Lexical decision and naming asymmetries: Influence of response selection and response bias

Signal detection measures were used to evaluate the effects of several response variables (manual vs. vocal, Go-NoGo vs. Yes-No) on lexical decision asymmetries. An unvarying right visual field advantage in discriminability (d') was observed in each condition. However, response criteria (beta) varied over visual fields and conditions. Naming and lexical decision were shown to have equivalent asymmetries when the effects of response bias are removed. The results indicate that postaccess decision processes make important contributions to lexical decision asymmetries.     

Should Global Conservation Initiatives Prioritize Phylogenetic Diversity?

Philosophia - Some recent conservation proposals – including the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) EDGE of Existence programme – have focused on the value of protecting species...     

The role of personal development groups in counsellor training: understanding factors contributing to self-awareness in the personal development group

Personal development groups (PD groups) are widely employed in counsellor training with the aim of developing the self-awareness of trainee counsellors, and the intention of this paper is to open a discussion forum of the use of these groups and understand their use more fully. A quantitative and qualitative approach was employed in this study, using focus groups with a cross section of 88 trainees of counselling, at different points in their training, to establish those factors that were felt to contribute to developing self-awareness in the group. A questionnaire was used to measure both trainees' perceptions of their own self-awareness and the extent to which the contributory factors were felt to be both present and helpful in their current PD group (this is referred to as the 'comfort fit'). Statistical findings, from the full cohort of 88 trainees, indicated that they were more comfortable in the PD group at the start of their training and less comfortable at the end, although there was no clear relationship between there being a better 'comfort fit' and increased self-awareness. These findings are discussed in relation to alternative methods of facilitating the self-awareness of trainees of counselling (such as mandatory personal therapy) alongside the associated complexities of undertaking research of this kind.     

Reducing the Risk for Preschool Expulsion: Mental Health Consultation for Young Children with Challenging Behaviors

Increasing numbers of young children are being expelled from child care settings because of their problem behavior. Access to mental health consultation is related to lower rates of expulsion, but additional data are needed to document the pathways through which mental health consultation reduces the risk of expulsion. We report on outcomes from a 4-year project designed to reduce the number of children expelled for problem behavior in a large suburban county in Maryland. Two master’s-level professionals provided behavioral consultation to child care providers who identified nearly 200 children at imminent risk for expulsion. Child care providers rated children’s social skills and problem behaviors at referral and discharge using the Preschool Kindergarten Behavior Scales and the Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment. Statistically significant increases in social skills and reductions in problem behaviors were seen for children who received individualized consultation. More than three-quarters of the children who were at risk for expulsion were able to be maintained in their current child care placement; of those that changed placements, only half (n = 13) were removed involuntarily. These findings provide additional support for mental health consultation as a promising strategy to reduce the risk for expulsion for young children with problem behaviors.     

Altering Mueller-Lyer illusion magnitude using figural additions at the wing-shaft intersections

The Mueller-Lyer (ML) illusion has been used to study the way in which perceived length is affected by processes of information extraction when a visual target of interest (the ML shaft) is surrounded by other nontarget figural elements (inward-or outward-turning wings). It is argued that the perception of length is computed in terms of the center of gravity or centroid of figural elements at the wing-shaft intersection. The outward-turning wings shift the computational centroid away from the shaft end, giving rise to an erroneous overestimation of shaft length, while the inward-turning wings have the opposite effect. In three experiments, we observed that figural changes, which theoretically shifted the center of gravity of figural elements at the wing-shaft intersection, also increased or decreased the magnitude of the ML illusion.     

Relationship between homework completion and outcome in cognitive behaviour therapy

Homework or between-session learning has long been considered an essential aspect of effective cognitive behaviour therapy. However, it has received relatively less empirical attention than other components of cognitive behaviour therapy. In general, studies have found that homework completion is predictive of outcome in psychotherapy. However, the amount of homework completed by a patient represents only one aspect of this important therapeutic component. This study investigated both the quantity and the quality of homework completed during a 10-week group cognitive and behavioural treatment program for anxious and depressed patients. It explored the relationship between various aspects of homework completion and outcomes on several different variables. A total of 94 patients were included in the analysis. It was found that both quantity and quality of homework completed predicted outcome on measures of depression, anxiety and quality of life at post-treatment and at 1-month follow-up. The results were strongest for the amount of homework completed, suggesting that clinicians should encourage patients to complete homework even if the homework content is not entirely accurate. The results of this study highlight the importance of homework as a central part of effective cognitive and behavioural treatment.