Perceived distance in imagined space

An experiment was designed to determine whether, in the absence of distance-cues, the perceived distance of an object is regulated by the imagined space in which the object is located. Judgements of distance and size were obtained in a completely reduced situation. Preceding these judgements, the subject engaged in 5 min. of visual exploration of the interior of an oblong box. The length of the box differed (3, 6 or 9 ft.) for different groups of subjects. The different pre-exposure conditions were expected to produce diffrences in the dimensions of the imagined space that the subject introduced in the subsequent test session. These differences in imagined space should lead to differences in the perceived distance of a single object located at a constant distance. Significant differences were obtained in the expected direction. In addition, judgements of the size of the standard tended to co-vary positively with the distance-judgments, suggesting that the effect of imagined space on judged distance was not simply the product of experimental biasing of the response system. Some methodological and theoretical implications of the findings are considered.     

Reliability of the Wraparound Observation Form: An Instrument to Measure the Wraparound Process

Within the past decade, the wraparound approach has gained significant popularity in providing services to children with challenging social and family needs. While a plethora of wraparound programs have been developed and studies have been conducted to assess their effectiveness, the need to develop instruments that measure the implementation of wraparound services is clear. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the reliability of a scale that measures wraparound services. In this study, the Wraparound Observation Form (WOF), was developed to evaluate the implementation of the wraparound process in treatment planning meetings. The WOF includes 34 closed-ended items that requires the respondent to note the occurrence or non-occurrence of specific events or behaviors at treatment planning meetings. In the present study, two data collectors attended planning meetings and independently completed the WOF. The inter-rater reliability was 95%. The WOF appears to be a reliable instrument and be appropriate in evaluating wraparound services.     

Patterns and correlates of personal,family, and prior placement variables in an interagency community based system of care

We examined interrelationships among personal, family, and prior service utilization data collected on young people selected to participate in a Chicago suburban area system of care, with a detailed consideration of a subset of 176 White participants aged 9–20 years. Data obtained through a review of archival information and then analyzed included WISC IQ grade retention, medication status, DSM diagnostic group, adjudication, marital status of parents, living situation before selection, maternal employment, public assistance status, family risk status, and placement history. Results showed that IQ and specific DSM diagnostic category were not important correlates of personal, family, or placement variables, although having a DSM diagnosis of any kind was. Family risk factors, including family history of mental illness, substance abuse, criminal conviction, and violence in the family, were related to other family variables, primarily. Adjudication and prescribed medication appeared to have been alternative responses to these young people's problems. A cluster analysis of these system of care participants' placement histories indicated five clusters characterized by varied personal and family correlates, as well as different patterns of placement usage.     

Revision and Restandardization of the Conners Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS-R): Factor Structure, Reliability, and Criterion Validity

The Conners Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS) is a commonly used research and clinical tool for assessing children's behavior in the classroom. The present study introduces the revised CTRS (CTRS-R) which improves on the original CTRS by (1) establishing normative data from a large, representative North American sample, (2) deriving a factor structure using advanced statistical techniques, and (3) updating the item content to reflect current conceptualizations of childhood disorders. Using confirmatory factor analysis, a six-factor structure was found which includes Hyperactivity-Impulsivity, Perfectionism, Inattention/Cognitive Problems, Social Problems, Oppositionality, and Anxious/Shy factors. The reliability of the scale, as measured by test-retest correlations and internal consistency, is generally satisfactory. Using all of the scale factors to discriminate between attention deficit hyperactivity disordered and normal children, 85 percent of children were correctly classified, supporting the validity of the scale and indicating excellent clinical utility. Similarities and differences between the original CTRS factor structure and the CTRS-R factor structure are discussed.     

The illusion of knowing: Failure in the self-assessment of comprehension

The illusion of knowing is the belief that comprehension has been attained when, in fact, comprehension has failed. In the present experiment, the illusion was defined operationally as having occurred when readers who failed to find a contradiction in a text rated their comprehension of the text as high. Texts containing contradictions between adjacent sentences were presented, and readers were explicitly asked to search for contradictions. The frequency of illusions was greater when the contradictory sentences came at the end of three-paragraph texts rather than at the end of one-paragraph texts and when the contradictory information was syntactically marked as new. These results are interpreted within a framework that emphasizes that the goal of reading expository text is to establish coherence within and among sentences. In addition, the results are apparently incompatible with the notion that readers engage in active and accurate on-line monitoring of the degree to which this goal is met.     

The McMaster family therapy outcome study: an overview of methods and results

A multifaceted outcome design was used to investigate the results of brief, system-oriented family therapy. The present report describes the methods used and provides an, overview of clients' status on a variety of outcome measures. Treatment was brief and involved the entire family in most cases. Therapists varied in discipline (psychiatry, social work, psychology or nursing) and experience (students to very senior status). A variety of measures were obtained at the beginning of treatment, at treatment closure, or after a six month follow-up. Independent interviewers conducted the six month follow-up. Measures were obtained regarding the parents' and children's level of intellectual functioning, children's academic achievement, and disruptive school behaviour. Therapists' ratings of the families' change in treatment and prognosis were also obtained at treatment closure. At follow-up, measures of the children's academic achievement and disruptive school behavior were repreated and the interviewers determined the family's satisfaction with the services they received. The results indicate that the majority of families did well on most of the measures considered. No significant change was found in terms of the children's academic performance, but there was a significant decline in their disruptive school behaviour.This project was funded by grants from the Medical Research Council of Canada, and Health and Welfare Ministry, Canada.