Getting Fathers Involved in Child-Related Therapy

Fathers are involved in treatment for child and family problems to a far lesser extent than are mothers. This article reviews the level of fathers’ inclusion in therapy, delineates possible barriers to fathers’ participation in child-related treatment, and discusses factors associated with fathers’ involvement in therapy. Empirically and clinically informed strategies to engage fathers in treatment are offered to help therapists increase fathers’ participation in the therapeutic process. Finally, future directions for clinically informed research in this area are discussed.     

Declines in switching underlie verbal fluency changes after unilateral pallidal surgery in Parkinson's disease

Declines in verbal fluency are consistently reported in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) after pallidal surgery. In the present study, the clustering and switching components of semantic or category fluency (oral naming of items obtainable in supermarkets) were examined at baseline and four months after unilateral deep brain stimulation or pallidotomy in 45 patients with PD (30 left, 15 right pallidal surgery). Post-operative declines were observed for supermarket fluency total score and switching, but not for average cluster size. These findings support the proposal that semantic fluency decrements after pallidal surgery reflect a disruption of frontal-basal ganglia circuits mediating efficient shifting between semantic categories, or perhaps efficient access to categories, rather than a degradation of semantic stores.     

The effect of smoking on sensory and attentional masking

This study examined the influence of smoking on low-level sensory and higher level visual cognitive abilities. Three groups (nonsmokers, deprived smokers, and nondeprived smokers) of 22 observers were tested using a visual target discrimination task. To assess sensory and visual cognitive differences, a masking task developed by Enns and Di Lollo (1997) was used. In the task, the target was masked by either a contour mask (contour masking) or an object mask (attentional masking by object substitution). The strongest masking effects were found in the group of nondeprived smokers, for both sensory and attentional masking. This pattern of results as well as results in the deprived smokers indicated changes in transient visual processing channels due to the acute actions of nicotine, not mediated by withdrawal relief.     

Perceptual classes established with forced-choice primary generalization tests and transfer of function

In Experiment 1, 20 college students learned two identity conditional discriminations using squares that differed in interior-fill percentage (called Fill23 and Fill77). A two-choice generalization test was then presented with number of test trials varied across groups of subjects. The test samples were 19 squares that ranged in fill value from 23% to 77%; the comparisons were squares with Fill23 and Fill77. The resulting gradients did not vary as a function of number of test trials. When the generalization test was repeated with a third comparison, "neither," the ranges of fill values that occasioned the exclusive selection of Fill23 or Fill77 were direct functions of the number of prior two-choice generalization trials. Finally, a disriminability test revealed that Fill23 and Fill77 were disciminable from the intermediate fill values. In Experiment 2, perceptual classes were established with 5 new students using 760 forced-choice generalization test trials. The student were then trained to select a different glyph in the presence of Fill23 and Fill77, followed by a three-choice generalization test in which the 19 fill stimuli served as samples and the two glyphs served as comparisons. The gradients ovelapped with those previously obtained during the three-choice generalization test that used Fill23 and Fill77 as comparisons. Finally, a discriminability test showed that many adjacent stimuli along thc fill dimension were discriminable from each other. Together, the results of both experiments suggest that ranges of fill-based stimuli functioned as members of perceptual classes, and each class also functioned as a transfer network for a new selection-based response.     

Prompts to regulate emotions improve the impact of health messages on eating intentions and behavior

The current study examined the effect of emotion regulation prompts on obesity-related behavioral intentions and food choices in a sample of undergraduate students. Prior to reading a pamphlet regarding obesity-related health concerns and healthy food choices, participants were prompted to regulate their emotions or no prompt was given. Study 1 investigated differences in health behavior intentions and perception of risk of obesity-related health concerns. Study 2 examined differences in meal choices from a menu. Finally, Study 3 examined differences in food choices between participants prompted to attend, regulate emotions, or no prompt. Participants prompted to regulate their emotions were more likely to report intentions to follow a healthier diet and perceive a greater likelihood of health concerns, select health food options from a presented menu. and select a healthier food choice from presented options. These findings suggest emotion regulation strategies may be beneficial to increase awareness of perceived health risks as well as encourage healthier lifestyle choices among college students.     

EQUIVALENCE CLASS FORMATION IN A TRACE STIMULUS PAIRING TWO‐RESPONSE FORMAT: EFFECTS OF RESPONSE LABELS AND PRIOR PROGRAMMED TRANSITIVITY INDUCTION

Three experiments identified factors that did and did not enhance the formation of two‐node four‐member equivalence classes when training and testing were conducted with trials presented in a trace stimulus pairing two‐response (SP2R) format. All trials contained two separately presented stimuli. Half of the trials, called within‐class trials, contained stimuli from the same class while the other half, called cross class trials, contained stimuli from different classes. On within class trials, making a YES response was correct and making a NO response was wrong. On cross class trials, making a NO response was correct and making a YES response was wrong. In Experiment 1, similar intermediate percentages of participants (about 50%) formed classes, regardless of whether the responses were labeled YES and NO or SAME and DIFF. Response labeling thus did not influence class formation. Regardless of response labels, failures of class formation were primarily due to failure of class‐indicative responding produced by within‐class transitivity probes. In Experiment 2, only 50% of participants formed classes without prior training, as in Experiment 1, but 100% of participants formed equivalence classes after the establishment of a generalized transitivity repertoire by use of a programmed transitivity induction protocol. Experiment 3 examined two components of the programmed transitivity induction protocol and found that the exclusion of AC trials had no effect on the percentage of participants who formed equivalence classes, while presenting the stimulus sets in randomized order interfered with equivalence class formation. A further analysis found that a number of stimulus control topographies differentiated between individuals who did and did not form equivalence classes. In general, then, these experiments demonstrate that equivalence classes can be formed reliably when training and testing are conducted in an SP2R format, supporting the view that equivalence class formation can account for the development of conceptual categories in natural settings.     

An exploratory study of gender and motivation to lead in millennials

ABSTRACT

This study explores how gender predicts millennial employee motivation to take a leadership role within a work organization. Previous studies have considered multiple factors in predicting three distinct types of employee motivation to lead, but none have considered how gender may impact this relationship, specifically within the millennial population. Using a sample of 210 employees from a range of industries, results indicate that gender directly affects two types of motivation to lead. In addition to enhancing the theoretical model of employee motivation to accept organizational leadership responsibilities, the results have practical significance for organizations concerned with attracting and developing millennial organizational leaders.     

The Role of Fidelity and Feedback in the Wraparound Approach

Wraparound approaches are being implemented with children in many mental health systems around the country. Evidence for the effectiveness of the wraparound approach, however, is limited. In addition, the degree to which wraparound interventions adhere to the principles of wraparound has rarely been assessed. We examined the influence of adherence to wraparound principles and outcome feedback within the wraparound approach. Children participating in family team meetings were enrolled in a feedback or no feedback condition. Teams receiving feedback were given a brief report regarding outcome progress four times over a three-month period. In addition, adherence to wraparound principles was assessed in the initial team meeting and examined in relationship to outcome at three months and nine months. Although youth in both feedback and non-feedback groups improved with intervention, there were few differences between the groups based on outcome feedback. Similarly, adherence was uniformly high and did not influence the outcome for individual cases. Although the wraparound approach was helpful for youth in our sample, outcome feedback and adherence to wraparound principles had limited influence on these effects.