Math anxiety: who has it, why it develops, and how to guard against it

Basic math skills are important for success in school and everyday life. Yet many people experience apprehension and fear when dealing with numerical information, termed math anxiety. Recently, researchers have started to probe the antecedents of math anxiety, revealing some surprising insights into its onset, risk factors, and remediation.     

Occupational Therapy Students' Development of Therapeutic Communication Skills During a Service-Learning Experience

This qualitative study examined the effect community-based service-learning experiences had upon occupational therapy students' therapeutic communication skills and their application of theoretical concepts. After their semester-long course was completed, six students de-identified and voluntarily submitted their weekly reflective journals for retrospective analysis in accordance with Giorgi's strategies (1985 Giorgi , A. ( 1985 ). Phenomenology and psychological research . Pittsburgh , PA : Duquesne University Press . [Google Scholar], 1997 Giorgi , A. ( 1997 ). The theory, practice, and evaluation of the phenomenological method as a qualitative research procedure . Journal of Phenomenological Psychology , 28 , 235 – 261 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Two analysts identified eight themes: developing trust, establishing boundaries, communication, client-centered care, breakdown of preconceptions, increased self-awareness, power of pride, and power of occupation. Educators are urged to use service-learning experiences to facilitate student interpersonal skill development and integration of theoretical knowledge.     

Conjoint measurement of gloss and surface texture

The image of a material's surface varies not only with viewing and illumination conditions, but also with the material's surface properties, including its 3-D texture and specularity. Previous studies on the visual perception of surface material have typically focused on single material properties, ignoring possible interactions. In this study, we used a conjoint-measurement design to determine how observers represent perceived 3-D texture ("bumpiness") and specularity ("glossiness") and modeled how each of these two surface-material properties affects perception of the other. Observers made judgments of bumpiness and glossiness of surfaces that varied in both surface texture and specularity. We quantified how changes in each surface-material property affected judgments of the other and found that a simple additive model captured visual perception of texture and specularity and their interaction. Conjoint measurement is potentially a powerful tool for analyzing perception of surface material in realistic environments.     

Nearest neighbor analysis of point processes: Simulations and evaluations

Tversky, Rinott, and Newman (Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 1983, 27, 000) examine the asymptotic behavior of a measure of the centrality of the nearest neighbor relation. The applicability of their conclusions when the number of dimensions (d) and the number of points (n) take on the small-to-moderate values commonly encountered in the analysis of proximity data is investigated. The results suggest that convergence is fast when n is large relative to d and slow when d is large relative to n.     

The use of children's drawings in multiple family group therapy

This paper describes the advantages, difficulties and techniques of including young children in multiple family group therapy (MFGT). Multiple family group therapy consists of weekly sessions where three or more families meet conjointly with a therapist or cotherapists. Clinical vignettes demonstrate how to use children's drawings with parents to improve family communication. The efficiency of MFGT is compared to family therapy or individual therapy. The effective use of this modality with some children under 10 years is discussed.This research was supported in part by Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration Psychiatry Education Branch Grant MH 13882 from the National Institute of Mental Health.     

The Influence of a Community-Based Service-Learning Experience on the Development of Occupational Therapy Students' Feelings of Civic Responsibility

This qualitative study examined the influence of service-learning on the development of Students' feelings of civic responsibility while involved with a community-based organization. Occupational therapy students involved in a semester-long service-learning experience maintained weekly reflective journals. Six such reflective journals were randomly selected for analysis. Findings revealed that while engaged in service-learning the six participants voiced themes of increased self-awareness, awareness of homeless individuals as persons, awareness of social issues, and professional self-efficacy. These developing competencies are associated with the skills required for health care professionals to participate in civic engagement and client advocacy.     

Polishing the Mirror: Mental Health from a Bahá’í Perspective

While various authors have explored multiple religious theories of mental health in an effort to become more responsive to clients’ needs, there is a dearth of information on the Bahá’í conception of this important subject despite the faith’s growth across the world. This article will present a Bahá’í perspective on mental health by examining the faith’s basic tenets and teachings, its affinities and dissimilarities with various traditional psychotherapeutic theories, its views on psychological functioning, and its sources of healing. Common therapeutic issues of Bahá’ís will also be explored to aid counselors in conceptualizing and treating these clients.Michelle Maloney is a licensed clinical professional counselor and adjunct faculty at the University of Great Falls. She is a doctoral student at North Central University.