Effect of group means on the probability of consensus

In this study, groups who could not reach a consensus were investigated using the group polarization paradigm. The purpose was to explore the conditions leading to intragroup disagreement and attitude change following disagreement among 269 participants. Analysis indicated that the probability of consensus was low when the group means differed from the grand mean of the entire sample. When small differences among group members were found, depolarization (reverse direction of polarization) followed disagreement. These results suggested the groups which deviated most from the population tendency were the most likely to cause within-group disagreement, while within-group variances determined the direction of attitude change following disagreement within the group.     

Possible contributors to the gender differences in alcohol use and problems

Research on alcohol use and problems has demonstrated a much higher rate of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among men compared with women. The authors review the most frequently researched biological and psychosocial factors that may play a role in the gender differences in alcohol use and problems. Among the biological factors, women might carry a lower genetic risk for AUDs and tend to suffer more negative biological consequences from drinking as compared with men. Regarding psychosocial factors, men appear to be more likely than women to manifest certain risk factors for alcohol use and problems (e.g., fewer perceived social sanctions for drinking, positive expectancies for alcohol use, personality traits such as impulsivity) and have fewer protective factors. Although these findings have helped to explain some of the gender differences in alcohol use and problems, there are inconsistencies in the literature. Additionally, many studie may not have enough statistical power to detect gender differences. The authors suggest that the biological and social consequences of alcohol abuse for women may be especially potent protective factors against AUDs and discuss the possibility of public health campaigns developed on the basis of this idea.     

Quantitative research as an interpretive enterprise: The mostly unacknowledged role of interpretation in research efforts and suggestions for explicitly interpretive quantitative investigations

Many critics of positivism in psychology oppose the use of quantitative research methods. The author first argues that a premise accepted by both critics and supporters of quantitative research is mistaken. Contrary to what many critics and supporters alike believe, interpretation plays key, unacknowledged roles in how quantitative methods are actually employed. The author then argues that a hermeneutic perspective based on practices leads to the view that our understanding of psychological phenomena is irreducibly interpretive and also leads to recognizing that quantitative research can make a unique contribution to inquiry. In the final section of the article, the author offers suggestions about how to conduct explicitly interpretive quantitative investigations. These suggestions are based on the view that although the influence of positivism is not all-constraining (and, therefore, interpretation typically does enter into quantitative methods as they are actually employed), commitments to positivism do constrain how quantitative researchers pursue their work. As part of marking out a different critical viewpoint on positivism, the author attempts to identify what is really involved in going beyond a modernist approach.     

the poem as catalyst in group counseling

Poetry has always sung the human themes of joy and suffering, discovery and loss. In this article the author describes the use of poetry in group sessions to help members identify and express feelings and to explore new ways of being. The author hopes, through illustration, to stimulate counselors and therapists in various settings to include poetry as part of communication, healing, and growth.