Treatment, subtype, and word type effects in dyslexic children''s response to remediation

Children diagnosed as accuracy-disabled or rate-disabled readers (Lovett, 1984a, 1986, 1987) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions providing training in word recognition and decoding skills (DS), oral and written language (OWLS), or classroom survival skills (an alternative treatment control). The experimental treatment programs exerted a positive treatment effect on the word recognition performances of both groups, but treatment-specific changes in contextual reading and oral language skill were not observed. Pre- and post-treatment comparisons on an experimental word recognition task revealed a post-test advantage for DS-trained children of both subgroups. Accuracy-disabled readers demonstrated treatment-specific gains for both orthographically regular words (e.g., wade) and for exception words (e.g., broad), with their gains greater on exception words. Rate-disabled children demonstrated treatment-specific gains only for exception words, but exhibited these gains following both the DS and the OWLS treatments. Although both experimental treatment programs were associated with a positive outcome for the rate disabled subgroup, DS training was associated with relatively greater treatment gain. These data suggest that the critical variables underlying the effectiveness of the DS treatment include the specific lexical knowledge these disabled readers acquired, their greater reliance on an orthographic pattern procedure in word recognition, and/or the fact that newly acquired items were practiced to a point approximating automatization.     

Sex and achievement domain: Cognitive patterns of success and failure

Subjects (N=439) were asked to write an account of an achievement of failure, and to describe it in terms of locus of standards (internal-external), conceptual focus (process-impact), and initial expectations for success (or failure). Additionally, accounts were classified on the basis of achievement domain (personal, interpersonal, mastery). Analyses of variance [2 (sex)×3 (domain)] for each cognitive measure revealed few sex differences. However, cognitive responses did vary as a function of achievement domain. Main effects for domain were observed under success instructions for locus of control (p<.0002) and under failure instructions for locus of control (p<.05), conceptual focus (p<.05), and expectations (p<.06). Interaction effects of sex and achievement domain were observed on locus of standards for success (p<.0002) and initial expectations preceding failure (p<.025), indicating that women were more responsive to domain differences than were men. Discriminant analyses indicated that cognitions were more readily patterned in terms of achievement domain than sex. Elaboration and incorporation of the concept of domain in cognitive models of achievement is suggested.     

Alliance Ratings as a Part of Trainee Evaluations Within Family Therapy Training

Client-reported therapeutic alliance scores were examined as a measure of improvement in therapeutic skills across master's-level marriage and family therapy (MFT) training. The results indicate significant correlations between alliance ratings and training variables, with the number of cumulative clinical hours identified as a significant predictor of alliance ratings according to a regression analysis. Trainees lacking the expected number of clinical contact hours in each level of training were found to be more likely to receive consistently marginal alliance ratings. Additionally, alliance ratings were especially useful in identifying trainees who were functioning at minimal levels of competency.     

Children's coping strategies: moderators of the effects of peer victimization?

Coping strategies were examined as potential moderators of the effects of peer victimization on children's adjustment. Self-report data on victimization experiences, coping strategies, and loneliness were collected on ethnically diverse 9-10-year-old children (177 girls, 179 boys). Teacher ratings of children's anxious-depressed and social problems and peer nominations of social preference were also obtained. Findings revealed that strategies such as problem solving that were beneficial for nonvictimized children exacerbated difficulties for victimized children. The effects of specific forms of coping were dependent on gender: social support seeking buffered victimized girls from social problems but was associated with lower peer preference for victimized boys. Data also revealed the need to examine the effects of coping on multiple adjustment outcomes.     

Children's attributions for peer victimization: A social comparison approach

A social comparison framework was used to examine the relations between children's attributions for victimization and adjustment. In Study One, 192 nine-to ten-year-old children were asked why someone may pick on them. Results revealed attributions reflecting five causes of victimization that could be reliably sorted by direction of social comparison: (a) jealous peer (downward), (b) mutual antipathy (horizontal), (c) being different from each other (horizontal), (d) personal behavior (upward) and (e) being uncool (upward). Children's responses were used to create an attribution measure that was administered to 206 eight-to eleven-year-old children. Results were consistent with the social comparison hypothesis such that peer jealousy was uniquely associated with lower levels of loneliness and greater acceptance whereas personal behavior and not being uncool were correlated with greater loneliness and lower perceived acceptance and self-esteem. Findings supported the usefulness of a social comparison framework for understanding associations among attributions and adjustment.     

Theoretical Purity Versus Theoretical Layering in Marriage and Family Therapy

There seem to be two competing streams of thought about the use of theory in the marriage and family therapy literature: theoretical purity versus integrationism. We examined influence of theoretical orientation on client experience in therapy. Level of academic training (masters' versus doctoral degree) was investigated as a possible confounding variable. Results suggest that therapists in private practice are less inclined to practice pure forms of therapy.     

The ‘Right’ Side of Creativity: Creative Personality and Social Risk-Taking Predict Political Party Affiliation

Factors that predict political party affiliation are of particular importance in research due to the wider implications in politics and policy making. Extending this line of work, the idea that creativity predicts party affiliation was tested using 2 conceptualizations of creativity: creative personality and creative ideation. Participants (N = 406) based in the United States completed measures of creativity, socio-political attitudes, and domain specific risk-taking, and indicated their party affiliation. Results revealed a significant link between creative personality and political party affiliation. Furthermore, in addition to the socio-political attitudes, this link was explained, in part, by individuals’ social risk-taking. Specifically, individuals with higher scores on creative personality were more likely to affiliate to the Democratic party, whereas the reverse was true for affiliation to the Republican party. This article provides new insights into factors that predict political party affiliation and presents wider social implications of the findings.