A job-seeking self-efficacy scale for people with physical disabilities: preliminary development and psychometric testing

People with disabilities are at an increased risk of unemployment. The role of interventions aiming to enhance the employment prospects of people with disabilities is receiving increased attention. However, evaluation is hampered by the paucity of measures specific to the needs of the target population. The purpose of the present study was to develop and conduct preliminary testing of the psychometric properties of a job-seeking self-efficacy (JSS) scale that reflected the experiences of people with physical disabilities. Job-seeking self-efficacy was defined as perceived ability to perform the skills involved in seeking employment that are salient to people with disabilities. Scale development and testing involved four studies and resulted in the 12-item JSS scale and six-item managing disability at interview (MDI) component, both of which were unidimensional and had high internal consistency. In addition, there was evidence of construct and concurrent validity. Greater jobseeking self-efficacy and perceived ability to manage disability at interview were associated with more positive psychological well-being. Only the MDI component was associated with physical functioning: lower perceived ability to manage disability at interview was associated with greater impairment of physical functioning. The pattern of associations supported the rationale for a separate component reflecting the need to resolve practical issues linked to access and availability of facilities before participation in the interview procedure per se .     

On-line Homework/Quiz/Exam applet: Freely available Java software for evaluating performance on line

The Homework/Quiz/Exam applet is a freely available Java program that can be used to evaluate student performance on line for any content authored by a teacher. It has database connectivity so that student scores are automatically recorded. It allows several different types of questions. Each question can be linked to images and detailed story problems. Three levels of feedback are provided to student responses. It allows teachers to randomize the sequence of questions and to randomize which of several options is the correct answer in multiple-choice questions. The creation and editing of questions involves menu selections, buttonpresses, and the typing of content; no programming knowledge is required. The code is open source in order to encourage modifications that will meet individual pedagogical needs.     

历史能是真实的吗？叙述主义、实证主义与“隐喻的转向”

20世纪历史哲学在上半叶由黑格尔式的思辨历史哲学转向历史认识论研究。之后 ,自 1 970年开始 ,它又经历了语言学转折。后者的表现便是叙述主义历史哲学的兴起。它注重分析历史文本的语言风格这类形式要素中表现的本质内涵 ,也在认识论的层面彻底消解了传统实在论意义上的历史客观性。人们对历史叙述过程诸要素有了越来越多的了解之后 ,对某一历史主题确立的目的和效果也就有了更有效的解析方法 ,进而为当代历史哲学重新深入历史本体 ,探讨宏大历史叙事与叙述权力创造了条件。当代历史哲学正以 2 0世纪历史认识论的成就为依据 ,在推进历史 /史学观念分析之时 ,也表现出一种重新步入思辨历史哲学领地的倾向。此时 ,具有前瞻性的世界史家也像当代历史哲学家那样 ,注意到了世界历史观念的现实意义。本栏选取的 4篇文章 (另外两篇将以后刊出 )便分别涉及到构成上述倾向的某些特定层面。     

Symptoms of depression,relational quality,and loneliness in dating relationships

This study tested the hypothesis that symptoms of depression are negatively related to relational quality, which in turn is negatively related to feelings of loneliness among members of dating couples. Potential sex differences in the magnitude of association between depressive symptoms and relational quality, and potential emotional contagion of depressive symptoms within dyads, were also explored. One hundred and one dating couples completed the Oral History Interview along with other measures of relational quality, depressive symptoms, and loneliness. Results for both males and females indicated that depressive symptoms were negatively associated with relational quality and that relational quality was negatively associated with loneliness. The association between symptoms of depression and poor relational quality was similar for females and males. There was no evidence suggestive of emotional contagion in these dating couples. Implications of these findings and their potential limitations are discussed.     

Using the analysis of covariance to increase the power of priming experiments.

Although priming paradigms are widely used in cognitive psychology, the statistical analyses typically applied to priming data may not be optimal. Conceiving of priming paradigms as change-from-baseline designs suggests that the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), using baseline performance as the covariate, is a more efficient (i.e., powerful) analysis. Specifically, ANCOVA provides more powerful tests of 1) the presence of priming and 2) between-group differences in priming. In addition, for within-subject designs with multiple baseline conditions, ANCOVA may increase the power of within-subjects effects. Efficiency gains are demonstrated with a re-analysis of priming datasets from implicit memory research. It is suggested that similar gains may be realized in other areas of priming research. Important assumptions of this procedure, which must be evaluated for the appropriate application of ANCOVA, are discussed.     

The prevention of depressive symptoms in rural Australian women

Two interventions aimed at preventing depressive symptoms in women living in Western Australian rural communities were evaluated against a no‐intervention control condition. The standard intervention was based upon traditional cognitive‐behaviour treatments for depression; the experimental intervention was based upon prevention strategies derived from the learned helplessness model of depression (e.g. Peterson, Maier, & Seligman, 1993 ). Seventy‐six women were randomly assigned to either the standard or the experimental group, and a further 20 women formed a no‐intervention control group. The standard group showed a reduction in depressive symptoms at post‐test, but no effects at 6‐week or 6‐month follow‐ups. In contrast, a reduction in depressive symptoms did not appear for the experimental group until the 6‐week follow‐up at which time a less depressive attributional style was also evident; these effects were even more pronounced at the 6‐month follow‐up. The no‐intervention control group showed no changes across time. It is argued that these results support the applicability of prevention strategies based on the learned helplessness model to this population. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Personality, personal model beliefs, and self-care in adolescents and young adults with Type 1 diabetes.

This study compared 3 models of association between personality, personal model beliefs, and self-care in a cross-sectional design. These models were as follows: (a) Emotional stability determines self-care indirectly through personal model beliefs, and conscientiousness is a direct predictor of self-care; (b) emotional stability determines self-care indirectly through personal model beliefs, and conscientiousness moderates the association between beliefs and self-care; (c) both emotional stability and conscientiousness determine self-care indirectly through personal model beliefs. Participants (N = 358, aged 12-30 years) with Type 1 diabetes completed measures of personality, personal model beliefs, and self-care. Structural equation modeling indicated that Model C was the best fit to the data.