The paper explores the conceptual bases of the controversy over meta analysis and computes it with traditional research on four dimensions: (1) scientific rigor, (2) detecting small effects, (3) problems of oversimplification, and (4) potential policy impact. It is argued that choice of procedures should be determined by the specific purpose of a…

Meta-analysis does not solve all the problems encountered in qualitative research reviews, but it holds out some hope for increasing the reliability and dependability of a reviewer's conclusions. Several developments in meta-analysis are cause for optimism. First, different meta-analysts are doing work in the same areas, leading to increased…

The most important problem in psychology and the social sciences today is the failure to produce cumulative knowledge. This situation has led many to conclude that cumulative knowledge and general principles and theories may be impossible to establish in psychology, a conclusion suggesting that psychology can never be a science--only at best a…

An action theoretic account of skill learning and skill use is offered as a useful heuristic for life-span developmental psychology. The version presented is one that is particularly prominent in industrial psychology in the German-speaking countries. (Author/RH)

S. Jackson and S. Jacobs' article entitled "Generalizing about Messages" represents an important methodological innovation in communication research. The article urges procedural change by recommending the use of multiple-message designs because of a weakness in single-message designs; it recommends analyzing message-replication data…

An evaluation of the "Percentage of Nonoverlapping Data" approach for quantifying outcomes of single-subject research in special education reveals that it is potentially too sensitive to atypical baseline data, not powerful enough to discriminate important treatment differences, and adversely affected by even subtle trends in the data.…

The response to a critique of a proposed method of quantifying outcomes of single-subject research in special education suggests that the alternative procedure proposed has theoretical but not practical merit due to the limited number of observations typically found in single-subject baselines. (Author/DB)

The response to a critique of a proposed method of quantitatively synthesizing single subject research in special education reaffirms the authors' view that narrative review procedures are of limited utility without objective standards for evaluating study outcomes. (DB)

Several developments in the use of the new method of meta-analysis give cause for optimism. First, different meta-analysts are doing work in the same areas, leading to increased confidence in meta-analytic results. Second, meta-analysts are beginning to include raw data in their reports, which helps readers pinpoint the exact studies that lead to…

Discussion of the need for systematic methods for summarizing single-participant research describes various approaches for quantitative synthesis and reviews conclusions of completed synthesis efforts. The issue of whether outcomes of single-participant research can be represented by a single common metric is addressed with the recommendation that…

The original authors respond to a critique of their meta-analysis of 94 studies which had failed to support the presence of distinctive Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children profiles for learning disabled children. The critique contended such a pattern does exist. (Author/DB)

As part of a continuing dialog concerning the validity of a meta-analysis of 94 studies suggesting that there is a lack of any distinctive pattern in the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Revised) profiles for learning disabled children, this article maintains the view that such differences do exist. (DB)

The paper discusses problems resulting from the substitution of meta-analysis for qualitative reviewing of special education research, employing H. Cooper's framework for assessing integrative research review and using illustrations from research on class placement and mainstreaming. (Author/CL)

Argues that historians have often neglected ideological forces that have shaped their work. Offers a meta-analysis of the ideological dimensions of historical scholarship. Proposes a social psychoanalytical approach to history. Argues that a recognition of the connection between past and present would expose the ties between history and politics.…

This article proposes a set of criteria for reporting meta-analyses of topics in learning disabilities. Application of the criteria to examples of published meta-analyses reveals the wide variation in amount of reported data, which could influence the summative results of meta-analyses and subsequent judgment of face validity. (Author/DB)