Veracity and vicissitude: A critical look at the Milwaukee project

Recent publication of the long-awaited final report of the controversial but widely heralded Milwaukee Project prompts scrutiny of the project and the report itself. After massive early intervention efforts with 17 black children at risk for mental retardation, follow-up assessment at ages 12 and 14 reveals a difference of fewer than 10 IQ points over the 18 control children. Reports in the 1970s had indicated average IQ gains of as much as 30 points. Reading achievement of experimental children was no better than for the controls, and although the experimental children enjoyed a significant advantage in mathematics achievement, they were functioning well below their measured potential. Numerous methodological problems, such as questionable equivalence experimental and control groups, confusion over subject attrition and replacement, normative obsolescence of assessment devices, and inadequate independent IQ assessment, all cast doubt on the validity of the project's results. The failure of the principal investigator, Howard Garber, to respond to methodological criticisms and questions regarding the impact of Rick Heber's criminal activities on the integrity of the project data does nothing to quell the cloud of suspicion surrounding the research. The Milwaukee Project provides no support for the hypothesis that early intervention for children at risk for mental retardation will result in meaningful and lasting changes in IQ or achievement.     

Serial attention mechanisms in visual search: A critical look at the evidence

Until a few years ago, visual search tasks were of exclusive pertinence to psychophysicists and cognitive psychologists trying to understand the operating principles and computational constraints of visual perception and visual selective attention. In recent years, cognitive neuroscience, with its powerful tools, has started to explore more directly the neuronal mechanisms underlying search performance in humans and macaques, aiming at the same general goals. New observations from a number of cognitive neuroscience approaches are promising a near future of great excitement in this field of research. This article offers a critical review of some of these recent contributions and highlights some of the interpretational problems that they pose. Received: 20 January 1998 / Accepted: 25 September 1998     

A social neuroscience approach to self and social categorisation: A new look at an old issue

We take a social neuroscience approach to self and social categorisation in which the current self-categorisation(s) is constructed from relatively stable identity representations stored in memory (such as the significance of one's social identity) through iterative and interactive perceptual and evaluative processing. This approach describes these processes across multiple levels of analysis, linking the effects of self-categorisation and social identity on perception and evaluation to brain function. We review several studies showing that self-categorisation with an arbitrary group can override the effects of more visually salient, cross-cutting social categories on social perception and evaluation. The top-down influence of self-categorisation represents a powerful antecedent-focused strategy for suppressing racial bias without many of the limitations of a more response-focused strategy. Finally we discuss the implications of this approach for our understanding of social perception and evaluation and the neural substrates of these processes.     

A nonsexist look at the shift to risk

This paper reports the results of a study in which male and female subjects are exposed to standard shift-to-risk dilemmas in which the central character is either male or female, rather than just male as in previous research. It was found that, while subjects shift to risk on dilemmas with male characters, they generally do not show such shifts on dilemmas with female characters. Results are discussed in terms of major theories of the shift to risk and sex bias on the part of researchers in this area.     

A small look at the ear recognition process using a hybrid approach

The purpose of this document is to offer a combined approach in biometric analysis field, integrating some of the most known techniques using ears to recognize people. This study uses Hausdorff distance as a pre-processing stage adding sturdiness to increase the performance filtering for the subjects to use it in the testing process. Also includes the Image Ray Transform (IRT) and the Haar based classifier for the detection step. Then, the system computes Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) as an input of two neural networks to recognize a person by the patterns of its ear. To show the applied theory experimental results, the above algorithms have been implemented using Microsoft C#. The investigation results showed robustness improving the ear recognition process.     

A critical look at our adolescence: notes on turning 18 (and 75)

Within the contexts of both the American Association of Suicidology's (AAS's) history and the history of associating suicidologists, an integrative identity based on the tenets of science is urged for the AAS. Two propositions are made: first, that we must promote and adopt more discriminative, standardized terminology; second, that we must promote and implement standards of informational competency for professionals and paraprofessionals alike.     

A critical look at critical (neo)personalism: Unitas multiplex and the ‘person’ concept

This essay evaluates critically William Stern's (Stern, W. (2010). Psychology and personalism) unitas multiplex and definition of ‘person.’ Discussion of the former is restricted to the lowest psychological levels and evaluation is conducted in light of interpretive options open to the ‘targets’ of Stern's current adherents, termed ‘neopersonalists.’ It is concluded that to avoid the charge of ‘individualism,’ neopersonalist expositions of the unitas multiplex should be geared toward the strong possibility that their targets will read it as a person-ontology. Evaluation then turns to Stern's definition of ‘person,’ which is compared with elements of Hacker's (Hacker, P. (2007). Human nature: The categorial framework. Oxford: Blackwell) analysis of the same concept. Results suggest that while Stern's definition applies to ‘animal’ and ‘human being,’ it does not apply to ‘person’. A more coherent conceptual framework for neopersonalism thus is suggested. A ‘can-do teleontology’ maintains emphasis on the person's potentialities and inherent goal-oriented and goal-striving nature, avoids reduction of the person concept, relates the person to others by necessity, and is amenable to Stern's definition of ‘personality.’     

A closer look at decisions to quit

Aspects of March and Simon’s (1958) subjective expected utility model and a prediction of Lee and Mitchell’s (1994) unfolding model of voluntary employee turnover were tested. A policy capturing simulation that varied high, moderate, and low levels of five job characteristics was used to model voluntary turnover decision processes for 532 nurses. Survey measures of these job characteristics obtained over the next 2 years were multiplied by weights derived from nurse simulations to yield turnover likelihood estimates. These estimates exhibited 80%, 127%, and 190% more predictive power (depending on turnover operationalization) than post-employment survey estimates of turnover intention, job satisfaction, and job availability. Groups of nurses with homogeneous voluntary turnover decision models were also identified, though no groups with homogeneous job perceptions were observed. Evidence suggested nurses responded to “shocks” as predicted. March and Simon’s model of voluntary turnover was supported and implications drawn for managing voluntary nursing turnover.     

Another look at the effects of the system of multicultural pluralistic assessment

The purpose of this study was (a) to determine if a declassification occurs when estimated learning potential (ELP) is used in reevaluation of special education students and (b) to assess the effects of the use of ELP by multidisciplinary teams. Subjects included 107 black and 13 white students (83 males and 37 females) referred for reevaluation from classes for the mentally retarded. Data analysis consisted of determining the percentage of students who would be classified as mentally retarded according to the main criterion of (a) Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) scores, or (b) ELP scores, or (c) multidisciplinary teams' placement. A chi-square test of independence indicated a significant difference between WISC-R and ELP scores; and between multidisciplinary teams' placement and ELP scores (p<.05). Students already in special education classes for the mentally retarded were not determined to be ineligible for services by multidisciplinary teams, even though 15% of the students would be ineligible for services according to ELP scores.     

A closer look at the ability to predict psychotherapeutic outcome

On the basis of previous findings on the varying ability clinically to predict the outcomes of psychotherapy, this study is focussed on the judgmental processes of good and not-so-good judges. To chart the mechanisms of predictive accuracy, the relations between the ratings of each judge and the criteria have been modelled in terms of structural equations. Further, the predictions of one good and one not-so-good judge have been analysed by multiple regression, with aspects of patient information as independent variables. The analyses suggest that, compared to the not-so-good judge, the good judge utilises more information and has more adequate ideas about its validity but not about its internal correlational structure. While not neglecting secondary process thinking, the good judge still leaves room for intuitive, non formalised judgment and also utilises available information in a more discriminating, or radical, manner. The not-so-good judge appears as an overly conscious and cautious person, neglecting much valid information, not discriminating among the variables, and using negatively valid information positively.     

Community competence: A positive approach to needs assessment

A procedure was developed for assessing residents' perceptions of community functioning. A questionnaire, derived from Cottrell's work in the area of community competence and elaborated upon by community workers and researchers, was constructed and field tested in five rural communities. In a telephone interview, 433 residents were surveyed. Responses were analyzed to determine which items discriminated among the communities and to what extent they represented Cottrell's original model. Representing six of Cottrell's eight conditions of competence, 14 items were judged to discriminate among the communities (analysis of variance, F-test, maximum p = .008). A factor analysis of the 14 items revealed four factors that were labeled Democratic Participation Style, Crime, Resource Adequacy and Use, and Decision-Making Interactions. The factors are consistent with Cottrell's model and explain 35% of the variance. These findings are discussed in relation to current community research and methodological constraints.     

Positive psychology at work: A conceptual review,state-of-practice assessment,and a look ahead

Positive psychological principles have become increasingly prevalent in the workplace in recent years. However, the field still lacks a comprehensive and practice-based overview of this important trend. The present article focuses on reviewing recent research in positive psychology as it relates to the workplace, including research regarding constructs such as resilience, appreciative inquiry, empowerment, gratitude, psychological capital, work engagement, supervisor and organizational support, positive teamwork and co-worker relations, and positive leadership. For each, we synthesize research examining the nature of the construct itself, its nomological network, individual- and organizational-level outcomes, and how organizations can enhance each within their employees for increased organizational success and enhanced employee experience. Finally, we discuss gaps in the relevant literature and make specific recommendations regarding how to ameliorate such oversights in order to enhance the rigor of positive workplace research as well as the frequency and efficacy of relevant organizational interventions.     

A psychodynamic approach to suicide: a critical and selective review

This paper begins by critically exploring Freudian and post-Freudian understandings of suicide, although due to limitations of space it is not comprehensive. Several examples drawn from clinical practice are then considered in relation to the theoretical ideas previously discussed. The paper then moves on to reconsider psychodynamic approaches to suicidal clients from a Levinasian ethical position. The possibility that suicide may be a logical part of what it is to be human, rather than an indication of mental illness, is advanced.