons make a unique, but usually unobserved response, R₁, to each sample, and that the comparison stimulus chosen depends on which R₁ was emitted in the presence of the sample. Convincing evidence is found that pigeons do code sample hues, but there is little evidence that allows one to infer that the “coding event” must have behavioral properties. Parameters of the conditional discrimination paradigm are identified, and it is shown that by appropriate parametric manipulation, a variety of analogous tasks may be generated for both human and animal subjects. The tasks make possible the comparative study of complex learning, attention, memory, and information processing, with the added advantage that behavior processes may be compared systematically across tasks.     

School phobia: An overview

This article discusses general features of school phobia and specific clinical and familial traits and characteristics. Included are overviews of theoretical explanations, types of school phobia, suggested methods of treatment, and their efficacy.     

Informed consent: An overview

Over the past 25 years, obtaining informed consent for the performance of many medical procedures has become part of the practice of medicine. As opposed to the “duty to warn” that is enforced by the law, informed consent should be a cornerstone of a fully collaborative decision-making process, the elements of which are presented in this paper. The responsibility for this process rests upon health care institutions and financing arrangements, as well as upon physicians and courts. In response to emergencies, patient preferences, and public interests, the consent process is justifiably abbreviated. However, as presently articulated, the consent process treats communication too simplistically, is distorted by the way it is enforced in litigation, is inattentive to social justice issues, and is not integrated into the moral commitment of physicians.     

Father-daughter incest: An overview

The problem of father-daughter incest is discussed from the perspectives of the offender, mother, victim, and family. The literature is reviewed for areas of consensus and disagreement. Conclusions describe the state of the art of current knowledge and suggest areas for research and theory development.