The future of IQ testing in education

Will IQ tests as we currently know them be used in schools in the year 2000? Will they be used as they are now or will they serve different functions? What new kinds of tests of aptitude and intelligence are likely to be developed in the next twenty years? In this article, the author attempts to answer the first two questions by considering the functions that IQ and aptitude tests now serve in schools and the trends that may modify the present pattern of test use. To answer the third question, she examines current research on intelligence and aptitude and discusses the kind of intelligence tests that might prove more useful in instructional planning.     

Still Just the Study of Men and Crime? A Content Analysis

Several authors have argued that criminologyisan androcentric discipline. This study examined bothrecent and earlier crime and delinquency literature inorder to investigate changes in the degree ofandrocentrism in criminology. Articles were sampled from fourmajor criminology journals from the periods 1974-1978and 1992-1996 (n = 202 and n = 174, respectively). As anindicator of androcentricity, we compared the proportion of journal articles that includedboth males and females in the sample vs. the proportionof articles that only sampled one sex. As an indicatorof overgeneralization (the tendency of androcentricresearch to present itself as generalizable to bothsexes), we measured the proportion of articles thatspecifically noted in the title that one sex wassampled. Results suggest that while females are sampled much more frequently than in the past, male isstill very much the norm within criminologicalresearch.     

Video Intervention for Child and Caregiver Distress Related to the Child Sexual Abuse Medical Examination: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Children who disclose child sexual abuse are often referred for a comprehensive medical exam to ensure physical well-being and gather evidence. This study examined a brief, developmentally appropriate, psychoeducational video designed to instruct children and caregivers about the exam procedures and coping strategies to be used during the exam. Sixty-nine children ages 4–15 and their caregivers were randomly assigned to view the psychoeducational video (n = 35) or to receive standard practice (n = 34). Distress before, during, and after the exam was assessed in both children and caregiver, as were measures of satisfaction and knowledge about the investigation process and coping strategies. Consistent with hypotheses, results indicated that the video intervention was well-received by families, increased caregiver knowledge, and decreased stress during the examination. Caregiver and child distress decreased from pre to post examination across both conditions, and, unexpectedly, there were no significant differences in these decreases between groups. Overall results from this pilot study are promising in supporting a cost-effective and brief early intervention approach at the time of the medical examination for child sexual abuse for children and their caregivers.     

Motivating minority older adults to exercise

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore with minority older adults their experience in the Senior Exercise Self-Efficacy Pilot Program (SESEP) and establish what aspects of the SESEP helped the participants engage in exercise and what decreased their willingness to exercise. A total of 148 older adults from 12 Senior Centers participated. The majority of the participants were African American (77%), and female (79%) and the average age was 72.9+/-8.0. Analysis of the semi-structured interviews revealed 36 codes which were categorized and reduced to 13 major themes. Eleven of these themes focused on factors that facilitated participation in exercise and two themes included factors that decreased willingness to participate in exercise. Findings support the use of the theory of self-efficacy to change behavior among minority older adults, and future research should focus on identifying culturally specific interventions that will strengthen these beliefs and thereby increase exercise behavior.     

An investigation of the psychological effects of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York City: developing and implementing research in the acute postdisaster period

The September 11, 2001, attack on New York City was the largest human-made disaster in United States history. In the first few days after the attack, it became clear that the scope of the attacks (including loss of life, property damage, and financial strain) was unprecedented and that the attacks could result in substantial psychological sequelae in the city population. Researchers at the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at the New York Academy of Medicine designed and implemented an assessment of the mental health of New Yorkers 5-8 weeks after the attacks. To implement this research in the immediate postdisaster period, researchers at the center had to develop, in a compressed time interval, new academic collaborations, links with potential funders, and unique safeguards for study respondents who may have been suffering from acute psychological distress. Results of the assessment contributed to a New York state mental health needs assessment that secured Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for mental health programs in New York City. This experience suggests that mechanisms should be in place for rapid implementation of mental health assessments after disasters.