Evaluation of a Video Prompting and Fading Procedure for Teaching Dish Washing Skills to Adults with Developmental Disabilities

We evaluated a video prompting and fading procedure for teaching three adults with developmental disabilities to wash dishes. Video prompting involved showing video clips depicting each step of the task. All three adults reached 90–100% correct when video prompting was implemented. Following acquisition, video prompting was withdrawn, but performance deteriorated. Subsequently, a 3-step fading procedure was implemented in which the separate video clips were merged to form larger, multi-step segments of video. Performance reached 80–100% correct as the video prompts were re-applied and then faded. Performance decreased at the 3-month follow-up when prompting was removed, but stabilized at 80–90% correct when the third step in the fading sequence was reinstated. These data suggest a promising approach for fading video prompts.     

An Examination of the Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire

As the experience of stigma and its psychological dimensions require careful measurement, the purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire (FSQ). A total of 170 participants with psoriasis and 124 with atopic dermatitis (AD) completed the FSQ. AD participants self-rated AD severity, while psoriasis severity was determined by a clinician. Confirmatory (CFA) and exploratory factor analytic (EFA) techniques were used to examine the factor structure of the FSQ. The FSQ total score was not related to age, age at onset, illness duration or psoriasis severity but it was negatively associated with AD severity (r = −.25, p < .01). The original six-factor structure of the FSQ was not replicated in our sample. Using EFA, a fixed three-factor solution proved the most stable, with the dimensions of feeling flawed, anticipation of rejection and secrecy, and positive attitudes towards skin disease being identified.     

Recycling,evolution and the structure of human personality

Lower childhood cognitive ability may be a risk factor for greater cognitive decline in late life and progression to dementia. To assess variation in age-related cognitive change, it is helpful to have valid measures of cognitive ability from early life. Here, we examine the relation between childhood intelligence and cognitive change in later life in two samples, one born in 1921 and the other in 1936. All participants completed the same test of mental ability (one of the Moray House Test series) at age about 11 years, and were re-examined on Raven’s Progressive Matrices at age 77 (1921-born) or age 64 (1936-born). Where possible, the 1921 sample was re-tested at the age of about 80 years old and the 1936 sample re-tested at about 66 years. After taking into account various covariates, including sex, education and occupation, childhood intelligence was a significant predictor of cognitive change in later life. Results were in the direction that participants with lower childhood mental ability experienced relatively greater cognitive decline, whereas those of higher childhood mental ability showed improved performance. This result suggests that higher premorbid cognitive ability is protective of decline in later life.     

Judgments of visually perceived eye level (VPEL) in outdoor scenes: effects of slope and height

When one looks up a hill from below, its peak appears lower than it is; when one looks at a hill across a valley from another peak, the peak of that hill appears higher than it is. These illusions have sometimes been explained by assuming that the subjective horizontal is assimilated to the nearby slope: when looking up a slope, the subjective horizontal is raised, diminishing the height of the peak above the subjective horizontal, and making the peak appear lower than it is. When looking down a slope towards another hill, the subjective horizontal is lowered, increasing the height of that hill above the subjective horizontal, and making its peak appear higher than it is. To determine subjective horizontals we measured visually perceived eye levels (VPELs) in 21 real-world scenes on a range of slopes. We found that VPEL indeed assimilates by about 40% to slopes between 7 degrees downhill and 7 degrees uphill. For larger uphill slopes up to 23 degrees, VPEL asymptotes at about 4.5 degrees. For larger downhill slopes, the assimilation of VPEL diminishes, and at 23 degrees is raised by about 1 degree. These results are consistent with the assimilation explanation of the illusions if we assume that steep downhill slopes lose their effectiveness by being out of view. We also found that VPEL was raised when viewing from a height, in comparison with ground-level views, perhaps because the perceived slope increases with viewing height.     

The pursuit of muscularity among adolescent boys in Fiji and Tonga

The desire for muscularity is tied to Western views of the male gender role, which prescribe that men be strong, physically fit and athletically successful. Although, these ideals have been primarily studied among Western adolescent boys, there is emerging evidence that the same ideals are valued and promoted among males from the Pacific Islands. The aim of the present study was to examine body image concerns associated with muscularity and the reasons for these concerns among Fijian and Tongan adolescent boys. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 Indigenous Fijian, 24 Indo-Fijian, and 24 Tongan boys aged between 13 and 20 years. A thematic analysis of boys’ narratives showed that the pursuit of muscularity was a dominant theme for many boys. Boys’ reasons for pursing muscularity included the attainment of strength and fitness, sporting performance, physical work, dominance, and health. These findings are examined in relation to previous research with Western adolescent boys.     

Identification of scientists making long‐term,high‐impact contributions,with notes on their methods of working

A two decade (1958–1978) study was made of 40 male scientists, including four Nobel Prize winners. Multiple psychological tests were administered, along with interviews and analysis of publication rates and citations. The data yielded two factors that had very high predictive ability for identifying long‐term, high‐impact investigators: a series of five or more high‐impact papers published by the age of 45 accompanied by simultaneous involvement in research in several areas. Scientists meeting these criteria all went on to produce high‐impact papers into their late‐50s and 60s, whereas the other scientists in the study did not. Other factors, such as number of publications, membership in the National Academy of Sciences, and the award of a Nobel Prize were not significantly predictive of continued impact. Thus, previous impact should not be used as a basis for further funding independent of other measures. Methods of working peculiar to long‐term, high‐impact individuals, such as frequent changes in the focus of their research, working on several problems simultaneously, and abhorrence of administrative duties, are also examined in light of Gruber's concept of networks of enterprise. The common preconceptions that a scientist's best work is done by the age of 40 and that productivity and creativity decline necessarily thereafter are shown to be common but unnecessary concomitants of aging. Possible reasons for exceptional cases are discussed.     

Patterns of Career Choices Over Time

The patterns of career change observed in samples of subjects of varying ages and levels of educational attainment have been examined. The pattern of occupational distribution shows consistent gains in the business and education groups, whereas the numbers of students aspiring to careers in science and engineering decrease. These findings have been interpreted on the basis of the personal characteristics of students, their perception of occupations, and the societal determinants of occupational choice.