Reviews recent research in the developmental psychopathology of children, the study of clinical dysfunction in the context of maturational and developmental processes. Many advances have relied heavily on the extension of paradigms developed in research with adults; offers directions for further research. (Author/BJV)

This response to Brainerd and Reyna's paper (in this issue) argues that the common resources hypothesis can be applied to a wider range of phenomena than can the output-interference hypothesis. Presents results of a dual-task experiment under bidirectional deficits. Concludes that dual-task studies do not provide critical tests of the resources…

An approach for tracking a mobile group of 1,045 junior high school transfers and minimizing attrition in a longitudinal study of adolescent behavior was studied. Students were tracked through the home or directly through the new school. The new school strategy was very effective and greatly improved tracking. (SLD)

Briefly reviews the current status of research on mentoring as a form of professional development for school leaders. Presents alternative definitions of mentoring and reviews several recent studies on administrator mentoring. Discusses limitations in research design, methodologies, and findings, and charts possible new research directions. (19…

School leaders must make good decisions about sex education based on valid information. This article presents 17 arguments most frequently advanced by groups opposing comprehensive sexuality education and examines the scientific literature to determine those arguments' validity. Topics include abstinence instruction, intimate sexual behavior…

Responds to an article written regarding the maturity of educational research. Contends that, to achieve a democratic research process, the local needs and conditions of the public (including teachers, students, parents, and the community) must be the driving force in deciding what to research. (ZWH)

Describes the quality of educational research, indicating that it is in a state of crisis because of a lack of both funding and professional consensus on fund allocation. Suggests that educational researchers reach a consensus regarding their minimum information requirements and seek to maximize the limited resources available. (MAB)

Examines issues related to the design and interpretation of high-risk depression research, including the identification of symptoms and syndromes, categorical versus dimensional scales, aspects of depression to be considered, specificity of effects, use of process measures, and conceptualization of risk and resilience. (MDM)

Discusses the implications of factors inhibiting the advancement of research in library and information science in Nigeria, such as poor dissemination of research findings, noncollaborative research with those in other fields, academic and professional ineptitude, inadequate funding, societal indifference to research, and inefficient use of…

"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.…