John D. Hogan

Death Anxiety in Physicians: Defensive Style, Medical Specialty, and Exposure to Death

This study explores certain aspects of death anxiety in the physician. The participants of the study were seventy-seven male physicians actively practicing their profession in the New York metropolitan area, Twenty-nine were internists, twenty-eight were psychiatrists, and twenty were surgeons. The results confirmed an inverse relationship between the use of repression and overt report of death anxiety for the physicians tested. Frequency of exposure to death seemed to have no effect on defensive style. The physicians most frequently exposed to death (internists) did not employ the most repression, as expected. Other significant differences between the three tested medical specialties were noted. Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between age, experience, and death anxiety. It was the younger and less experienced physician who. displayed the greatest death anxiety. It was also the younger physician who was most frequently confronted with death.

ReplicationsandRefinements: Perceptual Decentering, Multiple Classification, and Reading

ABSTRACT Under this heading appear summaries of studies which, in 500 words or less, provide useful data substantiating, not substantiating, or refining what we think we know. Additional details concerning the results can be obtained by communicating directly with the investigator or, when indicated, by requesting supplementary material from Microfiche Publications.

DEVELOPMENT OF HUMOR IN CHILDREN: ROLES OF INCONGRUITY, RESOLUTION AND OPERATIONAL THINKING'

In evaluating the responses of 87 children in Grades 1, 2, and 3 to various jokes and cartoons, the comprehension of humorous material was significantly related to grade and conservation ability, but neither of these variables related to the appreciation of humor. No evidence could be found to support a two-stage model in the development of appreciation of humor.

Learning and Generalization of Piagetian Tasks by Mentally Retarded Students

70 mentally retarded students, successfully taught to conserve number and substance in the Piagetian sense, resisted attempts at extinction but were unable to generalize to other conservation tasks.

The Relationship between Drug Use and Perceived Harmfulness

The present study was an extension of previous research on the perceived harmfulness of commonly used illicit and licit drugs. A large number of college students were asked to report on their experience with a number of drugs. These students were also asked to rate each drug on the degree to which they perceived that drug to be harmful or harmless. From their pattern of use, subjects were classified as being members of one of the following five groups: principled non-users, non-users, light users, moderate users and heavy users of marijuana. One-way analysis of variance was performed on the harmfulness ratings for each of the 12 drugs across groups. Results indicated that the groups differed significantly on their rating of the harmfulness of several drugs. Typically, these differences can be attributed to the contrast between the principled non-users of marijuana group and the other user groups. Cluster analysis was performed on the matrix of intercorrelations among the harmfulness ratings of the drugs by the combined non-users groups, the combined users groups and the total sample. The results of the cluster analysis indicated that for all subjects combined there were five major clusters, and for all non-users there were four major clusters as there were for all users. The drugs that comprise each cluster of drugs for each group and the mean harmfulness rating of the drugs within each cluster are reported. It was found that the users groups clustered LSD with cocaine, marijuana and hashish while the non-users clustered LSD with heroin. It was also found that within this sample, there were sex differences on the usage of marijuana, hashish, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, caffeine and aspirin. There were also sex differences on the harmfulness ratings of marijuana, hashish, cocaine, LSD and alcohol. The results of this study were compared with the results of previous research on the relationship between drug usage and the perceived harmfulness of drugs. Implications for future research are discussed.

Child and Adolescent Development

For school psychologists, understanding how children and adolescents develop and learn forms a backdrop to their everyday work, but the many new ‘facts’ shown by empirical studies can be difficult to absorb; nor do they make sense unless brought together within theoretical frameworks that help to guide practice. In this chapter, we explore the idea that child and adolescent development is a moveable feast, across both time and place. This is aimed at providing a helpful perspective for considering the many texts and papers that do focus on ‘facts’. We outline how our understanding of children’s development has evolved as various schools of thought have emerged. While many of the traditional theories continue to provide useful educational, remedial and therapeutic frameworks, there is also a need to take a more critical approach that supports multiple interpretations of human activity and development. With this in mind, we re-visit the idea of norms and milestones, consider the importance of context, reflect on some implications of psychology’s current biological zeitgeist and note a growing movement promoting the idea that we should be listening more seriously to children’s own voices.

125th anniversary of the American Psychological Association—Accomplishments and challenges: Introduction to the special issue.

In 2017, the American Psychological Association (APA) celebrates the 125th anniversary of its founding. This special issue commemorates this milestone by providing long- and short-term views on the history of APA and its role in psychology in America. The opening paper presents an overview of initiatives and challenges facing the field of psychology and APA in five periods, each roughly 25 years in length. The remaining eight articles review specific issues and areas of activity over varying lengths of time in more recent years. Issues of policy involvement, relations with the media, and involvement with the courts are described, as well as developments related to social justice, education, science, practice, and publications. (PsycINFO Database Record

G. Stanley Hall and The Journal of Genetic Psychology: A Note

ABSTRACT The Journal of Genetic Psychology (originally called The Pedagogical Seminary) has a complicated history. Known primarily as a journal of development psychology, it was originally intended to be a journal of higher education. In addition, G. Stanley Hall created it, at least in part, to curry favor with Jonas Clark, the benefactor of Clark University. The journal had a cumbersome start, with irregular issues for most of its first decade. Hall was a hands-on editor, often contributing articles and reviews as well as the texts of many of his speeches. A substantial number of additional articles were written by Clark University faculty and fellows where Hall was president. After Hall.s death, the editor became Carl Murchison who eventually left Clark University with the journal and continued to publish it privately until his death. Through the years, the journal has been the source for many classic articles in developmental psychology.

RELATION OF SELECTED VARIABLES TO IMPROVEMENT OF CHILDREN'S PROBLEM-SOLVING ABILITIES

104 students in Grade 5, participating in a program designed to improve problem-solving skills, were evaluated to determine those characteristics which best predicted improvement. Neither locus of control nor cognitive tempo were significant predictors. Pretest verbal fluency was the dominant and highly significant predictor of all posttest scores of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking.