Semantic similarity, predictability, and models of sentence processing

The effects of word predictability and shared semantic similarity between a target word and other words that could have taken its place in a sentence on language comprehension are investigated using data from a reading time study, a sentence completion study, and linear mixed-effects regression modeling. We find that processing is facilitated if the different possible words that could occur in a given context are semantically similar to each other, meaning that processing is affected not only by the nature of the words that do occur, but also the relationships between the words that do occur and those that could have occurred. We discuss possible causes of the semantic similarity effect and point to possible limitations of using probability as a model of cognitive effort.     

Academics' experiences of a respite from work: effects of self-critical perfectionism and perseverative cognition on postrespite well-being

This longitudinal study examined relations between personality and cognitive vulnerabilities and the outcomes of a respite from work. A sample of 77 academic employees responded to week-level measures of affective well-being before, during, and on 2 occasions after an Easter respite. When academics were classified as being either high or low in a self-critical form of perfectionism (doubts about actions), a divergent pattern of respite to postrespite effects was revealed. Specifically, during the respite, the 2 groups of academics experienced similar levels of well-being. However, during postrespite working weeks, the more perfectionistic academics reported significantly higher levels of fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and anxiety. The greater deterioration in well-being experienced by perfectionist academics when first returning to work was mediated by their tendency for perseverative cognition (i.e., worry and rumination) about work during the respite itself. These findings support the view that the self-critical perfectionist vulnerability is activated by direct exposure to achievement-related stressors and manifested through perseverative modes of thinking.     

A Methodological Review of Faith-Based Health Promotion Literature: Advancing the Science to Expand Delivery of Diabetes Education to Black Americans

Non-traditional avenues, such as faith-based organizations (FBOs), must be explored to expand delivery of diabetes self-management education (DSME) to benefit Black Americans with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The purpose of this study was to methodologically review the faith-based health promotion literature relevant to Blacks with T2D. A total of 14 intervention studies were identified for inclusion in the review. These studies detailed features of methods employed to affect health outcomes that DSME similarly targets. Analysis of the faith-based studies?? methodological features indicated most studies used (1) collaborative research approaches, (2) pre-experimental designs, (3) similar recruitment and retention strategies, and (4) culturally sensitive, behaviorally oriented interventions with incorporation of social support to achieve positive health outcomes in Black Americans. Findings indicate FBOs may be a promising avenue for delivering DSME to Black Americans. Informed by the findings, a focused discussion on advancing the science of faith-based interventions to expand delivery of DSME to Black Americans with diabetes is provided.     

Measuring Non-Economic Quality of Life on a Sub-National Level: A Case Study of New Zealand

Most research on non-economic quality of life has a national focus and/or uses subjective measures. This paper makes use of a multitude of demographic and geographic variables to construct objective indices of quality of life. This analysis is applied at the sub-national level for New Zealand for the purpose of rating regional areas on their quality of life over the period of 1986?C2006. This study also makes a contribution to the current quality of life literature by using a regression technique to remove the impact of income levels and therefore focus on the non-economic component of these quality of life indices. Our results show that Taranaki and Nelson are doing much better in terms of their quality of life, and Bay of Plenty and Waikato much worse than expected, given their levels of regional GDP per capita. These results have important policy implications at the regional council level.     

A Reappraisal of the Nobody’s Perfect Program

Nobody’s Perfect Program (NP), involving 46 participants, was conducted from the spring of 2007 to the fall of 2009 in Peterborough, Canada. Prior to the program, parents completed demographic information, along with self-report measures assessing learned resourcefulness, the types of interactions with their children, parent resourcefulness, knowledge and use of resources, parent competency and self-efficacy, which were completed again after the program and at a 2 month follow-up testing. Most parents (83%) earned a certificate. Significant improvements over time were observed for parenting confidence satisfaction, knowledge about community resources, and parenting resourcefulness, with general learned resourcefulness skills approaching significance. Pre/post relative gains demonstrated in one attribute were associated with pre/post relative gains in others. Similarities and differences of these findings to a previous investigation are discussed, as well as the importance of parents’ general level of learned resourcefulness.     

Examining the Impact of Dons Providing Peer Instruction for Academic Integrity: Dons’ and Students’ Perspectives

A peer instruction model was used whereby 78 residence dons (36 males, 42 females) provided instruction regarding academic integrity for 324 students (125 males, 196 females) under their supervision. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to assess survey responses from both the dons and students regarding presentation content, quality, and learning. Overall, dons consistently identified information-based slides about academic integrity as the most important material for the presentations, indicating that fundamental information was needed. Although student ratings of the usefulness of the presentations were middling, students did indicate knowledge gains. Both interest and personal value for academic integrity were highly predictive of positive evaluations of the presentations. Dons and students provided suggestions for improvement and identified more global concerns.     

The Relationship of Trauma to Nonsexual Crimes Committed by Adolescent Sexual Abusers: A New Area of Research

In an early investigation on the topic of the relationship between trauma history and nonsexual crimes committed by sexual offenders, this study examined nonsexual crimes committed by a sample of 451 juvenile sexual abusers. More than 60% of this sample committed quite serious crimes (i.e., animal cruelty, arson, assault, burglary, car theft, drug-related crimes, or theft). Based on the delinquency literature, childhood victimization significantly predicted severity of criminal behavior for this sample. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Interaction between scene-based and array-based contextual cueing

Contextual cueing refers to the cueing of spatial attention by repeated spatial context. Previous studies have demonstrated distinctive properties of contextual cueing by background scenes and by an array of search items. Whereas scene-based contextual cueing reflects explicit learning of the scene–target association, array-based contextual cueing is supported primarily by implicit learning. In this study, we investigated the interaction between scene-based and array-based contextual cueing. Participants searched for a target that was predicted by both the background scene and the locations of distractor items. We tested three possible patterns of interaction: (1) The scene and the array could be learned independently, in which case cueing should be expressed even when only one cue was preserved; (2) the scene and array could be learned jointly, in which case cueing should occur only when both cues were preserved; (3) overshadowing might occur, in which case learning of the stronger cue should preclude learning of the weaker cue. In several experiments, we manipulated the nature of the contextual cues present during training and testing. We also tested explicit awareness of scenes, scene–target associations, and arrays. The results supported the overshadowing account: Specifically, scene-based contextual cueing precluded array-based contextual cueing when both were predictive of the location of a search target. We suggest that explicit, endogenous cues dominate over implicit cues in guiding spatial attention.