Immediate antecedents of cigarette smoking: an analysis of unrestricted smoking patterns

Theory suggests that cigarette smoking is under stimulus control and that affect is a key trigger for smoking. A previous study (S. Shiftman et al., 2002) showed little relationship between affect and smoking, but this relationship could have been suppressed by the impact of smoking restrictions. The study evaluated these associations in a 1988 sample that was subject to few smoking restrictions. Smokers (N = 28) not seeking treatment used palmtop computers to record context and affect prior to smoking (n = 2217 observations) and also at random times when not smoking (n = 2,380). Comparisons showed little relationship between smoking and affect. Smoking was associated with particular activities and locations. Urge to smoke was the strongest predictor of smoking. The results replicated the findings of S. Shiffman et al. (2002).     

The effect of applicant influence tactics on recruiter perceptions of fit and hiring recommendations: a field study

The present study examined the effect of applicant influence-tactic use on recruiter perceptions of fit. Two tactics, ingratiation and self-promotion, were expected to have positive effects on recruiter perceptions of fit and on recruiter hiring recommendations. In addition, the authors expected recruiter fit perceptions to mediate the relationship between applicant influence tactics and recruiter hiring recommendations. Results suggested that ingratiation had a positive effect on perceived fit and recruiter hiring recommendations (and indirectly, on receipt of a job offer). In addition, perceived fit mediated the relationship between ingratiation and hiring recommendations. The effects of self-promotion on fit and hiring recommendations were generally weak and nonsignificant. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Support for a continuous (single-process) model of recognition memory and source memory

Does memory retrieval occur in a continuous or an all-or-none manner? The shape of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) has been used to answer this question, with curvilinear and linear memory ROCs indicating continuous and all-or-none retrieval processes, respectively. Signal detection models (e.g., the unequal variance model) correspond to a continuous retrieval process, whereas threshold models (including the multinomial model and the recollection component of the dual-process model) correspond to an all-or-none process. In studies of source memory, Slotnick et al. (2000) and others have observed curvilinear ROCs (supporting the unequal variance model), whereas Yonelinas (1999) observed linear ROCs (supporting the dual-process model). We resolve these seemingly inconsistent results, showing that source memory ROCs are naturally curvilinear but can appear linear when nondiagnostic source information is included in the analysis. Furthermore, the unequal variance model accounted for both recognition memory and source memory ROCs, supporting a continuous process of memory retrieval.     

Interpretation biases in angry and anxious individuals

Although previous research has demonstrated many similarities between anxious and angry individuals, few studies have compared the degree and direction to which they exhibit cognitive biases in the presence of threat. The present study was a preliminary investigation of 28 angry participants, 30 anxious participants, and 26 non-angry/non-anxious participants who rated the likelihood of various explanations to account for ambiguous but potentially threatening events described in short prose passages. Angry participants rated the likelihood of positive explanations for ambiguous events lower than non-angry/non-anxious participants. Angry participants rated the likelihood of anger-related explanations higher than anxious and non-angry/non-anxious participants, and both angry and anxious participants rated anxiety-related explanations as being more likely than non-angry/non-anxious participants. Thus, both angry and anxious participants demonstrated a negative interpretation bias, although the bias was more pervasive in angry participants.     

Five year research update (1996-2000): evaluations for competence to stand trial (adjudicative competence)

This article reviews and evaluates publications during 1996-2000 with relevance for assessments of competence to stand trial (also known as adjudicative competence). The review focuses specifically on articles that provide new concepts or data supported by research or case analyses. The studies are reviewed under the following headings: (i) the systemic context of evaluations of adjudicative competence (AC); (ii) conceptual guidelines for AC evaluations; (iii) research on AC assessment methods; (iv) empirical correlates of AC judgments and psycholegal abilities; (v) quality of AC evaluations and reports; (vi) interpretation of AC evaluation data; (vii) issues in AC assessment of special populations (e.g., juveniles, persons with mental retardation, and women); and (viii) treatment to restore competence. Suggestions are offered for further research to advance the quality of clinical evaluations of adjudicative competence.     

Enhancing Training Efficiency and Effectiveness Through the Use of Dyad Training

The authors examined the effect of inserting observation practice and undirected dialog into the rest interval between practice trials on the learning of a complex task (stabilometer). Training protocols in which learners practice in pairs (dyads) result in increases in learning efficiency, but the critical issue is the effect on learning effectiveness. Three groups of participants (n = 12 in each group) practiced maintaining their balance on a stabilometer. One group practiced individually, and the other 2 groups practiced in dyads in which 1 performer practiced the task while the other observed. In the dyad-alternate condition, participants alternated between physical, observational, and dialog practice on each trial, whereas in the dyad-control condition, subjects completed all trials on 1 form of practice (either physical or observational practice) before engaging in the other form. The results indicated that the dyad-alternate group initially performed more poorly but quickly overtook the individual group, and the performance advantage of the dyad-alternate group was maintained on the delayed retention test. When the different forms of practice were performed consecutively, as in the dyad-control group, acquisition and retention performance was generally poorer than when they were alternated. Those results suggest that one can combine the benefits of physical practice, observation, and dialog between learners in an interactive way to produce an effective and efficient learning protocol.     

Measuring Memory Span

This study, conducted on a sample of 403 adult subjects, set out to explore the relationships between measures of digit span (forward and reversed), motor and spatial span, and their dependence on a broad range of measures of cognitive function. The results revealed that measures of digit span are closely related, as are measures of motor and spatial span, but these pairs of memory span measures are relatively independent of each other. Furthermore, reverse digit span, motor span, and spatial span appear to rely on what might be regarded as intellectual or executive cognitive functions. As such, the results provide little support for accounts of serial recall, which suggest that order and/or item information are more adequately modelled in a modality-independent form.     

Using Art in Counseling: Ethical Considerations

Various mental health professionals use, on occasion, drawings and other types of art in therapy, but relatively little has been written on the ethics surrounding this technique. The authors take the position that artwork should be viewed as equivalent to verbal communication. Such equivalency gives rise to a variety of ethical issues that encompass confidentiality, documentation, ownership, research, publication, and display of artwork.     

Investigating whether controlling and aggressive relationship behaviors are discriminant

Control is theorized as central to intimate partner aggression (IPA). Tools measuring nonphysical “controlling behaviors” in relationships have therefore been developed to identify the latent construct of control. However, the underlying assumption that “controlling behaviors” form a distinct subset of IPA has not been validated. This study investigates the divergent validity of acts considered as “controlling behaviors” against other aggressive acts used in relationships. The IPA and relationship literatures were reviewed to identify 1,397 items involving “controlling,” physical, sexual, and psychologically aggressive acts perpetrated and/or experienced by an intimate partner. In total, 101 item pairs were identified and used to measure IPA tactics across these categories. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis in a community sample (N = 561) found no evidence of a distinct factor of “controlling behaviors.” Behaviors labeled as “controlling” in existing measures were distributed across other factors, including “eclectic aggression,” “direct psychological aggression,” and “monitoring acts.” In Study 2A (N = 424 students), confirmatory factor analysis replicated the results of Study 1 and established configural measurement invariance (Study 2B), indicating no evidence for psychometric differences between samples. These results indicate that behaviors described as “controlling” in existing measures were not statistically distinguishable from other forms of IPA, and suggest that future research should investigate motivational, rather than behavioral, differences in the use of IPA. The findings challenge research to confirm whether a set of discrete behaviors can be used to accurately identify control in relationships and question the validity of tools that adopt this methodology.