Thursday, July 26, 2007

NCLB tidbit - more reading and math timg

MSNBC post reports that recent study indicates that the US NCLB (No Child Left Behind) legislation has resulted in increased time spent in reading and math activities in schools.

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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Psychology book nook reviews - 7-24-07


A new issue of PsycCRITIQUES is available online.



July 25, 2007
Volume 52, Issue 30


Book Reviews
1. The Great Ideas of Clinical Science: 17 Principles That Every Mental Health Professional Should Understand
Authors: Scott O. Lilienfeld and William T. O'Donohue (Eds.)
Reviewer: E. David Klonsky

2. Sensation Seeking and Risky Behavior
Author: Marvin Zuckerman
Reviewer: Robert Furey

3. Dialogues on Difference: Studies of Diversity in the Therapeutic Relationship
Author: J. Christopher Muran (Ed.)
Reviewer: L. M. Leitner

4. Children's Knowledge, Beliefs and Feelings About Nations and National Groups
Author: Martyn Barrett
Reviewers: Judith L. Gibbons and Brien K. Ashdown

5. Closer to Truth: Science, Meaning, and the Future
Author: Robert Lawrence Kuhn
Reviewer: William Meehan

6. Spirit, Mind, and Brain: A Psychoanalytic Examination of Spirituality and Religion
Author: Mortimer Ostow
Reviewer: Peter N. Jones

7. Psychoanalytic Collisions
Author: Joyce Anne Slochower
Reviewer: Spyros D. Orfanos

8. Assessment of Client Core Issues
Author: Richard W. Halstead
Reviewer: Kristina M. Kays

9. Working Couples Caring for Children and Aging Parents: Effects on Work and Well-Being
Authors: Margaret B. Neal and Leslie B. Hammer
Reviewers: Anisha Shah and Rathna Isaac

10. Historical Perspectives in Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Author: Laura L. Koppes (Ed.)
Reviewer: Alisha L. Francis

11. Experience Sampling Method: Measuring the Quality of Everyday Life
Authors: Joel M. Hektner, Jennifer A. Schmidt, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Reviewer: Susan L. Trumbetta

12. Medication Treatments for Nicotine Dependence
Author: Tony P. George (Ed.)
Reviewer: John C. Roitzsch

13. The Children's Television Community
Author: J. Alison Bryant (Ed.)
Reviewer: Kathleen Crowley

14. Social Psychology and the Unconscious: The Automaticity of Higher Mental Processes
Author: John A. Bargh (Ed.)
Reviewer: Catherine Scott

15. William James: In the Maelstrom of American Modernism
Author: Robert D. Richardson
Reviewer: Jeffrey Noel

16. Promoting Treatment Adherence: A Practical Handbook for Health Care Providers
Authors: William T. O'Donohue and Eric R. Levensky (Eds.)
Reviewer: Mary Ann Cook

Video Review
17. Emotion-Focused Therapy Over Time
with Leslie S. Greenberg
Reviewer: Michael F. Sunich

Film Review
18. The Great New Wonderful
Directors: Danny Leiner and Sam Catlin (Writer)
Reviewer: Keith Oatley


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Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Psychology book nook reviews - 7-17-07



A new issue of PsycCRITIQUES is available online.




July 18, 2007
Volume 52, Issue 29


Book Reviews
1. Everyday Memory
Authors: Svein Magnussen and Tore Helstrup (Eds.)
Reviewer: David W. Carroll

2. Young Minds in Social Worlds: Experience, Meaning, and Memory
Author: Katherine Nelson
Reviewer: Marie T. Balaban

3. Perversion of Power: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church
Author: Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea
Reviewer: John T. Chibnall

4. African American Relationships, Marriages, and Families: An Introduction
Author: Patricia Dixon
Reviewer: Kellina M. Craig-Henderson

5. Termination in Psychotherapy: A Psychodynamic Model of Processes and Outcomes
Authors: Anthony S. Joyce, William E. Piper, John S. Ogrodniczuk, and Robert H. Klein
Reviewer: Jerry Gold

6. Grant Proposal Makeover: Transform Your Request From No to Yes
Authors: Cheryl A. Clarke and Susan P. Fox
Reviewer: Mary M. Licklider

7. Advertising Sin and Sickness: The Politics of Alcohol and Tobacco Marketing 1950–1990
Author: Pamela E. Pennock
Reviewer: Jennifer B. Unger

8. The Sister Knot: Why We Fight, Why We're Jealous, and Why We'll Love Each Other No Matter What
Author: Terri Apter
Reviewer: Judith Schoenholtz-Read

9. Moral Stealth: How “Correct Behavior” Insinuates Itself Into Psychotherapeutic Practice
Author: Arnold Goldberg
Reviewer: Viola Mecke

10. Prospective Memory: An Overview and Synthesis of an Emerging Field
Authors: Mark A. McDaniel and Gilles O. Einstein
Reviewer: David S. Kreiner

11. Religion, Culture and Mental Health
Author: Kate Loewenthal
Reviewer: Richard H. Cox

12. Memories After Abortion
Author: Vivian Wahlberg (Ed.)
Reviewers: Juanita N. Baker and Brenda S. Baker

13. “Intimate” Violence Against Women: When Spouses, Partners, or Lovers Attack
Authors: Paula K. Lundberg-Love and Shelly L. Marmion (Eds.)
Reviewer: Linda Rubin

14. Multiple Social Categorization: Process, Models, and Applications
Authors: Richard J. Crisp and Miles Hewstone (Eds.)
Reviewer: Louis Rothschild

15. Developments in Work and Organizational Psychology: Vol. 20. Implications for International Business
Authors: Paul Jackson and Manfusa Shams (Eds.)
Reviewer: Robert Brown

16. Change Processes in Relationships: A Relational–Historical Research Approach
Authors: Alan Fogel, Andrea Garvey, Hui-Chin Hsu, and Delisa West-Stroming
Reviewer: Francis C. Staskon

17. The Cognitive Leader: Building Winning Organizations Through Knowledge Leadership
Author: Roderic Hewlett
Reviewer: Robert A. Bischoff

Comparative Review
18. Mozart and the Whale: An Asperger's Love Story
Authors: Jerry Newport and Mary Newport (with Johnny Dodd)
Reviewer: Brooke Ingersoll

Mozart and the Whale
Authors: Petter Naess
Reviewer: Brooke Ingersoll


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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Psychology book nook reviews - 7-10-07



A new issue of PsycCRITIQUES is available online.



July 11, 2007
Volume 52, Issue 28


Book Reviews
1. Boundaries in Psychotherapy: Ethical and Clinical Explorations
Author: Ofer Zur
Reviewer: Judith M. Glassgold

2. Clinical Manual of Psychiatry and Law
Authors: Robert I. Simon and Daniel W. Shuman
Reviewer: Samuel T. Gontkovsky

3. Chicano-Anglo Conversations: Truth, Honesty, and Politeness
Author: Madeleine Youmans
Reviewer: Patricia A. Cavazos-Rehg

4. Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Vols. 1 and 2)
Author: Steven G. Rogelberg (Ed.)
Reviewer: Richard D. Harvey

5. Language Policy, Culture, and Identity in Asian Contexts
Authors: Amy B. M. Tsui and James W. Tollefson (Eds.)
Reviewer: Ruth Chao

6. Communicating at the End of Life: Finding Magic in the Mundane
Author: Elissa Foster
Reviewer: Viola Mecke

7. Essentials of Psychosomatic Medicine
Author: James L. Levenson (Ed.)
Reviewer: H. Russell Searight

8. Informal Learning: Rediscovering the Natural Pathways That Inspire Innovation and Performance
Author: Jay Cross
Reviewer: Bruce B. Henderson

9. Handbook of Measurement Issues in Family Research
Authors: Sandra L. Hofferth and Lynne M. Casper (Eds.)
Reviewer: Luciano L'Abate

10. Mass Media Effects Research: Advances Through Meta-Analysis
Authors: Raymond W. Preiss, Barbara Mae Gayle, Nancy Burrell, Mike Allen, and Jennings Bryant (Eds.)
Reviewer: Kurt Salzinger

11. The Coaching Organization: A Strategy for Developing Leaders
Authors: James M. Hunt and Joseph R. Weintraub
Reviewers: Richard W. Ackley and Tiffany A. Guske

12. Brain-Compatible Mathematics (2nd ed.)
Author: Diane Ronis
Reviewer: Larry A. Alferink

13. Raising Reading Achievement in Middle and High Schools: Five Simple-to-Follow Strategies (2nd ed.)
Author: Elaine K. McEwan
Reviewer: Cody Ding

14. How the Paper Fish Learned to Swim: A Fable About Inspiring Creativity and Bringing New Ideas to Life
Author: Jonathon A. Flaum
Reviewer: Tracy A. Knight

15. Self-Esteem Issues and Answers: A Sourcebook of Current Perspectives
Author: Michael H. Kernis (Ed.)
Reviewers: Richard W. Ackley and David Yesko

16. Quick Reference for Oncology Clinicians: The Psychiatric and Psychological Dimensions of Cancer Symptom Management
Authors: Jimmie C. Holland, Donna B. Greenberg, and Mary K. Hughes (Eds.)
Reviewers: Barry A. Hong and Marty Clarke

17. Destructive Goal Pursuit: The Mount Everest Disaster
Author: D. Christopher Kayes
Reviewers: Jeni L. Burnette and Jeffrey M. Pollack

Film Review
18. The Number 23
Director: Joel Schumacher
Reviewers: John C. Norcross and Jonathon Norcross


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Williams Syndrome

An interesting article (The Gregarious Brain) on Williams Syndrome in the NY Times. I've previously blogged on the this syndrome before (click here). Thanks to the neurodudes for the FYI post. For those who want to read more, I've generated a list of references dealing with Williams Syndrome. I had been noticing an ever increasing number of research articles regarding this syndrome over the past few years and have been putting them in the IAP Procite Reference database. Click here to find a list of 37 different references that include the keywords "Williams Syndrome" somewhere in the article.


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Tuesday, July 03, 2007

IQ's Corner Headlines - 7-3-07

All the news thats fit for IQ's Corner readers:

This is the 29th installment of IQs Corner Headlines from the Brain and Mind Blogsphere

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Psychology book nook reviews - 7-3-07


I don't subscribe to PsycCRITIQUES, but I recently signed up for the APA email alert service...so I can see what books, videos, etc. have recently been reviewed...just in case I can find some elusive free time to read.

Below is a summary (lifted from the APA web page) that describes this service. This is followed, in turn, by this weeks list of available reviews from this service. You would need to subscribe in order to view the reviews. I'm hoping to provide this information on a regular basis.
  • PsycCRITIQUES® combines weekly releases of reviews of very current books and popular films with a searchable database of reviews going back to 1956. The database replaced the print journal Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books in 2005. Enhancements include weekly releases of approximately 20 reviews of very current books; the ability to browse by title, publication year, and author; and the ability to search the PsycINFO records for precise retrieval from thousands of reviews. More than 900 current reviews are published annually.
  • More information about PsycCRITIQUES
July 4, 2007
Volume 52, Issue 27


Book Reviews
1. The Foundations of Remembering: Essays in Honor of Henry L. Roediger, III
Author: James S. Nairne (Ed.)
Reviewers: Richard E. Mayer and Heather R. Collins

2. The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump: John Snow and the Mystery of Cholera
Author: Sandra Hempel
Reviewers: Michael B. Blank and John Paul Jameson

3. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Clinical Psychiatry
Authors: Mark S. George and Robert H. Belmaker
Reviewer: Sheila M. Dowd

4. How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing
Author: Paul J. Silvia
Reviewer: Ronda L. Dearing

5. Internships in Psychology: The APAGS Workbook for Writing Successful Applications and Finding the Right Match, 2007–2008 Edition
Authors: Carol Williams-Nickelson and Mitchell J. Prinstein (Eds.)
Reviewers: Steven A. Meyers and Catherine Campbell

6. Rethinking Faculty Work: Higher Education's Strategic Imperative
Authors: Judith M. Gappa, Ann E. Austin, and Andrea G. Trice
Reviewer: Thomas J. Kramer

7. Psychology of Academic Cheating
Authors: Eric M. Anderman and Tamera B. Murdock (Eds.)
Reviewer: James H. Korn

8. Graduate Study in Psychology
Author: American Psychological Association
Reviewer: Loreto R. Prieto

9. Beyond Rationality: The Search for Wisdom in a Troubled Time
Author: Kenneth R. Hammond
Reviewer: George Stricker

10. About What Was Lost: 20 Writers on Miscarriage, Healing, and Hope
Author: Jessica Berger Gross (Ed.)
Reviewer: Michele Hoffnung

11. Posttraumatic Embitterment Disorder: Definition, Evidence, Diagnosis, Treatment
Authors: Michael Linden, Max Rotter, Kai Baumann, and Barbara Lieberei
Reviewer: Steven Taylor

12. Collaborative Literacy: Using Gifted Strategies to Enrich Learning for Every Student
Authors: Susan E. Israel, Dorothy A. Sisk, and Cathy Collins Block
Reviewer: Michael C. Pyryt

13. Child Development and Social Policy: Knowledge for Action
Authors: J. Lawrence Aber, Sandra J. Bishop-Josef, Stephanie M. Jones, Kathryn Taaffe McLearn, and Deborah A. Phillips (Eds.)
Reviewer: Lonnie R. Sherrod

14. Psychiatric Aspects of HIV/AIDS
Authors: Francisco Fernandez and Pedro Ruiz (Eds.)
Reviewer: Andrew Angelino

15. Managing Suicidal Risk: A Collaborative Approach
Author: David A. Jobes
Reviewer: Karl Wilson

16. Valuing and Educating Young People: Stern Love the Lyward Way
Author: Jeremy Harvey
Reviewer: Tanya Telfair Sharpe

Video Review
17. Being Bullied: Strategies and Solutions for People With Asperger's Syndrome
with Nick Dubin
Reviewers: Susan Williams White and Bradley A. White

Film Review
18. The Lives of Others
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Reviewer: Keith Oatley


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Monday, July 02, 2007

CHC intelligence listserv update

Regular readers of IQ's Corner, who may want more interactive give-and-take re: the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of intelligence, as well as intelligence theories and assessment in general, should check out the CHC listserv. Current membership is n=948...and it would be great to get to n=1000 sometime soon.

Jews, IQ and Charles Murray

Thanks to David Billet for notifying me of the recent exchange between Charles "Bell Curve" Murray and readers of his recent Commentary article - "Jewish Genius." The reader reaction articles can be found by clicking here.

Please note that this is a pass-along FYI post only. I'm not weighing in on either side of these exchanges.


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Sunday, July 01, 2007

Critical thinking and CHC theory - Guest post by John Garruto

The following is a guest post by John Garruto, school psychologist with the Oswego School District and member of the IQs Corner Virtual Community of Scholars. John reviewed the following article and has provided his comments below. [Blog dictator note - John's review is presented "as is" with only a few minor copy edits by the blog dicator


Willingham, D.T. (2007). Critical Thinking: Why Is It So Hard to Teach? American Educator, 31(2), 8-19.

Guilty as charged. Frequently my copy of American Educator makes it to the trash before I have cracked the cover. I have tried to read it a few times, but typically have found that it often did not meet my professional needs or interests. As I was eating breakfast this morning I could not help but note a statue of Rodin’s “The Thinker” and an enticing lead-in on the cover asking the question--“Can Critical Thinking Be Taught?” My curiosity had been substantially piqued, so I took the magazine downstairs to read with my Sunday coffee.

This article was a delight to read. Willingham elaborated on the characteristics of many failed critical thinking programs of the past, given that they only tended to focus on reasoning in and of itself and not without the necessary background knowledge. Examples included Feuerstein’s Instrumental Enrichment, Covington’s Productive Thinking, or de Bono’s Cognitive Research Trust (p. 12). However, the shortcomings of such programs relate to the difficulty in the importance of using a student’s background knowledge to reason out new conclusions.

He gives an interesting example--a story problem relating a marching band with rows of 12, leaving one person behind, then a reconfiguration of columns of 8, with one person behind, and finally rows of 3 with one person behind. The person behind said rows of five would take care of the problem. The problem indicated there were at least 45 musicians on the field, but fewer than 200…how many students were there? Willingham noted that few people answered the question correctly because they tended to focus on marching bands, rather than the math behind the problem. He also indicated that the problem before (one relating to vegetables) could be solved in much of the same way. When students were clued into that fact--more of them answered correctly (by the way-my guess to the answer is 145-the answer would have to be N/5 would have a remainder of zero and N-1 must be divisible by 12, 8, and 3…I found the problem easier to solve once I stopped thinking of it as a story.) He indicates that by looking beyond the surface structure, one can master things so much more easily.

Three thoughts came flooding to my cortex. The first was Horn’s final chapter in CIA2 (see my prior post) particularly related to expertise abilities. His regular examples of playing chess by two different processes (he goes into inductive primarily and then transformed to deductive when expert) can also be conceptualized by looking at things from the surface and deep structure perspectives.

My second thought was how this is related to schema theory and set shifting--something I wish the article had addressed. Typically we use our background knowledge (and we need it) to think critically. However, another important component we need is the ability not to view what we see so rigidly. Sometimes we must alter our cognitive paradigms to reach the answer (consider the above problem).

Finally, I thought about the essence of the article in terms of CHC theory. Clearly, an important component to critical thinking (particularly as it pertains to later secondary and post-secondary education) is not simply Gc-but it is Gc X Gf…or a Gc/Gf interaction. Only by using both ability domains in combination can we see relationships, draw conclusions, and then write or comment using persuasive arguments. It’s an interesting idea for an Aptitude-Treatment Interaction (ATI) research study--I predict that one might need both high Gc and Gf to meaningfully affect a dependent variable we might call “critical thinking”. By the way, for what it’s worth, I used my background knowledge of human cognition and my inductive abilities of overlap to draw conclusions and write this blog entry--it seems Willingham could be right.

I will be careful not to hastily throw out my copy of American Educator so quickly in the future.


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