"The Bell Curve" declares that studies of separated identical twins--the "purest" of "direct" methods for estimating IQ heritability--indicate a value of +.75-+.80. But, the main study cited suggests a heritability of "two-thirds" for the middle class, and Herrnstein and Murray neglect to mention numerous…

The goals of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis are described, and procedural guidelines for each approach are summarized, emphasizing the use of factor analysis in developing and refining clinical measures. Recent examples of the use of factor analysis are reviewed and used to highlight controversies that can emerge. (SLD)

Methodological considerations in conducting research on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), the most widely used clinical personality instrument, are reviewed, with reference to the original MMPI and the version for adolescents (MMPI-A). Potential pitfalls in personality testing and personality assessment research are…

Difficulties in defining and examining ethnicity as a variable in psychological research are explored, and it is asserted that many problems in assessment research arise from not making explicit the assumptions underlying the use of ethnicity as an exploratory variable and from inadequately describing cultural and contextual characteristics of…

This article discusses methodologic limitations of four observational study designs (ecologic, case-control, cross-sectional, and cohort) that dominate the child abuse and neglect literature and identifies key features of an "ideal" study of child maltreatment. It proposes a new mixed-design strategy, which improves ability to identify child…

This article examines the problem of definition in learning disabilities. It discusses the failure of conceptual definitions to provide a clear idea of what learning disabilities are, examines the true nature of available definitions as stipulative definitions, and notes the difficulty in conceptualizing and implementing operational definitions.…

It is argued that employment data provide a useful and flexible metric to assess social impact. Problems and advantages with the traditional use of population statistics and the use of employment data are discussed, and an example of the use of each is given. (SLD)

Notes that research on academic retention programs for at-risk minority college students suffers from variety of methodological shortcomings. Identifies several problems in context of published retention-program studies, followed by corresponding solutions framed within call for nontraditional, alternative methodological and statistical strategies…

Points out that variability in focus, method, and conceptual level of case studies causes difficulties in validating such studies. Notes method variations raise questions about validity. Claims the validity of case studies lies in their usefulness as projective models. States teachers can generate their own theories where practical educational…

Compares scientific explanations of addiction of the 1920s and 1930s to today's. Details the history of addiction testing and research, the development of criteria for defining addiction, and both physiological and psychological definitions of addiction. Suggests that the changing status of addiction as a disease reflects different meanings…

Argues that fieldworkers' difficulties in gaining access to public schools for research can be resolved by examining the schools' organizational logic. Compares public and religious schools to show how access problems and strategies to overcome them vary with schools' organizational features. Offers examples from research conducted at midwestern…

This commentary on EC 602 595 questions cognitive referencing's validity as a model for allocating special services to young children with disabilities. The paper raises methodological issues in studies supporting use of the cognitive referencing model. These issues include the construct of delayed development, subject description, and use of a…

Discusses the difficulties and frustrations of trying to make explicit connections among teaching, scholarship, and feminism. Points out the deleterious effects of the feminization of the field of composition on the research and scholarship of women in the field. (SR)

Discusses shortcomings in research on child maltreatment, including a lack of sensitive differentiation across types of child maltreatment, and a lack of attention to differences resulting from perpetrator gender. Provides corrective recommendations and describes a new approach that enhances research sensitivity. (MM)

Reviews the scholarly work that uses content analysis to study political substance in magazines. Uses a modified version of Laswell's communication model to classify the current literature. Discusses problematic issues and offers possible solutions. (SR)