‘You're the doctor,Doctor!’: is social constructionism a helpful stance in general practice consultations?

This paper considers the advantages and limitations of using a social constructionist stance in general practice, and is illustrated with two case examples. An approach is suggested for clinical practice using social constructionism and biomedical knowledge dialectically, each as a commentary on the limitations of the other.     

An examination of various aspects of auditory processing in clutterers

This study examined auditory processing ability in three school-aged male clutterers who presented concomitant diagnoses of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and three age- and sex-matched normal-speaking control subjects. Subjects underwent a brief central auditory processing (CAP) and auditory event-related potential (AEP) battery. All three clutterers performed below normal test-established performance criteria on at least two of the four CAP measures and exhibited abnormal AEP waveform morphology. All control subjects performed within normal test-established performance criteria on all measures.     

A classical IQ model of the stages of cognitive development

Based on the construct of classical IQ (mental age/chronological age), a model of the proportions of the population at various stages of cognitive development as a function of age is proposed. The model, which accounts well for empirical data for the age range 13 through 17 years, is shown to compare favorably with other theoretical models. The success of the model provides further evidence of the salience of the construct of general cognitive capacity in differential psychology.     

Careers guidance in the knowledge society

In modern society individuals are becoming responsible for their own work allocation. They have to acquire so-called 'actor competences'. They have to learn to form their own identity, to determine a direction and to plan a career. However, the individual's shortage of actor competences confronts him or her with many problems; several institutions risk becoming overburdened by allocation or career problems. As a result, the role of the career counsellor must change from that of a ferryman to that of a pathfinder.     

Book reviews

Darwin's Dangerous Idea, Daniel C. Dennett, 1995. London, Penguin. 587 pp., hbk £25, ISBN: 0–713–99090–2

Verificationism: Its History and Prospects, C. J. Misak, 1995. London and New York, Routledge. xviii + 254 pp. ISBN: 0–415–12597–9(hbk); 0–415–12598–7(pbk)

Abductive Inference: Computation, Philosophy, Technology, John R. Josephson & Susan G. Josephson (Eds), 1994. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press 306 pp.

Physics and Metaphysics. Theories of Space and Time, Jennifer Trusted, 1994. London, Routledge 210 pp.     

Measuring intrinsic and extrinsic orientation toward religion: Amendments for its use among religious and non-religious samples

Amendments to the Age-Universal I-E scale, used to measure intrinsic and extrinsic orientations toward religion, are proposed to facilitate the scales' use among both religious and non-religious samples. The original and revised versions of the intrinsic and extrinsic scales were administered to six adult samples from the U.S.A. (N = 156; N = 144), England (N = 135; N = 149) and Norhern Ireland and Republic of Ireland (N = 189; N = 167). Data show in all six samples the percentage of I-E scales completed was greater for the revised version than the original version. In addition, the revised version of the scales demonstrates more satisfactory reliability estimates than the original version. It is suggested that researchers examining intrinsic and extrinsic orientation towards religion may benefit from using the revised version.     

Stress and work performance: The role of trait anxiety

Employees high in Trait Anxiety (TA) were found to exert greater work effort than those low in TA, which resulted in better sales performance. There was no relation between TA and work efficiency, measured by sales performance relative to work effort. Employees high in TA also reported greater levels of stress and more adverse effects of work on non-work relationships. Using multiple regression, both stress and interference with relationships were found to be better predicted by TA than work effort. The results are discussed in terms of laboratory-based theories about relations between TA and efficiency and intervention strategies for managing stress at work.     

The Relation Between Masculine Role Conflict and Psychological Distress in Male University Counseling Center Clients

This is the first study to examine the relations between components of masculine gender role conflict and specific symptoms of psychological distress in a sample of men seeking counseling services. One hundred and thirty male clients from 2 university counseling centers completed the Gender Role Conflict Scale and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. Participants reported moderate to high levels of psychological symptoms, which were correlated with components of masculine role conflict. Results of simultaneous multiple regressions supported previous findings in nonclinical samples of relations between masculine role conflict and depression and interpersonal issues. In addition, masculine role conflict significantly predicted paranoia, psychoticism, and obsessive compulsivity. Implications for counseling and future research are discussed.     

Mental models of the earth, sun, and moon: Indian children's cosmologies

This study reports data on the acquisition of knowledge about astronomy in children from India. Based on prior research, we hypothesized that the cosmological models that children construct are influenced by both first-order and second-order constraints on knowledge acquisition. First-order constraints are the implicit assumptions that govern the construction of initial cosmological models. Examples of such constraints include the assumptions that the earth is flat and supported. Such first-order constraints are presumed to be universal. Second-order constraints arise from the specific properties ascribed to cosmological objects. For example, representations of the earth's shape and location relative to the sun and moon constrain the kinds of mechanisms that are generated to account for the day-night cycle. We hypothesized that in cultures where both folk cosmologies and the scientific cosmological model are accessible to children, aspects of folk models are likely to be incorporated in children's cosmologies if they provide a psychologically easier way of satisfying first-order constraints. This hypothesis is supported by our findings with regard to universality and culture specificity in children's cosmologies. Indian children's cosmologies honor a variety of universal first-order constraints. These include constraints on the shape of the earth (e.g., support and flatness) and on the relative locations and motions of objects in the cosmology (e.g., continuity). However, many Indian children borrow the idea that the earth is supported by an ocean or a body of water from folk cosmology. This solution to the support constraint on the shape of the earth is not found in American children's initial cosmologies.