Scaling Estimates of Amplitude for Movements Without Visual Guidance

Three groups of subjects were involved in estimating movement amplitudes. Two of these groups used the method of estimation, labeling the amplitudes of simple linear movements in inches. One group made active movements, the other experienced passive movement of the arm. The third group, using the method of production, attempted to move the distance required by the experimenter’s label. Performance was described in terms of absolute, algebraic, and intrasubject variable error. No striking differences were noted between the three task groups, but males and females differed systematically. Females tended to over-estimate and males to underestimate the distances moved. Lack of evidence for any range effect suggests that subjects were operating from relatively stable perceptual traces, accessed by the verbal labels, rather than from memory traces of previous estimates of the same amplitudes.     

Essay review

C. W. A. Whitaker, Aristotle’s De Interpretatione. Contradiction and Dialectic. Oxford:Clarendon Press, 1996. x + 235 pp., £30. ISBN 0 19 823619 0

Ulrich Nortmann, Modale Syllogismen, mögliche Welten, Essentialismus. Eine Analyse der aristotelischen Modallogik (Perspektiven der Analytischen Philo-sophie/Perspectives in Analytical Philosophy, 9). Berlin and New York:Walter de Gruyter, 1996. x + 427 pp. DM 260.00 (for members of the Society for Analytical Philosophy DM 98.00). ISBN 3-11-014660-6     

What makes for good supervision and whose responsibility is it anyway?

This lecture draws on my recent book ‘Supervision in Counselling and Psychotherapy’ and considers the subject of the respective roles and responsibilities of the supervisor and the supervisee. The book is an introduction to psychodynamic supervision, and was intended primarily for those beginning to supervise, although it also has some interest for those who are more experienced and wanting the opportunity to reflect on their practice.

However, it has also generated interest among those who are in supervision, and, as anticipated, many of those present at the lecture were students currently in supervision as well as those beginning to supervise in various contexts. I therefore decided to focus in this paper on supervision as a joint effort. Supervisors need supervisees just as therapists need patients, and both have a role, albeit a different one, in making the process successful. I begin by thinking about the characteristics of good supervision – and importantly, some of the factors that make it a complex and at times a difficult task. I then go onto consider the process of supervision, the part each of us plays in making it productive, and how we can work collaboratively to gain an understanding of the patient.     

The impact of group leaders' behaviour on parents acquisition of key parenting skills during parent training

BackgroundParent training (PT) is identified as the most effective intervention for the treatment of conduct disorder (CD). Intervention observational outcomes are often reported as summarised composite scores, providing an overview of overall construct change.Methods and aimsParents of children aged 3–5 years identified ‘at risk’ of developing CD were randomly allocated to either PT intervention or waiting list control group. Parent and child behaviours were assessed before and after the intervention period. The current paper aims to establish which individual observed parenting categories change as a result of PT, and which specific observed leader categories predict these changes.ResultsControlling for baseline scores, ANCOVA demonstrated changes in parent praise and reflective behaviours as significant post-intervention. One-way ANOVAs demonstrated higher levels of leader praise and reflective behaviours resulted in greater change in parental praise and reflective behaviours respectively. Regression analyses indicated these leader behaviours predict positive change in parental praise and reflective behaviours for intervention families.ConclusionsComposite observational scores provide an account of behaviour constructs, whereas individual behaviour categories provide an insight into the core components of these constructs. The results suggest praise and reflection as key leader behaviours that influence the mechanisms of change in parenting behaviours as a result of PT.     

Peer Experiences of Anxious and Socially Withdrawn Youth: An Integrative Review of the Developmental and Clinical Literature

Prior research indicates that both anxious youth and socially withdrawn youth tend to experience challenges and difficulties in various aspects of their peer relationships and social functioning. While clinical psychology researchers have examined how anxiety relates to peer experiences using normative and clinically anxious samples, developmental psychologists have focused primarily on the peer experiences of shy and withdrawn children. Research from these two fields has progressed on related yet separate paths, producing similar results despite using different terminology and assessment techniques. The purpose of this review is to bring together the developmental and clinical bodies of literature on the peer experiences of anxious and socially withdrawn youth by identifying common themes and unique contributions of each discipline. Studies reviewed focus specifically on the peer constructs of acceptance, friendship, peer victimization, social skills, and social-cognitive processes. Limitations including methodological inconsistencies and insufficient examination of age-, gender-, and ethnicity-related issues are identified. Recommendations for future collaborations between developmental and clinical researchers as well as implications for interventions targeting the peer relations of anxious and withdrawn youth are discussed.     

Altruism between romantic partners: Biological offspring as a genetic bridge between altruist and recipient

When the cost of altruism is low, individuals are more likely to help non-kin (i.e., friends and romantic partners) than kin. This trend is thought to reflect the fact that people tend to be emotionally closer with friends and romantic partners than kin. However, as the cost of altruism increases, altruistic preference shifts to kin. The present study highlights this phenomenon by examining altruism between siblings, romantic partners, romantic partners who have biological children together, and romantic partners who have adopted children together. Participants (n = 203) completed a questionnaire about altruism in low-, medium-, and high-cost situations. Participants gave more low-cost help to their romantic partners (regardless of whether they had a child together) than their siblings. More medium-cost help was given to romantic partners who had a child (biological and adopted) than siblings and romantic partners without children. In the high-cost condition, the estimated altruistic tendencies were stronger toward siblings and romantic partners who have a biological child than toward romantic partners with no children and partners with adopted children. Participants also believed they were more altruistic than their siblings and romantic partners.     

A Steppenwolf called Brian: Reflections on childhood suffering and creativity

Through the life of the writer Brian Aldiss, this paper explores the idea that if parents are unable to give a child a solid sense of self, the child may grow up with a burning need to find that self through artistic creation. One not uncommon reason for this failure is if the child is a replacement for another child who has died and the parents have not been able to do the grief work required in mourning. This task is often more problematic in the case of a stillbirth. Examples are given of other creative people, such as Freud and Dali, where a previous death in the family may have been the spur to their finding a special identity through their creativity.     

Introducing research methods and reflexivity into family therapy training

Research training does not always sit easily with family therapy trainees due to the perceived difficulty of the terrain and the mismatch between the primacy given to research and their developing expertise in the clinical work. Despite these tensions, research forms a core component to advanced training and is a requisite module for students completing an M.Sc. Following the provision of suboptimal teaching in research methods for M.Sc. candidates, a substantial redesign of the course was undertaken, taking into account the context of students' learning. This paper reports on the contextual influences on this new approach, and outlines the key pedagogical strategies that support student learning within the formal teaching sessions and beyond. We present a summary of the outcomes so far.