Dr. William A. Nierenberg 

 February 29, 198A 

 Page 2 



Support for longitudinal studies has always been relatively small and 

 difficult to obtain in the United States, thus hindering the knowledge 

 base in what is the new frontier in developmental psychology, the study 

 of development over the life-span of specific cohorts. Within the area 

 of longitudinal studies, the United States has been relatively weak in 

 the study of social and personality variables. 



- Industrial/Organizational Psychology 



Overall the United States maintains a leadership role in industrial/ 

 organizational psychology, particularly in studies of fostering worker 

 productivity and of decision making for personnel selection and 

 training programs. However, other countries such as Sweden and Great 

 Britain are leaders in study of group behavior, identification of 

 stressors in the work environment and their physiological and mental 

 health effects, and in the effects of work scheduling on employees' 

 job satisfaction. 



Western European countries, specifically the United Kingdom, have made 

 significant advances in understanding the interrelationship of biological, 

 organizational, and environmental influences on human performance, inclu- 

 ding the Interaction of personality and stress. In contrast, the United 

 States has made its mark in the cognitive realm, specifically human 

 information processing. 



- Neuropsychology 



The United States is strong in some aspects of neuropsychology including 

 conditioning. The U.S.S.R. appears to be most advanced in neuropsycho- 

 logical diagnostics and the etiology of neuropsychological deficits. 

 Neuropsychology is also not as well integrated with allied fields as is 

 the case in West Germany. 



- Social Psychology 



The European emphasis on the social psychology of groups and on inter- 

 group conflict and mediation is regarded by some as a European superiority. 

 While the European voice could be considered mainly hortatory and program- 

 matic rather than one of achievement, the U.S. effort in group psychology 

 remains comparatively weak. 



- Sports Psychology 



The U.S.S.R. and some Eastern Bloc countries (Hungary, German Democratic 

 Republic) have cultivated this area; we are only beginning to do so in 

 the United States. A comprehensive review of the state of knowledge in 

 sports psychology is presented in the 1984 Annual Review of Psychology . 

 Basic research in sports psychology focuses on control of autonomic pro- 

 cesses and sequences of motor behavior, and covert stimulation. This 

 knowledge has direct application to situations where effective performance 

 and decision-making is critical. 



