Connectedness and Suicide Prevention in Adolescents: Pathways and Implications

Adolescent suicide is a major public health concern. Stressing the need for public health–based solutions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified “connectedness” as one means of pursuing this agenda. To advance this effort in suicide prevention with adolescents, (1) consistencies and variation in the literature overtly linking connectedness to suicide thoughts and behaviors (STB) are reviewed, (2) three more specific mechanistic pathways are proposed whereby connectedness may influence STB, and (3) several implications related to use of connectedness as a public health framework for adolescent suicide prevention and intervention are outlined.     

Across-channel masking of changes in modulation depth for amplitude- and frequency-modulated signals

This study examines a form of masking that can take place when the signal and masker are widely separated in frequency and cannot be explained in terms of the traditional concept of the auditory filter or critical band. We refer to this as across-channel masking. The task of the subject was to detect an increment in modulation depth of a 1000-Hz sinusoidal carrier. The carrier could either be sinusoidally amplitude modulated or sinusoidally frequency modulated at a 10-Hz rate. Modulation increment thresholds of this “target” signal were measured for the target alone, and in the presence of two interfering sounds with carrier frequencies of 230 and 3300 Hz. When the interfering sounds were unmodulated, they had no effect on modulation increment thresholds. When the interfering sounds were either amplitude or frequency modulated, thresholds increased. Amplitude modulation (AM) increment thresholds were affected by both amplitude-modulated and frequency-modulated interference. Similarly, frequency modulation (FM) increment thresholds were affected by both amplitude-modulated and frequency-modulated interference. For both types of signal, the interference was tuned for modulation rate; across-channel masking was greatest when the interfering sounds were modulated at rates close to 10 Hz, and declined for higher or lower rates. However, the tuning was rather broad. When the target and interfering sounds were modulated at the same rate, there was no effect of the relative phase of the modulators. Two possible explanations for the results are discussed. One is based on the idea that carriers that are modulated in a similar way tend to be perceptually “grouped”. The other is based on the idea that there are “channels” in the auditory system tuned for AM and FM rate. Neither explanation appears completely satisfactory.     

STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING READINESS AND RECALL IN CONTENT AREAS: THE ENCODING SPECIFICITY PRINCIPLE

ABSTRACT

This article presents theoretical rationale for utilizing similar pre‐reading and post‐reading activities to enhance comprehension in content areas. Specifically, the encoding specificity principle is suggested as a means to promote both readiness and recall of text‐based information. A discussion of pertinent instructional strategies which can capitalize on the encoding specificity principle follows.