Testing mediating variables in a school-based nutrition intervention program.

This study identified mediators of a school-based nutrition intervention for 4th graders and their parents. Nine variables were tested for satisfying 4 conclusions necessary to establish mediation of intervention effects on changes in fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC) in 4th graders (N = 1,676). FVC was measured in children by the use of 24-hr dietary recalls. Mediators were assessed by the use of questionnaires completed by children and parents. All 4 conclusions were met for positive outcome expectancies. Knowledge, self-efficacy, and parent consumption satisfied the first 3 conclusions for mediation but the mediating effects were not statistically significant (Conclusion 4). Future mediational analyses and the creation of a national database of mediators are crucial for increasing strength and efficiency of school-based nutrition programs.     

Mediation of a middle school skin cancer prevention program.

This study tested potential mediators of a school-based skin cancer prevention intervention for middle school children (6th-8th grades; N = 1,788). Ten variables were tested on 4 criteria to establish mediation, including (a) intervention related to outcome, (b) intervention related to mediators, (c) mediators related to outcome, and (d) mediated effect statistically significant. Sun-safe behaviors (e.g., sunscreen use) and potential mediators were measured with a self-report questionnaire. All criteria were met for Barriers--Sunscreen, Perceived Self-Efficacy, and Knowledge when the mediators were tested separately. In multiple mediator analyses, barriers to sunscreen use and self-efficacy satisfied Criteria 1-3 but were not statistically significant (Criterion 4). Barriers to sunscreen use, perceived self-efficacy for sun-safe behavior, and knowledge may serve as mediators.     

Parenting as relationship: a framework for assessment and practice

Parenting tends to be framed as a set of actions directed toward the child rather than as a relationship. This article helps therapists, parent-educators, and researchers conceptualize parenting as a socioculturally embedded relationship. The authors apply the relational orientations typology (Silverstein, Bass, Tuttle, Knudson-Martin, & Huenergardt, 2006) to parent-child relationships. The typology addresses two dimensions: whether the focus is on the child's meeting parental expectations or on expectations of mutuality and whether power between parent and child is expected to be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Four relational orientations are described: (1) rule directed, (2) position directed, (3) independence directed, and (4) relationship directed. These relational orientations describe the nature of the reciprocal relationship between parent and child and offer a framework from which to address parenting issues. A case illustration shows how the relational orientations framework helps therapists incorporate a larger systems/relational perspective into what was originally framed primarily as a child behavior problem.     

Further investigation of the validity and reliability of the photographic figure rating scale for body image assessment

Previous studies have not fully investigated the psychometric properties of the Photographic Figure Rating Scale (PFRS). In 2 studies, we report on the test-retest reliability and convergent validity of ratings derived from the PFRS. In Study 1, 322 female university students in Britain provided self-ratings on the PFRS and objectively measured body mass index (BMI); a subsample of 132 women also completed the task after 5 weeks. In Study 2, 243 women from the community in Austria completed the PFRS along with a battery of other body image scales. Results of Study 1 showed that ratings on the PFRS had good test-retest reliability (all rs > .87) and good convergent validity in relation to BMI. Results of Study 2 showed that PFRS-derived body dissatisfaction scores were significantly correlated with a range of body image variables. These results provide evidence for the convergent validity and good test-retest reliability of the PFRS.     

MULTIPLE‐RESPONDENT ANECDOTAL ASSESSMENTS: AN ANALYSIS OF INTERRATER AGREEMENT AND CORRESPONDENCE WITH ANALOGUE ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES

We evaluated interrater agreement across multiple respondents on anecdotal assessments and compared cases in which agreement was obtained with outcomes of functional analyses. Experiment 1 evaluated agreement among multiple respondents on the function of problem behavior for 27 individuals across 42 target behaviors using the Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Questions about Behavioral Function (QABF). Results showed that at least 4 of 5 respondents agreed on the primary maintaining consequence for 52% (22 of 42) of target behaviors with the MAS and 57% (24 of 42) with the QABF. Experiment 2 examined correspondence between the anecdotal assessment results and functional analysis results for 7 individuals for whom at least 4 of 5 respondents showed agreement in Experiment 1. Correspondence with functional analysis results was observed in 6 of 7 cases with the QABF and in 4 of 7 cases with the MAS. Implications of these outcomes for the utility of anecdotal assessments are discussed.     

On the interpretation of removable interactions: A survey of the field 33 years after Loftus

In a classic 1978 Memory & Cognition article, Geoff Loftus explained why noncrossover interactions are removable. These removable interactions are tied to the scale of measurement for the dependent variable and therefore do not allow unambiguous conclusions about latent psychological processes. In the present article, we present concrete examples of how this insight helps prevent experimental psychologists from drawing incorrect conclusions about the effects of forgetting and aging. In addition, we extend the Loftus classification scheme for interactions to include those on the cusp between removable and nonremovable. Finally, we use various methods (i.e., a study of citation histories, a questionnaire for psychology students and faculty members, an analysis of statistical textbooks, and a review of articles published in the 2008 issue of Psychology and Aging) to show that experimental psychologists have remained generally unaware of the concept of removable interactions. We conclude that there is more to interactions in a 2 × 2 design than meets the eye.     

Individual differences in shifting decision criterion: A recognition memory study

An ability to flexibly shift a decision criterion can be advantageous. For example, a known change in the base rate of targets and distractors on a recognition memory test will lead optimal decision makers to shift their criterion accordingly. In the present study, 95 individuals participated in two recognition memory tests that included periodic changes in the base rate probability that the test stimulus had been presented during the study session. The results reveal a wide variability in the tendency to shift decision criterion in response to this probability information, with some appropriately shifting and others not shifting at all. However, participants were highly reliable in their tendency to shift criterion across tests. The goal of the present study was to explain what factors account for these individual differences. To accomplish this, over 50 variables were assessed for each individual (e.g., personality, cognitive style, state of mind). Using a regression model that incorporated different sets of factors, over 50?% of the variance was accounted for. The results of the analysis describe the total, direct, and mediating effects on criterion shifting from factors that include memory strength, strategy, and inherent characteristics such as a fun-seeking personality, a negative affect, and military rank. The results are discussed with respect to understanding why participants rarely chose an optimal decision-making strategy and provide greater insight into the underlying mechanisms of recognition memory.