Amelioration of infant sleep disturbances: II. Effects of scheduled awakenings by compliant parents

Twelve infants and toddlers who exhibited spontaneous awakening and crying episodes during the night were subjected to scheduled awakenings by their parents. Scheduled awakenings were determined from individual baseline data, and these consisted of awakening, feeding, and consoling the child about 15 to 30 minutes before typical spontaneous awakening times. Once spontaneous awakenings were precluded, scheduled awakenings by the parents were faded out and posttreatment data were collected. The technique appeared effective for most children when the parents complied with the procedure.     

An expanded etiological model for suicide behavior in adolescents: Evidence for its specificity relative to depression

This study tests both the stress/social support and the stress/problem-solving etiological models for suicidality while controlling for depression. To this end, a depressed, high-suicide-ideating sample (N=68) was compared to a depressed, low-suicide-ideating sample (N=64). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to test the unique contributions of stress, problem-solving orientation, problem-solving skills, and perceived level of social support in predicting level of suicidality. Hierarchical regression analyses were also used to test the interactive contributions of problem-solving × stress and social support × stress in predicting level of suicidality. Regression models were generated separately for men, women, and the entire sample using all factors. The results clearly support the importance of social support as an independent predictor of suicidality for men, women, and the entire sample. Ability to generate alternatives to identified problems predicted suicidality, but only for women and the entire sample. Problem-solving orientation was not uniquely predictive of suicidality and may affect suicidal behavior via its relationship to depression.     

The Portrayal of Aggression on North American Television1

The past decade has seen an accumulation of evidence that TV viewing influences beliefs about social reality, particularly in areas related to violence. Detailed content analyses of the portrayal of aggression on North American television were conducted in an attempt to document some of the symbolic messages in television content and the extent to which those messages vary according to program category. The TV sample analyzed consisted of 109 programs (81 hours) chosen on the basis of audience viewing figures; 76% were produced in the U.S.A. and 22% in Canada. An average of 9 acts of physical aggression and 7.8 acts of verbal aggression per program hour were observed, but both type and rate of aggression varied by program category. Other methods of conflict resolution occurred rarely, and few witnesses sought alternatives to aggression. Less than 2% of the aggression observed was accidental, and most (69%) was incidental to the plot. Aggression, especially verbal abuse, was often portrayed as humorous, and there was little evidence of consequences. Some differences between Canadian and U.S. programming were noted. The possibility of using schema theory to understand the role of television in the development of beliefs about social reality is explored.     

A Practical Account of Autonomy: Why Genetic Counseling is Especially Well Suited to the Facilitation of Informed Autonomous Decision Making

In genetic counseling, facilitation of autonomous decision-making is seen as a primary aim and respect for autonomy is used to justify a nondirective counseling approach whereby clients are free to make their own choices after being given all necessary information. However in the genetic counseling literature, autonomy as a concept appears to be interpreted variably and often narrowly. We offer a practical account of autonomy that is coherent, consistent and philosophically defensible for the genetic counseling setting. At the same time we demonstrate how nondirective counseling may serve to frustrate rather than facilitate client autonomy. We suggest that promoting purposeful dialogue rather than counseling that is nondirective is more conducive to client autonomy.     

A new technique for measuring thermoregulatory behavior in the rat

A tracking procedure was used to investigate the ability of rats to regulate their ambient temperature. Rats were placed in a chamber with two levers; depressions of one lever controlled a cold-water flow (11 degrees C) and the other controlled the flow of hot water (57 +/- 1 degrees C). If it alternated responses, the rat could regulate temperature within these two extremes. With training, this regulatory behavior resulted in a narrow environmental temperature range that approximated normal body temperature.     

Uncertainty and values: The case of environmental impact assessment

The increasing complexity of policy issues, as well as the centering of environmental issues in the policy arena, has led to an increased dependence on science in public policy. This has, in turn, led to increased attention to, among other things, the science-policy relationship and the way in which scientific uncertainty is treated in the public sphere. This article examines both problems in the field of environmental impact assessment (EIA). Our study reveals that, apart from the epistemic uncertainty concerned with the predictive capability of scientific theories, EIA brings additional components of uncertainty and challenges for the policymaker. We further confirm recent findings with respect to the inadequacy of the traditional rational model to account for extant science-policy relationships. The article also posits an alternative model that allows one to unpack the processual components of the science-policy relationship.     

Employee and Customer Perceptions of Service Quality in an Indian Firm

Nous présentons un modèle complétant les conceptions existantes de la relation entre employés et clients dans la domaine des services qui propose que la perception de l’efficacité du service par l’agent comme prédictive de l’efficacité du service perçue par le client. L’efficacité du service se réfère à la perception qu’ont les agents de répondre ou même d’aller au‐delà des attentes relatives au service de la part de l’organisation et des clients exteriors. Nous avons enquêté la relation entre l’efficacité du service, la maturité de l’équipe, et la qualité du service dans la filiale indienne d’une organisation internationale de produits de bureaux. Les agents de service appartenant à 18 équipes autonomes ont classé leur propre efficacitéà répondre aux attentes de la direction et des clients extérieurs. Les donées préexistantes sur la maturité de ces équipes étaient recueillies auprès l’organisation. 114 clients de la même société, choisi au hazard, évaluaient la qualité du service fourni, leur satisfaction de ce service et les effets attendus par le client. Nous avons trouvé des liaisons positives entre l’efficacité du service, la maturité du groupe et la qualité de service. Ces resultants servent à enrichir la littérature reliant les comportements des employés aux effets sur les clients pour les sociétés operant dans les economies émergeantes. We proposed a model complementing existing conceptions of the relationship between service employees and their customers, that proposes service effectiveness as an employee‐level predictor of customer‐perceived service quality. Service effectiveness refers to employees’ perceptions of meeting or even exceeding the service‐related expectations of the organisation and external customers. We investigated the relationship between service effectiveness, team maturity, and service quality in an Indian branch of an international office products organisation. Service employees belonging to 18 self‐managed teams rated their own effectiveness in meeting the expectations of management and external customers. Pre‐existing team maturity data for these teams were obtained from the organisation. Simultaneously, 114 randomly selected customers of the same company evaluated the quality of service provided, their satisfaction with the service, and intended customer outcomes. We found positive links between service effectiveness, group maturity, and service quality. These results also help extend the literature linking employee behaviors with customer outcomes to companies operating in emerging economies.