A Review and Reconceptualization of Social Aggression: Adaptive and Maladaptive Correlates

The emergence of a research literature exploring parallels between physical and nonphysical (i.e., social, relational, indirect) forms of aggression has raised many questions about the developmental effects of aggressive behavior on psychological functioning, peer relationships, and social status. Although both forms of aggression have been linked to problematic outcomes in childhood and adolescence, more recent findings have highlighted the importance of considering the possible social rewards conferred by socially aggressive behavior. This paper examines relevant theory and empirical research investigating the adaptive and maladaptive correlates specific to nonphysical forms of aggression. Findings are explored at the level of group (e.g., peer rejection), dyadic (e.g., friendship quality), and individual (e.g., depressive symptoms) variables. Key developmental considerations and methodological issues are addressed, and recommendations for future research integrating current theoretical conceptualizations and empirical findings on social aggression are advanced.     

Exposure to a Mnemonic Interferes with Recall of Suicide Warning Signs in a Community‐Based Suicide Prevention Program

The incremental impact of adding a mnemonic to remember suicide warning signs to the Air Force Suicide Prevention Program (AFSPP) community awareness briefing was investigated with a sample of young, junior‐enlisted airmen. Participants in the standard briefing significantly increased their ability to list suicide warning signs and improved consistency with an expert consensus list, whereas participants in the standard briefing plus mnemonic demonstrated no learning. Both groups demonstrated positive changes in beliefs about suicide. Results suggest that inclusion of the mnemonic in the AFSPP briefing interfered with participants' ability to learn suicide warning signs, and that increased confidence in the perceived ability to recognize suicide risk is not related to actual ability to accurately recall warning signs.     

Pathway to health: cluster-randomized trial to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among smokers in public housing.

OBJECTIVES: Examine the effectiveness of an intervention to increase fruits and vegetables (FV) consumption among smokers. DESIGN: Cluster-randomized trial of 20 public housing developments; 10 randomly assigned to an FV intervention and 10 to a smoking cessation intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Usual (past 7 days) and past 30 days change in daily FV intake at 8 weeks and 6 months postbaseline. RESULTS: Greater increases were seen in the FV group. At Week 8 and Month 6, the FV group had consumed 1.58 (p = .001) and 0.78 (p = .04), respectively, more daily FV servings in the past 7 days than the cessation group. At the same time points, the FV group had consumed 3.61 (p = .01) and 3.93 (p = .01), respectively, more FV servings in the past 30 days than the cessation group. Completing more motivational interviewing sessions (p = .02) and trying more recipes (p = .02) led to significantly greater increases at Month 6 among FV participants. CONCLUSIONS: Motivational interviewing counseling and lifestyle modification through trying out healthy recipes may be effective in helping a high-risk population increase their FV intake.     

Using a guest- and confederate-delivered token economy to increase employee–guest interactions at a zoo

The present study used a token economy to promote guest greetings by employees at a zoological facility. Guests and confederate guests delivered tokens to zoo employees for making eye contact from 10 ft (3.05 m) away and verbally greeting guests from 5 ft (1.52 m) away (called a 10–5 interaction) and the tokens were exchangeable for small prizes. An ABAB design was used to evaluate the intervention. Results showed increases of 35.3 and 45.0% in correct employee–guest interactions in each intervention phase compared to baseline, thus suggesting that a guest-delivered token economy is an effective way to improve guest greetings. Limitations of the current study and opportunities for future research are discussed.     

Authorship trends in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis: An update

The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) is considered the flagship journal for the discipline of applied behavior analysis. Thus, popular research topics and other publication trends within JABA reflect the current cultural and scientific contingencies governing the field of behavior analysis. Researchers have previously quantified a number of authorship trends in JABA (and other behavior-analytic journals) across a number of variables, such as gender identity and sex of author, country of origin, or seniority within the field (Dunlap et al., 1998) to examine demographic and organizational factors associated with successful publication in JABA. These analyses ought to be conducted continuously to monitor trends and detect any potential biases (e.g., sexism). Accordingly, the purpose of the present investigation was to replicate previous research in this area (e.g., Dymond et al., 2000) and provide an update of current publication trends within JABA. Implications for future research and publishing practices are discussed.     

Critical Incidents in Multicultural Training: An Examination of Student Experiences

This study examined critical incidents in graduate students' multicultural counseling training. Trainees (N = 59) were asked to describe a critical incident and their multicultural training environment by responding to a critical incident protocol and the Multicultural Environment Inventory‐Revised (D. B. Pope‐Davis, W. M. Liu, J. Nevitt, & R. L. Toporek, 2000). Results and implications of the study are discussed. Este estudio examinó incidentes críticos en los estudiantes graduados de entrenamiento de asesoramiento multicultural. Le pidieron a los aprendices (N = 59) a describer un incidente crítico y su ambiente multicultural del entrenamiento respondiendo a un protocolo del incidente crítico y El Ambiente Multicultural Inventario‐Revisado (D. B. Pope‐Davis, W. M. Liu, J. Nevitt, & R. L. Toporek, 2000). Los resultados y las implicaciones del estudio se discuten.