Evidence converges from a wide range of contexts to suggest that the causal beliefs held by an individual, or predominant in a group of individuals, are of considerable practical significance and theoretical interest. A good system for analysing naturally occurring expressions of causal belief would provide the possibility of testing and exploring this supposition without having to rely on possibly artificial questionnaire responses. A rationale for such a system is described and a study of the reliability of the coding procedure is reported. It has proved possible to formulate definitions of the five major dimensions identified in the attribution literature so that, while they are not all orthogonal, each provides unique information. The coding system is shown to have adequate reliability, and to generate substantial quantities of data. The findings from these data are generally in accordance with those obtained using more traditional methodologies, and provide substantive information about the subject population. The method is proposed as an effective technique for empirical investigations of the forms, stability and significance of naturally expressed causal beliefs.

This paper updates an earlier review of research on sex bias in psychological evaluation and psychotherapy. The experimental analogue continues to dominate the literature and to return a resoundingly negative verdict. This evidence, however, is often discounted on the grounds of the analogue's transparency and clinical impoverishment. Naturalistic data have likewise failed to support claims of widespread sex bias, but have nonetheless whetted suspicions that gender and sex role attributes affect circumscribed clinical decisions. These correlational field studies are often dismissed, however, on the basis of their inadequate control for potential confounds. This empirical deadlock is discussed within the context of the sexual politics of research and of methodological preference in particular. The interpretive gerrymandering that has plagued this literature is linked to an unwillingness to be open about the sex role heritage of research strategies themselves and the deep personal and political investments at stake.

Debate on psychotherapy coverage under national health insurance has centered around perceived inequitable service to different income groups. It has been argued that national health insurance coverage for psychotherapy would represent a subsidy to the affluent by poorer citizens. Four pertinent hypotheses were examined in a series of studies of patients in community mental health centers. It has been maintained that the poor would not seek psychotherapy, would receive fewer sessions, would receive either less prestigious treatments or less trained therapists, and would benefit less than the more affluent. None of these hypotheses were supported. This article discusses the implications of these findings in terms ofpsychotherapy coverage under national health insurance and the role ofpsychologists in a national system of service delivery.

SUMMARY Observational research on wariness of strangers is reviewed. The data indicate that negative reactions to unfamiliar persons become common during the second half of the first year. Positive reactions also occur, and there is evidence that certain infant attributes, stranger characteristics, and contextual features affect whether or not the infant becomes distressed. This complex phenomenon can be best understood as a developmental organizer. The negative reactions noted in the literature have most often been construed as expressions of interpersonal wariness reflecting recognition of the stranger's unfamiliarity or novelty. The possibilities that such responses also mirror the infant's emerging sensitivity to atypical social behavior and intrapsychic anxiety about his developing sense of separateness are discussed. Examination of research methodology points to several common shortcomings in the studies.

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