Behavior Therapy for Tics via Videoconference Delivery: An Initial Pilot Test in Children

Habit reversal training (HRT) has been proven effective for reducing tics in children with Tourette's syndrome (TS). However, the availability of the intervention is limited. Videoconference technology represents a promising mode through which HRT may be disseminated to underserved areas. Using a multiple-baseline across participants design, the current study tested the effectiveness of videoconference-delivered HRT for 3 children with TS. Similar to results from randomized controlled trials studying face-to-face delivered HRT, videoconference-delivered HRT was effective for reducing tics. All three children demonstrated significant tic reduction following videoconference HRT delivery. All participants and their families rated the delivery modality as acceptable and the therapeutic relationship as strong. These results suggest that videoconference delivery may be a promising method for disseminating behavior therapy for tics.     

A dual-route perspective on eye movements of dyslexic readers

This study assessed eye movement abnormalities of adolescent dyslexic readers and interpreted the findings by linking the dual-route model of single word reading with the E-Z Reader model of eye movement control during silent sentence reading. A dysfunction of the lexical route was assumed to account for a reduced number of words which received only a single fixation or which were skipped and for the increased number of words with multiple fixations and a marked effect of word length on gaze duration. This pattern was interpreted as a frequent failure of orthographic whole-word recognition (based on orthographic lexicon entries) and on reliance on serial sublexical processing instead. Inefficiency of the lexical route was inferred from prolonged gaze durations for singly fixated words. These findings were related to the E-Z Reader model of eye movement control. Slow activation of word phonology accounted for the low skipping rate of dyslexic readers. Frequent reliance on sublexical decoding was inferred from a tendency to fixate word beginnings and from short forward saccades. Overall, the linkage of the dual-route model of single word reading and a model of eye movement control led to a useful framework for understanding eye movement abnormalities of dyslexic readers.     

Agreeableness and the prolonged spatial processing of antisocial and prosocial information

Previous research has suggested that highly agreeable individuals value positive social relationships to a greater extent than do individual low in agreeableness. The present investigation sought to extend such individual differences to the cognitive level of analysis. It was hypothesized that individual differences in agreeableness would predict the extent to which either antisocial or prosocial words are selected for prolonged processing. Two studies, involving 90 undergraduates, asked participants to encode prosocial and antisocial stimuli, before measuring the speed with which they could spatially disengage attention from such stimuli. As predicted, individuals low in agreeableness exhibited difficulties disengaging from antisocial stimuli, whereas individuals high in agreeableness exhibited difficulties disengaging from prosocial stimuli. This novel finding isolates a particular set of attentional processes that likely contribute to agreeableness-related outcomes such as anger and aggression.     

Leadership style and regulatory mode: Value from fit?

In this article, we consider the relationship between regulatory orientation and transformational leadership. Specifically, we propose that the effectiveness of transformational leadership depends on followers’ regulatory mode—the manner in which they pursue goals. Based on regulatory fit theory ([Higgins, 2000] and [Higgins, 2002]), we hypothesize that transformational leadership will be more effective in increasing motivation and eliciting positive evaluations from people with more of a locomotion mode (those who focus on movement from one state to another) rather than people with more of an assessment mode (those who make comparisons and judgments before acting). We find support for these ideas using data collected from a survey of executives and two original experimental designs, one in which regulatory mode is measured as a chronic disposition and the other in which it is situationally induced.     

The Role of Fidelity and Feedback in the Wraparound Approach

Wraparound approaches are being implemented with children in many mental health systems around the country. Evidence for the effectiveness of the wraparound approach, however, is limited. In addition, the degree to which wraparound interventions adhere to the principles of wraparound has rarely been assessed. We examined the influence of adherence to wraparound principles and outcome feedback within the wraparound approach. Children participating in family team meetings were enrolled in a feedback or no feedback condition. Teams receiving feedback were given a brief report regarding outcome progress four times over a three-month period. In addition, adherence to wraparound principles was assessed in the initial team meeting and examined in relationship to outcome at three months and nine months. Although youth in both feedback and non-feedback groups improved with intervention, there were few differences between the groups based on outcome feedback. Similarly, adherence was uniformly high and did not influence the outcome for individual cases. Although the wraparound approach was helpful for youth in our sample, outcome feedback and adherence to wraparound principles had limited influence on these effects.     

Interference in identifying attributes and attribute names

The interference of incongruous attribute names on attribute identification was studied with two different attributes, color and direction, and with two modes of identifying response, verbaland nonverbal. Nonverbal responses made for less interference under all conditions. Semantic proximity produced more interference with color than with direction. Interference in this sort of task may reflect characteristic ways in which incoming attribute information is processed.     

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The American Journal of Psychoanalysis -