Genetic influences on digging behaviors in mice (Mus musculus) in laboratory and seminatural settings

Digging behaviors of several inbred strains of laboratory mice and some of their crosses were examined in three contexts. In laboratory burrow boxes, C57BL/6Abg mice constructed more sophisticated burrow systems than did BALB/cAbg mice. Their F1 hybrids built burrow systems more complex than either parental strain. The same pattern of genetic influence was observed in an outdoor pen. In an escape task that required digging, BALB/c mice escaped more quickly than did C57BL/6 mice; their F1 hybrids showed dominance toward the BALB/c phenotype. These results indicate that behavioral polymorphisms in digging behavior, which may relate to habitat selection, have a genetic basis. The dominance and overdominance toward the better digging parental strain in each type of task suggest the possible evolutionary importance of these digging behaviors.     

Achievement in an alternative high school for emotionally/behaviorally disturbed students

Some 1,300 alternative high schools have been established in the United States for dealing with the special education needs of emotionally and behaviorally disturbed youth. The present study investigated cognitive, academic, and psychosocial variables associated with success in an alternative high school for such youth. Results indicated that psychosocial variables (Family Pathology, Duration of Disturbance, and Age of Admission) were associated with success, whereas cognitive and academic variables were not. These results are interpreted in light of their implications for assessment and placement decisions, management by mental health and school professionals, and curriculum modifications necessary for success.     

Post-event rumination and negative self-appraisal in social phobia before and after treatment

This study investigated the relationship between self-appraisals of performance, symptom severity and post-event rumination in social phobia, and evaluated the effect of treatment on these variables. A socially phobic group and a nonanxious control group performed an impromptu speech and were told that their performance would be evaluated. Participants appraised their performance immediately after the speech and 1 week later, and the frequency of post-event rumination during the week following the speech was assessed. The socially phobic group maintained the negative appraisals of their speech over the week, whereas the nonclinical group showed increased positivity about their performance The socially phobic group also engaged in more negative rumination than controls. Treatment improved perceptions of performance and reduced negative rumination. These results are discussed in the light of cognitive models of social phobia.     

Simple and choice reaction time methods in the study of motor programming

In an extensive series of experiments Sternberg, Monsell, Knoll, and Wright (1978) reported that simple RT increased as a linear function of the number of items to be pronounced or typed. The present experiments replicate a portion of these results, but show that the effect is less general than may have been supposed. Since the effect does not occur in every case in which a response programming interpretation would predict it, this interpretation must be rejected. This conclusion is consistent with the viewpoint that response programming should be investigated in a choice- rather than simple-RT paradigm. In this view, motivated subjects can program responses in advance of the simple-RT interval because the particular response to be made has been precued. Effects of response parameters which are observed for motivated subjects in the simple-RT paradigm, such as those reported by Sternberg et al. (1978), should be attributed to processes other than programming motor responses.     

Does type of team matter? An investigation of the relationships between job characteristics and outcomes within a team-based environment

The authors examined the relationship between team type (consultative or substantive); job characteristics; and the outcome variables of job satisfaction, satisfaction with team processes and activities, and team commitment. The present results supported the hypothesis that job characteristics mediate the relationship between team type and team commitment and partially mediate the relationship between team type and job satisfaction and satisfaction with team processes and activities. However, contrary to the hypothesis, consultative team members perceived the content of their jobs to be more enriched and reported higher levels of satisfaction and commitment than did substantive team members.     

Illuminating the dark figure of sexual recidivism

Detected or reported (“observed”) rates of sexual reoffending have long been recognized as underestimating the occurrence of actual sexual recidivism. Past attempts to bridge the gap between the two rates have been unsuccessful. Scurich and John try to reverse this course by presenting a simulation model to estimate the predicted actual sexual recidivism rates among individuals convicted of sexual offenses based on three parameters; they also apply these data to calibrate the sexual recidivism rates from four sexual recidivism studies. The accuracy of the predicted actual sexual recidivism rates is wholly dependent upon the reliability of the inputs to the model. This analysis relies upon scientific studies and literature to delve into the precision of the parameters of Scurich and John in relation to the accuracy of their predicted actual sexual recidivism rates and the validity of the calibration process. The results reveal that some of the assumptions by Scurich and John about the parameters are supported empirically, while others are not. Overall, the simulation model parameters suffer from significant deficiencies that likely produce inaccurate predicted actual sexual recidivism rates. Moreover, the methodologies of the comparison studies used in the calibration process do not actually meet the requirements of the analytic strategy of Scurich and John, which effectively invalidates their findings. Until computational strategies are employed that account for linear and nonlinear effects of model parameters, closing the gap between observed and actual sexual recidivism rates will remain elusive.     

Development and Evaluation of the Atheist Identity Concealment Scale (AICS)

Journal of Religion and Health - The Atheist Identity Concealment Scale (AICS) was developed as a tool to assess the degree to which atheists conceal their atheist identity from others. Drawing on...     

Self-perception and rumination in social anxiety

The present study examined the relationship between perceptions of performance and post-event processing (PEP) following task feedback in individuals with social phobia and matched control participants. Groups of high and low socially anxious participants engaged in a structured 5-min conversation in groups of four people. Following the conversation, false feedback (given in the form of either high scores or moderate scores) was given and self-appraisals of performance, levels of positive and negative mood, and levels of PEP were assessed. Results showed that participants' perceptions of their own performance and levels of positive affect significantly predicted the degree to which they engaged in negative rumination about the task. The moderate score condition was found to be detrimental for socially anxious individuals' self-appraisals and PEP, whereas controls showed no significant difference in self-appraisal and PEP, regardless of feedback. The results are discussed in relation to current cognitive models of social phobia and both treatment implications and directions for future research are explored.     

How Has the Economic Downturn Affected Communities and Implementation of Science‐Based Prevention in the Randomized Trial of Communities That Care?

This study examined implications of the economic downturn that began in December 2007 for the Community Youth Development Study (CYDS), a longitudinal randomized controlled trial of the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system. The downturn had the potential to affect the internal validity of the CYDS research design and implementation of science-based prevention in study communities. We used archival economic indicators and community key leader reports of economic conditions to assess the extent of the economic downturn in CYDS communities and potential internal validity threats. We also examined whether stronger economic downturn effects were associated with a decline in science-based prevention implementation. Economic indicators suggested the downturn affected CYDS communities to different degrees. We found no evidence of systematic differences in downturn effects in CTC compared to control communities that would threaten internal validity of the randomized trial. The Community Economic Problems scale was a reliable measure of community economic conditions, and it showed criterion validity in relation to several objective economic indicators. CTC coalitions continued to implement science-based prevention to a significantly greater degree than control coalitions 2 years after the downturn began. However, CTC implementation levels declined to some extent as unemployment, the percentage of students qualifying for free lunch, and community economic problems worsened. Control coalition implementation levels were not related to economic conditions before or after the downturn, but mean implementation levels of science-based prevention were also relatively low in both periods.