The Distillation of “VISCI”: Towards a Better Identification of Suicidal Inmates

The “Viennese Instrument for Suicidality in Correctional Institutions” (VISCI) presented here is based on the results of a large case‐control study and on research on literature examining suicide prevention in general and in the prison population in particular. The aim of this study was to validate the properties of the VISCI to differentiate between suicides and nonsuicides. The sensitivity and specificity of the VISCI was tested in the files of 55 correctional suicides, and 110 controls. VISCI differentiated well between suicides and nonsuicides. The routine administration of the VISCI may help to direct the existing professional attention to inmates with the highest need.     

Sex-role stereotypes of feminists and nonfeminists

In light of recent attempts by feminists to upgrade the status of women by stressing the positive aspects of femininity, a comparison of sex-role stereotyping by women who endorse women's liberation with those who do not was made. Feminists showed a more positive perception of women; both groups stressed positive feminine traits in describing an ideal woman, but feminists would like to see more dominance in women. Two negative stereotypes, not previously documented, emerged from this analysis: the depiction of men as cooler, more boastful, awkward, and insensitive by the feminists and women's liberationists as more boastful, excitable, and unattractive by the nonfeminists.     

Listening to distraction: a developmental study of selective attention

One hundred eight children 8, 11, and 14 years old selected one auditory message from two (male-female voice cue). Retention of target and distracting words was tested. Fifty-four control Ss heard the target message alone. Contrary to some earlier studies, distraction hindered the target performance of younger children more than older children. In the experimental groups target retention increased linearly with age but distraction retention remained constant. Intrusions from the distracting message during the selection task decreased greatly with increasing age. These and other results were interpreted as showing that the superior selective listening performance of older children is due not to a greater ability to filter out distracting material at an early stage of processing, but in large part to an ability to inhibit intrusions from the distracting material during the selection task.     

Localization of a peripheral target during parametric adjustment of saccadic eye movements

The aim of the experiment was to find out whether saccadiceve movements have any effect on perceived visual directions. ihe method was to alter the parameters of the oculomotor system so that the eye movement made in response to a peripheral target was inappropriate to the retinal locus of its image. It was found that this procedure had no effect on the perceived location of the peripheral target; and it was concluded that a specific retinal locus is more or less rigidly associated with a corresponding visual direction, but not with a particular magnitude of ocular rotation.     

Is Age Just a Number? Cognitive Reserve as a Predictor of Divergent Thinking in Late Adulthood

The purpose of the study was to test a model of causal relationships among cognitive reserve (CR), personality variables such as Neuroticism and Openness to experience, and divergent thinking (DT), independently evaluating performance in different domains (verbal and graphic). It was hypothesized that CR, Openness, and Neuroticism would each directly influence verbal and graphic DT. A total of 135 subjects between 55 and 84 years old participated in the study and were interviewed in individual sessions. For a correct fit Neuroticism was eliminated from the measurement model. The goodness-of-fit indexes of the measurement model, the adequate composite reliability index and the discriminant validity supported the viability of the structural equation model (SEM). The goodness-of-fit indexes confirmed the existence of a significant effect of CR and Openness to experience in predicting both verbal and graphic DT. The three CR indicators had high loadings in their theoretical factor, with the observed variables study-work and WAIS vocabulary showing the highest loads. In summary, subjects with CR and Openness to experience were more flexible and original when solving verbal problems, and to a lesser degree, graphic problems.     

Assessing the Helpfulness of One Parenting Assistance Helpline

This study examined the services provided by one statewide warmline established to assist parents and caregivers of children from birth through adolescence. Warmlines offer telephone-based, non-crisis support for individuals experiencing diverse issues that include parenting questions and concerns. The University of Alabama Child Development Resources collaborated with the Alabama State Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention to institute the Parenting Assistance Line to provide information and support to parents and caregivers of children, age birth through adolescence. Overall, the staff of the Parenting Assistance Line responded to 9487 calls during the 6 years of data reported here. Through a secondary data analysis of calls to the Parenting Assistance Line from June 2007 to July 2013, this study describes the concerns of callers in relation to the ages of the children about whom they are calling and also evaluates the perceptions of the helpfulness of the information and support provided by the warmline. We found that frequently calls involved parent support and parental stress for parents and caregivers of children from infancy through adolescence. The findings suggest that telephone assistance lines offer a viable choice for parents and caregivers seeking affordable and accessible resources when stressed by the responsibilities of caring for children and adolescents and/or seeking information related to parenting issues. The study identified the limitations of research involving secondary data collected for purposes other than research that program administrators and evaluators should consider when planning and implementing services of this nature.