Content analysis of acculturation research in counseling and counseling psychology: a 22-year review

The authors conducted a 22-year (1988–2009) content analysis of quantitative empirical research that included acculturation and/or enculturation as a study variable(s). A total of 138 studies in 134 articles were systematically evaluated from 5 major American Psychological Association and American Counseling Association journals in counseling and counseling psychology, including Journal of Counseling Psychology, The Counseling Psychologist, Journal of Counseling and Development, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, and Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. To guide the analysis, the authors conceptualized acculturation/enculturation as a “bilinear” (i.e., developing cultural orientations to both majority and ethnic cultures) and “multidimensional” (i.e., across multiple areas such as behaviors, values, identity, and knowledge) cultural socialization process that occurs in interaction with “social contexts” (e.g., home, school, work, West Coast, Midwest). Findings include the patterns and trends of acculturation/enculturation research in (a) conceptualization and use of acculturation/enculturation variable(s), (b) research designs (e.g., sample characteristics, instruments, data collection, and analysis methods), (c) content areas, and (d) changes in total publications and trends over time. Additionally, meta-analyses were conducted on the relationship of acculturation/enculturation and a few key variables of mental health, adjustment, and well-being. Major findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Reflexivity in quantitative research: A rationale and beginner's guide

Reflexivity is the act of examining one's own assumption, belief, and judgement systems, and thinking carefully and critically about how these influence the research process. The practice of reflexivity confronts and questions who we are as researchers and how this guides our work. It is central in debates on objectivity, subjectivity, and the very foundations of social science research and generated knowledge. Incorporating reflexivity in the research process is traditionally recognized as one of the most notable differences between qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Qualitative research centres and celebrates the participants' personal and unique lived experience. Therefore, qualitative researchers are readily encouraged to consider how their own unique positionalities inform the research process and this forms an important part of training within this paradigm. Quantitative methodologies in social and personality psychology, and more generally, on the other hand, have remained seemingly detached from this level of reflexivity and general reflective practice. In this commentary, we, three quantitative researchers who have grappled with the compatibility of reflexivity within our own research, argue that reflexivity has much to offer quantitative methodologists. The act of reflexivity prompts researchers to acknowledge and centre their own positionalities, encourages a more thoughtful engagement with every step of the research process, and thus, as we argue, contributes to the ongoing reappraisal of openness and transparency in psychology. In this paper, we make the case for integrating reflexivity across all research approaches, before providing a ‘beginner's guide’ for quantitative researchers wishing to engage reflexively with their own work, providing concrete recommendations, worked examples, and reflexive prompts.     

Content and process priming: A review

The last forty years of social science research have produced over 12,000 articles on priming. The range, complexity, and novelty of priming effects are hard to comprehend, let alone explain, using a single model or perspective. In this review, we discuss content priming and process priming effects. We then propose an integrative model that can account for the combined results.     

Father-custody and child development: A review and analysis of psychological research

In custody decisions there is a traditional presumption that children's best interests are served by living with their mother. The past decade has seen a growing interest in father-custody which is reflected in a large body of empirical research that has followed one of three strategies. Results indicate that a preference for maternal custody is unwarranted. Instead the impact of custody disposition is mediated by several factors including the child's sex, coparenting relationship, parenting skills, the noncustodial parent-child relationship, and the use of support systems. Suggestions for future research are provided and the implications of current results for custody decisions are discussed.     

Optimal matching analysis in career research: A review and some best-practice recommendations

Optimal matching is a method for the analysis of sequential data. It allows researchers to detect patterns in career sequences or occupational trajectories. We first give a brief introduction to the method and review the existing career literature that employs optimal matching. To examine which data properties are required for optimal matching analysis, we conducted Monte Carlo simulations of career sequences with varying parameters for sequence length, sample size and missing items. We find that sequence length is the relevant factor for correct results, while sample size does not substantially affect result quality. Another important finding is that sequences with up to 30% elements missing can be used for optimal matching analysis. We also show which settings for the optimal matching procedure deliver the best results.     

A procedural analysis and review of relaxation training research

Relaxation training has typically been discussed as a singular procedure to be used as a therapeutic treatment technique for a wide variety of disorders. A review of the empirical literature from 1970 to 1979 is provided with an emphasis on clinical populations utilized, dependent measurement and procedural variability and lack of standardization with respect to relaxation procedures. Suggestions for future research are made which emphasize systematic evaluations of treatment components, target problems and criterion behavior change.     

Work and family research in IO/OB: Content analysis and review of the literature (1980-2002)

This monograph reviews 190 work-family studies published in IO/OB journals from 1980 to 2002. The results of a content analysis are presented which catalog these articles with respect to the study focus, nature and direction of the proposed effects, and predictor, criterion, and mediator variables examined. Then a narrative review of the articles is presented, organized in terms of the following topical areas: (1) work-family conflict, (2) work role stress, (3) work-family assistance, (4) work schedules, (5) job-related relocation, (6) career and job-related outcomes, (7) gender and the relationship between work and family domains, (8) dual-earner couples, and (9) relationships among life domains. The review concludes with a discussion of recurring themes in the literature and the identification of blind spots in the IO/OB perspective on work and family. Specific suggestions for future research are also provided.     

A guide to dynamical analysis

The number and variety of methods used in dynamical analysis has increased dramatically during the last fifteen years, and the limitations of these methods, especially when applied to noisy biological data, are now becoming apparent. Their misapplication can easily produce fallacious results. The purpose of this introduction is to identify promising new methods and to describe safeguards that can be used to protect against false conclusions.     

Radical psychology networks: a review and guide

Movements of psychologists with a liberatory agenda have emerged in a number of countries. A guide and overview is offered here. These networks have not yet developed into a particularly strong movement. Some of the reasons for this will be discussed in relation to the contradictory role of mainstream psychology as both loyal critic and as resource for the ruling order. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A review of research on bullying and peer victimization in school: An ecological system analysis

Bullying and peer victimization in school are serious concerns for students, parents, teachers, and school officials in the U.S. and around the world. This article reviews risk factors associated with bullying and peer victimization in school within the context of Bronfenbrenner's ecological framework. This review integrates empirical findings on the risk factors associated with bullying and peer victimization within the context of micro- (parent–youth relationships, inter-parental violence, relations with peers, school connectedness, and school environment), meso- (teacher involvement), exo- (exposure to media violence, neighborhood environment), macro- (cultural norms and beliefs, religious affiliation), and chronosystem (changes in family structure) levels. Theories that explain the relationships between the risk factors and bullying behavior are also included. We then discuss the efficacy of the current bullying prevention and intervention programs, which is followed by directions for future research.     

Virtual reality in episodic memory research: A review

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review - Although virtual reality (VR) is a promising tool for the investigation of episodic memory phenomena, to date there has been relatively little examination of how...     

Phonation in stuttering: A review of current research

Current research including studies which implicate the phonatory mechanism in stuttering as well as physiological studies offering direct evidence of abnormal laryngeal activity in stuttering are reviewed. It is concluded that while present research does not support claims for laryngeal causation of stuttering, the evidence is strong that abnormal laryngeal behaviors are an important aspect of the disrupted peripheral speech physiology that characterizes stuttering. Since this is true, it follows that abnormal laryngeal behavior deserves consideration in the diagnosis and management of stuttering.     

Ethnicity and behaviour in organizations: A review of British research

Research into the role of ethnicity in behaviour in US organizations has been the subject of several reviews. However no such review of British research has thus far been undertaken. Fifty‐four years' worth of selected occupational psychology, organizational behaviour and human resource management journals were therefore reviewed to identify the number and focus of articles relating to ethnicity in British organizations. On the basis of the review findings four key questions were addressed: (i) How much work has been done? (ii) Why has relatively little work been done? (iii) What have we learned about ethnicity and the British workplace? and, (iv) What do we still need to learn? The research shows that only a limited amount of research has been conducted and most of this focuses on a small number of topics. Six recommendations for future research are made: (i) studying ethnicity in a more careful and detailed way; (ii) developing theory; (iii) examining what happens to minority ethnic employees after selection; (iv) more research on minority ethnic professionals; (v) more qualitative research; and, (vi) a greater focus on specific ethnic groups. Recommendations to draw lessons from the way other disciplines have conceptualized and researched ethnicity are also discussed.     

Implicit and explicit attitudes in transportation research: A literature review

Dual-Process Models of Attitudes (DPMA) have provided new concepts and methods for attitude-behavior research in the field of transportation. Notwithstanding, there is a lack of critical reviews on this topic; leaving researchers with an unclear picture of the key issues to consider in developing new research. This paper reviews previous studies on DPMA in traffic and transportation research. A systematic review of English and non-English language articles using Transport Research International Documentation (TRID) as main database was conducted. Additional studies were identified by searching in ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. A total of 1674 references were revised. Twenty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria. Four central issues were examined: (a) the role of implicit and explicit attitudes in transport behavior, (b) the degree of relationship between implicit and explicit attitudes, (c) the types of measures used to assess implicit attitudes, and (d) the malleability of implicit attitudes. The review has identified that: (a) implicit attitudes were associated with a wide variety of transport-related behavior, (b) implicit and explicit attitudes were weakly correlated (mean correlation, weighted by sample size was r = 0.11), and little knowledge exists on factors moderating the implicit-explicit relationship, (c) the evidence on the indirect measures’ better resistance to social desirability bias as compared with traditional techniques is scant and inconclusive, (d) some studies exhibit problems in the application of indirect measures, and (e) few studies (n = 2) aimed to evaluate interventions for attitude change. The analysis showed the sustained growth of the applications, the potential of DPMA, and the need for more rigorous research. Most studies of area do not consider the theoretical and methodological shortcomings of the DPMA, and tend to be based on a controversial notion of implicit and explicit attitudes.