The Quick Discrimination Index: Normative Data and User Guidelines for Counseling Researchers

This article summarizes normative data and psychometric evidence for scores on the Quick Discrimination Index (J. G. Ponterotto et al., 1995; S. O. Utsey & J. G. Ponterotto, 1999). Specific guidelines for counseling researchers and practitioners are provided. Este artículo resume los datos normativos y evidencia psicométrica para resultados del Indice Rapido de la Discriminación (J. G. Ponterotto et al., 1995; S. O. Utsey & J. G. Ponterotto, 1999). Las normas específicas para investigadores y profesionales practicantes de la consejería son proporcionadas.     

Prejudice and Racism,Year 2008—Still Going Strong: Research on Reducing Prejudice With Recommended Methodological Advances

This article addresses the origins, mechanisms, and expressions of prejudice. A selective review of research finds strong support for the validity of G. W. Allport's (1954) contact hypothesis conditions in reducing prejudice. Methodological advances in the study of prejudice are reviewed, and implications of research findings for counselors are explored.     

Multicultural personality dispositions and psychological well-being

The authors investigated the empirical relationship between K. I. van der Zee and J. P. van Oudenhoven's (2000, 2001) multicultural personality dispositions and C. D. Ryff's (1989b) dimensions of psychological well-being. The present sample included 270 students from one primarily graduate university and one primarily undergraduate university in the northeast region of the United States. Factor analysis indicated that a three-dimensional model of the multicultural personality was the best fit structure for the sample. Correlations between multicultural personality scores and psychological well-being scores were generally positive and in the predicted directions. However, the academic setting of the participants appeared to influence the pattern of relationships. The authors identified the multicultural personality as a promising construct for research across diverse psychology specialties.     

Authors and publication practices

Although authors are usually considered to be the main perpetrators of research and publication misconduct, any person involved in the process has the potential to offend. Editors may breach ethical standards particularly with respect to conflicts of interest. In the same way that authors are now required to declare competing interests, notably commercial affiliations, financial interests and personal connections, so must editors. Editors can influence the chances of acceptance or rejection of a paper by reviewer selection. Reviewers should also be ready to disclose conflicts of interest. They must ensure that their reviews are evidence based and free from destructive criticism driven by self interest. It seems likely that ultimately we will progressively move towards 'open' peer review in which both the authors and the reviewers are known to each other. There is an urgent need for increased transparency of the relationship between editors and owners. The events of the last few years indicate that unless this interface is fully understood by all parties, conflicts may arise. There is also a need for a radical overhaul in the relationship between journals, journal editors and the biomedical industry. It is now increasingly accepted that all clinical trials should be registered in a centrally held database and that protocols should include the primary and secondary outcome measures and the intended approach to data analysis thereby avoiding opportunistic post hoc analyses. However, the even more radical proposal that journals should cease to publish clinical trials sponsored by industry deserves wider debate.     

Biculturalism and Academic Achievement of African American High School Students

Biculturalism was examined as a factor that may positively affect the academic achievement of African American high school students, beyond cultural identity and self‐esteem. Hierarchical regression analyses determined that cultural identity and academic self‐esteem were important factors for academic achievement, but not biculturalism. Implications and future research are discussed. Se examinó el biculturalismo como un factor que puede afectar positivamente al rendimiento académico de los alumnos de educación secundaria Afroamericanos, más allá de la identidad cultural y la autoestima. Los análisis de regresión jerárquica determinaron que la identidad cultural y la autoestima académica fueron factores importantes para el rendimiento académico, pero no el biculturalismo. Se discutieron implicaciones e investigaciones futuras.