Critiques and discusses 10 measures of burden that have been used with caregivers of individuals with dementia. Claims that, although many measures contain reliability data, relatively few report content validity, convergent/divergent validity, criterion validity, or sensitivity to change. Discusses implications for research and practice.…

Affirms the evidence for predictive validity of assessment centers and concludes that assessment centers can work for a variety of purposes and in numerous contexts. Raises possible explainations for the predictive validity observed in assessment centers and raises implications for practice and guidance of future research. (Author/KS)

Describes hypothesis validity as extent to which research results reflect theoretically derived predictions about relations between or among constructs. Discusses role of hypotheses in theory testing. Presents four threats to hypothesis validity: (1) inconsequential research hypotheses; (2) ambiguous research hypotheses; (3) noncongruence of…

Notes that, while researchers seek accurate causative factors for suicidal behavior, validity and reliability of certification of suicide deaths by coroners and medical examiners have been questioned. Provides overview of existing vital statistics registry system, proposes innovations that could improve quality of officially reported suicide…

Discusses current methods, problems, and results of psychological treatment for alcohol abuse, including alcoholism. Addresses external and internal validity problems specific to issues regarding who is treated for alcohol problems, and treatment and patient factors that predict response to alcoholism treatment. Reviews current data on…

Reviews early attempts to classify the field of family therapy, including Haley's caricatures, the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry's classification, and others. The new paradigmatic model proposes a classification of the field of family therapy in terms of three therapeutic paradigms: the historical, the structure/process, and the…

Examines idea of psychological skills training. Raises questions concerning the conceptual validity and generalizability of programs that attempt psychological skills training as a means of "giving psychology away." Draws specific references and illustrations from recent research in applied psychology and literature in counseling and…

Briefly outlines problems associated with definition and official certification of suicide and reviews literature pertaining to validity and reliability of suicide statistics. Considers process of suicide certification as a test, estimating its sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value, using data from studies reviewed. (NB)

Determining how best to identify gifted and talented children can be a major obstacle to establishing successful programs. This article enumerates eight major problems or issues related to the identification of these children. Future research and theoretical development must be directed toward a resolution of these issues. (MT)

Addresses two vital issues in international studies of educational achievement: the quality of data obtained from participating countries and the interpretation of those data. Contends that examples of problems in item development for international studies are related to the quality of the data and norms used in interpretation. (Author/NB)

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies?Depression Scale (CES-D) is among the most widely used depression screening measures. Existing research suggests a higher order factor structure of responses among older adults (factors labeled as Depressive Affect, Absence of Well-being, Somatic Symptoms, and Interpersonal Affect each loading on a 2nd-order…

In 1896, Sigmund Freud stated that early childhood seduction caused hysteria in his female patients. He later recanted his original finding and claimed that the reports of abuse he heard from his patients were not descriptions of real events, but his patients' expressions of unconscious childhood wishes. The theory of the Oedipal complex gave…

This resource document represents the integration of both practice and theory related to minimum competency testing (MCT), and is largely based on information collected in a nationwide survey of MCT programs. Chapter 1, To Implement or Not to Implement MCT, by Marcy R. Perkins, presents a definition of MCT and a discussion of the perceived…

Ninth graders and technical college students were tested to determine the validity of the Crites model of career maturity. Results showed career choice competencies are fairly highly related to each other. There is a relationship between career maturity and sex and race of student. (Author/JAC)

Uses three hermeneutical or quasi-hermeneutical studies in career development to illustrate important dimensions of this type of research. Discusses collecting, recording, and analyzing research material and presenting the interpretative framework. Addresses issues of subjectivity, reliability, validity, accessibility, feasibility, and…