PERSONS AND THE EXTENDED-MIND THESIS

The extended-mind thesis (EM) is the claim that mentality need not be situated just in the brain, or even within the boundaries of the skin. Some versions take "extended selves" be to relatively transitory couplings of biological organisms and external resources. First, I show how EM can be seen as an extension of traditional views of mind. Then, after voicing a couple of qualms about EM, I reject EM in favor of a more modest hypothesis that recognizes enduring subjects of experience and agents with integrated bodies. Nonetheless, my modest hypothesis allows subpersonal states to have nonbiological parts that play essential roles in cognitive processing. I present empirical warrant for this modest hypothesis and show how it leaves room for science and religion to coexist.     

Counselor Trainees' Self-Statement Responses to Sexually and Physically Abused Clients,and Client Role Conflict

Because sexual abuse issues present a threat to counselor trainees, the authors predicted that trainees who expected to counsel a sexually abused client would respond with an increase in anxiety and negative self-statements. A total of 63 female trainees were assessed after viewing a videotape of a client reporting sexual abuse, physical abuse, or role conflict. Results indicated that, counter to predictions, the trainees who expected to counsel the sexually abused client increased their positive self-statements. Schwartz's (1986) States-of-Mind model was applied to the self-statement ratios, and, according to the model, trainees were unrealistically optimistic with respect to their counseling.     

Commitment to “Safer” Sex as a Predictor of Condom Use Among 16-20-Year-Olds1

The AIDS risk reduction model (ARRM) is explored in the context of a prospective study of adolescent condom use. This three-stage model characterizes the social and psychological facilitation of change in attitudes and sexual behaviors related to HIV transmission. The social and behavioral consequences of AIDS for 63 adolescents (aged 16-20 years), from an urban part of North West London, were mapped over a one-year period. Indices were created according to the proposed model which reflect (a) labelling of a high risk behavior as problematic (e.g., unprotected sexual intercourse) (b) commitment to change (e.g., desiring and valuing “safe” sex), and (c) seeking and enacting appropriate solutions (e.g., use of condoms). Nested regression analysis enabled the inter-relationship between significant social and psychological predictors (Time 1) and behavior (Time 2) to be traced. Overall the model accounted for 30% of the variance in condom use. Contemporaneous behavior was also modeled to identify baseline social and psychological predictors. Twenty-seven percent of the variance in condom use is explained. The social and psychological patterning of the indices is compared with that evidenced for prospective behavior. It appears that social representations which embody normative and value considerations underlie commitment to safer sex (at a general level) and override intentions (at a specific level) in the explanation of prospective behavior. The methodological and theoretical implications of this are identified and discussed.     

Making psychology incorruptible

This paper is a response to criticisms, by Peterson (1995) and others, of positions I took in an earlier article, “Manifesto for a science of clinical psychology” (McFall, 1991). I had argued that professional practice and training in clinical psychology must be governed by a scientific epistemology, and had outlined some of the specific reasons and implications. In this article, I attempt to correct misinterpretations of my previous arguments, to clarify ambiguities, and to fill any serious omissions. The fundamental points of the original Manifesto are defended, buttressed, and extended. In response to issues highlighted by the criticisms, two new corollaries are added to those offered in the original article. These summarize the arguments presented in this paper, with special emphasis on the essential role of skepticism as the best protection against the corruption of knowledge and practice in psychology.     

Acquisition and Manifestation of Prejudice in Children

Three major categories of prejudice have been identified in this article: Conscious/Intentional, Conscious/Unintentional, and Unconscious/Unintentional. Prejudice plays a large role in the development of our children, and through exposure to and understanding of the development of prejudice, the strength that it holds can be understood and diminished.     

An APL system for interactive data analysis: Histograms,correlation, and regression

This report describes an APL system for file-oriented univariate analysis, correlation, and regression analysis. The correlation and regression processes permit analyses of an unlimited number of cases, if the cases are arranged in tables small enough to be processed one at a time in a workspace. Support functions are also given for a menu-based processing system designed to support a broad range of analyses. The functions offer features such as subset selection, data transformation, and exclusion of invalid items.     

The generalizability of story grammar training across setting and tasks

Reading achievement depends in part on children's ability to employ strategies to monitor their comprehension, that is on children's use of metacognitive skills. An experimental intervention program created to foster such skills was evaluated. The story grammar training was designed to increase both strategic reading behavior and explicit, observable comprehension monitoring. Fourth-grade (N = 20) and fifth-grade (N = 16) children were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Maintenance was examined using free and probed oral recall, notetaking, and summarization of brief narrative and expository texts. Generalization was assessed through free and probed written recall of a lengthy text, which required both strategic reading and summarization skills for adequate comprehension. Skill acquisition was clearly demonstrated; trained readers were able to recall and summarize passages better than untrained readers. The evidence for generalization was more equivocal: although trained readers' free recall was significantly better than that of untrained readers, their probed recall was not. Provision of metacognitive skills that promote active comprehension monitoring, then, appears to provide children with the tools needed for independent reading. Programs designed to provide such skills may aid efforts to prevent reading failure.