Adherence to HAART: perspectives from clients in treatment support programs

The development of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has resulted in dramatic decreases in morbidity and mortality for HIV-infected individuals. Because the long-term efficacy of HAART is dependent on near perfect adherence, many providers offer services to support adherence, including education, regimen review, counseling, and reminder tools. Little is known regarding the utilization or efficacy of these services. In this paper, we report on data collected during 32 open-ended interviews conducted with individuals receiving services through the New York State Treatment Adherence Demonstration Project. Participants in the project reported deriving benefits from a broad range of project activities. Educational efforts helped clients to recognize HIV as a manageable, rather than terminal, illness. Information and tools focused on specific regimens provided clients with concrete knowledge and skills. Effective communication with medical providers and pharmacists was facilitated by adherence staff who proactively advocated for client needs. Program-based social support was particularly valuable for many participants, helping them to retain needed motivation and strength. Educational, practical, and supportive services were all considered valuable to clients participating in adherence support programs. A mix of services may best meet the range of needs found among persons taking HAART.     

Inference vs control sentences: are readers able to detect our intended differences?

The reliance of comprehension processes on knowledge to form explanatory inferences has been well established (Grasser, Singer, & Trabasso, 1994), yet the evidence that supports these studies is derived from sentence pairs that are largely unexamined. While some recent studies have suggested that the stimulus sentences utilized in comprehension research need further specification (Shears & Chiarello, 2004), there has been little 'normal reading' data provided that examines what readers are able to detect from traditional inference-requiring vs control sentence pairs. The current study utilized stimuli sentences that have historically been used to support inference research (Singer, 1995) as well as some newly developed sentences, to examine whether readers detect differences between control vs inference conditions, and to further examine whether readers could discern when inference sentences achieved an outcome or goal vs when these sentences did not achieve an outcome or goal.     

Sociotropy and perceptions of interpersonal relationships as predictors of eating disturbances among college women: two prospective studies

The authors examined the relationship between sociotropy and perceptions of interpersonal relationships and subsequent eating disorder symptoms among young women. In Study 1, 118 women from a liberal arts college in northern Wisconsin completed self-report measures of sociotropy, perceived close social support, and eating disorder symptoms. The women returned 6 weeks later to complete the same measures. After controlling for initial levels of reported eating disturbances, higher levels of Time 1 sociotropy and reductions in perceived social support at Times 1 and 2 made unique contributions to eating disturbances at Time 2, although the interaction of Time 1 sociotropy and Time 2 social support did not add to the model. In Study 2, 138 women completed measures of eating disturbances, sociotropy, and interpersonal hassles on two occasions, 10 weeks apart. Self-reported eating pathology at Time 1 accounted for most of the variance in Time 2 eating disorder symptoms, but increased eating disturbances also were predicted by measures of interpersonal hassles. A final regression analysis using combined samples indicated that both T1 and T2 measures of interpersonal functioning made unique contributions to changes in reported eating disturbances. In sum, the findings suggested that perceptions of reduced support in close relationships and increased interpersonal hassles contribute to increases in reported eating disturbances among college-aged women, independent of baseline levels of eating disturbances and a highly sociotropic personality style.     

Environmental toxicants and developmental disabilities: a challenge for psychologists

Developmental, learning, and behavioral disabilities are a significant public health problem. Environmental chemicals can interfere with brain development during critical periods, thereby impacting sensory, motor, and cognitive function. Because regulation in the United States is based on limited testing protocols and essentially requires proof of harm rather than proof of lack of harm, some undefined fraction of these disabilities may reflect adverse impacts of this "vast toxicological experiment" (H. L. Needleman, as quoted in B. Weiss & P. J. Landrigan, 2000, p. 373). Yet the hazards of environmental pollutants are inherently preventable. Psychologists can help prevent developmental disabilities by mobilizing and affecting public policy, educating and informing consumers, contributing to interdisciplinary research efforts, and taking action within their own homes and communities to reduce the toxic threat to children.     

The contribution of EEG coherence to the investigation of language

The contribution of EEG coherence analysis to the investigation of cognition and, in particular, language processing is demonstrated with examples of recent EEG studies. The concept of EEG coherence analysis is explained, and its importance emphasized in the light of recent neurobiological findings on frequency-dependent synchrony as a code of information processing between nerve cell assemblies. Furthermore, EEG coherence studies on naturally spoken and written word and sentence processing are reviewed and experimental results are presented giving new insights into the occurrence of "transient functional language centers" within the brain.     

A comparison of maladaptive behaviors of athletes and nonathletes.

A comparison of maladaptive behavior tendencies of men and women who were athletes and nonathletes was undertaken. Participating students (N = 200) were divided into four groups: male athletes, male nonathletes, female athletes, and female nonathletes. Maladaptive behavior tendencies were determined from responses on C. MacAndrew's (1965) Alcoholism Scale. The statistical analysis used was an independent groups 2 x 2 analysis of variance to determine significant main effects and interaction effects. The mean maladaptive behavior score (MBS) for athletes (M = 21.87) was significantly higher (p < .05) than the MBS for nonathletes (M = 20.24). The MBS for the men (M = 21.68) was significantly higher (p < .05) than the MBS for the women (M = 20.43). No significant interaction (p > .05) between gender and athletic status was found. Male athletes are more likely than the other 3 groups to have maladaptive behavior tendencies. Research directed toward greater understanding and the development of preventive and coping techniques for this population is needed.     

he Formation of Liberal Education in England and Scotland

The concept of the artes liberales originates in antiquity and was, especially in the Anglo-Saxon area and during the 17th and 18th centuries, remodelled into a socially, educationally, and politically modern educational concept. In this process, the progress within the empirical sciences and the formation of an early civil public are of the utmost importance. In the course of these transformations, the absolute force of church and state is called into question; educational concepts which have to be called modern emerge from it.     

Introduction: Some Remarks on History,Philosophy, and Education

Studies in Philosophy and Education -     

The relationship of phonemic awareness to reading acquisition: More consequence than precondition but still important

Three studies examined the presence of phonemic awareness among Austrian children before reading instruction and its relationship to concurrent and later reading. These children were about 6–7 years of age but in the majority of cases unable to read when they entered school. Testing phonemic awareness with a newly developed, rather simple and natural vowel substitution task revealed that many children showed not a single correct response or little success. In contrast, the few readers at the beginning of grade one exhibited high phonemic awareness and after a few months of reading instruction most of the children scored at least close to perfect in the vowel substitution task. Despite this apparent effect of reading on phonemic awareness there was a specific predictive relationship between initial phonemic awareness differences and success in learning to read and to spell. In agreement with other studies it was found that phonemic awareness differences before instruction predicted the accuracy of alphabetic reading and spelling at the end of grade one independent from IQ and initial differences in letter knowledge and reading. However, closer examination of the relationship between phonemic awareness before instruction and later success in learning to read revealed a specific pattern. Children with high phonemic awareness at the beginning of grade one showed uniformly high reading and spelling achievement at the end of grade one.