Predicting eating disorder group membership: an examination and extension of the sociocultural model

The purpose of this research was to examine and extend portions of the sociocultural model of bulimia nervosa (Stice, E. (1994). Review of the evidence for a sociocultural model of bulimia nervosa and an exploration of the mechanisms of action. Clinical Psychology Review, 14, 633-661; Stice, E., & Agras, W. S. (1998). Predicting onset and cessation of bulimic behaviors during adolescence: A longitudinal grouping analysis. Behavior Therapy, 29, 257-276). Participants were women who reported engaging in binge eating at baseline and the 1-year follow-up (n = 26), women who began binge eating between these 2 points (n = 25), and women who did not report binge eating during the course of the study (n = 199). Results of the first discriminant function analysis provided support for the sociocultural model. However, the results of subsequent analyses suggest that additional variables, including stress, escape-avoidance coping, and interoceptive awareness, emerged as important. Implications of these findings for our understanding of the development and maintenance of binge eating are discussed.     

The Preconditions and Consequences of Relative Deprivation: Two Field Studies1

Two field studies assessed the preconditions and behavioral consequences of relative deprivation. A sample of single mothers receiving government assistance participated in Study 1, and a sample of working women participated in Study 2. We found general support for a 2-factor model of the preconditions of relative deprivation, in which wanting the desired state and deserving the desired state were the best predictors of discontent. In both studies, discontent regarding the status of one's group (i.e., single mothers or working women) was specifically predictive of reports of group-directed protest behaviors. In Study 2, discontent regarding one's own status was specifically predictive of willingness to engage in self-improvement behaviors. Participants in both studies reported more group discontent than personal discontent. These findings provide support from naturalistic settings for the construct of relative deprivation.     

Risks and Benefits of Pediatric Bone Marrow Donation: A Critical Need for Research

Healthcare providers assume that there are minimal risks and potential psychosocial benefits for children who undergo a bone marrow harvest for the benefit of their critically ill siblings. Ethical justifications for the use of children as donors rely on there being minimal risks since donors receive no direct medical benefits from the intervention. There is little empirical research regarding psychosocial consequences. This article reviews relevant research in three contexts: a) psychosocial outcomes for adults and children who donate tissue and organs; b) psychosocial impacts on a sibling of a pediatric cancer patient; and c) children's decision-making regarding medical decisions. The relevant research literature supports the belief that the psychosocial impact on a child bone marrow donor will be influenced by the survival of the recipient, the age of the donor, and the donor's participation in the decision to donate. In order to empirically validate the actual psychosocial risks (and benefits) for donors, it is argued that direct research is needed so that a donor's well-being can be protected.     

Decomposition can harm the accuracy of behavioural frequency reports

In survey research, the use of decomposition can lead to pronounced reporting errors as seen by overreporting and overall reporting error. A total of 87 subjects answered either decomposed or undecomposed questions concerning telephone calls made by them while at work. The questionnaire conditions varied the length of the reference period (1 week or 6 months), and the type of call (local or long‐distance). Decomposition conditions introduced either spatial or temporal cues. In all comparisons, decomposed questions increased overreporting bias relative to undecomposed questions. In addition, undecomposed questions with a 1‐week reference period led to increased overreporting bias in comparison to undecomposed/6‐month questions. Results are consistent with a category split estimation model in which smaller categories are predicted to lead to overreporting, and larger categories to underreporting. Decomposition is not recommended for gaining retrospective reports of non‐distinctive, frequent events. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From Unemployment to Employment and Back: Professional Trajectories and Well-Being

Applied Research in Quality of Life - So far, only few studies have considered different aspects of well-being in studying losing or gaining employment. We examined life satisfaction, mental...     

Public policy and employment of people with disabilities: exploring new paradigms

A "sea change" in public attitudes, legislation, and political power at the end of the 20th century in the United States has helped set the stage in the early 21st century for the entry of people with disabilities into the labor force. Major pieces of federal legislation have altered national policy with the intention of maximizing the work force participation of people with disabilities. At the same time, a new theoretical paradigm of disability has emerged, which emphasizes community inclusion, accommodation, and protection of civil rights. This "New Paradigm" of disability can be applied in concert with rigorous behavioral science methodologies to shed light on the outcomes of recent federal policy changes regarding the labor force participation of people with disabilities. In so doing, social science can be used in more meaningful ways to understand both the intended and unintended consequences of federal policy.     

Reid's Foundation for the Primary/Secondary Quality Distinction

Reid offers an under-appreciated account of the primary/secondary quality distinction. He gives sound reasons for rejecting the views of Locke, Boyle, Galileo and others, and presents a better alternative, according to which the distinction is epistemic rather than metaphysical. Primary qualities, for Reid, are qualities whose intrinsic natures can be known through sensation. Secondary qualities, on the other hand, are unknown causes of sensations. Some may object that Reid's view is internally inconsistent, or unacceptably relativistic. However, a deeper understanding shows that it is consistent, and relative only to normal humans. To acquire this deeper understanding, one must also explore the nature of dispositions, Reid's rejection of the theory of ideas, his distinction between sensation and perception, and his distinction between natural and acquired perceptions.     

MouseTrace: A better mousetrap for catching decision processes

This paper describes MouseTrace, a computer program designed to monitor the process by which people make decisions by presenting complex choice information to subjects in the form of an alternative-by-attribute matrix. MouseTrace is a Windows-based extension of another program called MouseLab; however, MouseTrace accommodates significantly more information and allows for multiple responses, as well as multiple decision stages. It is also easier to use for both subjects and experimenters and more sophisticated in terms of its features and the data it records. These data include what information was examined, when, and in what order. This information can be used to derive a variety of cognitive process measures, including those related to search depth, sequence, and content, which in turn can be used to provide unique insights into decision-making theory, individual differences, and a variety of decision variables.     

Health at work in the British National Health Service: A counselling response

This article outlines the historical context that led to an employee counselling service in an NHS Trust in the North East of England being established. It describes the process of implementation and development of the Service. It evaluates the Service using data collated from those using the Service and also client evaluation reports. It critically analyses the data collated from use of the Service after two years. The paper concludes that one of the key issues of the 'Health at Work in the NHS' Initiative--that of staff support--is continuing to be appropriately addressed through the presence of the Service. Although the future of the service is uncertain due to mergers within the Health Trust, indicators still show that staff value and benefit from the Service.     

‘Window’ shopping and browsing opportunities in cyberspace

This article reviews the integral nature of browsing to the shopping experience and then explores the different types of browsing and searching that are supported in the online environment. Browsing contexts and episodes occur when consumers use browsers, URLs, search engines, menu categories and shopping bots to identify merchants and products. Browsing may be both intentional and unintentional, from the consumer's perspective, and controlled or uncontrolled, on the merchant's part. A matrix proposes four different categories of searching: partnership, consumer owned, merchant owned, and no‐one's land. These categories need to be taken into account when designing further research to profile browsing behaviour and to investigate the effect that it has on purchase decisions. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications.