A differential psychological survey of about 100 Swedish mentally retarded young people in the 18-25 age group was carried out between 1966-1971 and again about 10 years later to clarify the meaning of social adjustment in middle age. Methodological problems are examined and preliminary results of the analysis are discussed. (BRR)

Comments on Reid and Hanrahan's article ("Recent Evaluations of Social Work: Grounds for Optimism," July 1982) reviewing social work research. Four authors discuss and evaluate the validity of the conclusions reached and the methodology needed for social work research. A reply by Reid and Hanrahan is included. (JAC)

Jensen's ideas about two levels of intellectual abilities are criticized as being oversimplified. More than two levels of intellectual abilities and relationships between variables reflecting more than racial and socioeconomic status (SES) differences are suggested, arguing that Jensen's statements about race and SES differences are not properly…

Based on the premise that discoveries raise more questions than they answer, explores various research questions related to the discovery of the planets and discoveries related to the theory of stellar evolution. (SK)

Four ethical problems arose during the conduct of a fieldwork investigation of the life experience of three student teachers: acquiring permission to begin the study; limits on digging into personal lives; pitfalls of collaborative research; and the endangerment of participant image or position as a result of personal revelation. (Author/GPM)

Discusses the role of extrinsic reinforcement in intrinsic motivation in cognitive attribution theory. Concludes that cognitive attribution theory lacks parsimony, in that extant reinforcement analysis can account for undermining with equal facility. Suggests undermining is of little significance due to its elusive and transient impact on operant…

Discusses theoretical and methodological problems relating to the comparison of test results of individuals and groups with differing cultural backgrounds. Develops a statistic by which deviance of score patterns can be quantified and which indicates whether a person's score can be compared with the scores in a specific group. (Author/GC)

Policy science is a new intellectual discipline which attempts to rationalize social life or conditions. Policy science faces two major obstacles: (1) the lack of convergence of different research efforts and (2) the treatment of bias and normative values. (GDC)

The evaluation of the reading programs in the Eugene, Oregon, public schools is described. Emphasis is placed on the eclectic approach to reading in the district prior to the evaluation and on the effect of using staff members as evaluators in their own district. (CTM)

Explores concerns about the functions of research and uses of research findings, examines the institutional context of research and some of the problems faced by social sciences, and identifies some possible approaches and changes in institutional structure which would strengthen the role and effectiveness of social scientists and rural…

Addresses a number of ethical and methodological issues related to research involving vulnerable populations such as the frail elderly, when the research design calls for a control or nonintervention group. Techniques are presented for building a "limited" service component into the research design. (Author)

A total population study of 4,797 six-year-old children attending the public preschools in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden was conducted in order to investigate the problematic area of perceptual, motor and attentional deficits in preschool children. A questionnaire with 34 questions about minimal brain dysfunction-related problems was distributed…

Surveyed directors (N=109) of clinical psychology programs to assess their opinions regarding proposed personality evaluation of doctoral applicants. Results showed that 75.3 percent opposed the evaluation based on the applicant's right to privacy and the inadequacies of assessment alternatives. (Author/JAC)

Discusses the relationship between changes in delinquency prevalence over time and prediction error. Data from a 21-year British longitudinal study exemplify the formal relationships that are derived. Results indicate statistically, as prevalence increases, a relative increase in false negative errors and a decrease in false positive errors…

Studied the effects of realistic job previews (RJPs) with candidates (N=842) for telephone service representative. Two types of preview, a film and job visit, were used. Results showed no significant differences between RJP candidates and control candidates with respect to job acceptance, expectations, job commitment, and turnover. (Author/RC)