Mark Mendenhall

Psychology of the Scientist: XLVIII. Recent Trends in Multiple Authorship in Psychology

Research in the late 1950s showed a trend toward increased multiple authorship, as opposed to single authorship, of research papers in psychology. This study investigated whether the trend has continued to the 1980s. Convention papers presented at the meetings of seven psychological associations, and articles published in nine APA journals, during 1980–81 were categorized by number of authors. Results indicated that the trend towards more multiple-author papers has continued, with 70% of the convention papers and 76% of the journal articles having more than one author.

The Trend toward Research Collaboration in Social Psychological Research

Summary The trend toward increased collaboration among researchers has been well documented in many scientific disciplines. This study delineates a similar trend in social psychological research.

Enhancing trainee satisfaction with cross-cultural training programs via prior warning

Abstract A review of the cross-cultural training literature indicates that trainees frequently enter training programs with mental sets which are incongruent with the goals of the programs. This condition (termed in the literature the “Einstellung Effect”) sometimes results in substantial dissatisfaction with the training program experience on the part of the trainee. Prior warning has been used successfully in some areas of psychological research to counteract Einstellung effects, but it has yet to be utilized in an attempt to reduce the effect of negative mental set on a training program. This study examined the effect of prior warning in cross-cultural training programs on trainee satisfaction. Students enrolled in four “Missionary Preparation” courses at a large, church-related university served as subjects. Two of the groups (each receiving one of two training methods) had the prior warning treatment, while the other two groups (one receiving each method) received no prior warning and served as control groups. Consistent with the hypothesis that trainee Einstellung effects can be reduced via prior warning, it was found that the subjects satisfaction scores in the prior warning conditions were significantly higher than those in the no warning conditions.