Refutes Rushton's claims regarding heritable race differences in intelligence, criminal capacity, brain weight, and his racial ordering of human evolution. Cites major studies with opposite results. Analyses the causal chain governing explicit theory and unstated assumptions; documents inadequate, spurious, and misapplied data sources; and…

Examined seven-year adolescent panel to determine whether attrition effects varied by type of substance assessed and method of measurement. Found study dropouts were more likely to use substances and reported higher mean use of substances at baseline than stayers; attrition effects varied by substance; and mean use comparisons were more likely to…

Reviewed and evaluated parent training research conducted between 1975 and 1990. Analyzed 148 published studies regarding effectiveness of parent training as intervention. Case studies reviewed exhibited several methodological shortcomings. Group studies reviewed also did not routinely collect treatment integrity information, and 50 percent of…

Sixteen listeners (10 expert, 6 naive) judged the dissimilarity of pairs of voices drawn from pathological and normal populations. Only parameters that showed substantial variability were perceptually salient across listeners. Results suggest that traditional means of assessing listener reliability in voice perception tasks may not be appropriate.…

Compares dissertation research from 1992 in public administration, criminology, management, planning, social work, and women's studies. Concludes that what should be done to improve the contribution of doctoral research to the field is to improve the quality of all types of dissertation research. (Author/JOW)

Examines peer review in the National Institutes of Health and in scholarly journals and discusses limitations--time, paperwork, subjectivity, limited resources, and increased instances of misconduct and unethical behavior. Suggests reforms: eliminate anonymity, use review specialists, have institutions monitor their own faculty, and conduct…

Notes that nearly all existing empirical work on stepfamilies has been published in 1980s. Describes demographic context for this work and surveys research on stepchildren, remarriage, and stepfamily functioning. Identifies problems in extant research and suggests areas for future research. Emphasizes explicit and implicit theories that guided…

Discusses trends and problems in regarding discourse analysis as a viable paradigm that can govern research, focusing on such issues as the wide diversity and variety of research that can be considered discourse analysis, the predominant focus on English language, research approaches, and undefined variables affecting research outcomes. (seven…

Discusses the evaluation of moderator variables in meta-analysis: (1) issues in testing theory using moderator variables; (2) when to look for moderators; (3) how not to look for moderators; and (4) how to look for moderators using contrast analysis. (SR)

Highlights some of the limitations of meta-analytic knowledge claims. Illustrates their problematic consequences for later research. Details effective methods of dealing with these potential problems. (SR)

Rejoinders to the preceding commentaries include "Who Claims Holland's Hexagon Is Perfect?" (Prediger, Vansickle); "Comments on the Universality of Holland's Theory" (Fouad, Dancer); and "In Search of Structural Validity" (Swanson). (SK)

The use of meta-analysis to resolve issues in the fields of organizational behavior and human resources management was reviewed by coding 35 studies on 21 methodological variables. Results illustrate the tremendous variability in how researchers apply meta-analysis. Suggestions are provided for correctly using meta-analysis. (SLD)

This critical literature review shows that studies of quality of life (QOL) for persons with disabilities follow a sharp dichotomy between subjective and objective approaches, whereas the phenomenon of QOL calls for a holistic approach. QOL is examined in terms of dynamic integration of the individual into the society. (Author/JDD)

Examines the assumptions, methods, and findings of computer-mediated communication (CMC) research and suggests that negative relational effects are confined to narrow situational boundary conditions. Suggests that communicators develop individuating impressions of others through accumulated CMC messages. (MG)

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)