How shared are age-related influences on cognitive and noncognitive variables?

Several theories have suggested that age-related declines in cognitive processing are due to a pervasive unitary mechanism, such as a decline in processing speed. Structural equation model tests have shown some support for such common factor explanations. These results, however, may not be as conclusive as previously claimed. A further analysis of 4 cross-sectional data sets described in Salthouse, Hambrick, and McGuthry (1998) and Salthouse and Czaja (2000) found that although the best fitting model included a common factor in 3 of the data sets, additional direct age paths were significant, indicating the presence of specific age effects. For the remaining data set, a factor-specific model fit at least as well as the best fitting common factor model. Three simulated data sets with known structure were then tested with a sequence of structural equation models. Common factor models could not always be falsified--even when they were false. In contrast, factor-specific models were more easily falsified when the true model included a unitary common factor. These results suggest that it is premature to conclude that all age-related cognitive declines are due to a single mechanism. Common factor models may be particularly difficult to falsify with current analytic procedures.     

In search of cultural diversity: recent literature in cross-cultural and ethnic minority psychology

The purpose of this study was to identify where the most work on cross-cultural and ethnic minority psychology is being published and who the most productive authors are. The journals that published the most articles on cross-cultural and ethnic minority issues from 1993 to 1999 and the most prolific authors on these issues were identified by PsycINFO. Cross-cultural research is cross-national, whereas ethnic minority research involves groups of color within the United States. The citation impact of these journals and authors was determined from the 1997 Social Sciences Citation Index. The results suggest that there is very limited overlap between the literatures in cross-cultural and ethnic minority psychology. Most of the research in these areas is published in specialty journals, and there is a paucity of this research in prestigious journals. Perceived or actual barriers to publication in prestigious journals may cause some to seek specialty journals as outlets for research on cultural diversity. The top scholars in cross-cultural psychology are primarily men of European ancestry, whereas most of the top scholars in ethnic minority psychology are ethnic minority men and women. Strategies to increase the prominence of cultural diversity in the psychology literature include combining cross-cultural and ethnic minority psychology, increasing the number of editorial board members of prestigious journals having expertise in cultural diversity, and increasing the quality of specialty journals. Psychology will remain ill-equipped to face the challenges of the new millennium without increased attention to cultural diversity.     

Value Perceptions of Integrative Health Care: A Study of Primary Care Physicians and Professional Clinical Counselors

A study was conducted to identify value perceptions of primary care physicians and Professional Clinical Counselors on integrative health care. Surveys were collected from 54 primary care physicians and 33 Professional Clinical Counselors in Central Ohio. Quantitative and qualitative results indicate favorable perceptions and opportunities for professional collaboration.     

Explaining Mendelian Inheritance in Genetic Consultations: An IPR Study of Counselor and Counselee Experiences

The explanation of Mendelian inheritance is a key component of most genetic counselling consultations, yet no evidence base exists for this area of practice. This qualitative study used Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) to explore how information about X-linked inheritance is provided and received in genetic counseling. Twelve consultations involving two senior genetic counselors and 21 counselees were videotaped. Section(s) of videotape featuring the explanation were subsequently played back separately to both counselees and counselors and their responses and reflections recorded. All interviews were fully transcribed and analysed using the constant comparison method. A personalised diagram, drawn “live” by the counselor during the consultation was recalled by counselees as being central to their understanding of the “bottom line”. This helped bridge the gap between scientific information and their family experience and did not appear to require a baseline understanding of genetic concepts such as genes or chromosomes. Counselors reflected on the diagram’s positive impact on the way they sequenced, paced and tailored the explanation. A positive counselor-counselee relationship was vital even during this educative exchange: for counselees to feel at ease discussing complex genetic information and to help gauge counselee understanding.     

Training paraprofessionals to use behavioral strategies when educating learners with autism spectrum disorders across environments

Although the use of paraprofessionals in the education of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a common practice, research on effective training procedures is scarce. The following study used a multiple‐baseline design across settings replicated by five paraprofessionals to evaluate their use of behavioral strategies with young children with, or at risk for, autism spectrum disorder. A training package consisting of a workshop and performance feedback by their supervising special education teacher served as the intervention. Results revealed that even though the paraprofessionals demonstrated skills in the use of behavioral strategies at the workshop, there was either no transfer or generalization to the preschool or home environments where they worked, or their use of skills decreased over time. When performance feedback was provided to all participants, their correct use of strategies increased. The training model evaluated in this study provides an example of one that could be employed in a typical public school classroom or early intervention program. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Social preference,social prominence,and group membership in late elementary school: homophilic concentration and peer affiliation configurations

This study investigated the social preference and social prominence of 622 5th graders (290 boys, 332 girls) in relation to peer group membership. The sample was recruited from 11 elementary schools in a southeastern state. The ethnicity of participants was 55% European American, 41% African American, and 4% other. Peer groups were classified on each of three domains (academic, aggression, popular) by the proportion of group members who were high on the characteristic of interest. Participants’ peer affiliations were also classified with cluster analytic techniques that yielded distinct configurations of aggression, popularity, and academic competence. Social preference and social prominence were each related to popular peer group type for both boys and girls and differentially related to aggressive and academic group types. Social prominence, but not social preference, was related to peer group configurations for both girls and boys. Implications for the development of social contextual interventions to support students’ adjustment and academic engagement during late elementary school are discussed.     

The myth of school shooters and psychotropic medications

There has been an assertion in certain parts of the media, especially social media, that the majority of individuals who have engaged in a school shooting were prescribed psychotropic medications prior to the event. To determine if there is any validity to this assertion, the authors of this article reviewed publicly available information regarding individuals involved in “educational shootings” per FBI publications for active shooters from 2000 to 2017. Sources of information included news reports with official citations, official reports regarding events, available court records, and FBI Freedom of Information Act requests. Secondary data‐points were also collected, such as location, number of weapons used, number of victims, legal outcome, and whether the shooter committed suicide. From the information obtained, it appears that most school shooters were not previously treated with psychotropic medications – and even when they were, no direct or causal association was found.     

Perseverative cognition,distracted communication,and well‐being in everyday social interaction

This study examined how rumination and worry experienced within varying contexts of everyday life are associated with current‐moment and cross‐moment indicators of subjective well‐being. We also investigated if, in the context of social interaction, distracted communication uniquely predicts subjective well‐being and mediates the link between perseverative cognition and well‐being. Using experience sampling, we found that the effects of rumination and worry on subjective well‐being were social‐context dependent. Rumination experienced alone, relative to during interaction, was a stronger positive predictor of current and later‐in‐the‐day loneliness. In contrast, worry experienced alone, but not during interaction, negatively predicted later loneliness. Distracted communication accounted for unique variance in current affective well‐being and current and later loneliness, but its role as a mediator was uncertain.     

The influence of personal and public health and smart applications on biking behavior in South Korea

Bicycling is an important form of active transport that contributes to sustainability mobility as a result of its role in personal and public health and emissions reduction. The significance of which has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. However, biking studies have neglected, in theoretical terms, developing an understanding of why consumers bike. Therefore, this research designs and verifies an extended theory of planned behavior adding personal and public health and a moderator of perceived smart application usage to help explain such consumer behavior. This study is based on a digital survey of South Koreans who biked for leisure, tourism, and/or work, utilizing partial least squares-structural equation modeling with multi-group analysis and Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. Results revealed that personal health is most important to cyclists, followed by public health, attitude, and subjective norm. Interestingly, people with perceived high usage of smart applications for biking show stronger relationships between public health and attitude and perceived behavioral control and behavioral intention than low users. In contrast, individuals with perceived low usage of smart applications for biking reveal a stronger relationship between attitude and behavioral intention than high users. The high and low user groups of smart applications also distinctively differ in levels of cycling behavior. Consequently, this work offers several theoretical and managerial implications for research and practice.