Modeling the Bullying Prevention Program Preferences of Educators: A Discrete Choice Conjoint Experiment

We used discrete choice conjoint analysis to model the bullying prevention program preferences of educators. Using themes from computerized decision support lab focus groups (n = 45 educators), we composed 20 three-level bullying prevention program design attributes. Each of 1,176 educators completed 25 choice tasks presenting experimentally varied combinations of the study’s attribute levels. Latent class analysis yielded three segments with different preferences. Decision Sensitive educators (31%) preferred that individual schools select bullying prevention programs. In contrast, Support Sensitive educators (51%) preferred that local school boards chose bullying prevention programs. This segment preferred more logistical and social support at every stage of the adoption, training, implementation, and long term maintenance processes. Cost Sensitive educators (16%) showed a stronger preference for programs minimizing costs, training, and implementation time demands. They felt prevention programs were less effective and that the time and space in the curriculum for bullying prevention was less adequate. They were less likely to believe that bullying prevention was their responsibility and more likely to agree that prevention was the responsibility of parents. All segments preferred programs supported by the anecdotal reports of colleagues from other schools rather than those based on scientific evidence. To ensure that the bullying prevention options available reflect the complex combination of attributes influencing real world adoption decisions, program developers need to accommodate the differing views of the Decision, Support, and Cost Sensitive segments while maximizing the support of parents and students.     

Chronic glucocorticoid hypersecretion in Cushing’s syndrome exacerbates cognitive aging

Cumulative exposure to glucocorticoid hormones (GC) over the lifespan has been associated with cognitive impairment and may contribute to physical and cognitive degeneration in aging. The objective of the present study was to examine whether the pattern of cognitive deficits in patients with Cushing’s syndrome (CS), a disorder characterized by chronic exposure to elevated levels of glucocorticoids (GC), is similar to that observed in older individuals. Ten subjects with CS were compared to sex-, age-, and education-matched healthy controls and older subjects (age of CS subjects + 15 yr). All participants were administered tests to assess attention, visuospatial processing, learning and memory, reasoning, concept formation and verbal fluency. MANCOVAs with depression scores as covariate and polynomial contrasts revealed that the age-matched control group performed better than the CS and older subject groups in visual target detection, trail making test, stroop task, digit symbol substitution, block design, object assembly, visual reproduction, spatial memory and similarities. The CS and older subjects performed similarly on these tasks. Further, a principal component analysis revealed two significant factors, representing general cognitive function and verbal memory explaining 39.9% and 10.0% of the variance, respectively. Additional MANCOVAs with depression as a covariate revealed that CS and older control subjects showed impaired performance on general cognitive function compared to age-matched controls. These results suggest that hypersecretion of GCs has “aging-like” effects on cognitive performance in individuals with CS.     

What research paradigms have cognitive psychologists used to study "false memory," and what are the implications of these choices?

This research examines the methodologies employed by cognitive psychologists to study "false memory," and assesses if these methodologies are likely to facilitate scientific progress or perhaps constrain the conclusions reached. A PsycINFO search of the empirical publications in cognitive psychology was conducted through January, 2004, using the subject heading, "false memory." The search produced 198 articles. Although there is an apparent false memory research bandwagon in cognitive psychology, with increasing numbers of studies published on this topic over the past decade, few researchers (only 13.1% of the articles) have studied false memory as the term was originally intended--to specifically refer to planting memory for an entirely new event that was never experienced in an individual's lifetime. Cognitive psychologists interested in conducting research relevant to assessing the authenticity of memories for child sexual abuse should consider the generalizability of their research to the planting of entirely new events in memory.     

Factors Predicting Family Reunification for African American,Latino, Asian and White Families in the Child Welfare System

We examined child, family and system-related factors associated with reunification across African American, Latino, Asian and White families involved in the child welfare system in one large and ethnically diverse California County. Data were obtained from extensive reviews of child welfare case records and multivariate analysis was performed on a wide array of variables not found in previous research. Results indicated that when taking other factors into account, ethnicity was not a strong predictor of reunification. Factors that predicted reunification varied across ethnic groups, with none of the predictors being significant for the Asian group. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.     

Developmental Transitions in Youth Behavioral Opposition and Maternal Beliefs in Social Ecological Context

We investigated age-based changes in mothers’ complaints about offspring behavioral opposition, and offspring reports of opposition in a prospective longitudinal design (N = 821). Maternal complaints declined from pre-adolescence to early adulthood, but more slowly in low socioeconomic status (SES) and single-parent families. Mothers complained more about first- than later-born children, but showed no average differences for offspring gender, race, SES, or single parent status. Complaints covaried with youth-reported opposition, but effects involving SES, single-parent status, and birth order remained significant after opposition was controlled; this finding is interpreted to reflect social contextual differences in maternal beliefs. Youth opposition was stable to age 16, then decreased; higher levels were associated with earlier birth order and low SES among European-Americans. Our results have implications for parenting interventions, indicating that parents may benefit from education about the normative, gradual increase in concordance between their own expectations and their child’s behavior from early to late adolescence. Further, parenting interventions may be strengthened by actively attending to social contextual factors that shape parental belief systems and values.     

Perceptions of Disability as Related to Medical and Social Factors

This study addressed self-perception of disability and the belief that others perceive one to have a disability. Factors from the medical and social models of disability were tested to determine if social factors still play a role in such perceptions when controlling for medical factors. Cross-sectional data from the 1994–1995 National Health Interview Study on Disability (NHIS-D) provided a stratified random sample of 25,805 noninstitutionalized adults. Logistic regression models were used to demonstrate that even controlling for medical factors (e.g., particular disabling conditions and restrictions in activities of daily living), social and vocational factors were significant predictors of disability perception. Ramifications for the theoretical study of disability, social psychology, and disability policy are discussed.     

Women and Counseling: A Vision for the Future

The authors who worked to prepare this special issue on women and counseling (N. L. Kees, L. A. Carlson, R. Parmley, P. Dahlen, K. Evans, A. F. Marbley, et al., 2005) offer a vision for a just, equitable, and sustainable future for all. Recommendations for individual and systemic change needed to realize this future vision are offered. Implications for the American Counseling Association and members of the counseling profession are highlighted.     

The Unmet Information and Support Needs of Women with a Family History of Breast Cancer: A Descriptive Survey

This study aims to survey the unmet support needs of women at increased risk of developing breast cancer. In total, 173 unaffected women with a family history of breast cancer completed a 28-item purposely-designed mailed survey. The majority of participants did not report a high level of unmet need for support. Receiving further information about cancer genetics was the most commonly reported area of unmet need. Only about 20% of participants reported a moderate to high degree of interest in attending a hypothetical support group. However, a higher degree of interest was expressed in internet-based information and supportive interventions. Amongst those interested in attending a support group, discussion, and receiving further information were the most preferred activities. Higher levels of unmet support needs were significantly associated with interest in attending groups. No demographic variables were found to predict interest in attending a support group. Implications for those considering establishing support groups are discussed.