Harmonic accents in inference of metrical structure and perception of rhythm patterns

Research on rhythmic structure is somewhat fragmented, due in part to differential use ofterminology and a lack of research on the timing of harmonic accents. In this study, a harmonic and a temporal accent were pitted against each other in such a way as to form different rhythm patterns. In addition, two harmonic conditions that varied in the frequency of chord presentations (i.e., the composite rhythm) but not in the frequency of chord changes (i.e., the harmonic rhythm) were presented. Musicians and nonmusicians were requested to report perceived rhythm patterns inan attempt to determine the relative salience of the harmonic and temporal accents. In addition, a behavioral measure of the perceivedmeter was taken. Results indicated that the location of chord changes was the main determinant of subjects’ rhythmic perceptions and the perceived onset of a measure. Furthermore, although subjects primarily inferred different meters based on the composite rhythm, an interaction of metrical and rhythmic choices was found, indicating that perception ofrhythm patterns and inference of metrical structure may notalways be independent.     

Response times for the CAGE,short-MAST,AUDIT, and JELLINEK alcohol scales

The CAGE alcohol screening tool has been touted as a good choice for clinical settings because of its brevity. We administered the CAGE and three other alcohol screening instruments (the Short-MAST, AUDIT, and JELLINEK) by microcomputer to 296 clients at a drinking driver treatment program and three of the four scales to a second sample of 270 clients from six drinking driver treatment programs. The average response times for the CAGE were 31 and 32 sec, respectively, in the first and second samples. The average response time for the JELLINEK was approximately five times longer than it was for the CAGE; response time for the AUDIT averaged four times longer; and response time for the Short-MAST was two and a half times as long. The estimated reliability of the CAGE was the lowest and its standard error of measurement was the highest of the four scales. We recommend the Short-MAST as the tool of choice if the extra minute of administration time it requires in comparison with the CAGE is not critical.     

Football players' recall of helmet warning label information: Implications for behavioural compliance

Football helmets contain a label designed to warn players of potentially catastrophic hazards associated with using the helmet as a point of contact. We assessed the effectiveness of the label in communicating this information to high-school football players by asking them to reproduce the label's contents from memory under three conditions: pre-season recall (n ? 177), post-season recall (n - 60), and post-season recall with verbal priming (n ? 71). Only 26 per cent of the athletes assessed at pre-season recalled both the potential consequences of injury and the behavioural guidelines. Thus, most subjects were unable to recall the elements specified in protection motivation theory as necessary for inducing behavioural compliance. Exposure to the label over the course of the season did not enhance recall of these elements. In the post-season priming condition, verbal reference to a warning label produced a significant priming effect in recall of the injury consequences; it did not affect recall of the behavioural guidelines. Implications for enhancing the efficacy of helmet warning labels are discussed, and future research directions are identified.     

Ethnic group-by-generation interactions in WAIS scores in the Hawaii family study of cognition

This paper is a comparatively small-scale replication of a paper by DeFries, Corley, Johnson, Vandenberg, & Wilson (1982), using that subset of the DeFries subject group that was administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and comparing parent vs. offspring performance of Americans of European and of Japanese Ancestry. Like DeFries et al., significant ethnic group-by-generation interactions were obtained in WAIS scores, suggesting the existence of substantial cultural influences on cognitive-test performance.     

The adolescent suicide problem

ABSTRACT: The suicide rate of young people in the United States rose 237 percent between 1960 and 1980. This paper addresses three related issues. First, is this change an epidemic or an artifact? Second, what is there about adolescence as a life-stage in modern society that makes it stressful, even suicide producing? Finally, what are the distinctive traits of the lifestyles or careers of a random sample of young Chicago suicides?     

Temporal Fluctuations in Suicide Calls to a Crisis Intervention Service

Suicide-related calls received by a crisis intervention center were analyzed for temporal variations. The overall number of calls, calls concerning personal suicidal ideation, and calls concerning third-person suicide potential varied by both month and day of the week. Ideation calls and calls involving a suicide attempt varied by day of the month. Month and day of the week variation in third-person calls paralleled variations in completed suicides. Fluctuations were large enough to be useful in scheduling crisis center staff. The possibility that third-person calls represent a greater suicide threat than first-person calls is discussed.     

Telephone counseling increases cessation rates among young adult smokers.

During June 2000-May 2001, the American Cancer Society conducted a randomized trial of telephone counseling among more than 3,500 current smokers who called to seek assistance in quitting. All eligible callers were randomized to receive either self-help booklets through the mail or booklets and up to 5 sessions of telephone counseling. Approximately 12% (420/3,522) of study participants were 18-25 years of age. Using intent to treat analyses, 3- and 6-month quit rates among both younger and older smokers were significantly higher among those who received telephone counseling than among those who received self-help booklets only. Three-month rates were 20% versus 9% for 18-25 year olds and 15% versus 10% for older adults. Results indicate that younger smokers can benefit from telephone counseling.     

A Recursive Frame Qualitative Analysis of MFT Progress Note Tipping Points

Medically oriented psychotherapists typically record progress notes by articulating client symptoms, diagnoses, functional status, progress, and adherence to treatment plans. This orientation can challenge marriage and family therapists working from discursive or post-modern perspectives. Although there are discursive therapy friendly treatment planning guides, no published research on such practice exists. To address this gap the researchers conducted a recursive frame qualitative analysis of 206 de-identified progress notes from 30 completed cases seen by MFT master’s students learning discursive approaches to therapy in a university-based training clinic. Researchers found students noted problem to solution-focused discourse tipping or turning points in 20 cases with positive outcomes and no comparable shifts in 10 cases with negative or unclear outcomes.