Employed triangulation strategy for assessing family interaction, involving family members, therapist, and coders independently viewing videotapes. Found weak agreement between paired assessments within family triad, and within therapist-coder dyad. Findings suggest that methodological and/or scaling strategies designed to maximize agreement may…

Discusses the status of researchers and the prospects for research in art education. Examines ways in which the editors of scholarly publications have attempted to shape research. Speculates on the extent to which all art educators carry within themselves the "seeds" of research activity and editorship. (GEA)

Demonstrates that magnitude-of-effects (ME) estimates vary in susceptibility to sample-size bias depending on whether they are directional or nondirectional estimates. Also demonstrates that study characteristics that influence size of ME estimates can be explicitly taken into account when comparing studies. Emphasizes need to consider study…

Criticizes the application of the statistical procedures of the population-genetic approach within evolutionary biology to the study of psychological development. Argues that the application of the statistical methods of population genetics--primarily the analysis of variance--to the causes of psychological development is bound to result in a…

Argues that Gottlieb rejects population sampling and statistical analyses of distributions as he proposes that his experimental brand of mechanistic science is the only legitimate approach to developmental research. Maintains that Gottlieb exaggerates developmental uncertainty, based on his own research with extreme environmental manipulations.…

Argues that a truly developmental behavior genetics will have to go beyond the traditional quantitative approach of population genetics in order to produce developmental explanatory content about differences and similarities in developmental outcomes. (MDM)

High-track/low-track studies almost invariably conclude that students gain from being in high-ability groups and lose from being in low-ability groups. Track/no-track studies find achievement effects approaching zero for high, average, and low achievers. Brewer, Rees, and Argys's own data provide little evidence for maintaining ability grouping.…

Reviews methodological issues constraining research on the career development of gay/lesbian/bisexual people. Suggests a broader span of content, theory-based research, increased representation of populations, quantitative and qualitative methods, and designs that investigate within-group and between-group differences in career experiences. (SK)

In this pilot study, 14 adolescents kept diaries for 6 consecutive weeks during their pregnancies. Diary entries were analyzed for affective tone, emotional lability, and contextuality. Findings question psychometric properties of data gathered using one time, self-report measures with pregnant adolescents because of their fluctuating mood states.…

This article describes four single-subject research designs comparing two or more interventions with young disabled children--the multitreatment design, alternating treatments design, adapted alternating treatments design, and parallel treatments design. Problems in using these designs include multitreatment interference, nonreversibility of some…

This letter points out flaws in van der Lely and Howard's argument that children with specific language impairments have no deficits in verbal short-term memory. The original methodology is faulted for providing uninterpretable assessment of verbal short-term functions and for failure to follow memory techniques from previous studies. Sample…

Responding to critique of "The Economic Consequences of State Lotteries" (Praeger, 1991), coauthor praises reviewers' analysis and deplores their harsh criticism. Income coefficient used is justifiable, since, in Florida, number of children attending state-funded schools is positively associated with income. Would have received even…

The entire thesis of "The Bell Curve" disintegrates due to biased use of data, misrepresentations, and logical inconsistencies. Five basic flaws are: inferring causality from correlation, use of dubious racial categories, contradictory arguments concerning the immutability of cognitive ability and the relative contributions of heredity…

Comments on some methodological limitations of the research base of "The Bell Curve": blind use of the normal distribution (bell curve); avoidance of nonnormal statistical distributions, which are more appropriate for some social and economic characteristics; copious use of percentiles and quintiles, inappropriate with nonnormal…

Three types of methodological issues particularly salient in research involving the assessment of substance use or abuse are discussed with strategies for avoiding problems: (1) the reliability and validity of methods; (2) the variability and episodic course of substance use; and (3) the heterogeneity of individuals with substance use disorders.…