A Model for Peer Experiential and Reciprocal Supervision (PEERS) for Genetic Counselors: Development and Preliminary Evaluation Within Clinical Practice

A model for practising genetic counselors to obtain clinical supervision via reciprocal peer observation and feedback was developed and trialled. The model was developed in response to a perceived lack of opportunity for immediate observational feedback for practising genetic counselors. The aims reached by consensus were to facilitate learning new approaches and skills, to revitalise current ways of practising, and to enhance supervision skills in a two-way process, where the observer learnt from the counselor, and vice-versa. The genetic counselors agreed on a process of paired reciprocal observation whereby the observer was present in the room during the counseling session, and a reflective feedback discussion was arranged within 24 h of the session. Four main themes emerged from analysis of the recorded discussions were (i) “I wasn’t sure if I-”: voicing of doubts or internal questions that occurred during session for the counselor conducting the session, (ii) “I really liked that”: positive feedback and validation from the observer, (iii) “I wonder whether-”: offering of alternative views, insights and strategies by the observer, and (iv) “That’s a real thing for me to take away and think about”: evidence of learning by both observers and counselors.     

Expect the Unexpected? Variations in Question Type Elicit Cues to Deception in Joint Interviewer Contexts

We examined the effect of (i) a second interviewer's demeanour and (ii) asking expected and unexpected questions on cues to deception. We predicted that liars compared with truth tellers would provide more detail to expected questions and less detail to unexpected questions, particularly when the second interviewer is supportive. Liars prepare answers for expected questions, and a supportive interviewer will encourage them to provide more detail. By definition, liars have not prepared answers for unexpected questions, and their answers to such questions will be less detailed. Participants (N = 168) appeared before two interviewers: The first asked all the questions, and the second remained silent. The second interviewer exhibited either a supportive or a neutral demeanour. As predicted, liars provided more detail to expected questions and less detail to unexpected questions, particularly when the second interviewer was supportive. In conclusion, a supportive second interviewer elicits cues to deceit. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Emotion at Work: To What Extent are We Expressing,Suppressing, or Faking It?

Emotions and emotion management are a prominent feature of organizational life and the concept of emotional labour was coined to describe the effort required to fake or suppress an emotional display because of the demands of the work role. Although much qualitative work has been conducted to investigate emotional labour, no attempts have been made to measure the degree to which this emotion work occurs. This omission is partly due to the difficulties in defining the construct and dimensions of emotional labour and this article discusses previous attempts at definition and reconceptualizes the concept in order to allow the development of a measurement tool. The process of development and testing of the tool within 12 UK companies is the focus of the remainder of the article and leads directly to the first quantitative answer to the question, to what extent are we expressing, suppressing, and faking emotion at work? Results suggest that emotional labour is performed in almost two-thirds of workplace communications, both at and away from the frontline. Implications for practitioners and researchers are outlined.     

On Iachello's model of cuprate superconductors

A U(3) model proposed by Iachello for superconductivity in cuprate materials is analyzed. The model consists of s and d pairs (approximated as bosons) in a two-dimensional Fermi system with a surface. The transition occurs between a phase in which the system is a condensate of one type of boson, and a phase which is a mixture of two types of bosons. In the current work we have investigated the validity of the Bogoliubov approximation, and we used a reduced Hamiltonian to determine a phase diagram, the symmetry of the phases, and the temperature dependence of the heat capacity.     

Empathy deficits and sexual offending: A model of obstacles to empathy

Theoretical models of the role of empathy in sexual offending agree on five components relevant to the experience of empathy: a respectful and compassionate orientation to others, perspective taking, affective responding, the ability to manage personal distress, and situational factors. We identify overlap between these components of the empathic process and established risk factors for sexual offending and create a model detailing potential blocks to the empathic process during sexual offending. The model has external consistency and useful implications for interventions with sex offenders. Viewed in the light of this model, we argue that current sex offender treatment programs spend a disproportionate amount of time examining empathy for past victims. We recommend, instead, that treatment aims to enhance offenders' abilities in relation to the components of the empathic process more generally, using creative and engaging techniques akin to those used to develop “victim empathy”.     

Emotional security and cognitive appraisals mediate the relationship between parents' marital conflict and adjustment in older adolescents

In this study, the authors evaluated a model of the effects of parental conflict witnessed in childhood on psychosocial adjustment in 175 college students. Using this model, which integrated the cognitive-contextual framework (J. H. Grych & F. D. Fincham, 1990) and the emotional-security hypothesis (P. T. Davies & E. M. Cummings, 1994), the authors proposed that both cognitive appraisal of parents' conflict and emotional security mediate the conflict-adjustment link in late adolescence. Furthermore, the authors proposed that cognitive appraisals are associated with emotional security. The results suggested that appraisals and security were both important mediators in the model but that they were not related to each other. Instead, there appeared to be parallel, yet separate, cognitive and emotional channels through which exposure to parental conflict in childhood can have detrimental effects on later adjustment.     

An Integrative View of Conflict Adaptation and Active Maintenance

The conflict adaptation (CA) effect refers to the reduction in the interference effect observed in conflict tasks that follow incongruent compared to congruent trials. It has been suggested that CA is caused by the exertion of flexible cognitive control, supported by many behavioral and neuroimaging studies; however, it remains unclear how conflict‐related features of the preceding trial are conveyed to subsequent trials for following adaptation. This review aims to summarize evidence supporting the top‐down modulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and passive short‐term maintenance in the posterior brain areas as mechanisms underlying CA, respectively, and to suggest a new integrated view of CA, including active maintenance in working memory. We review empirical evidences suggesting that both dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior brain regions play critical roles in CA, rather than either top‐down modulation or passive maintenance alone. Although the active maintenance view of CA appears to explain many existing findings, empirical studies are required to directly test this view.     

But I can’t pass that far! The influence of motor skill on decision making

Objectives

The influence of motor skill on perceptual-cognitive and perceptual-motor decision making has been theorised but not verified empirically.

Method

Expert (n = 19), developmental (n = 20), and lesser-skilled netballers (n = 19) completed tests designed to evaluate three different components of domain-specific expertise: (i) motor skill-execution; (ii) perceptual-cognitive decision making; and (iii) perceptual-motor decision making.

Results

Each of the three measures was found to improve commensurate with domain-specific skill. Decisions requiring movements (perceptual-motor) elicited more accurate decision making than simple verbal responses (perceptual-cognitive), irrespective of participant skill. Although motor skill was found to be related to the successful execution of a most appropriate movement in a game situation, it was not found to limit the nature of the decision made by participants. No evidence was found to support the supposition that lesser-skilled participants bias their perceptual-cognitive decisions towards ones supported by their motor ability.

Conclusions

Results fail to comprehensively support the contemporary models for the development of perceptual-cognitive and perceptual-motor skill in sport.     

The long, steep path to equality: progressing on egalitarian goals

The present research examined the impact that perceived progress on egalitarian goals had on subsequent racial bias. In particular, a new bogus pipeline procedure was used to provide feedback to participants that they were becoming incrementally more egalitarian. The impact of this information on intergroup behavior and attitudes was tested. In particular, we looked at the effect of goal feedback on outgroup discrimination and ingroup favoritism, as well as implicit racial attitudes. Three studies found that participants demonstrated greater racial bias after receiving feedback that they were progressing on egalitarian goals versus either feedback that they were failing on egalitarian goals or no feedback. Specifically, participants who were told that they were progressively becoming more egalitarian sat farther away from Blacks and closer to Whites and demonstrated greater implicit racial prejudice. The implication of these findings for current theories on prejudice, intergroup relations, and social goals are discussed.