Attentional capture is contingent on scene region: Using surface guidance framework to explore attentional mechanisms during search

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review - Studies have established that scene context guides attention during visual search, but it is not yet clear how. In this study, we examined how attention is...     

Tailored interventions for motivating smoking cessation: using placebo tailoring to examine the influence of expectancies and personalization.

The present study examined mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of tailored interventions for motivating smoking cessation. The study used a placebo-tailoring design to test whether the efficacy of tailoring was due, in part, to personalized features in addition to the theoretically based content. Two hundred forty adult smokers were randomized to 1 of 3 conditions: standard booklet, minimally personalized booklet, or extensively personalized booklet. The interventions varied in their degree of ostensible tailoring, yet the actual smoking-related content of the booklets was identical. A dose-response relationship was hypothesized, with the greatest apparent tailoring producing the most positive outcomes. This pattern was found for evaluation of the booklets, with trends for readiness to change and self-efficacy increases. Moreover, as hypothesized, the effect of the interventions on readiness was moderated by participants' expectancies about tailoring.     

The Effectiveness of Coping Power Program for ADHD: An Observational Outcome Study

The present study evaluates the implementation of the Coping Power Program (CPP)-Child Component in a group of patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and explores the effects of this treatment on changes in the primary and associated symptoms of ADHD. A clinical sample of 50 children and preadolescents (8–13 years) with ADHD was involved. The clinical sample was split into a treatment group (TG; N?=?26), which was included in the child training program (CPP), and a control group (CG; N?=?24), which was placed on a waiting list. The Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) and the Child Behavior Checklist 6–18 (CBCL 6–18) were assessed at baseline and at the end of treatment. The outcomes were assessed as a CBCL-subscale response rate and a CGI-S shift. Our results showed a significant improvement in children’s global functioning and in emotional and behavioral symptoms. The children in the TG were more likely to shift from a more severe functional impairment class to a less severe one (69.2% of TG vs. 20.8% of CG). Further, the CGI-S scores diminished significantly in the TG (p?<?0.01). There were significant differences in the changes in Social Problems (p?<?0.05), Attention Problems (p?<?0.05) and Rule-Breaking Behavior Scales (p?<?0.05). CPP seemed to be effective in children and adolescents with ADHD without comorbidity for ODD or CD. Our study revealed an improved outcome, not only in the core symptoms of ADHD, but also in global functioning and social adjustment. Possible improvements to the present formulation of CPP-C are discussed.     

Building Schools’ Readiness to Implement a Comprehensive Approach to School Safety

Research consistently finds that a comprehensive approach to school safety, which integrates the best scientific evidence and solid implementation strategies, offers the greatest potential for preventing youth violence and promoting mental and behavioral health. However, schools and communities encounter enormous challenges in articulating, synthesizing, and implementing all the complex aspects of a comprehensive approach to school safety. This paper aims to bridge the gap between scientific evidence and the application of that evidence in schools and communities by defining the key components of a comprehensive approach to school safety and describing how schools can assess their readiness to implement a comprehensive approach. We use readiness and implementation data from the Safe Communities Safe Schools project to illustrate these challenges and solutions. Our findings suggest that (1) readiness assessment can be combined with feasibility meetings to inform school selection for implementation of a comprehensive approach to school safety and (2) intentionally addressing readiness barriers as part of a comprehensive approach may lead to improvements in readiness (motivation and capacity) to effectively implement a comprehensive approach to school safety.     

The representation of depth in children's drawings of a table

Willats (1977) analysed developments in the drawing of a table in terms of the projection system in which the table top was represented, and concluded that representation of depth in drawing goes through a series of discrete stages, each of which can be identified with a projection system. A partial replication of Willats' study is presented here, using a much larger sample. The relationship between age and use of projection system found by Willats was in general supported. Not all the “stages” were found to be discrete, however, and an examination of the way in which the table tops were drawn shows that whilst the majority of older children appeared to use perspective, they did not use it correctly. A method is given by which tables that are drawn as if from a central viewpoint can be formally classified. It is concluded that development in the understanding of the representation of depth is not very closely linked to development in the use of projection systems.