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Clinical methods in psychology
Journal
of Evaluation
and Pmgmm
Planning,
Vol. 1, p. 91 (1978). Pergamon
CAPSULE
Press. Printed in U3.A
BOOK REVIEWS
Information and Feedback for Evaluation, edited by Barry Willer, Gary H. Miller, and Lucie Cantrell.PubZished York University Counseling and Development Centre, Toronto, 1975, 109 pp., $6.00.
by
ses issues in the organization and handling of information that is collected by social agencies. The emphasis of the book is on mental health and most of the examples come from that area. The systems and principles discussed however, are likely to be useful in a variety of settings. The book is most useful for those who work primarily with the “program management” aspects of evaluation.
The three major themes ofthis work are: program evaluation, clinical evaluation and information systems. The first section deals with various aspects of program evaluation as it relates to the efficient management of social programs. The “clinical evaluation” section attempts to show how clinical information can be used for feedback concerning program functioning. The final section discus-
Handbook of Behavioral Assessment, edited by Anthony R. Ciminero, Karen S. Calhoun, and Henry E. Adams. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1977, 721 pp., $27.00. Although intended primarily for behavior therapy practitioners, evaluators will find selected chapters of this handbook on issues and techniques in behavioral assessment useful. Chapter Two includes an excellent discussion of certain psychometric issues: validity, observer reliability and reactivity. The psychometric properties of the Fear Survey Schedule are thoroughly described in Chapter Six. Chapter Seven provides a comprehensive
Clinical Methods in Psychology, $24.95.
description of the research on the reactive effects of selfmonitoring procedures. Methodological issues of direct observational procedures in naturalistic settings are the subject of Chapter Nine. Topics include the biases in the collection of observational data, the biases in estimating reliability, and methods of evaluating and enhancing validity.
edited by Irving B. Weiner. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1976, 648 pp.,
measures of intelligence and conceptual thinking, personality inventories, and behavioral assessment. Each chapter includes a description of major instruments, ineluding the psychometric properties, and a discussion of the general principles and major problems of the particular assessment method.
This book is divided into two parts; Methods of Assessment and Methods of Intervention. Although the second part will be useful primarily to practicing clinicians, program evaluators will find in the first part, useful reviews of assessment methods. Chapters in the first part cover the assessment interview, projective techniques,
Research Issues 13: Data Analysis Strategies and Designs for Substance Abuse Research, edited by Peter M. Bentler, Dan J. Lettieri, and Gregory A. Austin. Published by Nationallnstitute ofDrugAbuse, Washington, D.C., 1976, 226 pp., $3.00. U. S. Government printing office stock #017-024-00562-Z. Although the title suggests limited use, this book is an extremely worthwhile compendium of research and data analysis techniques which will prove useful to applied researchers and evaluators working in a wide variety of contexts. The topics covered in the book are: single organism designs, longitudinal designs, automatic interaction detection, actuarial prediction, cluster and typological analysis, path analysis, factor analysis, general multiple regression and correlation analysis, multivariate
analysis of variance, and discriminant analysis. Each topic is treated in a separate chapter. Although a book of this kind cannot supply a working knowledge of complex statistical techniques, it does convey a clear sense of what the techniques are, how they can be used, and where additional information can be found. As such, it is highly recommended to evaluators who wish to expand their horizons concerning options for data analysis.
91
of Evaluation
and Pmgmm
Planning,
Vol. 1, p. 91 (1978). Pergamon
CAPSULE
Press. Printed in U3.A
BOOK REVIEWS
Information and Feedback for Evaluation, edited by Barry Willer, Gary H. Miller, and Lucie Cantrell.PubZished York University Counseling and Development Centre, Toronto, 1975, 109 pp., $6.00.
by
ses issues in the organization and handling of information that is collected by social agencies. The emphasis of the book is on mental health and most of the examples come from that area. The systems and principles discussed however, are likely to be useful in a variety of settings. The book is most useful for those who work primarily with the “program management” aspects of evaluation.
The three major themes ofthis work are: program evaluation, clinical evaluation and information systems. The first section deals with various aspects of program evaluation as it relates to the efficient management of social programs. The “clinical evaluation” section attempts to show how clinical information can be used for feedback concerning program functioning. The final section discus-
Handbook of Behavioral Assessment, edited by Anthony R. Ciminero, Karen S. Calhoun, and Henry E. Adams. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1977, 721 pp., $27.00. Although intended primarily for behavior therapy practitioners, evaluators will find selected chapters of this handbook on issues and techniques in behavioral assessment useful. Chapter Two includes an excellent discussion of certain psychometric issues: validity, observer reliability and reactivity. The psychometric properties of the Fear Survey Schedule are thoroughly described in Chapter Six. Chapter Seven provides a comprehensive
Clinical Methods in Psychology, $24.95.
description of the research on the reactive effects of selfmonitoring procedures. Methodological issues of direct observational procedures in naturalistic settings are the subject of Chapter Nine. Topics include the biases in the collection of observational data, the biases in estimating reliability, and methods of evaluating and enhancing validity.
edited by Irving B. Weiner. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1976, 648 pp.,
measures of intelligence and conceptual thinking, personality inventories, and behavioral assessment. Each chapter includes a description of major instruments, ineluding the psychometric properties, and a discussion of the general principles and major problems of the particular assessment method.
This book is divided into two parts; Methods of Assessment and Methods of Intervention. Although the second part will be useful primarily to practicing clinicians, program evaluators will find in the first part, useful reviews of assessment methods. Chapters in the first part cover the assessment interview, projective techniques,
Research Issues 13: Data Analysis Strategies and Designs for Substance Abuse Research, edited by Peter M. Bentler, Dan J. Lettieri, and Gregory A. Austin. Published by Nationallnstitute ofDrugAbuse, Washington, D.C., 1976, 226 pp., $3.00. U. S. Government printing office stock #017-024-00562-Z. Although the title suggests limited use, this book is an extremely worthwhile compendium of research and data analysis techniques which will prove useful to applied researchers and evaluators working in a wide variety of contexts. The topics covered in the book are: single organism designs, longitudinal designs, automatic interaction detection, actuarial prediction, cluster and typological analysis, path analysis, factor analysis, general multiple regression and correlation analysis, multivariate
analysis of variance, and discriminant analysis. Each topic is treated in a separate chapter. Although a book of this kind cannot supply a working knowledge of complex statistical techniques, it does convey a clear sense of what the techniques are, how they can be used, and where additional information can be found. As such, it is highly recommended to evaluators who wish to expand their horizons concerning options for data analysis.
91