The influence of professional expertise and task complexity upon the potency of the contextual interference effect

The contextual interference (CI) effect has been investigated through practice schedule manipulations within both basic and applied studies. Despite extensive research activity there is little conclusive evidence regarding the optimal practice structure of real world manipulative tasks in professional training settings. The present study therefore assessed the efficacy of practising simple and complex knot-tying skills in professional fire-fighters training. Forty-eight participants were quasi-randomly assigned to various practice schedules along the CI continuum. Twenty-four participants were students selected for their novice knot-tying capabilities and 24 were experienced fire-fighters who were more 'experienced knot-tiers'. They were assessed for skill acquisition, retention and transfer effects having practiced tying knots classified as simple or complex. Surprisingly, high levels of CI scheduling enhance learning for novices even when practising a complex task. The findings also revealed that CI benefits are most apparent as learners engage in tasks high in transfer distality. In conclusion, complexity and experience are mediating factors influencing the potency of the CI training effect in real-world settings.     

“There's more love between us”: The parental experience of attending Mellow Babies,a targeted,early intervention program for parents and their babies

It is recognized that parenthood in the context of psychosocial adversity can have negative implications for infant development. Parenting programs are the first line of intervention to improve outcomes for families; however, evidence for the effectiveness of group-based, targeted early interventions is still scarce. Preliminary findings indicate Mellow Babies (MB) as a promising group-based parenting program for families at risk for parenting difficulties. Using thematic analysis, we aimed to understand: (i) the aspects of the intervention that enabled parents to complete the program and (ii) the relational and behavioral changes perceived as valuable for parents and their babies post-intervention. In total, 68 parents residing in the United Kingdom were interviewed after completing MB (49 mothers and 19 fathers; 88% self-identified as British). Three themes and six subthemes were generated from the data. Parents identified several intervention components as beneficial, including the facilitators' interpersonal skills and multi-dimensional, group-based approach. Participant reflections highlighted three underlying mechanisms that enabled positive change: (i) the sense of community cultivated within the group, (ii) the process of formulating and re-conceptualizing one's difficulties, and (iii) the opportunity to reshape interpersonal interactions. Findings are discussed within the context of perinatal and infant mental health.     

Computerized Testing in the United States Air Force

Computerized testing in the United States Air Force finds its historical beginnings in apparatus tests developed during World War II. The advent of fast, small, and inexpensive computers led to the establishment of a research program to use computers in pilot selection. Later, computerized tests were demonstrated for more familiar aptitude measures such as verbal and quantitative ability. Several large-scale efforts to implement computerized testing have proved informative. Many Air Force tests are routinely administered by computer. Continued advances in computer technology promise to make computerized testing more common and more commonplace. Computer use in measuring physiological correlates of human ability is discussed.     

An investigation of the gate control theory of pain using the experimental pain stimulus of potassium iontophoresis

This study investigated a prediction derived from gate control theory—that there would be a pulse of pain as a pain stimulus was being ramped off due to the rapidly transmitting, inhibitory large fiber activity falling away sooner at the spinal level than the excitatory activity of the slow-transmitting, small nociceptive afferents. A further prediction was that the more distant the peripheral stimulus was from the spine, the greater the pain pulse would be. Fourteen subjects had the pain stimulus of iontophoretically applied potassium ions (K⁺) applied to an upper and a lower site on the dominant arm. In a threshold detection task using the double random staircase method, subjects were asked to indicate whether they could detect a pulse of additional pain during this ramp-off phase. The average rate of stimulus ramp-off in order to detect a pain pulse was statistically greater for the upper-arm site (14.3 μg K⁺/sec) than for the lower-arm site (9.4 μg K⁺/sec). These results were consistent with gate control theory. Alternative explanations, including intrinsic differences in nociceptive responding for different dermatomes and anode break, were considered. It was concluded that the detection of a pain pulse during the ramping off of a peripheral pain stimulus potentially provides a quantitative measure of the spinal modulation of pain.     

Effects of optical pitch on oculomotor control and the perception of target elevation

In two experiments, we used an ISCAN infrared video system to examine the influence of a pitched visual array on gaze elevation and on judgments of visually perceived eye level. In Experiment 1, subjects attempted to direct their gaze to arelaxed or to ahorizontal orientation while they were seated in a room whose walls were pitched at various angles with respect to gravity. Gaze elevation was biased in the direction in which the room was pitched. In Experiment 2, subjects looked into a small box that was pitched at various angles while they attempted simply to direct their gaze alone, or to direct their gaze and place a visual target at their apparent horizon. Both gaze elevation and target settings varied systematically with the pitch orientation of the box. Our results suggest that under these conditions, an optostatic response, of which the subject is unaware, is responsible for the changes in both gaze elevation and judgments of target elevation.     

On Becoming A Counselor

Counselor education theory requires a broad-spectrum model that makes room for a wide diversity of orientations. This paper presents several broad-spectrum formulations about the nature of counselor behavior. Counselor behavior is described in terms of three elements (introgression, intervention, implementation), two simultaneous levels, and the principal domain of counseling. Together, these constructs become a theoretical framework with potential for facilitating cognitive communication between counselor educator and counselor trainee. The framework presented here is admittedly in tentative form. It is presented not solely for whatever inherent merit it may have but also to suggest how counselor education theory can help to give direction and meaning to the process of becoming a counselor.     

A new framework for the design of career interventions in organisations

There has often been an assumption that the school-to-work transition is fundamental for careers guidance and that mid-career interventions are supplementary. This approach can no longer be maintained. Frequent changes of job are now common. The relationships we have with employing organisations have become important and must become prominent in careers interventions. A model is presented to clarify what is needed. Two problems arise: the need to reconcile individual and organisational perspectives; and the need to look at careers in terms of life-career purpose as well as in terms of goals. It is recommended that individuals' plans mirror strategic management in the organisation. A number of ways are identified which extend the scope of career interventions.     

Interpersonal conflict, agreeableness, and personality development

This multimethod research linked the Big-Five personality dimensions to interpersonal conflict in childhood. Agreeableness was the personality dimension of focus because this dimension has been associated with maintaining positive interpersonal relations in adolescents and adults. In two studies, elementary school children were assessed on the Big-Five domains of personality. Study 1 (n=276) showed that agreeableness was uniquely associated with endorsements of conflict resolution tactics in children as well as parent and teacher reports of coping and adjustment. Study 2 (n=234) revealed that children's perceptions of themselves and others during conflict was influenced by their agreeableness regardless of their partner's agreeableness. Observers also reported that pairs higher in agreeableness had more harmonious, constructive conflicts. Overall findings suggest that of the Big-Five dimensions, agreeableness is most closely associated with processes and outcomes related to interpersonal conflict and adjustment in children.