Computer attitudes and the use of computers in psychology courses

Students enrolled in four psychology courses in which computers were used for different purposes completed both pre- and postcourse surveys regarding their prior computer experience, their attitudes toward computers, and their locus of control. A fifth psychology course in which computers were not used served as a control. Results showed that participation in the courses that involved computer activities led to more positive attitudes toward computers than did the control condition. In addition, the positive changes in computer attitudes were found to be independent of initial student characteristics and unrelated to course performance. There was also some suggestion that courses that have higher levels of direct involvement with computer applications may lead to the most positive attitude changes.     

The psychological subject and predicate

The present study is a demonstration of the independence of the psychological subject-predicate (topic-comment) distinction from the notions of grammatical and logical subject and predicate.     

A humanistic developmental model of counselling: A psycho-educational approach

A developmental model of counselling, based on humanistic principals of psychological functioning, is proposed. A psycho-educational approach, in which counsellors are seen as helping clients develop skills rather than solve problems, is discussed. The counselling model involves three stages: exploration, intervention and empowering. The intervention stage includes techniques focused on affect, behaviour or cognition, as suggested by the ABC model of personal change described in the paper.     

Grandparents' support for families who have children with disabilities

This study was designed to assess the levels of support provided by grandparents for families who had grandchildren with disabilities. A questionnaire survey of parents was used to assess the levels of practical, financial and emotional support they received from the children's grandparents. Parents were also questioned about their satisfaction with this support. Overall levels of support were low but most parents were nevertheless generally satisfied with the support they had received. However, a quarter of the grandparents were considered to have added to the parent's problems and almost a third of the parents expressed a wish for more support from grandparents.