NATURE, HISTORY, AND GOD: TOWARD AN INTEGRATED CONCEPTUALIZATION

Abstract. In this paper I attempt to bring the ancient symbol God into a meaningful and illuminating conceptual relationship with modern understandings of the development of the cosmos, the evolution of life, and the movements of human history. The term "God" is taken to designate that reality (whatever it may be) which grounds and undergirds all that exists, including us humans; that reality which provides us humans with such fulfillment or salvation as we may find; that reality toward which we must turn, therefore, if we would flourish. I suggest that the cosmos can quite properly be interpreted today in terms of two fundamental ideas: (1) a notion of "cosmic serendipitous creativity," (2) the expression of which is through "directional movements" or "trajectories" of various sorts that work themselves out in longer and shorter stretches of time. In a universe understood in these terms, the symbol "God" may be taken to designate the underlying creativity working in and through all things, and in particular working in and through the evolutionary-historical trajectory on which human existence has appeared and by which it is sustained. The symbol "God" can thus perform once again its important function of helping to focus human consciousness, devotion, and work in a way appropriate to the actual world and the enormous problems with which men and women today must come to terms; but the ancient dualistic pattern of religious piety and thinking in which God is regarded as a supernatural Creator and governor of the world—so hard to integrate with modern conceptions of nature and history—is thoroughly overcome.     

Training parents of hyperactive children in child management: A comparative outcome study

Parents of 44 hyperactive children were assigned to either a behavior modification group (PAT), a communications group (PET), or a delayed-treatment control group. Parents in the treatment groups participated in 9-week training workshops. Parents and their children were assessed before and after the workshops on measures that included ratings of hyperactivity and severity of problems, a daily checklist of problem occurrence, parental attitudes, and direct observations in a laboratory situation. Both treatment methods were more effective than a no-treatment control condition in reducing hyperactivity ratings, problem severity ratings, and daily problem occurrence. Additionally, parents receiving behavior modification training rated their children as more improved than did PET parents, were more willing to recommend the program to a friend, felt the program was more applicable to them, and were less likely to drop out of the program. Nine-month follow-up assessments indicated that treatment parents continued to view their children's behavior more positively than did control group parents. Results are discussed with respect to the implications that an educational approach to teaching child management can be an effective means of reducing behavioral problems in children, that methods differing in theoretical background and actual skills taught may result in similar outcomes, and that a "psychological," as opposed to a medical, approach to the treatment of hyperactive children can have considerable merit.     

Interocular transfer of orientation-contingent color aftereffects with external and internal adaptation

The issue of whether McCollough effects transfer interocularly was examined in two experiments. In Experiment 1, as in previous experiments, no interocular transfer of McCollough effects was obtained when subjects adapted monocularly to externally present patterns with their unused eyes fully occluded. However, when subjects adapted monocularly (with the unused eye fully occluded) to visual images of those patterns superimposed on physically present chromatic backgrounds, McCollough effects transferred interocularly. In Experiment 2, subjects adapted to either physically present patterns or to images of those patterns (as in Experiment 1), but the unused eye was exposed to unpatterned diffuse white light. In contrast to Experiment 1, the externally adapted subjects showed interocular transfer of McCollough effects. In Experiment 2, the magnitude of the interocular transfer effects produced by imagery was significantly larger than the magnitude of the effects produced by external adaptation, but the magnitude of the imagery-induced aftereffects did not differ from Experiment 1 to Experiment 2. These results extend earlier findings by Kunen and May (1980) and show that McCollough effects can be produced through adaptation to imagery, even though the direction of the imagery-induced aftereffects indicates adaptation to higher spatial frequencies whereas externally derived aftereffects indicate adaptation to lower spatial frequencies. It is concluded that failure of previous studies to obtain interocular transfer of McCollough effects may have resulted from complete occlusion of the contralateral eye. These data point up some interesting similarities and some important differences between imagery and actual vision. The implications for analogical models of visual imagery are discussed.     

Validation through self and other ratings on dimensions of six nonstressful multi-scaled personality instruments

Six nonstressful personality instruments were concurrently validated using respondent and close friend ratings on specific scale dimensions. Tests were administered to 203 predominantly Caucasian college students. Prior to testing, the individual and a close friend through self-ratings and ratings of the respondents had estimated the strengths of the tested personality Variables on a seven-point scale. The definitions of the various personality dimensions were taken from publisher's manuals. An estimated whole test validity was obtained by an average of the individual scale validities using a conversion of Pearson's r to z'. Significant differences among and between subtest validities were found by ANOVA. All "self-rating" validities were significant (.001), with two of these self-rating validities significantly different (.01) than the other four tests. Only two "other-rating" validities were significant. All six tests appeared to be valid for college population use From preliminary analysis, counselees could rate themselves accurately on most test measures. In some cases self-ratings might be used in lieu of giving the test.     

Factor structure of the McCarthy scales for school-age children with low GCIs

This study aimed to cross-validate the factor analysis of the McCarthy Scales and to determine the construct validity of these scales for children who score one standard deviation below the normative mean on general cognitive ability. The sample was comprised of 77 children aged 6 to $\text{8}\text{1}\text{2}$ with a mean General Cognitive Index (GCI) of 61.6. Principal factor analysis produced four meaningful factors which corresponded closely to four of the scales on McCarthy's battery. The present findings discourage the interpretation of the Quantitative Scale for school-age children with GCIs below 84. Other implications of the results for the interpretation of McCarthy profiles for low-scoring school-aged children are discussed.     

Reward, cost, and self-evaluation procedures for disruptive adolescents in a psychiatric hospital school

Sixteen pupils in a psychiatric hospital were assigned to two tutorial reading classes and balanced on six pupil characteristics and teacher preferences for the children. The effects of reward and cost procedures in a token program were assessed using both within- and between-subject comparisons in the following phases: (1) Baseline; (2) Token I, teacher evaluated and reinforced children for appropriate behavior; (3) Withdrawal of Tokens; (4) Token II, same as Token I; (5) Token III, same as Token I and II, but switched order of class meeting time; and (6) Self-Evaluation, students rated their own behavior and received prizes based on their rating, rather than the teacher's rating. The token program was markedly successful in reducing disruptive behavior and in increasing reading skills in both the Reward and Cost Classes, but there were no significant differences in the effects of the reward versus the cost procedure. While cost may be seen as a punishment procedure, there were no adverse side effects observed in the Cost Class at any time when the token program was in effect. The order of the classes was unrelated to the level of disruptive behavior or academic progress. The Self-Evaluative Phase, in which the students rated their own behavior, was included as an alternative to the abrupt withdrawal of tokens. In this phase, disruptive behavior remained at the previous low level.     

The effects of assertive training on performance in highly anxious adolescents

The effects of assertive training on measures of assertiveness, state anxiety, and mathematics performance in highly anxious adolescents were investigated. A group of 96 highly anxious 9th graders was assigned to one of four treatment groups. Pretest and posttest assessment included the Adolescent Self-Expression Scale (a measure of assertiveness), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Mathematics Problems and Concepts subtests of the California Achievement Test. Experimental treatment consisted of four assertive training sessions, while placebo treatment for the control groups consisted of four career development training sessions. Posttest was administered to all four groups. A MANOVA was used to analyze all of the data on the students who took the pre- and posttest and attended two or more training sessions. Assertive training resulted in increased assertiveness and decreased state anxiety, with no significant effect on mathematics performance, and no significant effect due to sex. It was concluded that assertive training is a counseling technique which can be used effectively with 9th graders.     

Career satisfaction and role harmony in a sample of young women physicians

In a sample of young women physicians, self-ratings of Career Satisfaction and Role Harmony were correlated with a group of situational, achievement, and personality variables. Career Satisfaction was extremely high with about 88% reporting they are satisfied or very satisfied. However, over half experienced at least a moderate amount of strain in integrating professional and sex roles. In addition women who were high on both Career Satisfaction and Role Harmony were compared with the others in the sample and individual differences were apparent: These women were exceptionally confident, intellectually resourceful, and tolerant; they tended to have clear priorities with either family or work coming first. Overall their current level of personality adjustment was superior to the others who, as a group, were very well-functioning women.     

The importance of basic concepts in the individual assessment of preschool children

The directions for administering four major preschool instruments were analyzed to determine whether any basic concepts are included in the words spoken by the examiner. Boehm found that young children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, tend to have difficulty with numerous basic concepts. Consequently, the inclusion of several of these concepts in test directions may hinder a preschool child's understanding of what is expected of him (and possibly invalidate his scores). The WPPSI directions were found to include the greatest number of basic concepts, and the ITPA directions included the fewest; the Stanford-Binet and McCarthy Scales were between these extremes. The implications of these findings for individual assessment of young children's abilities were discussed.