Comparing mathematics interventions: Does initial level of fluency predict intervention effectiveness?

A paucity of research has directly compared empirically supported interventions to examine their effectiveness among students with different mathematics fluency skills. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two empirically supported interventions and a control condition on the mathematics fluency of 98 second and third grade students. Specifically, effects of explicit timing and cover-copy-compare on subtraction fluency were examined each session, which occurred twice weekly for a total of six weeks. HLM was used to examine progress during the intervention sessions and determine the effect of initial fluency level on intervention effectiveness. Results suggested students' initial level of fluency impacted intervention effectiveness. That is, for students whose fluency levels fell within the frustrational range CCC and control conditions resulted in the best performance over time but for children whose fluency was in the instructional range explicit timing was the most effective treatment.     

Use of landmark features and geometry by children and adults during a two-dimensional search task

Three- to six-year-old children (n = 28) and adults (n = 46) participated in a two-dimensional search task that included geometry and feature conditions. During each of 24 trials, participants watched as a cartoon character hid behind one of three landmarks arranged in a triangle on a computer screen. The landmarks and character then disappeared and reappeared in the same or a new position on the screen. During feature condition trials participants could use unique features of the landmarks to locate the hidden character, while during geometry trials participants could only use the geometry of the triangle. In both conditions, adults’ performance was near ceiling while children’s performance was significantly worse. Children’s performance was worse in the geometry condition than in the feature condition but search accuracy improved with age for both types of information. Findings are considered in the context of the broader literature on spatial cognition and development.     

Repetition of deliberate self-harm: a study of the characteristics and subsequent deaths in patients presenting to a general hospital according to extent of repetition

Repetition of deliberate self-harm (DSH) is common. Some patients repeat multiple times. We have investigated the characteristics of repeaters, and mortality in three groups of DSH patients by repetition status. Data collected by the Oxford Monitoring System for Attempted Suicide were used to examine the pattern of repetition of DSH patients presenting to a general hospital between 1990 and 1997. Each patient was tracked through the monitoring system with regard to repetition. Patients traceable through National Death Registers were followed up until 2000 with respect to mortality. A total of 4,167 patients were studied of which 1,022 (24.5%) repeated at least once during follow-up. Using multinomial regression, past history of DSH was the variable most strongly associated with frequent (4+) and less frequent (1-3) repetitions. Risk of suicide was significantly increased in females with frequent repetition (7.7% dying by suicide), compared with both those with 1-3 repetitions (2.3%) and those not repeating (1.0%). The analyses were repeated for the 2,167 patients with no past history of DSH at their first presentation. Using multinomial regression, personality disorder was the only variable that was associated with 4+ repetitions compared with no repetitions, although a number of variables distinguished between patients with 1-3 repetitions and no repeat episodes. For clinicians assessing DSH patients, past history of DSH is the best predictor of infrequent and frequent repetition. In patients with no past history of DSH the presence of personality disorder increases the risk of frequent repetition of DSH.     

“I think it, therefore it’s true”: Effects of self-perceived objectivity on hiring discrimination

A sense of personal objectivity may prompt an “I think it, therefore it’s true” mindset, in which people assume that their own beliefs and introspections are, by definition, valid and therefore worthy of being acted on. In the present studies, priming a sense of personal objectivity increased gender discrimination, particularly among decision-makers who endorsed stereotypic beliefs or who had stereotypic thoughts made cognitively accessible through implicit priming. Implications for discrimination in organizational contexts, and for theories of attitude–behavior consistency, are discussed.     

Book reviews

Spoehr, K. T., and Lehmkuhle, S. W. Visual Information Processing. San Francisco: Freeman. 1982. Pp. 298. ISBN 0-7167-1373-X. Hardback £16.90; paperback £9.80.

Weale, R. A. Focus on Vision. London: Hodder & Stoughton. 1982. Pp. 194. ISBN 0-340-24839-4. £5.75.

Warren, R. M. Auditory Perception: A New Synthesis. New York: Pergamon Press. 1982. Pp. 239. ISBN 0-08-025957-X. £12.50.

Bryden, M. P. Loterality: Functional Asymmetry in the Intact Brain. London: Academic Press. 1982. Pp. 319. ISBN 0-12-138180-3. £19.60.

Simon, T. W. and Scholes, R. J. (Eds.) Language, Mind, and Brain. Hillsdale, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1982. Pp. xvi + 263. ISBN 0-89859-153-8. £19.95.

Wilding, J. M. Perception: From Sense to Object. London: Hutchinson. 1982. Pp. 314. ISBN 0-09-150720-1. £12.95.

Rosenzweig, M.R. and Porter, L. W.(Eds.). Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 34. Palo Alto, Calif.: Annual Reviews Inc. 1983. Pp. 617. ISBN 0-8243-0234-6. $30.00.

Schank, R. C. Dynamic Memory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1983. Pp. 233. ISBN 0-521-24856-2. Hardback £18.50; paperback £6.95.

Hinton, G. E. and Anderson, J. A. (Eds.). Parallel Models of Associative Memory. Hillsdale, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1981. Pp. 295. ISBN 0-89859-105-0. £17.50.     

Gathering Diverse Perspectives to Tackle “Wicked Problems”: Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality in Educational Placement

Among students receiving behavioral health and special education services, racial/ethnic minority students are consistently overrepresented in settings separate from general classrooms. Once separated, many young people struggle to improve academically and face significant difficulty upon trying to return to a general education setting. Given the complex, ongoing, and multifaceted nature of this challenge, racial/ethnic disproportionality can be identified as a “wicked problem,” for which solutions are not easily identified. Here, we describe our community-engaged research efforts, eliciting perspectives from relevant partners in an ongoing dialogue, to better integrate diverse stakeholders’ perspectives when attempting to address such disparities. We conducted focus groups and qualitative interviews with members of three stakeholder groups: community-serving organizations, individuals with lived experience of behavioral health conditions, and state-level policymakers, with a shared interest in addressing racial and ethnic disparities. Participant responses illustrated the “wickedness” of this problem and highlighted the need for additional supports for students, families, and school personnel, increased collaboration across relevant systems and agencies, and reduced barriers related to funding. Overall, this methodology bridged differing perspectives to develop, in concert with our partners, a shared language of the problem and a core set of issues to consider when seeking to effect change.