The emerging role of school psychology

This report relates personal experiences as they influenced the emerging role of the school psychologist, especially in Pennsylvania and Indiana from 1930 to 1970.     

Berlyne's theoretical contributions to psychology

The evolutions of Berlyne's theoretical contributions are traced by contrasting his particular developments with seven characteristics of Hullian theory. Berlyne is seen to have dismantled each element and replaced it with a vastly different theoretical position and structure. Berlyne developed a truly general theory, which was then differentiated with special concepts in specific areas as diverse as thinking and aesthetics.Much of the content of this article first appeared in Walker (1961).     

A practical approach to school psychology

Exclusive use of the clinical model in school psychology is impractical. This is discussed in terms of incidence of adjustment problems, psychologist-student ratios, and undesirable side effects that have resulted from sole use of the clinical model. Reasons for implementing developmental and preventive mental health programs in the schools are discussed, and examples of such programs are presented. Some alternatives to the usual ways of handling the remediation of currently existing adjustment problems are suggested.     

On the role of theoretical inquiry in psychology: A double-edged sword

Wachtel's article is as relevant today as it was over a quarter century ago, especially as public support for higher education has declined, and increased pressure to obtain external research funding is needed in order to support universities. Although Wachtel's observation that research and grant funding are more likely to be reinforced then theoretical inquiry, there is a serious question regarding whether theory can be effective in advancing the field of psychology and psychotherapy. Some of problems that typically have been associated with theory in our field are discussed, and the argument is made that theoretical inquiry be directed to the formulation of less abstract and more focal principles of human behavior and the therapy change process.     

Graduate training in school psychology

A survey was conducted in spring of 1975 to elicit factual information concerning organizational characteristics and training emphases of the school psychology training programs in the United States and Canada. Ninety-nine training institutions responded. The result indicated a rapid growth of graduate education programs in school psychology in the past 10 years. Faculty shortage constituted a major problem in many training institutions. Overall, the school psychology programs placed strongest emphases on assessment, consultation, and other active intervention techniques in their training content. Significant differences in training emphases were found between doctoral and subdoctoral programs.     

A cooperative approach to the internship in school psychology

The internship program in school psychology in Ohio involves the close and continuing cooperation of the Ohio Department of Education, Ohio Inter-University Council on School Psychology, and field supervisors employed by local school districts. The roles of each are briefly discussed.     

Experiences of school psychology interns in psychology internship centers

In the development of psychology internship centers, we must not overlook what is happening to interns from different specialty backgrounds. This article describes centers that accept school psychology students, and examines the nature of the experiences that such students receive as interns. The author suggests implications for school psychology and the broader development of the internship in professional psychology.     

The role of standing in the psychology of procedural justice: Towards theoretical integration

In the current chapter, the authors explore the relation between social standing and procedural justice. Standing is an important construct in procedural justice theories and tends to be broadly defined as the position that people have in social groups. It is argued that the standing construct suffers from conceptual ambiguity: In procedural justice literature two distinct interpretations of standing can be distinguished, one defining standing as intragroup status and one defining standing as the extent to which people are included in social groups. Furthermore, it is argued that research findings on the relation between standing and procedural justice are not conclusive. The authors review recent empirical findings that address these concerns, and conceptually integrate these findings. In closing, the authors outline avenues for future research that the procedural justice field may want to take, and discuss implications of the work reviewed here.     

The influence of personality and theoretical models on applicants to a counselling psychology course: A preliminary study

We examined whether personality variables in prospective condidates for a postgraduate program in counselling psychology were associated with an interest in models of counselling or therapy. The models were classified as directive models or non-deiective models of counselling. Using the Millon Index of Personality Styles we found that subjects who expressed an interest in the directive models of counselling (e.g. cognitive behavioural therapy) scored higher on scales measuring interpersonal boldness, systematizing and conforming in comparison to subjects who expressed an interest in non-dieective counselling (e.g. psychodynamic) who scored greater on intuitiveness (a perference for intangible, unstructured and symbolic). Implication for training and future research in this area are discussed.