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• Meet the Author: Thomas M. Brunner, PhD

  Why did you choose to enter the field of psychology?This was the best way I could think of to participate in the evolution of our world. I was fascinated by the complex task of identifying patterns to thoughts, feelings, and behavior that could help us predict a person's behavior. I could not find any field more complex, and all other fields seemed boring compared to this intellectual frontier.What made you decide initially to develop the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2™ Child and Adolescent (STAXI-2™ C/A)?The amazing paucity of anger measures currently existing, especially for children and adolescents. I knew the state-trait theory already had been overwhelmingly accepted by the field of psychological assessment. As a developmental psychologist in training, I approached Charlie Spielberger and suggested we develop a measure for children. He and I knew there was such a need since parents, teachers, and mental health professionals were all very concerned about the high prevalence of anger, but researchers seemed to have been giving most of their attention to anxiety, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, etc., classical conditions. Meanwhile, the public health problem ...

• Meet the Author: Peter K. Isquith, PhD

  Why did you choose to enter the field of psychology?As the brother of a deaf individual with developmental disabilities, I was intimately familiar with the needs of such individuals, their families, and their educators, and well aware of the paucity of services. I studied speech and hearing sciences/psychology at the University of Michigan and found myself fitting well in psychology. While working as an interpreter, interpreting everything from astrophysics to rock climbing and sailing to the courtroom, I interpreted for a psychological assessment, and quickly realized how much the interpreting process interfered with the assessment. After spending the next few years traveling with a theater of the deaf where I worked with children around the country, I decided that a doctorate in psychology would enable me to have the greatest flexibility in pursuing my goals of serving the needs of deaf children and individuals with disabilities. The program in Child Clinical Psychology and Law at the University at Buffalo was very well-suited to my goals.What made you decide initially to develop the Tasks of Executive Control™ (TEC™)?My colleagues and ...

• Meetings: Brainstorm or Brain Drain?

  Meetings are a regular part of working life, an opportunity to collaborate, solve a problem, or accomplish a goal. Many of us assume that meetings, while sometimes tedious or dull, are still the best way to bring good ideas to the table. New research led by scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, however, suggests quite the opposite—meetings may, in fact, make us dumber. The study’s authors assert that the social dynamic that occurs in meetings can have a detrimental effect on our ability to think clearly. “You may joke about how committee meetings make you feel brain dead, but our findings suggest that they may make you act brain dead as well,” said co-author Read Montague, in a recent interview with msnbc.com author Linda Carroll. In the study, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look at the brains of college-student volunteers as they took an IQ test. Next, the students were divided into groups with similar IQs and given a second test. Each time they answered a question during the second round of testing, they were given ...

• Meet our staff:
  A new Web feature!

  

  If you’ve ever wanted to put a face to PAR’s amazing Customer Service, now you can! As part of PAR’s new Web site, we wanted our Customers to have a chance to become acquainted with the fantastic team behind those products you trust. Visit www.parinc.com and click on Meet the Staff at the bottom of the page. Now you can see who you’ve been placing your orders with over the phone, who packed your most recent shipment and got it to you in a flash, and the team behind creating all those assessment products you trust. You may even be able to learn a little bit about some of our team. We want you to see the PAR team! We can’t wait to meet you! Visit Meet the Staff now!

• Introduction to the ECAF-2 at ABVE Meeting, April 12-14

  At the American Board of Vocational Experts (ABVE) Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona next month, psychologist and vocational expert James A. Athanasou, PhD, will present “The Use of the Earning Capacity Assessment Form™, 2nd Edition in a Medico-Legal Setting: An Australian Experience.” The Earning Capacity Assessment Form-2nd Edition (ECAF-2™) by Michael Shahnasarian, PhD is used to estimate future loss of earning capacity following an injury or accident.  At the ABVE meeting, Dr. Athanasou will provide an introduction to the interpretation of the ECAF-2, along with a critique of its use in an Australian context. Data on Australian accident victims (N=33) from a medico-legal vocational assessment practice are used as a basis for his evaluation. Dr. Athanasou’s presentation will take place on Saturday, April 13, at 3:00 pm.  Continuing Education Units will be available for conference attendees. For more information or to register for the conference, visit the ABVE Web site.

• Notice Regarding the International Neuropsychological Society’s Annual Meeting in Boston

  Due to inclement weather and flight cancellations, PAR will not be exhibiting at the International Neuropsychological Society’s Annual Meeting in Boston this week. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please call our Customer Support Center with any questions at 1.800.331.8378.