RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN PSYCHOLOGY WITHIN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

The state of psychology in China at the present time is discussed in the context of trends, continuities, and discontinuities in development of the discipline over the last 60 years. The work of psychologists was severely disrupted between 1966 and 1976 by the activities of the ‘gang of four’. Although there is in effect a lost generation of psychologists, teaching and research have been vigorously re-established in the colleges and universities. In the Institute of Psychology, which forms part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 90 psychologists are carrying out research primarily in developmental psychology, perception, physiological and pathological psychology, and psychological theories and systems. The Chinese Psychological. Society resumed activities in 1977, and Acta Psychologica Sinica reappeared in 1979 with a circulation of 10,000 copies. Psychology in China is international in its perspective, and Chinese psychologists have welcomed many recent opportunities to establish contacts with colleagues in other countries.     

INTERCULTURAL MANAGEMENT — JOINT VENTURES IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

The paper describes a comprehensive interdisciplinary and international research project on factors influencing success and failures of Sino—German joint ventures in the Peoples' Republic of China. It outlines the Gestalt-psychological theoretical basis for the study of cultural and socio-structural factors that induce values and preferences impacting on the efficiency of managerial interactions in joint ventures. After illustrating the role of such factors by providing examples of critical incidents the authors reflect the implications of the study for training purposes.     

CONTENT-ORIENTED PERSONNEL SELECTION IN A SMALL BUSINESS SETTING

This paper illustrates a content-oriented procedure for personnel selection in a small business setting. The procedure focuses directly on criterion performance, inasmuch as it generates lists of tasks relevant to specific job objectives. Rank order correlations provide quantitative indices of agreement between members of the job analysis panel as to the relative importance of the job objectives. The importance of appropriate representation on the job analysis panel is emphasized.     

DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES IN THE TREATMENT OF DIABETIC WOMEN

The physiological and psychological effects of diabetes on women show changes with age. Behavioral interventions on behalf of diabetic women must be based on an understanding of these life span changes. A review of selected articles from the medical and psychological literature that focus on special issues for a diabetic woman during preadolescence, adolescence, and adulthood is presented. Recommendations are made for behavioral interventions with diabetic women in regard to "sick" role adjustment, peer conformity pressures, eating disorders, sexuality, and pregnancy.     

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN THE ANALYSIS OF DATA:

Abstract— We asked active psychological researchers to answer a survey regarding the following data-analytic issues: (a) the effect of reliability on Type I and Type II errors, (b) the interpretation of interaction, (c) contrast analysis, and (d) the role of power and effect size in successful replications. Our 551 participants (a 60% response rate) answered 59% of the questions correctly; 46% accuracy would be expected according to participants' response preferences alone. Accuracy was higher for respondents with higher academic ranks and for questions with "no" as the right answer. It is suggested that although experienced researchers are able to answer difficult but basic data-analytic questions at better than chance levels, there is also a high degree of misunderstanding of some fundamental issues of data analysis.     

POWER IN SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AS THE SUBJECT OF JUSTICE

Abstract: The paper suggests that the state is subject to assessment according to principles of social justice because state institutions or practices exercise forms of power over which no particular person has control. This rationale for assessment of social justice equally applies to legally optional or informal social practices. But it does not apply to individual conduct. Indeed, it follows that principles of social justice cannot provide a basis for the assessment and guidance of individual choice. The paper develops this practice‐based conception of the subject of justice by rejoining G. A. Cohen's influential critique of Rawls’ focus on the “basic structure” of society.     

A STUDY OF THE GRAPEVINE IN A GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION

The purposes of this investigation were to replicate a classic study of the grapevine reported by Davis in 1953, and to extend the results by obtaining personality data (Bass Orientation Inventory scores) on the subjects. The present study was carried out in a state government unit with 79 employees. Davis’“ecco analysis” method was used to study the flow of information through the grapevine. Nine grapevine items were investigated with respect to where, when, and how the subjects had learned of the information. Two of Davis’ findings–the relatively small percentage of in-dividuals functioning in a liaison capacity in disseminating any particular item of information, and the positive relationship between grapevine knowledge and an individual's level in the organizational hierarchy–were confirmed. Two other findings of Davis–relating to the degree of within-unit vs. between-unit spread of information, and the degree of individual consistency in functioning as liaisons–were not confirmed. Again, it should be stressed that, while Davis’ study was concerned with communication within the managerial force of a manufacturing concern, the present study was carried out in a governmental organization and involved personnel from both the managerial and the rank-and-file levels. Thus, because of the particular nature of the samples in each of the two investigations, any generalizations about the operation of grapevines in organizations need to be stated with extreme caution.     

THE STRUCTURE OF ORGANIZATION BEHAVIOR

The subjects were 25 foremen, 5 general foremen, and the production manager of a manufacturing plant. Each supervisor described the leader behavior of his immediate superior, and each in turn was described by several subordinates. Both superiors and the subordinates of a supervisor rated or described the productivity, morale, and cohesiveness of the group that he supervised. Thirty variables were intercorrelated and factor analyzed. The resulting 14 factors describe dimensions of employee satisfaction, supervisory behavior and status, and group performance.     

ISSUES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY IN THE U.S.A.

All States in the U.S.A. license or certify psychologists. The basic degree for licensure/certification is a doctoral degree. Licensure/certification is usually generic but various other forms of specific credentialling in Clinical Psychology are possible. Most health insurance schemes provide payment for psychological services, though not invariably on a fully independent basis. The major instrument in achieving this recognition has been ‘freedom of choice’ legislation. It is maintained that the three issues of credentialling, licensure/certification, and receipt of third-party/insurance payments are highly interdependent.     

ISSUES CONCERNING THE USE OF REGRESSION ANALYSIS IN SALARY DISCRIMINATION CASES

Twenty-nine salary discrimination court cases were examined to determine ways an organization can refute a regression analysis that leads to the inference of discrimination in compensation. It was found to be equally effective for the organization to introduce its own regression, other statistics, or no statistics. The plaintiff won all of the cases when discrimination was proven in promotion. The defendant won all cases when discrimination was not proven in promotion. Defendants also won all cases when plaintiffs inappropriately treated jobs as fungible or when they failed to include important variables. Market variables may be included in regressions if defendants can show they were applied consistently to determine salaries. The implications of the courts' acceptance of some regressions for comparable worth is presented, and a list of recommendations is made for organizations that may be faced with results from regression analysis in court.     

CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN THE MEASUREMENT OF CHILDREN'S SEX TYPING

Many reviewers of the literature on children's sex typing have remarked on the failure of researchers to attend carefully to methodological issues when designing measures of sex typing. In the present article, the importance of conceptually and operationally distinguishing among (a) the target of sex typing (i.e., self vs. others), (b) the form of sex typing (e.g., knowledge vs. attitudes), and (c) the domain of sex typing (e.g., occupations, activities, etc.) is emphasized. Several other methodological issues in measurement design, including the independence and comparability of masculine and feminine items, are also discussed. Finally, newly developed measures of sex typing designed to address these conceptual and methodological issues are described.     

THE PRENATAL ORIGINS OF BEHAVIORAL ORGANIZATION

Recognition that organisms have a developmental history, exhibit behavior that is uniquely suited to or constrained by features of their immediate environment, and adapt to new environments is central to current psychobiological thought. Unfortunately, these concepts have in the past been restricted largely to the study of postnatal behavioral development. However, recent extension of these concepts to the fetus as an active and interactive organism that resides within a specialized, intrauterine niche is proving to be a profitable approach toward understanding the origins of behavioral organization during development.