An evaluation of the types of attention that maintain problem behavior

Although previous research indicates that certain types of attention (i.e., statements related to behavior, tickles) may be differentially reinforcing, only one or two forms of attention are typically provided contingent on problem behavior during the attention condition in experimental functional analyses. In the present investigation, various forms of attention were provided contingent on problem behavior to identify the influence of each form of attention. Results indicated that the attention forms affected problem behavior differently; these outcomes are discussed in terms of their implications for assessment and treatment.     

A comparison of linear and mixture models for discriminant analysis under nonnormality

Methods for discriminant analysis were compared with respect to classification accuracy under nonnormality through Monte Carlo simulation. The methods compared were linear discriminant analyses based both on raw scores and on ranks; linear logistic discrimination; and mixture discriminant analysis. Linear discriminant analysis and linear logistic discrimination were suboptimal in a number of scenarios with skewed predictors. Linear discriminant analysis based on ranks yielded the highest rates of classification accuracy in only a limited number of situations and did not produce a practically important advantage over competing methods. Mixture discriminant analysis, with a relatively small number of components in each group, attained relatively high rates of classification accuracy and was most useful for conditions in which skewed predictors had relatively small values of kurtosis.     

The average rate of change for continuous time models

The average rate of change (ARC) is a concept that has been misunderstood in the applied longitudinal data analysis literature, where the slope from the straight-line change model is often thought of as though it were the ARC. The present article clarifies the concept of ARC and shows unequivocally the mathematical definition and meaning of ARC when measurement is continuous across time. It is shown that the slope from the straight-line change model generally is not equal to the ARC. General equations are presented for two measures of discrepancy when the slope from the straight-line change model is used to estimate the ARC in the case of continuous time for any model linear in its parameters, and for three useful models nonlinear in their parameters.     

Benchmarking Community-Based Couple Therapy: Considering Measurement Reactivity

Couple therapy has been shown to be effective in randomized clinical trials; however, results from naturalistic couple therapy have been less consistent. This study utilized a benchmarking approach to compare the effectiveness of couple therapy in a community-based setting with findings from efficacy treatments, such as treatment within randomized clinical trials. The current study is the largest couple therapy sample published to date (N = 3,347 couples). Clients in couple therapy were asked to provide initial and weekly ratings of symptomology on the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45.2). We found that treatment effect sizes found at community clinics were smaller than efficacy studies (i.e., the benchmark). However, when taking into account measurement reactivity, the effect sizes were comparable. This is the first benchmarking study for community-based couple therapy, allowing for meaningful comparisons and understanding of outcomes in real-world couple therapy. Implications for the field are offered in terms of evaluating community-based psychotherapy studies with benchmarking for couple therapy. Results of this study provide clinicians and researchers a way to meaningfully compare couple therapy outcomes, accounting for differences in community-based practices and randomized clinical trials. This benchmark also underscores the impact of measurement sensitivity, an issue commonly overlooked in psychotherapy research and practice.     

Change it Up: Inactivity and Repetitive Activity Reduce Creative Thinking

Across three experiments, we show that a change in the levels of physical activity increases creative thinking, whereas inactivity or repetitive activity lowers it. Participants walking forward were more creative the first few minutes of initiating physical activity than those sitting, or those merely watching changing scenery, and these effects dissipated when they continued the forward movement over time (within 8 minutes). Furthermore, merely anticipating a change in physical activity, for example, when participants were aware a task is coming to its conclusion, also increased creative thinking. We hypothesize that a change in physical activity cues the need to navigate new situations, and thus, can increase mental flexibility and creative thinking to deal with new circumstances. But once people habituate to their physical state, either of being at rest or being in motion, their level of creative thinking also returns to baseline levels. We confirm that mood, feelings of achievement, and energy are not responsible for the observed effects.     

Unwanted teenage pregnancies: incidence, interpretation, and intervention.

North American and western European cultures are more permissive than they were before World War II about the increased incidence of teen sexual activity. Societies may be more open and teens are having more premarital sex than they used to, but they surely are not using contraception as often as they should. As such, there is a great deal of unintended and unwanted teenage pregnancies, especially in the US. Even the threat of contracting and/or transmitting HIV has not caused heterosexual youths to change their sexual or contraceptive behaviors. The authors conceptualize explanations for this lack of adolescent behavioral change, including procedures designed to identify deficiencies and to bring about necessary changes in contraception-relevant information, motivation, behavioral skills, and situational constraints. Examples of successful intervention programs are outlined. Sections consider the incidence of premarital intercourse, contraceptive use, and unwanted pregnancies; contraceptive neglect; unintended and unwanted pregnancies; and why teenagers have unprotected sexual intercourse. The conceptual framework of intervening to prevent unwanted teenage pregnancies is presented in sections on providing improved contraceptive information, increasing precontraceptive motivation, improving contraceptive skills, altering situational factors which inhibit contraception, and evaluation research.     

The emergence of a novel representation from action: evidence from preschoolers

Recent work in embodied cognition has proposed that representations and actions are inextricably linked. The current study examines a developmental account of this relationship. Specifically, we propose that children’s actions are foundational for novel representations. Thirty‐two preschoolers, aged 3.4 to 5.7 years, were asked to solve a set of simple gear‐system problems. Participants’ motions and verbalizations were coded to establish the strategies they used. The preschoolers initially solved the problems by simulating the turning and pushing of the gears. Subsequently, most participants discovered a new representation of the problems: the turning direction of the gears alternates. Results show that the number of actions that embodied alternation information, during their simulation of the system, predicted the later emergence of the higher‐order representation (i.e. that the gears alternate turning direction). Thus, it appears that the preschoolers discovered a new representation based on their own actions. These results are consistent with the developmental embodiment hypothesis: actions are central to the emergence of new representations.     

Profiles of Naturalistic Attentional Trajectories Associated with Internalizing Behaviors in School-Age Children: A Mobile Eye Tracking Study

Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology - The temperament profile Behavioral Inhibition (BI) is a strong predictor of internalizing behaviors in childhood. Patterns of attention towards or...     

The Development and Initial Validation of the Adult Coping Inventory

There are few psychometrically sound measures of coping in adults. Widely used measures of coping have highly unstable sub-scale analyses, were developed on homogenous samples, and are outdated. The scarcity of empirically derived instruments is concerning given that coping skills are linked to a variety of positive and negative physical and mental health outcomes (e.g., substance use, depression). Thus, the aim of the current study was to develop a psychometrically sound measure of coping in adults: the Adult Coping Inventory (ACI). The study consisted of three phases: The aim of Phase 1 was to generate an initial item pool. After eliminating redundant items, 124 items remained. The purpose of Phase 2 was to eliminate items based on item frequency and factor loadings. A diverse sample of 526 adults participated in the study. Following item generation and elimination, an exploratory factor analysis produced a 57-item, five-factor model of coping which included the following subscales: Problem Solving, Mindfulness, Maladaptive Coping, Social Support, and Avoidance. Overall, reliability of the ACI was excellent and the internal consistency of the factors ranged from adequate to excellent. Evidence of convergent, concurrent, and incremental validity of the questionnaire was also established. Results provide initial support for the psychometric properties of the ACI.

     

The Influence of Race and Income on Community Mothers’ Acceptance of Child Management Methods

The consideration of diverse family factors on parents’ acceptance of behavioral parent training (BPT) components aids in the development and delivery of culturally sensitive parenting programs. Perceptions of acceptability are particularly important to investigate among low-income and racial-minority families, as they are less likely to engage in nonadapted BPT programs. Therefore, the current study examines the synergistic effects of race and income on mothers’ acceptance of five common child management methods relevant to BPT. The relationship between mothers’ acceptability ratings and self-reported parenting practices was also explored. Participants were 106 White and Black mothers from different income levels who completed measures related to the acceptability of response cost, positive reinforcement, time-out, spanking, and medication. The results indicated that mothers from varying backgrounds differed in their acceptance of child management methods, particularly with regard to corporal punishment. Additionally, a relationship was found between parents’ acceptability ratings and their self-reported parenting behavior. The findings support the consideration of parents’ perceptions of child discipline methods when recommending and delivering BPT programs to diverse parents.