The 1-2-3 Magic Program: Implementation Outcomes of an Australian Pilot Evaluation With School-Aged Children

No abstract available for this article.     

Mothers' and fathers' support for child autonomy and early school achievement

Data were analyzed from 641 children and their families in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development to test the hypotheses that in the early school years, mothers' and fathers' sensitive support for autonomy in observed parent-child interactions would each make unique predictions to children's reading and math achievement at Grade 3 (controlling for demographic variables), children's reading and math abilities at 54 months, and children's level of effortful control at 54 months and that these associations would be mediated by the level of and changes over time in children's observed self-reliance in the classroom from Grades 1 through 3. The authors found that mothers' and fathers' support for autonomy were significantly and uniquely associated with children's Grade 3 reading and math achievement with the above controls, but only for boys. For boys, the effect of mothers' support for child autonomy was mediated by higher self-reliance at Grade 1 and of fathers' support for child autonomy by greater increases in self-reliance from Grades 1 through 3.     

Performance of a psychomotor skill following rest, exercise at the plasma epinephrine threshold and maximal intensity exercise

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exercising at the epinephrine threshold and at Maximum Power Output on the performance of a skill that requires both decision-making and motor performance. Participants (N=12) undertook an incremental test to exhaustion from which their epinephrine threshold and Maximum Power Output were calculated. They were then examined on a soccer skill test following rest and exercise that was previously determined to elicit their epi nephrine threshold and Maximum Power Output. The soccer test examined the participants' speed and accuracy of response. Speed of response was measured by voice reaction time and whole body reaction time. No significant effects of exercise were shown for any of the variables. The need for further research using more complex skill tests and the use of discontinuous exercise protocols, rather than continuous ones, is recommended.     

Medical Settings as a Context for Research on Cognitive Development

Medical contexts provide a rich opportunity to study important theoretical questions in cognitive development and to investigate the influence of a range of interacting factors relating to the child, the experience, and the broader social context on children's cognition. In the context of examples of research investigating these issues, we consider several specific advantages of conducting research in medical settings: the diverse range of participants, experiences, and potential research paradigms and the opportunities for student training. We discuss the benefits and challenges of conducting research within medical contexts and consider ways of attempting to maximize the former and of addressing the latter.     

An Independent Theory of Clinical Technique

The history of Independent analysis in the British Psychoanalytical Society is reviewed. The Independent Tradition, as an approach to psychoanalysis, is distinguished from the organisational grouping in the British Society that is the Independent Group. The Independent Tradition emphasises what differentiates human beings rather than how they exemplify general principles. This derives from Freud through Ferenczi. Ferenczi's stress on the quality of the patient's experience, on the need for analysts to be aware of the effect on themselves of the analytic process, and on the need for restraint in interpretation are all characteristically Independent aspects of analytic technique. Later Independent thinkers have developed these themes further. Especially important is Enid Balint's idea that theory mediates the analyst's creative imagination. The analytic setting infuses ordinary human interaction with psychoanalytic awareness, and another function of theory is to imbue with psychoanalytic understanding the use of everyday language. Independent clinical technique is primarily a way of listening. Regression is accepted, and free association valued as being in itself a vehicle of psychic growth. A central idea is that the analyst is an analytic object to be made use of by the patient. Several clinical examples illustrate the functioning in practice of these concepts.     

Sibling association and occupational interests

The effect of the composition and size of family on the subject and career interests of girls of above-average ability in a secondary school were examined. The main finding was that girls with order brothers or from larger families tend to express artistic occupational interests. This is explained in terms of the family socialisation theories of Parsons and Bales.     

Using a Self-Management Intervention to Increase Compliance in Children With ASD

This two-study series examined the effectiveness of self-management in increase compliance with parental requests. Three boys diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their parents participated. The intervention involved self-monitoring combined with parent-delivered reinforcement. A multiple baseline design was used. The intervention was successful in increasing rates of compliance and reducing problem behavior in training and generalization settings with each participant. Social validity was high and treatment integrity data indicated that the intervention could be readily implemented by parents. Study 2 also provided evidence of a strong treatment effect for the self-management beyond a small effect for effective instructional delivery.     

Two different biological configurations for long-term memory

Long-term memory (LTM) in Hermissenda can be distinguished from consolidated long-term memory (CLTM) by determining how long recall is retained. LTM is retained for approximately 1 day, while CLTM is retained for at least 3 days. During the transition from LTM to CLTM, the extent of retention appears to depend partially on how much consolidation has been completed. Several models are discussed that may be related to the two different manifestations of recall.