Patterns of adolescent involvement in problem behaviors: Relationship to self-efficacy,social competence,and life events

Using a sample of 556 adolescents from a suburban community, patterns of various adolescent problem behaviors (e.g., delinquent behavior, smoking, use of alcohol or drugs) and their links to self-efficacy, social competence, and life events were examined. Cluster analysis was conducted to identify four subgroups of adolescents who showed distinct patterns of problem behaviors. These clusters were compared on the measures of self-efficacy, social competence, and life events. Overall results suggest there are meaningful links between adolescents’ problem behavior patterns and self-efficacy, the amount and quality of participation in various after school activities, and life events. For example, a subgroup of adolescents who showed uniformly low prevalence of all problem behaviors reported more positive academic self-efficacy, more active participation in sports and nonsports activities, more positive life events, and fewer negative events than adolescents who were involved in multiple problem behaviors. Implications for prevention and future research on adolescent problem behaviors are discussed.     

Masking by combination tones and bands

Masking of a pure tone by a cubic difference tone or band generated by two pure tones or by a pure tone and a narrow band of noise as a function of the level of the masker was measured for three subjects at three ratios of f₂/f₁, 1.125, 1,2, and 1.3. The three maskers used were f₁ alone, f₁ + f₂, and f₁ + NBN (60-Hz band of noise centered at f₂). At ratio 1.125, the amounts of masking produced by f₁ alone and f₁ + NBN were not significantly different for all subjects. For ratios = 1.125 and 1.2, f₁ + f₂ produced the least masking at least in two of the subjects. f₁ + NBN was the best masker at ratios 1.2 and 1.3. These results show that the masking data on cubic difference tone at very small ratios of f₂/f₁ are not reliable due to the masking effect contributed by f₁. For higher ratios, the combination band has to be used instead of combination tone because of the interaction between the signal and the cubic difference tone. Also the divergence of the effectiveness in masking by the three maskers gives an estimation of the levels of primaries at which the cubic difference tone is generated.     

Social comparison, individualism-collectivism, and self-esteem in china and the United States

Possible differences in social comparison choices between individualistic and collectivistic cultures and individuals were explored among a sample of 235 student participants from the United States and China, focusing on self-esteem as a possible mediating variable. A self-report social comparison measure was developed and factor analyzed. Correlations revealed that higher collectivism scores were associated with an increased desire to compare in general, an increased desire to make upward comparisons, and a decreased desire to make downward comparisons. It is speculated that upward self-improvement comparisons for the sake of the group may be more common for those high in collectivism.     

Space-time accuracy of rapid movements

The space-time accuracy of an elbow flexion movement task was examined in two experiments over a range of motion extents (1 degrees through 100 degrees ) and short-duration movement times (100, 125, 150, and 400 ms). Nonlinear speed-accuracy functions emerged for both spatial and temporal error over all the movement conditions examined. The results showed that the timing error and spatial error had a high degree of complementarity as predicted by a space-time model of the speed-accuracy relation (Hancock & Newell, 1985). The findings confirm that the frame of reference for measuring movement error determines in part the error functions observed.     

The Effect of Highly Concentrated Oxygen Administration on Cerebral Activation Levels and Lateralization in Visuospatial Tasks

This study investigated what effect a 30% oxygen administration had on visuospatial cognitive performance and cerebral activation and lateralization using fMRI. Eight college students were selected as the subjects for this study. An oxygen dispenser that provided 21% and 30% oxygen at a constant rate of 8L/min was developed. In order to measure the performance level of visuospatial cognition, two psychological tests were also developed. The experiment consisted of two runs, one for a visuospatial cognition task with normal air (21% oxygen) and the other for a visuospatial cognition task with hyperoxic air (30% oxygen). Functional brain images were taken with a 3T MRI using the single-shot EPI method. The results of the visuospatial behavioral analysis reveal that accuracy rates were enhanced with 30% oxygen administration when compared to 21% oxygen. There were more activations observed at the bilateral occipital, parietal, and frontal lobes with 30% oxygen administration. However, decreased cerebrum lateralization was observed with 30% oxygen administration in the same regions compared with 21% oxygen administration. Thus, it is concluded that the positive effect on the visuospatial cognitive performance level by the highly concentrated oxygen administration resulted from an increase of cerebrum activation and a decrease of cerebrum lateralization.     

Housing and Child Welfare: Emerging Evidence and Implications for Scaling up Services

Inadequate housing threatens family stability in communities across the United States. This study reviews emerging evidence on housing interventions in the context of scale‐up for the child welfare system. In child welfare, scale‐up refers to the extent to which fully implemented interventions sustainably alleviate family separations associated with housing instability. It incorporates multiple aspects beyond traditional measures of effectiveness including costs, potential reach, local capacities for implementation, and fit within broader social services. The framework further encompasses everyday circumstances faced by service providers, program administrators, and policymakers who allocate resources under conditions of scarcity and uncertainty. The review of current housing interventions reveals a number of systemic constraints for scale‐up in child welfare. Reliance on rental assistance programs limits capacity to address demand, while current practices that target the most vulnerable families may inadvertently diminish effectiveness of the intervention and increase overall demand. Alternative approaches that focus on homelessness prevention and early intervention must be tested in conjunction with community initiatives to increase accessibility of affordable housing. By examining system performance over time, the scalability framework provides an opportunity for more efficient coordination of housing services within and outside of the child welfare system.     

New Media and Event: A Case Study on the Power of the Internet

With the rapid growth of the number of netizens in China, the Internet has become one of the most important parts in the lives of people who not only can get more information on the Internet, but can also express their own views. In other words, the Internet has also become a part of real-world events. Drawing on a case study about ‘The Boycott of Carrefour’ in China during the spring of 2008, the paper first discusses the role and functions of new media during the incident. Through analyses of a story about the culture of labeling others and a conflict between burning a wrong flag in this case, the paper then explores the capriciousness of Chinese cyberspace. The author proposes an explanation on how the illusion of truth is generated on the Internet and then influences the events in the real world. The paper concludes that the Internet is not just a simple technological tool, but it is intertwined with the sociocultural contexts in which it is rooted.

Which is the compromise option? Information format and task format as determinants

When consumers must make a decision but are uncertain of their preferences, they often select a compromise choice. Early studies emphasized the relational properties of choice alternatives and indicated that the middle option, whose attribute values fall between the values of other alternatives, is always the compromise option. More recent studies have suggested that when consumers rate two attributes with the same metrics, the attribute–balance choice whose two attributes have equal ratings, might represent the compromise choice. We propose that the different characteristics of the middle and attribute–balance options—which may be compatible with certain determinants such as information and task formats—might be more salient and affect the relative attractiveness of each option. The results of three experiments confirmed this prediction: the middle option was more attractive in list‐by‐attributes and rejecting conditions, whereas the attribute–balance option was more attractive in list‐by‐alternatives and choosing conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Decision-Making About Reproductive Choices Among Individuals At-Risk for Huntington's Disease

We explored how individuals at-risk for HD who have or have not been tested make reproductive decisions and what factors are involved. We interviewed 21 individuals (8 with and 4 without the mutation, and 9 un-tested) in-depth for 2 hours each. At-risk individuals faced a difficult series of dilemmas of whether to: get pregnant and deliver, have fetal testing, have pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, adopt, or have no children. These individuals weighed competing desires and concerns: their own desires vs. those of spouses vs. broader moral concerns (e.g., to end the disease; and/or follow dictates against abortion) vs. perceptions of the interests of current or future offspring. Quandaries arose of how much and to whom to feel responsible. Some changed their perspectives over time (e.g., first “gambling,” then being more cautious). These data have critical implications for genetic counselors and other health care workers and future research, particularly as more genetic tests become available.