Evaluation of content and vocal style in relaxation instructions

The relative contributions of content and vocal style in relaxation instructions were studied in vivo. Eighty adult dental patients, 40 males and 40 females, who required two amalgam dental restorations were randomly assigned to four conditions (10 males and 10 females in each): a control group in which the restorations were completed in the typical fashion; a group who listened to standard relaxation instructions during the dental procedure; a group who listened to relaxation instructions presented in a conversational tone and pace: and a group who listened to a travelogue presented in a calm, quiet voice at a slow pace. Several cognitive self-rating measures and electrodermal response measures were obtained. The pattern of results suggested that content may be somewhat more important than style in relaxation instructions. However, both appear to be necessary to produce effective relaxation.     

BRIEF (TEST‐CONTROL) FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS AND TREATMENT EVALUATION OF AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR EVOKED BY DIVIDED ATTENTION

We measured the effects of divided attention on the aggressive behavior of a 20‐year‐old man within a test‐control functional analysis (FA; Iwata, B. A., Duncan, B. A., Zarcone, J. R., Lerman, D. C., & Shore, B. A. (1994). A sequential, test‐control methodology for conducting functional analyses of self‐injurious behavior. Behavior Modification, 18, 289–306). The FA confirmed that divided attention was associated with high‐frequency aggression and aggression‐contingent attention from a familiar and preferred staff person. A subsequent treatment evaluation confirmed that aggression decreased when the man was able to request attention from the staff person under the divided attention condition. We discuss the clinical utility of a divided attention and test‐control methodology when conducting a FA of serious problem behavior within applied settings Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relations Between Suicidal Ideation,Depression, and Emotional Autonomy from Parents in Adolescence

We examined the relations between depression, emotional autonomy quality-related constructs of separation and detachment, and suicidal ideation, focusing on the unique and common contribution that depression, separation and detachment made to suicidal ideation. We also examined gender differences. 403 adolescents, 196 boys and 207 girls, completed self-report measures of depression, separation and detachment, and suicidal ideation. The data showed a significant relation between depression and suicidal ideation both for boys and girls, and between detachment and suicidal ideation only for boys. Results for boys supported an additive model such that depression and detachment each contributed unique variance to boys’ suicidal ideation, and an interactive model such that detachment contributed to exacerbate the risk of suicidal ideation when boys were already at risk because of depression. The data for girls supported an interactive, but not additive, model such that depression and detachment did not contribute independently to girls’ suicidal ideation but in a joint way.     

Three Avenues for Future Research on Creativity, Innovation, and Initiative

La créativité, l’innovation et l’initiative sont des processus psychologiques qui facilitent la transformation des rôles professionnels individuels, des équipes et des organisations en ce qui est souhaitable. Cet article est donc axé sur des orientations de recherche virtuelles de ce secteur de plus en plus important. Plus précisément, nous indiquons trois graves lacunes, à savoir la nécessité d’une plus grande différenciation des processus, d’une intégration des concepts et d’une analyse transculturelle. Tout d’abord, les différents antécédents potentiels de la créativité spécifique ou des phases de l’innovation ont bénéficié d’une attention insuffisante. Ensuite, la recherche sur la créativité et l’innovation peut être enrichie par une intégration des concepts de proactivité récemment développés telles que l’initiative personelle et la parole. Enfin, les différences transculturelles dans les valeurs, les orientations motivationnelles et les préférences relatives au leadership peuvent rendre compte de la façon dont la créativité et l’innovation sont mises en ?uvre et cultivées à travers le monde. Eu égard à chacun de ces futurs défis, nous faisons des suggestions pour des avancées théoriques et empiriques et discutons des développements virtuels pratiques et méthodologiques. Creativity, innovation, and initiative are psychological processes that facilitate the transformation of individual work roles, teams, and organisations into desired future states. Therefore, the present paper focuses on potential research trends in this increasingly important area. Specifically, we identify three substantive gaps reflecting the needs for greater process differentiation, concept integration, and cross‐cultural analysis. First, potential differential antecedents of specific creativity or innovation phases have received insufficient attention. Second, the creativity and innovation research domain may benefit from an integration of recently developed proactivity concepts such as personal initiative and voice behavior. Third, cross‐cultural differences in values, motivational orientations, and leadership preferences may determine how creativity and innovation are enacted and cultivated across the globe. With respect to each of these future challenges, we provide suggestions for theoretical and empirical advancements and discuss potential practical and methodological developments.     

Back to basics: training teachers to interpret curriculum‐based measurement data and create observable and measurable objectives

Historically the link between assessment data, IEP objectives, and instruction has been weak and cause for concern for educators, especially as accountability for schools and teachers has increased. In addition, IEP objectives have suffered from being too abstract or overly specific, possibly compounding the gap between objectives and instructional practices. Recently, focus has also emphasized the need for teachers to make data‐based instructional decisions. In order to increase the data‐based decision making of teachers, the first step may be to train teachers to interpret curriculum‐based measurement (CBM) data and translate these data into objective, measurable, and technically adequate objectives. A training package including modeling, practice, and performance feedback was used to instruct special education teachers to use CBM data to develop individualized, observable, and measurable educational objectives. A multiple baseline design across teachers was used to demonstrate that the treatment package resulted in teachers correctly using CBM data to formulate students' instructional goals and objectives. These results revealed that accurate use of CBM information was maintained without the treatment package and from simulated to actual student data. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Problem Behaviors in Adolescence: The Opposite Role Played by Insecure Attachment and Commitment Strength

In this study we examined the relations between insecure attachment styles, commitment and behavioral problems, focusing on the unique and common contribution that avoidant and anxious styles and commitment made to internalizing and externalizing problems. 535 adolescents, 267 boys and 268 girls, aged from 16 to 18 years, completed self-report measures of attachment, identity and problem behaviors. The data showed that both internalizing and externalizing problems were positively related to insecure attachment styles and negatively to commitment. Results supported a unique contribution of both insecure styles to the prediction of internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas commitment negatively predicted only internalizing behaviors. The data supported a joint effect of avoidant attachment and commitment such that commitment contributed to moderate the display of internalizing and externalizing problems among avoidant adolescents.     

Beyond event segmentation: spatial- and social-cognitive processes in verb-to-action mapping

The present article investigates spatial- and social-cognitive processes in toddlers' mapping of concepts to real-world events. In 2 studies we explore how event segmentation might lay the groundwork for extracting actions from the event stream and conceptually mapping novel verbs to these actions. In Study 1, toddlers demonstrated the ability to segment a novel multiaction event by selecting a single action for behavioral reenactment when prompted. In Study 2, a single action embedded in the event sequence was specified as the referent for a novel verb through cues to support intentional inference. As in Study 1, toddlers spontaneously segmented the sequence. In addition, they mapped a novel label to the embedded action specified by the novel label and intentional cues. These data are consistent with current thinking that suggests a convergence of spatial and social cognition in verb learning. In the present research, toddlers built upon event segmentation skills and used intentional inference when mapping verbs to actions embedded in the motion stream.     

Acute exposure to a novel stressor further reduces the habituated corticosterone response to restraint in rats

The present study sought to identify dishabituation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis response to different psychological stressors. Young adult male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to five, 1 h sessions of restraint stress on five consecutive days. On the sixth day, and 2 h before additional exposure to restraint, animals were subjected to 30 min of a small (27cm square), elevated open field stressor (pedestal), which served as the dishabituating stimulus. We predicted HPA axis response dishabituation in chronically restrained rats exposed to the novel pedestal. Rats which underwent five days of restraint stress showed significantly blunted plasma corticosterone levels to restraint (habituation) as compared to restraint-nai've rats. However, rats which underwent five sessions of restraint responded with an enhanced habituation response when confronted with restraint shortly after exposure to the novel pedestal. Instead of HPA axis response dishabituation, we observed enhanced habituation. Subsequent experiments determined that a 1.25 mgkg corticosterone injection could substitute for pedestal exposure to produce enhanced restraint habituation.Combined treatment with both the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU40555 (30 mgkg)and the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist RU283 18 (50 mgkg) blocked the expression of enhanced habituation after pedestal exposure. Thus, the delayed corticosterone negative feedback produced by novel stress led to enhanced expression of corticosterone response habituation.