A Comparison of Two Flashcard Drill Methods Targeting Word Recognition

Traditional drill and practice (TD) and incremental rehearsal (IR) are two flashcard drill instructional methods previously noted to improve word recognition. The current study sought to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of these two methods, as assessed by next day retention assessments, under 2 conditions (i.e., opportunities to respond held constant across methods, length of instructional session held constant across methods) with 4 first-grade students identified by their teachers as struggling readers. Social validity of the two intervention methods also was evaluated. Results suggested important differences in response to instruction across students. Differences in effectiveness between TD and IR were minimal both when holding opportunities to respond and length of instructional session constant across methods. Minimal differences in efficiency were noted between TD and IR when holding instructional time constant across conditions. However, TD was clearly more efficient than IR for all students when holding opportunities to respond constant across conditions. Social validity data indicated that half of the students preferred the TD method and half preferred the IR method. Limitations and implications of the current study for school-based professionals are discussed.     

A Test of Two Positive Psychology Interventions to Increase Employee Well-Being

Purpose

Despite an abundance of organizational research on how contextual and individual difference factors impact well-being, little research has examined whether individuals themselves can take an active role in enhancing their own well-being. The current study assessed the effectiveness of two simple, self-guided workplace interventions (“gratitude” and “social connectedness”) in impacting well-being.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Sixty-seven university employees participated in one of the two self-guided interventions for 2 weeks and completed self-report measures prior to the intervention, immediately following the intervention, and one-month post-intervention. Growth curve modeling was used to examine the effects of each intervention.

Findings

Partially supporting hypotheses, the gratitude intervention resulted in significant increases in positive affective well-being and self-reported gratitude but not did significantly impact negative affective well-being or self-reported social connectedness. The social connectedness exercise did not significantly impact any of those four outcomes. However, both interventions related to a reduction in workplace absence due to illness.

Implications

The study suggests that self-guided, positive psychology interventions (particularly gratitude) hold potential for enhancing employee well-being. Because the interventions are short, simple, and self-guided, there is little in the way of costs or drawbacks for organizations. Thus, these types of interventions seem like a potentially useful component of workplace wellness initiatives.

Originality/Value

This study is one of the few to examine whether self-guided, positive psychology interventions can enhance well-being. Moreover, this is the first study to examine a social connectedness workplace intervention and the first to demonstrate effects on illness-related absence.     

汉语“主观词”的表征及其加工

本文提出了"主观词"的概念,并探讨主观词存在的心理现实性以及主观词的加工特征。包括3项研究:研究1考察了普通大学生对双字结构的词汇辨别情况,发现他们倾向于将短语和词主观判断为词,即他们按照个体对词的独特表征认知词,证实了主观词存在的心理现实性。研究2和研究3分别采用"词优效应"研究中使用的强迫选择作业和词汇判断任务考察主观词加工的特征。研究2发现,读者加工词和主观词(语法上是短语但主观评定为词)的正确率和反应时没有差异,但与非词条件相比,表现为正确率高,反应时短;研究3的反应时结果同研究2,而3种条件的正确率均在90%以上且不存在显著差异。在本研究条件下,得出以下结论:(1)主观词的存在具有心理现实性:读者对汉语词语的表征是主观的,不一定符合词的语法学规定;(2)在强迫选择作业下,与非词相比,表现出词优效应,主观词作为整体被识别。(3)在词汇判断任务下,主观词与词相同,与非词相比,表现出加工优势。     

Promoting Forgiveness: A Comparison of Two Brief Psychoeducational Group Interventions With a Waiting-List Control

The authors studied the effects of 2 brief psychoeducational group interventions on participants' forgiveness for an offender and compared them with a waiting-list control. The Self-Enhancement group justified forgiveness because of its physical and psychological benefits to the forgiver. The Interpersonal group justified forgiveness because of its utility in restoring interpersonal relationships. Both groups led to decreased feelings of revenge, increased positive feelings toward the offender, and greater reports of conciliatory behavior. The Self-Enhancement group also increased affirming attributions toward the offender, decreased feelings of revenge, and increased conciliatory behavior more effectively than did the Interpersonal group.     

A Randomized Comparison of Two Psychosocial Interventions on Family Functioning in Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder

Impairments in family functioning are associated with more severe depressive and manic symptoms, earlier recurrences, and more suicidal behaviors in early-onset bipolar disorder. This study examined whether family-focused treatment for adolescents (FFT-A) with BD I or II disorder led to greater increases in family cohesion and adaptability and decreases in conflict over 2 years compared to a briefer psychoeducational treatment (enhanced care, EC). Participants were 144 adolescents (mean age: 15.6 ± 1.4 years) with BD I or II with a mood episode in the previous 3 months. Adolescents and parents were randomized to either FFT-A (21 sessions) or EC (three sessions). Patients received guideline-based pharmacotherapy throughout the 2-year study. Trajectories of adolescent- and parent-rated family cohesion, adaptability, and conflict were analyzed over 2 years. FFT-A had greater effects on adolescent-rated family cohesion compared to EC over 2 years. Participants in FFT-A and EC reported similar improvements in family conflict across the 2 years. In the FFT-A group, low-conflict families had greater adolescent-rated family cohesion throughout the study compared to high-conflict families. High-conflict families in both treatment groups tended to show larger reductions in conflict over 2 years than low-conflict families. Family psychoeducation and skills training may improve family cohesion in the early stages of BD. Measuring levels of family conflict at the start of treatment may inform treatment responsiveness among those receiving FFT-A.     

A Comparison of Two Teaching Modules for Reducing Homophobia in Young Offenders1

The outcomes for young offenders (N= 37) of two teaching modules for reducing homophobia were evaluated using a multigroup pretest-posttest design. Dependent variables were cognitive, affective, and behavioral self-report measures, as well as short-story responses. Cognition was assessed by the Modified Attitudes Toward Homosexuality Scale (Price, 1982). Affects of homophobic guilt, homophobic anger, and delight were measured by the Affective Reactions to Homosexuality Scale (Van de Ven, Bornholt, & Bailey, in press). Behavioral intentions were assessed by the Homophobic Behavior of Students Scale (Van de Ven et al., in press). Interventions took two forms: a New South Wales Department of School Education module and a Community Care Schools module. The latter, which specifically addressed maintenance factors of juvenile offender homophobia, was anticipated to result in better outcomes. ANCOVAs and a difference of proportions test revealed that the Community Care Schools module was superior in terms of producing less commitment to homophobic behavior (p < .005), more positive written responses (p < .001), and more positive delight scores (p < .05). Implications for further interventions and research are discussed.     

A Comparison of Successful Smoking Cessation Interventions for Adults and Adolescent

This review of the counseling literature analyzes the motivating and impeding factors for adults and adolescents regarding smoking cessation. Adults and adolescents prefer to stop smoking on their own; however, even brief counseling will increase their chances of success. In addition to giving support, counselors can facilitate smoking cessation by increasing clients' motivation and teaching stress management. Counselors must be aware of how the social environment can influence a client's smoking status. With recent increases in adolescent smoking, particularly among African Americans, counselors should be prepared to help an increasing population of clients who will require smoking cessation assistance.     

A Randomized Trial of Two Promising Computer-Based Interventions for Students with Attention Difficulties

Few studies have examined whether attention can be improved with training, even though attention difficulties adversely affect academic achievement. The present study was a randomized-controlled trial evaluating the impact of Computerized Attention Training (CAT) and Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) on attention and academic performance in 77 inattentive first graders. Students receiving either intervention were more likely than controls to show a moderate decline in teacher rated attention problems in first grade. Students receiving CAI also showed gains in reading fluency and in teacher ratings of academic performance. Intervention effects for attention were absent by second grade largely because attention problems declined in all groups. However, post hoc analyses indicated potential longer-term benefits for children with 6 or more inattentive symptoms at baseline. Persistent attention problems were associated with poorer academic performance in multiple domains. Results provide initial evidence that CAT and CAI can improve children’s attention in the classroom - and support additional studies to determine whether more clinically significant benefits are attainable.     

A Comparison of Two Approaches to Counselor-Free Career Exploration

This study was conducted to advance previous research in the use of computer-based, counselor-free career guidance systems instead of conventional counselor-free systems. The participants, Undergraduate college students (20 men and 20 women), were asked to rate their reactions to using the DISCOVER II microcomputer career guidance system and the Self-Directed Search. The majority of the participants preferred the DISCOVER II as a vocational exploration program.     

A Comparison of Different Pre-Performance Routines as Possible Choking Interventions

The purpose of the current study was to ascertain which aspect of a pre-performance routine (PPR) is most beneficial to alleviate choking. Participants included 60 experienced Australian football players in Australia, who attempted 20 kicks at a scoring zone in low- and high-pressure phases. Participants were assigned to one of five groups, with four groups undertaking intervention training and the pressure control group receiving no training, prior to the high-pressure phase. Results indicated that state anxiety increased during the high-pressure phase. Intervention groups responded to the increased anxiety with improved performance, while the pressure control group decreased performance. Thus, results add support to existing literature that a non-automated PPR, with psychological and behavioral components, decreases the likelihood of choking. Applied implications for consulting with potential choking-susceptible athletes are discussed.     

A Comparison of Function-Based Differential Reinforcement Interventions for Children Engaging in Disruptive Classroom Behavior

This study provides a direct comparison of differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA). Participants included three children in center-based classrooms referred for functional assessments due to disruptive classroom behavior. Functional assessments included interviews and brief functional analyses. An alternating treatments design was used to evaluate the relative effectiveness of function-based DRO and DRA interventions. Results indicated that both intervention procedures effectively reduced disruptive behavior, but the DRA procedure consistently resulted in greater reductions in disruptive behavior across all participants. Results are discussed in terms of directions for future functional assessment and intervention research as well as implications for applied practice.     

Efficacy of Two Mathematics Interventions for Enhancing Fluency with Elementary Students

An alternating treatments design was used to evaluate two curriculum-based mathematics interventions designed to enhance fluency with three elementary school students. Results indicate that both the Math to Mastery (MTM) intervention and the Cover, Copy, Compare (CCC) intervention were effective at increasing mathematics fluency, as measured by digits correct per min, for all students. However, MTM was more effective than CCC for two of the three students. Follow-up data taken 6 and 18 days following termination of the intervention phase indicated that all participants achieving mastery performance maintained mastery levels across both interventions.     

Behaviorally Based Interventions for Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children with ASD in Inclusive Settings: A Meta-analysis

Behaviorally based interventions have been demonstrated to be effective to teach social interaction skills for children with autism spectrum disorders in general education. However, the overall and moderating effects of these interventions have not been previously investigated in inclusive settings. The goal of this study was to investigate the overall effectiveness and contextual factors that moderate intervention effectiveness in inclusive settings. Findings showed overall high effect size based on studies previously considered of methodological quality in single-case research. Interventions are demonstrated to be highly effective for children aged 2–10 years. While differences were found according to target social skills and behavioral components used, no differential effects were found regarding intervention implementer and peer training. The findings highlight the practical significance of behavioral interventions and guide educators toward more suitable evidence-based practices in inclusive settings.     

Creative Interventions for Teaching Empathy in the Counseling Classroom

Empathy is a foundational, necessary component of successful counseling. Relaying an understanding of empathy, including the components and science behind the phenomenon, is critical to the development of counselors-in-training. In addition, creative practice is a pillar of professional counseling, and is linked to experiential learning and meaningful integration of new knowledge in counselor education. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the definitions of empathy, provide current literature on the science of empathy, and discuss specific creative interventions to use within counseling courses to increase empathic knowledge and skills.     

A Comparison of Two Process Tracing Methods for Choice Tasks

Process tracing methods, particularly those based on information acquisition, are becoming commonplace. Because of this, it is important to examine both the reactivity and the validity of these techniques. This research compares information acquisition behavior for choice tasks using Mouselab, a computerized process tracing tool, and Eyegaze, an eye tracking system. In an experiment using apartment selection tasks and gambles, we found significant differences contingent upon the process tracing method for 10 process tracing measures including subsequent choices. Computerized process tracing tools increase the amount of time needed to acquire information compared with eye tracking equipment. As a result, subjects using Mouselab tend to have more systematic information acquisition behavior than that observed with eye tracking equipment. Additional research is needed to explore the magnitude and consequences of these differences.     

Proximal Impact of Two First-Grade Preventive Interventions on the Early Risk Behaviors for Later Substance Abuse, Depression, and Antisocial Behavior

We assessed the immediate effects of two universal, first-grade preventive interventions on the proximal targets of poor achievement, concentration problems, aggression, and shy behaviors, known early risk behaviors for later substance use/abuse, affective disorder, and conduct disorder. The classroom-centered (CC) intervention was designed to reduce these early risk behaviors by enhancing teachers' behavior management and instructional skills, whereas the family-school partnership (FSP) intervention was aimed at improving parent-teacher communication and parental teaching and child behavior management strategies. Over the course of first and second grades, the CC intervention yielded the greatest degree of impact on its proximal targets, whereas the FSP's impact was somewhat less. The effects were influenced by gender and by preintervention levels of risk. Analyses of implementation measures demonstrated that greater fidelity to the intervention protocols was associated with greater impact on behavior ratings and on achievement scores, thus providing some evidence of specificity in the effect of the interventions.