The phenomenologically manifest

Disputes about what is phenomenologically manifest in conscious experience have a way of leading to deadlocks with remarkable immediacy. Disputants reach the foot-stomping stage of the dialectic more or less right after declaring their discordant views. It is this fact, I believe, that leads some to heterophenomenology and the like attempts to found Consciousness Studies on purely third-person grounds. In this paper, I explore the other possible reaction to this fact, namely, the articulation of methods for addressing phenomenological disputes. I suggest two viable methods, of complementary value, which I call “the method of contrast” and “the method of knowability.”     

Organizational school psychology: Issues and considerations

School psychologists have been encouraged to become actively involved in facilitating organizational change in public schools. Activities such as organization development, administrative-centered consultation, training of multidisciplinary teams, program planning, and program evaluation have been considered as important aspects of school psychology. However, when the practice of school psychology at the organizational level of public schools is considered as a distinct area, a range of conceptual and practical issues become apparent: (a) What is the nature and scope of organizational-level practice of school psychology? (b) Under what conditions may this kind of professional effort be useful, to whom, in what ways? (c) What are the knowledge and skills necessary for effective organizational-level practice? These issues are addressed in this article through delineation of the emerging area of “organizational school psychology (OSP),” an approach to school psychology practice which complements more established approaches that focus directly on the individual child or on groups of children.     

Gender differences in the perception of sexuality: Methodological considerations

The present study of gender differences in the perception of sexuality was designed to systematically vary verbal and nonverbal videotaped cues of a conversation between a male-female dyad. Comparisons were made between 78 males and 99 females who were primarily Caucasian and enrolled in general psychology courses. Participants were able to either see and hear, to only see, or to only hear the same interaction. In the see and hear condition, there were no gender differences in the perception of sexuality; in the see only condition, females rated the actress lower in sexuality; and in the hear only condition, males rated the actress higher in sexuality. Results indicate that methodological differences may account for contradictory findings in prior studies.     

Escape behavior in neonatal rats: Methodological and psychometric considerations

To determine factors conducive to shock-escape behavior, and which of several measures reflects a learning capability, 5- and 9-day-old rats were given 25 shock-escape training trials in a straight alley in which the grids that comprised the floor ran either vertically or horizontally. Performance was evaluated in terms of speed and competing response measures. Vertically arranged grids were found to facilitate performance in terms of an increased tendency to move in a forward direction. An intrasession decrease in competing responses proved to be the most reliable indicator of learning.     

Methodological considerations in experiments on imagery acuity

We examine the possible reasons why the results of our recent study on imagery acuity differed from those of an attempted replication by Intons-Peterson and White. Comparison of the two studies suggests that the differences in results are likely to be due to differences in procedures for giving imagery instructions and measuring the fields of resolution, and not to the presence or absence of experimenter bias. Accordingly, we discuss the importance of using skilled and practiced experimenters when conducting imagery acuity experiments. In addition, we address issues raised by Banks concerning the identification of particular levels of functional equivalence in imagery and perception.     

Gesture following deafferentation: a phenomenologically informed experimental study

Empirical studies of gesture in a subject who has lost proprioception and the sense of touch from the neck down show that specific aspects of gesture remain normal despite abnormal motor processes for instrumental movement. The experiments suggest that gesture, as a linguistic phenomenon, is not reducible to instrumental movement. They also support and extend claims made by Merleau-Ponty concerning the relationship between language and cognition. Gesture, as language, contributes to the accomplishment of thought.     

Use of on-line computers in experimental psychology: Hardware considerations

A series of modules provide students with the basic skills to set up and use a computer to run psychological experiments. The modules include basic knowledge of AC/DC power supplies, relay switching, analog/digital conversion, integrated circuit board design and soldering, and elementary programming (FORTH and BASIC). These skills are then utilized to build an interface board and to design and run actual on-line experiments. The hardware orientation is combined with computer skills and experimental methodology to allow students to experience all stages of modem psychological experimentation.     

Methodological suggestions from a comparative psychology of knowledge processes

Philosophers of science, in the course of making a sharp distinction between the tasks of the philosopher and those of the scientist, have pointed to the possibility of an empirical science of induction. A comparative psychology of knowledge processes is offered as one aspect of this potential enterprise. From fragments of such a psychology, methodological suggestions are drawn relevant to several chronic problems in the social sciences, including the publication of negative results from novel explorations, the operational diagnosis of dispositions, the status of aggregates of persons as social entities, and the validation of psychological tests.     

Methodological considerations for longitudinal investigations of young drivers

IntroductionMotor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of mortality among teenagers. Teen driving research has a longstanding history; however, much of this work is cross-sectional. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development funded a study, REACT (Roadway Experiences and Attentional Change in Teens) which combined factorial and longitudinal designs to investigate the independent and joint effects of age and driving experience on driving attention over time among young drivers.MethodLongitudinal methods offer important contributions to teen driving research by enabling characterization of driving trajectories. This paper describes methodological considerations for longitudinal studies of teen drivers. Such considerations are organized into overarching themes, including population, recruitment, enrollment, and retention, throughout this paper. These considerations were compiled as a combination of our own experiences in REACT and previous literature. We elaborate on these considerations below to illustrate the value of each consideration.ResultsIssues encountered are discussed and strategies for dealing with various issues are described. Transportation barriers, scheduling difficulties, and skipped study milestones were among the most frequent challenges; we outline these and other issues encountered in REACT and corresponding considerations for such issues in Table 2. Sharing these experiences should aid future longitudinal investigations of young drivers, which are critically needed to reduce teen MVCs.ConclusionsStudies similar to REACT are considerable undertakings due to the comprehensive nature of longitudinal design. Such investigations must maintain a delicate balance between appropriate amounts of rigor and flexibility in the development of thoroughly defined research questions and theoretically driven frameworks. Key considerations that have contributed to the success of REACT are outlined, challenges encountered throughout data collection are documented, and recommendations based on choices made and lessons learned to inform future longitudinal investigations on young drivers are provided.     

Methodological and computational considerations for multiple correlation analysis

The squared multiple correlation coefficient has been widely employed to assess the goodness-of-fit of linear regression models in many applications. Although there are numerous published sources that present inferential issues and computing algorithms for multinormal correlation models, the statistical procedure for testing substantive significance by specifying the nonzero-effect null hypothesis has received little attention. This article emphasizes the importance of determining whether the squared multiple correlation coefficient is small or large in comparison with some prescribed standard and develops corresponding Excel worksheets that facilitate the implementation of various aspects of the suggested significance tests. In view of the extensive accessibility of Microsoft Excel software and the ultimate convenience of general-purpose statistical packages, the associated computer routines for interval estimation, power calculation, a nd samplesize determination are alsoprovided for completeness. The statistical methods and available programs of multiple correlation analysis described in this article purport to enhance pedagogical presentation in academic curricula and practical application in psychological research.     

Ideology and community social psychology: theoretical considerations and practical implications

This paper addresses the importance of the concept of ideology in community work. The implications of a Marxist approach to ideology in community practice are analyzed in terms of the concepts of problematization (P. Freire, 1979) and consciousness-raising (J. Barreiro, 1976), illustrating the point with some examples. The traditional Marxist perspective is also examined in relation to the perspectives of social constructionism (I. Ibáñez, 1996), cultural studies (A. McRobbie, 1992), post-Marxism (E. Laclau & C. Mouffe, 1985), and feminism (D. Haraway, 1991). It is argued that the concepts of hegemony and habitus (P. Bourdieu, 1985) can be useful to community social psychology theory and practice. A situated perspective—in which it is possible to dialogue from different subject positions, and articulate transformation and political action—is argued. The implications of this shifting in the concept of ideology by means of theoretical developments outside social community psychology can help to define the external (outside) agent's position in community practice.