Computationally intensive methods warrant reconsideration of pedagogy in statistics

Computationally intensive methods of statistical inference do not fit the current canon of pedagogy in statistics. To accommodate these methods and the logic underlying them, I propose seven pedagogical principles: (1) Define inferential statistics as techniques for reckoning with chance. (2) Distinguish three types of research: sample surveys, in which statistics affords generalization from the cases studied; experiments, in which statistics detects systematic differences among the batches of data obtained in the several conditions; and correlational studies, in which statistics detects systematic associations between variables. (3) Teach random-sampling theory in the context of sample surveys, augmenting the conventional treatment with bootstrapping. Regarding experimentation, (4) note that random assignment fosters internal but not external validity, (5) explain the general logic for testing a null model, and (6) teach randomization tests as well ast,F, and χ². (7) Regarding correlational studies, acknowledge the problems of applying inferential statistics in the absence of deliberately introduced randomness.     

Organizational stress and stress management programs

There is a growing awareness of how stress adversely affects organizational efficiency. The implementation of stress management programs to counteract this problem has been slow. This study examined such programs in companies who claimed that they were active and successful in stress management for their employees. The successful features of these organizational stress management programs are identified, discussed, and a model for organizations is presented.     

Language task effects A comparison of stuttering and nonstuttering children

This study examined the effects of language-elicitation tasks and syntactic complexity on disfluencies of stuttering and nonstuttering children. The total disfluencies occurring on the production of imitated and modeled sentences of varying syntactic complexity was compared for the two groups. Results indicated a significant task effect, but nonsignificant complexity and group effects. Results are discussed within the framework of the “Demands and Capacities” model.     

Edge-Assignment and Figure–Ground Segmentation in Short-Term Visual Matching

Eight experiments examined the role of edge-assignment in a contour matching task. Subjects judged whether the jagged vertical edge of a probe shape matched the jagged edge that divided two adjoining shapes in an immediately preceding figure–ground display. Segmentation factors biased assignment of this dividing edge toward a figural shape on just one of its sides. Subjects were faster and more accurate at matching when the probe edge had a corresponding assignment. The rapid emergence of this effect provides an on-line analog of the long-term memory advantage for figures over grounds which Rubin (1915/1958) reported. The present on-line advantage was found when figures were defined by relative contrast and size, or by symmetry, and could not be explained solely by the automatic drawing of attention toward the location of the figural region. However, deliberate attention to one region of an otherwise ambiguous figure–ground display did produce the advantage. We propose that one-sided assignment of dividing edges may be obligatory in vision.     

The Role of Affect and Worldviews as Orienting Dispositions in the Perception and Acceptance of Nuclear Power1

Recent research in risk perception has examined the role of affect and worldviews as orienting dispositions that guide people's decisions about complex and risky topics such as nuclear energy. This study tests and supports the hypothesis that worldviews and affect-laden imagery are highly predictive of perceptions of risk from nuclear power and support for that technology. Furthermore, affect and worldviews each contribute independently to the prediction of nuclear support. We find also that a person's affective imagery associated with nuclear power is systematically related to their worldviews. We conclude that affect and worldviews appear to play similar roles as orienting mechanisms, helping people navigate in a complex, uncertain, and sometimes dangerous world. The implication of this view for the practice of risk communication is briefly discussed.     

An Ecologically Differentiated, Multifactor Model of Adolescent Network Orientation

The paper presents a test of an ecologically differentiated model of social network orientation for adolescents that distinguished between different social network reference groups (family, peers, and nonfamily adults). The model was tested in two consecutive studies. Study 1 describes initial model development (N = 120). Study 2 presents a confirmatory factor analysis with a second sample (N = 430) to replicate the factor structure developed in Study 1. Results supported a three-factor model of network orientation that differentiated between network reference groups. Analyses of concurrent and predictive validity indicated that orientation to network reference groups was differentially related to the perceived quality and frequency of support from members of respective social network groups. Group differences (gender, race) regarding network orientation to different network reference groups were consistent with studies of other social network processes. Implications for the study of the network orientation and the study of social networks more generally are discussed.     

Measuring How We Preach What We Practice: Psychoeducational Change in Depressed Inpatients

This study investigated the relationship between acquisition of psychoeducational principles and symptomatic improvement in depressed in-patients. One hundred and twenty-three inpatients hospitalized on a Cognitive Therapy Unit were administered the Test of Cognitive Behavioral Principles (TCBP) and the Beck Depression Inventory at admission and discharge. It was predicted that the TCBP scores would be higher at discharge than at pre-testing at admission. Further, it was hypothesized that the higher TCBP scores at post-test would be significantly correlated with lower Beck Depression Inventory scores at post-test. The results revealed that inpatients' TCBP scores improved over the course of treatment supporting the first hypothesis. However, the data did not support the second hypothesis as there was not a significant relationship between the TCBP scores and the BDI scores at discharge. The results are discussed in terms of clinical, theoretical, and methodological implications.     

Interpersonal conflict in group therapy: An object relations perspective

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how object relations theory can be used to understand and regulate interpersonal conflict in group psychotherapy. Such concepts as projective identification, intersubjectivity and the analytic third are used to describe how conflict emerges in group psychotherapy and how it can be worked through. Case material is also provided to illustrate concepts and techniques in promoting a group's transition from a paranoid/schizoid to a depressive position. Positive aspects of the concept of projective identification are discussed including its use as a form of communication, a method of reducing anxiety and reintegrating previously dangerous and threatening aspects of the self.The paper was funded by Evan F. Lilly Memorial Trust Grant PV 13,067.