THE IMPACT OF QUESTIONNAIRE ADMINISTRATION MODE ON RESPONSE RATE AND REPORTING OF CONSENSUAL AND NONCONSENSUAL SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

Computer-administered self-interviewing (CASI) has been advocated as a way of overcoming underreporting of sensitive sexual behaviors. The present study compared reports of consensual and nonconsensual sexual behaviors (including childhood and adulthood sexual victimization) among women using CASI ( n = 1014) versus a self-administered questionnaire (SAQ; n = 318). Women, ages 18–30 years old, were recruited through random-digit dialing in the community. Response rates were significantly higher for the SAQ, which was sent and returned by mail (87.6% of those eligible), than for the CASI, which involved in-person assessment at a central location (61.4%). There were a few modest differences in reports of consensual or nonconsensual sexual behavior according to mode of administration, suggesting greater willingness to report sexual experiences among the SAQ sample. Mailed SAQ following telephone contact and with financial incentive may be a cost-effective way of obtaining data on sexual behavior from a community sample.     

Construct validity of Wechsler factor scores.

The construct validity of the Verbal Comprehension. Perceptual Organization, and Freedom from Distractibility factor scores was examined in a sample of school-aged referred children. Examination of correlations between factor scores and neuropsychological and achievement tests generally supported the construct validity of the factors. The Verbal Comprehension factor was associated with verbal, quantitative, and concept-formation abilities. The Perceptual Organization factor was related to nonverbal concept formation, tactual performance, and visual attention. The Freedom from Distractibility factor demonstrated a complex pattern of correlations and appeared to reflect a range of abilities including quantitative, language, attentional, and concept formation.     

Status conferral in intergroup social dilemmas: behavioral antecedents and consequences of prestige and dominance

Bridging the literatures on social dilemmas, intergroup conflict, and social hierarchy, the authors systematically varied the intergroup context in which social dilemmas were embedded to investigate how costly contributions to public goods influence status conferral. They predicted that contribution behavior would have opposite effects on 2 forms of status-prestige and dominance-depending on its consequences for the self, in-group and out-group members. When the only way to benefit in-group members was by harming out-group members (Study 1), contributions increased prestige and decreased dominance, compared with free-riding. Adding the option of benefitting in-group members without harming out-group members (Study 2) decreased the prestige and increased the dominance of those who chose to benefit in-group members via intergroup competition. Finally, sharing resources with both in-group and out-group members decreased perceptions of both prestige and dominance, compared with sharing them with in-group members only (Study 3). Prestige and dominance differentially mediated the effects of contribution behavior on leader election, exclusion from the group, and choices of a group representative for an intergroup competition. Taken together, these findings show that the well-established relationship between contribution and status is moderated by both the intergroup context and the conceptualization of status.     

Stay a Little Longer: Sustaining Empathy,Vulnerability, and Intimacy in Couple Therapy

In this paper, my main intent is to heighten therapists' awareness of the difficulties and opportunities inherent in “vulnerable moments” (Livingston, 2001) and the importance of enabling couples to prolong such moments of openness. Sustained empathic attention to patients' subjective and affective experience during these moments deepens the analytic process and facilitates a transformation of the relationship itself—which is the focus of couple treatment.     

Effects of video self-modeling on the preference and reinforcer value of toys for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder

A primary characteristic of autism spectrum disorder includes restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior. Because having few preferred items and activities can lead to social, communicative, and educational barriers, it is important to increase the number of preferred stimuli in the individual's environment. One way to do this is through conditioned reinforcement via observation. Such procedures involve the acquisition of a skill or change in behavior as a result of indirect contact (i.e., observation) with contingencies received by others. While conditioning through observation has been shown to be effective, one novel approach is video self-modeling. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effects of video self-modeling on the preference and reinforcer value of toys for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.     

Self-recording and student teacher supervision: variables within a token economy structure

A token system was used to attempt to increase the accuracy with which special education students answered questions about reading assignments. In the token system, students recorded their own data, received toy money for accurately completing assignments, and were allowed to spend their toy money at the end of the week for educational activities. The accuracy with which students answered questions was higher when the token system was in effect than when it was not. When student teachers were used to manage the token system and when the self-recording feature of the system was removed, only slight changes in the accuracy of the student performance were obtained.     

Stimulus novelty and intraseries primacy in GSR adaptation

GSR records were obtained for four groups of 20 Ss. Group I was presented with a series of four different lights (amber, blue, green, and white) appearing 20 times each, in apparent random order. The procedure was similar for the other three groups except that in group 2, a novel stimulus (a red light) appeared instead of the sixth amber light; in group 3, it appeared instead of the 11th amber light; and, in group 4, it appeared instead of the 16th amber light. Typical GSR adaptation phenomena were observed in all groups. The introduction of the novel stimulus appeared to have no effect on the course of GSR adaptation.     

Factor structure of the Reitan-Indiana Neuropsychological Battery for Children

The Reitan-Indiana Neuropsychological Battery (RINB) was administered to a sample of children referred for educational and behavioral problems (N = 130). Subtest scores were standardized by age at 1-year intervals (6, 7, and 8 years). A principal components analysis (PCA) with promax rotation of 18 subtest scores produced a five-factor solution. Factor 1 emphasizes tactile/spatial functions, Factor 2 emphasizes concept formation and visual/spatial abilities, Factor 3 reflects motor strength, Factor 4 emphasizes sensory perception, and Factor 5 reflects motor speed. Principal factor analysis (PFA) of these data was performed to permit comparison with the PCA solutions. The PFA and PCA solutions were similar and major conclusions about factor structure were consistent.