Ethical practice from the perspective of the forensic psychologist: Commentary on the uses and value of the Australian Psychological Society (2007) Code of Ethics

Forensic practice in Australia and around the world attracts a high level of public and judicial scrutiny. The way in which the forensic psychologist conducts him or herself in ethically challenging situations is important not only to the reputation of the individual practitioner, but to the profession more widely. This paper outlines some of the ethical issues that commonly arise in forensic psychology practice and discusses these in relation to the recently published Australian Psychological Society (2007) Code of Ethics. Four ethically challenging scenarios are described and discussed in terms of how the Code might be used to offer guidance to psychologists about how they might best respond.     

Outcome Expectancies and Expectancy Accessibility in Exercise Behavior

Most people do not engage in recommended levels of physical activity. Social cognition research indicates that self‐reported outcome expectancies (OEs) are associated with exercise behavior, but self‐report assessments have limitations. We investigated whether reaction times (RTs) to endorse outcome expectancies would capture unique information about spontaneous cognitive processes associated with exercise behavior. Exercisers and sedentary participants were randomly assigned to complete an exercise test or to rest. Participants completed an OE questionnaire and RT task before and after the test/rest. On the RT task, exercisers endorsed exercise positive outcomes more rapidly than sedentary participants. Furthermore, reported OEs and RTs were independently associated with exercise status. RTs may afford a more comprehensive assessment of the cognitive processes associated with exercise behavior.     

Linking Procedural Justice to Turnover Intentions: A Longitudinal Study of the Mediating Effects of Perceived Job Characteristics

The present study examined the mediating role of perceived job characteristics on the relationship between procedural justice and turnover intentions. The results of a longitudinal field study (N = 82) indicate that the relationship between procedural justice and turnover intentions was partially mediated by perceived job characteristics. Additionally, it was found that the mediating effects remained significant, even when controlling for negative affectivity. The implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.     

Incompatibilism and the Past*

There is a new objection to the Consequence Argument for incompatibilism. I argue that the objection is more wide‐ranging than originally thought. In particular: if it tells against the Consequence Argument, it tells against other arguments for incompatibilism too. I survey a few ways of dealing with this objection and show the costs of each. I then present an argument for incompatibilism that is immune to the objection and that enjoys other advantages.     

VOCABULARY: NEEDED IF MORE CHILDREN ARE TO READ WELL

Vocabulary has long been recognized as a strong determinant of reading success. Despite the importance of vocabulary knowledge, very little information is available about effective strategies for vocabulary instruction in elementary grades and there is a paucity of data on the relative merits of the different programs that are designed to promote vocabulary growth in elementary children. Available information indicates that, until they reach about grade three, children’s vocabulary knowledge is largely determined by informal factors such as parental interaction and other incidental sources such as the TV. In this article, I will address the following topics: (a) individual differences in vocabulary acquisition, (b) the amount of vocabulary needed for successful learning, (c) the predictable sequence of vocabulary acquisition, (d) the need for direct instruction for vocabulary growth, and (e) promising methods for promoting vocabulary knowledge.