Slip and Trip Perturbations During an Object Transport Task Requiring a Lateral Change in Support

The ability to counteract destabilizing external forces while simultaneously executing a complex task presents a novel way to ascertain one's ability to generate adaptive postural control responses to avoid a potential fall. In this study, participants performed an upper limb object transport task requiring a lateral change in support on a robotic platform that could remain fixed in space or translated (mimicking a slip or trip perturbation). No significant stability differences were observed at initial recovery step between slip and trip perturbations. Variability measures were greatest during the trip perturbations; though stability was at its greatest level preceding these perturbations. These results will aid in the design of future studies that will investigate adaptive postural control responses generated by older adults when executing similar, ongoing complex upper body tasks interrupted by a destabilizing support surface perturbation.     

Individualized services and supports through the wraparound process: Philosophy and procedures

The wraparound process is emerging as an alternative to the traditional treatment planning processes inherent in categorical services for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders. We describe the current practices which have been developed in the field. Key elements of the value and philosophical base for the wraparound process are discussed. Proposed procedural steps are described to aid communities in the implementation of the wraparound process. Due to social and policy pressures, it is likely that wraparound process implementations will continue to develop.     

Comments on Research in Family Therapy

This comment is submitted with the intent of stimulating some exchange between researchers. Although I chose the Woodward et al. study as a vehicle for my statement, I might easily have chosen examples outside the family therapy area.     

Church Attendance in Northern Ireland: Catholics and Protestants Compared

While it is widely acknowledged that Northern Ireland is a religious society, Protestants still do not attend church as often as do Catholics. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to employ the Ajzen and Fishbein framework to investigate what factors help to explain why Catholics attend church more regularly than do Protestants. To this end, 333 undergraduate students in the faculty of Social and Health Science at the University of Ulster at Coleraine and Jordanstown were surveyed. For both Catholics and Protestants, attitudes were a stronger determinant of intentions to attend church than were their perceptions of normative and control influences. Of more importance, however, was the finding that the predictive power of the model was enhanced for the Protestant group. This would seem to suggest that for Catholics, church-attending behaviour may not be so much one of reasoned action but perhaps rather more one of habit.     

The Use of Paradox With Children in an Inpatient Treatment Setting

This paper illustrates with case examples the use of paradoxical procedures in a child inpatient treatment center. Indications and contraindications for this type of intervention are discussed.     

Gameplay Decisions of University Badminton Students

This study used a modified multiple baseline approach across groups to determine the effects of a creative problem-solving intervention series on the game-play decision making of university badminton students. All subjects were videotaped five times (once per week) in five-minute game play sessions with the same partner each time. One group (experimental) underwent creative problem-solving interventions on a weekly basis. Following the interventions and videotaping, each five-minute segment was coded via computer for frequencies of occurring tactical decisions. Results suggest that although certain categories did not generate positive support, the experimental intervention tended to continually improve decision-making in the most strategic categories (running opponents and jamming them) during game play in badminton.