Health Care Reform and Psychologists in Medical Schools: Stress, Challenge, and Change

Psychologists from 45 academic health science centers throughout the United States and Canada gathered at Georgetown University for a national conference November 2–5, 1995 organized by the Association of Medical School Psychologists. This paper introduces the proceedings of that conference described in the next four articles in this issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings[Volume 4, number 1]. Papers prepared by the working groups focus upon clinical services, education and training, research, and governance and administration within the academic medical setting.     

Book reviews

Religion in Europe: Contemporary Perspectives SEAN GILL, GAVIN D'COSTA & URSULA KING, eds, 1994 Kampen: Kok Pharos 213 pp., £22.50 ISBN 90–390–0508–7

Religion in Contemporary Europe JOHN FULTON & PETER GEE, eds, 1994 Lewiston, Queenston, Lampeter: Edwin Meilen Press 181 pp., £39.95 ISBN 0–7734–9028–0

Pluralisme religieux et Laïcités dans l'Union européenne ALAIN DIERKENS, ed., 1994 Brussels: Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles (Problèmes d'histoire des religions, No. 5) 176 pp., 700 Belgian francs, 129 French francs ISBN 2–8004–1097–3

Religion and the Transformations of Capitalism: Comparative Approaches RICHARD H. ROBERTS, ed., 1995 London: Routledge xi + 347 pp., £60.00 ISBN 0–415–11917–0

The Sociology of Religion: Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives MALCOLM B. HAMILTON, 1994 London: Routledge 238 pp., £13.99 ISBN 0–415–02187–1 (hb), 0–415–10659–1 (pb)

American Congregations Volume 1: Portraits of Twelve Religious Communities JAMES P. WIND & LAMES W. LEWIS, eds, 1994 Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press xi + 712 pp., US$34.95 ISBN 0–226–90188–6

Volume 2: New Perspectives in the Study of Congregations ix + 292 pp., US$22.50 ISBN 0–222–90188–20

A History of the Quaker Movement in Africa ANE MARIE BAK RASMUSSEN, 1995 London: British Academic Press 190 pp., £34.50 (hb) ISBN 1–85043–904–4

Ceremony and Ritual in Japan: Religious Practices in an Industrialized Society JAN VAN BREMEN & D. P. MARTINEZ, eds, 1995 London: Routledge 286 pp., £40.00 ISBN 0–415–11663–5

Choose Peace: A Dialogue between Johan Galtung and Daisaku Ikeda J. GALTUNG & D. IKEDA, 1995 London: Pluto Press 172 pp., £40.00 (hb), £13.95 (pb) ISBN 0–7453–1039–7 (pb), 07453–1040–0 (hb)

The Toronto Blessing—Or Is It? STANLEY PORTER & PHILIP RICHTER, eds, 1995 London: Darton, Longman & Todd 130 pp., £6.95 ISBN 0–232–52130–1

Sex, Slander, and Salvation. Investigating the Family/Children of God JAMES R. LEWIS & J. GORDON MELTON, eds, 1994 Stanford, CA: Center for Academic Publications xi + 288 pp., £5.99 ISBN 0–9639501–2–6

Christians in the Holy Land MICHAEL PRIOR & WILLIAM TAYLOR, eds, 1994 London: World of Islam Festival Trust 235 pp., £10.00 ISBN 0–905–035–32–1

City of Wrong: a Friday in Jerusalem M. KAMEL HUSSEIN, translated by KENNETH CRAGG, 1994 Oxford: Oneworld Publications 234 pp., £7.95 ISBN 1–85168–072–1

>Faith in Dialogue Number One: Faiths in Britain Together CHRISTOPHER LAMB, ed., 1995 61 pp., £2.00

Faith in Dialogue Number Two: Jewish and Christian Mysticism RABBI PROFESSOR DAN COHN SHERBOK, 1995 20 pp., £1.00

Faith in Dialogue Number Three: Jewish Views of Jesus HYAM MACCOBY 20 pp., £1.00 London: Centre For Inter‐Faith Dialogue ISSN 13585045

Jewish & Christian Mysticism: An Introduction DAN COHN‐SHERBOK & LAVINIA COHN‐SHERBOK, 1994 New York: Continuum viii +186 pp., £15.99 ISBN 0–85244–259–9

Sabbath and Synagogue. The Question of Sabbath Worship in Ancient Judaism HEATHER A. MCKAY, 1994 Leiden: E. J. Brill xiii + 279 pp., Nlg. 125,00, US$71.50 ISSN 0927–7633

The Road to Canterbury: A Modern Pilgrimage SHIRLEY DU BOULEY, 1994 London: Harper Collins 245 pp., £15.99 (hb) ISBN 0–00–627693–8     

Effects of sex role stereotyping among European American students on domestic violence culpability attributions

Effects of European American students' sex role stereotyping and domestic violence participants' race and relationship intimacy were examined for culpability attributions. In addition to a man's responsibility rating and a sentencing measure, five factors were identified from the dependent measures; these were Sympathy with Man, Incident as Abusive, Generalness of Incident, Seriousness of Incident, and Man as Abuser. Results indicated that sex role stereotyping was influential in culpability attributions, as those with traditional orientations showed a favorable bias toward the man, particularly a married man. Traditionalists provided a shorter sentence for the man and thought the incident less abusive when the woman was African American, in comparison to egalitarians. Both egalitarians and traditionalists expressed more sympathy toward the man when the woman was African American and married. Although we had anticipated higher culpability ratings for women involved in interracial relationships, we found that the European American man was thought less responsible when the woman was African American, but no differences emerged when the woman was European American. It is suggested future research examine the specific content of various stereotypic subtypes of actors involved in domestic violence and how these stereotypic subtypes bias culpability attributions.Appreciation is extended to an anonymous reviewer for helpful comments on an earlier version of this article.Portions of this research were presented at the 1994 biennial meeting of the American Psychology-Law Society, Santa Fe, NM.     

Failure of instructional set to affect completeness of taste adaptation

The effect of task instructions on taste adaptation was investigated in two experiments. In the first experiment, three groups of subjects received a 3-min flow of salt solution, over the anterior dorsal tongue surface and periodically gave magnitude estimates of its intensity. Each group had previously received different instructions suggesting the appropriate outcome of the adaptation experiment. Not all subjects showed adaptation, and the instructions had no significant differential effects. In the second experiment, subjects who were practiced in judging pulsatile taste stimuli were instructed to rate the intensity of a continuous salt stimulus as it disappeared, but this produced no increased adaptation. Several possible hypotheses are presented to account for this repeatedly observed failure of many subjects to completely adapt to taste stimuli.     

Perceptions of sex-role stereotyped dimensions in cotherapists with an examination of experimenter effects

Observers' impressions of sex-role stereotyped dimensions of videotyped pairs of male and female cotherapists were examined in two conditions of dominance: male-dominant pairs and female-dominant pairs. Sex of experimenter effects were also studied. Results indicated that sex-role stereotyping was a function of behavior, not biological sex. Support was found for the conceptualization of masculinity and femininity as independent dimensions. Observer sex differences indicated less favorable impressions with same-sex dominance. Sex of experimenter effects were not found, but may subtly influence results in sex-role research.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 50th annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Philadelphia, PA. April 1979. The author wishes to thank Barbara B. Bunker, Norman Epstein, and Joseph Masling for their support and thoughtful suggestions concerning this project.     

The altruistic personality and the self-report altruism scale

This paper is divided into two parts. In the first, the rank order stability of individual differences in altruism across situations is examined and it is found that substantial consistency occurs when due regard is given to the principle of aggregation. In the second, a self-report altruism scale, on which respondents rate the frequency with which they have engaged in some 20 specific behaviors, is found to predict such criteria as peer-ratings of altruism, completing an organ-donor card, and paper-and-pencil measures of prosocial orientation. These data suggest there is a broad-based trait of altruism.     

A review of observer reactivity in adult-child interactions

The present article reviews studies which have examined the question of observer reactivity in adult-child interactions. Seventeen studies were located. Studies were classified according to the paradigm used to examine reactivity, the setting in which the study was conducted, the identification of the child as a behavior problem, and the occurrence and direction (i.e., increases or decreases in the observed behavior) of reactivity. The results indicated that the awareness paradigm has been employed most frequently, the laboratory has been the primary setting utilized, and problem and nonproblem children have been employed with approximately equal frequency. Reactivity was reported in about three-fourths of the studies. For adults positive and neutral verbal and physical behaviors were more reactive than negative behaviors. The positive and neutral behaviors typically increased in the observer's presence. For children conclusions are not warranted at this time as too few studies have examined children's behavior.Preparation of this article was supported in part by NIMH Grant MH28859-01.     

Child, Family and Case Characteristics: Links with Service Utilization in Physically Abused Children

We investigated the relationships between child, familial, and case characteristics and mental health and medical health care service utilization by physically abused children. Participants included 26 parents or caregivers of 37 Medicaid-eligible children who had substantiated cases of physical abuse. Children whose female caregivers reported a greater number of stressors were more likely to receive mental health care. Furthermore, children not living with the maltreating caregiver were more likely to receive medical health care services. Results are discussed in terms of factors that may account for these links, and the similarities of these findings with those of service utilization in general and clinical child samples.     

Attributions about spouse abuse: It matters who the batterers and victims are

The present study examined college students' (86% white) reactions to scenarios of three types of domestic violence situations. Subjects read a brief newspaper report of a battering incident and afterwards rated the situation and participants on a variety of scales. The scenario described either a (1) husband battering his wife, (2) wife battering her husband, or (3) gay male battering his lover. In addition, there was or was not an apparent verbal provocation by the victim. Results showed the harshest evaluation of a batterer who was not provoked. A greater responsibility was placed on the victim in the battered husband scenario, which generally was taken less seriously than the battered wife case. Results suggest the need to examine a diversity of battering situations and variables in order to fully understand attributions made about such situations.     

Improving the quality of careers guidance: Towards an understanding of the development of personal models

The process by which careers officers develop personal models of guidance through the interaction of theoretical knowledge with their experiences of training and practice is examined. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 careers officers. Questions were asked about the training and development of careers officers in the practice of careers guidance and counselling with young people. The responses are considered in relation to theories of careers choice, careers counselling and guidance, models of counselling, and the supervisory role in the development of individual practice. Some recommendations are made for improvements to training and supervision for careers guidance.