Toward a dependable measure of reflection-impulsivity: An application of generalizability theory

Generalizability theory was applied to the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFF) to analyze the dependability of the MFF as a measure of reflection-impulsivity at four grade levels: second, third, fourth, and fifth. A completely crossed, two-facet random model design was used to provide a multidimensional framework for examining the dependability of the MFF. Components of variance and coefficients of generalizability were derived from this design for the MFF error and latency scores at each grade level. Results showed that the MFF latency score was a more dependable measure than the MFF error score. In addition, the number of testing occasions made a more significant contribution to the generalizability of the MFF than the number of items. Coefficients of generalizability based on extrapolated items and occasions were also computed, providing the basis for improving the dependability of the MFF in future research. Overall, results indicate that the traditional method of allowing multiple trials for each item contributes to the imprecision of the MFF error score. An alternative procedure for administering the MFF is recommended.Portions of this article were presented at the annual convention of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada, March 1978. At various times during the conduct and completion of the present article, the first author was affiliated with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the University of California, Los Angeles.     

Some effects of gaze on subjects motivated to seek or to avoid social comparison

In a conceptual replication and extension of Sarnoff and Zimbardo's study (Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1961, 62, 356–363), subjects were motivated to seek (Fear Arousal) or avoid (Embarrassment Arousal) social comparison. They were then required to affiliate with another person who either encouraged social comparison by gazing directly at the subject or discouraged it by averting his gaze. This other person was either an appropriate reference person (similar saate) or irrelevant for social comparison purposes. As predicted, Fear subjects liked a companion who looked at them and felt less tense in his presence, while Embarrassed subjects preferred the person who looked away. This interaction occurred only in the Appropriate Reference Person condition, a result consistent with an explanation based on social comparison processes.     

Gapping

Tukey's scheme for finding separations in univariate data strings is described and tested. It is found that one can use the size of a data gap coupled with its ordinal position in the distribution to determine the likelihood of its having arisen by chance. It was also shown that this scheme is relatively robust for fatter-tailed-than-Gaussian distributions and has some interesting implications in multidimensional situations.     

Stimulus aspects of aversive controls: stimulus generalization of conditioned suppression following discrimination training

A tone ending with unavoidable electrical shock was periodically presented to pigeons while they pecked a key for food. A second group of birds was exposed to these tone-shock contingencies and also to a second tone which never ended with shock. The gradient of stimulus generalization following training to a single stimulus was symmetrical, whereas the gradient following discrimination training was asymmetrical, but there was no evidence of peak shift. During testing, suppression to all tones gradually extinguished and in both groups the slope of the gradient increased markedly. A second experiment with the discrimination birds revealed that free shock caused a recovery of the gradient, but the asymmetry persisted.     

Concurrent brief versus intensive smoking intervention during alcohol dependence treatment.

Alcohol dependent smokers (N=118) enrolled in an intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment program were randomized to a concurrent brief or intensive smoking cessation intervention. Brief treatment consisted of a 15-min counseling session with 5 min of follow-up. Intensive intervention consisted of three 1-hr counseling sessions plus 8 weeks of nicotine patch therapy. The cigarette abstinence rate, verified by breath carbon monoxide, was significantly higher for the intensive treatment group (27.5%) versus the rate for the brief treatment group (6.6%) at 1 month after the quit date but not at 6 months, when abstinence rates fell to 9.1% for the intensive treatment group and 2.1% for the brief treatment group. Smoking treatment assignment did not significantly impact alcohol outcomes. Although intensive smoking treatment was associated with higher rates of short-term tobacco abstinence, other, perhaps more intensive, smoking interventions are needed to produce lasting smoking cessation in alcohol dependent smokers.     

Predicting Outcomes or Modeling Process? Commentary on the Health Action Process Approach

Schwarzer (2008 ) reviews the evidence for two major contributions of the Health Action Process Approach model (HAPA) to current theory and behavioral health research: (1) the differentiation of concepts by both content and process, and (2) clear recognition of the temporal aspect in the assembly of health behavior sequences. This commentary discusses four areas for HAPA to address for a more complete explanation of health behaviors and their determinants. Further, we suggest that incorporating into HAPA the hierarchical structure of the control systems that regulate health behaviors and the importance of concrete experience in initiating and maintaining behavior, elements emphasised in the Commonsense Model of Self‐regulation, will enrich HAPA's theoretical base and increase its utility for the development of interventions for behavioral change. Schwarzer (2008 ) examine les données confirmant deux contributions majeures du modèle de l’Approche du Processus de l’Action en faveur de la Santé (HAPA) à la théorie et aux recherches sur les comportements relatifs à la santé: 1) La différenciation des concepts à la fois par le contenu et le processus, 2) Un repérage précis de la dimension temporelle dans l’articulation des séquences comportementales relevant de la santé. Ce commentaire aborde quatre points qui permettraient à l’HAPA de fournir une explication plus complète des conduites liées à la santé et de leurs antécédents. Il semble en outre que l’introduction dans l’HAPA de la structure hiérarchique des systèmes de contrôle qui régulent les comportements de santé et de l’aspect important qu’est l’expérience concrète dans l’amorce et le maintien du comportement, éléments mis en valeur par le Modèle du Sens Commun de l’Autorégulation, enrichirait les fondements théoriques de l’HAPA et augmenterait son utilité pour l’élaboration d’interventions en faveur du changement comportemental.     

The relation of cultural context and social relationships to career development in middle school

This study examined the role of supportive relationships (i.e., family, teacher, and peer) and agency (i.e., self-efficacy, motivation, and goal-setting orientation) on three outcomes: academic grades, distress, and career decidedness. Data from 588 middle school youth from Northern (N = 322) and Southern (N = 266) Italy were analyzed using path modeling. Results indicated that across gender and region, agency was consistently related to academic grades and career decidedness. However, the role of supportive relationships was found to differ across gender and region. For both boys from Northern Italy and girls from Southern Italy, the impact of family support on academic grades and career decidedness was mediated by agency. For girls from Northern Italy, family support related directly to academic grades and career decidedness. Implications for practice were described.     

Does Self-Reported Posttraumatic Growth Reflect Genuine Positive Change?

ABSTRACT— In this study, we evaluated the validity of self-reported posttraumatic growth (PTG) by assessing the relation between perceived growth and actual growth from pre- to posttrauma. Undergraduate students completed measures tapping typical PTG domains at Time 1 and Time 2 (2 months later). We compared change in those measures with scores on the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996 ) for those participants who reported a traumatic event between Time 1 and Time 2 ( n = 122). PTGI scores generally were unrelated to actual growth in PTG-related domains. Moreover, perceived growth was associated with increased distress from pre- to posttrauma, whereas actual growth was related to decreased distress, a pattern suggesting that perceived and actual growth reflect different processes. Finally, perceived (but not actual) growth was related to positive reinterpretation coping. Thus, the PTGI, and perhaps other retrospective measures, does not appear to measure actual pre- to posttrauma change.