The effects of computer-based instruction on college students’ comprehension of classic research

Our purpose in this research was to determine the extent to which computer-based instruction can replace conventional teaching in experimental psychology. In Experiment 1, students from an advanced cognition and thinking course participated in a simulation of Schallert’s (1976) study of the role of context in prose comprehension and in a simulation of Carpenter and Just’s (1975) study of sentence-picture verification latencies. Half of the students completed each experiment with the computer, and half were taught traditionally. Comprehension of the purpose and design of the experiments was tested immediately after the laboratory session and 1 month later during the final examination. There were no significant differences between the groups. Several students in Experiment 1 appeared to rush through the experiments and pay little attention to the explanations. In Experiment 2, we studied the effectiveness of computer-based instruction in experimental laboratory sections that did or did not require a follow-up assignment. The second variable was introduced so that some factor of seriousness or importance of the laboratory exercise could be measured. Results from this study indicated that, regardless of the perceived importance of a laboratory exercise, students who studied classic research in a traditional setting comprehended the purpose and design of the experiment better than did the students who worked on the computer. In addition, the students assigned to write up the experiment performed better than did the students who were given no follow-up assignment.     

Identifying and understanding gaps in services for adults experiencing homelessness

Gaps between service needs and availability often prevent individuals with a history of homelessness from accessing services and reestablishing permanent housing. This paper examines self‐identified service utilization and service needs based on data collected from an urban sample (N = 577) of adults experiencing homelessness. This study found that individuals differ in their use and continued need of services depending on the reasons they identified as contributing to their homelessness. The majority reported that they learned of services through word of mouth, had difficulty accessing services due to limited transportation options, and were most likely to use services that were in convenient locations that fulfilled their needs and where they were treated with respect. These findings have implications for developing coordinated intakes and the development and dissemination of services aimed at assisting individuals experiencing homelessness.     

Ethnic and Gender Variation in Religious Involvement: Patterns of Expression in Young Adulthood

This study used latent class analysis (LCA) to empirically derive profiles of religious involvement among a sample of 808 young adults and describe ethnic and gender differences within such religious involvement patterns. Items on the Duke Religion Index (DRI) were included as part of a larger longitudinal survey of emotional, physical, and behavioral health. The scale measured the organizational, nonorganizational, and intrinsic dimensions of religiosity (Koenig et al. in Handbook of religion and health, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001) in a sample of young adults at two waves of the study—age 27 and age 30. At age 27, five religious profiles were distinguishable in the sample while at age 30 six profiles emerged. Ethnic differences were found for each of the religious profiles where religious involvement manifested in different ways. Religious profiles between ages 27 and 30 changed over time and were affected by gender and ethnicity.     

Smoking Prevention and the Concept of Risk1

Sixth-grade children in 22 schools received either a social-influences smoking-prevention program or routine health education. The social-influences program was designed to teach youth about peer, parent, and media influences affecting smoking onset and to provide them with skills in resisting these influences. Comparison schools were given no program, but were permitted to continue their usual provision of health education. Program impact was evaluated as a function of pretreatment risk of future smoking. Risk was defined with respect to both (a) the prevalence of social models who smoked and (b) previous smoking experience. Two-and-a-half-year results show program impact to vary with both kinds of risk. Smoking-experience risk interacted such that, at first, there was greater impact on children with experience, but on later follow-up the pattern reversed, with the greater treatment effects seen for those initially with limited experience. Social-models risk showed a direct relationship, with greater risk being associated with greater program impact. Implications both for evaluation research and prevention programs are discussed.     

Clinically Significant Depressive Symptoms in African American Adolescent Females in an Urban Reproductive Health Clinic

Adolescent depression is a major public health concern. Depression and depressive symptoms are more prevalent in adolescent females and are associated with high-risk sexual behavior. Only one third of adolescents receive professional help for their depression, although about 90% visit their primary care providers on average 2–3 times per year. It is imperative that health professionals seek additional methods in the identification and treatment of depressive symptoms. This paper presents findings of the presence of clinically significant depressive symptoms in African American female adolescents receiving routine health care services within an adolescent primary care reproductive health clinic. Results revealed higher rates of depressive symptoms in this subsample of African American adolescent females when compared to the national sample, suggesting that primary care reproductive health clinics are a viable setting for the identification of depressive symptoms among low income, African American female adolescents. Psychosocial interventions and recommendations for the integration of primary care reproductive health, and behavioral health consultation services are presented.     

Electronic mail,a new written‐language register: A study with French‐speaking adolescents

The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which the linguistic forms used by adolescents in electronic mail (e‐mail) differ from those used in standard written language. The study was conducted in French, a language with a deep orthography that has strict, addressee‐dependent rules for using second person personal pronouns (unfamiliar and familiar forms). Data were collected from 80 adolescents ages 12 to 15 in a natural situation where they had to introduce themselves by e‐mail to two addressees (peer/teacher). Participants were divided into two groups (skilled/unskilled in computer‐mediated communication). Their emails contained a large number of orthographic deviations (the most frequent being neographic forms). Participants skilled in computer‐mediated communication (CMC) deviated more than unskilled ones did. The number of orthographic deviations was not linked to the participants' standard writing ability. The personal‐pronoun data clearly showed that adolescents used the familiar form of ‘you’ (tu) to address the peer and the unfamiliar form (vous) to address the teacher. We conclude that, for adolescents, e‐mail constitutes a distinct written‐language register. Nevertheless, the e‐mail register seems to follow the pragmatic rules of standard spoken and written interaction.     

Using the Sand Tray to Facilitate Client Creativity: A Strengths Focused Approach to Adolescent Depression

Interventions incorporating the sand tray are presented as a tool for facilitating creative solutions in adolescent clients presenting with depression. The authors describe how interventions using the sand tray promote client strengths and provide a tool for adolescent clients to better understand their depressive symptoms, identify triggers, and practice coping skills. Attention will be given to how these interventions can be used across counseling perspectives including cognitive-behavioral, narrative, and psychodramatic approaches. The intervention is described and the authors present a case study of its use with an adolescent client experiencing significant levels of depression.