Response latency as an index of response strength during functional analyses of problem behavior

Dependent variables in research on problem behavior typically are based on measures of response repetition, but these measures may be problematic when behavior poses high risk or when its occurrence terminates a session. We examined response latency as the index of behavior during assessment. In Experiment 1, we compared response rate and latency to the first response under acquisition and maintenance conditions. In Experiment 2, we compared data from existing functional analyses when graphed as rate versus latency. In Experiment 3, we compared results from pairs of independent functional analyses. Sessions in the first analysis were terminated following the first occurrence of behavior, whereas sessions in the second analysis lasted for 10 min. Results of all three studies showed an inverse relation between rate and latency, indicating that latency might be a useful measure of responding when repeated occurrences of behavior are undesirable or impractical to arrange.     

Relationship of Ethnic Identity,Acculturation, and Psychological Well‐Being Among Chinese,Japanese, and Korean Americans

The current investigation examined the relationship of ethnic identity, acculturation, and psychological functioning among 334 Chinese, Japanese, and Korean American participants. Multiple regression analyses revealed that ethnic identity and acculturation differentially predicted well‐being on the basis of ethnic group membership. Results also indicated that a bicultural worldview was positively associated with psychological well‐being. Implications for counseling and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Welfare policies and very young children: experimental data on stage-environment fit

The authors examined the effects of welfare programs that increased maternal employment and family income on the development of very young children using data from 5 random-assignment experiments. The children were 6 months to 3 years old when their mothers entered the programs; cognitive and behavioral outcomes were measured 2-5 years later. While there were no overall program impacts, positive or negative, on the development of children in this age group, there was a pair of domain- and age-specific effects: The programs decreased positive social behavior among 1-year-olds and increased school achievement among 2-year-olds. After exploring several explanations for these results, the authors suggest that the contextual changes engendered by the programs, including children's exposure to center-based child care, interacted differentially with specific developmental transitions.     

Peer tutoring to prevent firearm play acquisition, generalization, and long-term maintenance of safety skills

Hundreds of accidental injuries and deaths to children occur annually in the United States as a result of firearm play. Behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training have been found to be effective in teaching children the skills to use if they find a firearm, but training requires substantial time and effort. The current study examined the use of peers as tutors as a potential way to decrease the time and resources needed to teach these safety skills to youngsters. Peer trainers conducted BST and in situ training with other children. Children taught by the peer trainers acquired the safety skills and demonstrated them in naturalistic situations in which the skills were needed. Furthermore, all of the peer trainers acquired and maintained the skills. These results support the use of peer tutoring for teaching safety skills to other children.     

The Relationship Between Emotional Resources and Emotional Labor: An Exploratory Study

The study examines the effects of a subtype of personal resources (i.e., emotional resources) on emotional labor strategies. We examined 2 variables, emotional intelligence and negative affectivity, as proxies for emotional resources. Largely consistent with predictions, results indicated that individuals with a high level of emotional resources (indicated by high emotional intelligence) are more likely than others to deep act, and individuals with comparatively low emotional resources (indicated by high negative affectivity) are more likely than others to surface act. The differential effects of surface acting and deep acting on strain and job satisfaction were examined. Depressed mood was found to mediate the relationship between surface acting and job satisfaction.     

Addressing Classism,Ableism, and Heterosexism in Counselor Education

As the counseling profession charts its future course, issues related to classism, ableism, and heterosexism remain fully incorporated within the multicultural/social justice curriculum. The authors define each of these forms of oppression, explicate their intersections with race, and summarize the resulting implications for counseling education and training.     

Interrogating Integration, Dissenting Dis-integration: Multiplicity as a Positive Metaphor in Therapy and Theology

The term “integration” has long been used as a metaphor for psychological health and wholeness, and a therapeutic goal. It is counterposed to related conceptions of pathology, such as “disintegration,” “fragmentation” and “splitting.” Christian theology has similarly framed salvation as “at-onement” vs. sin as alienation. Contemporary psychologies have begun to contest the hegemony of the “One,” leading to a number of paradigms of health that do not privilege “integration” as the primary model (e.g., feminist, postmodern, and relational-psychoanalytic). The seeds of a positive view of multiplicity already exist in earlier psychoanalytic models. This paper will argue for valuing multiplicity in psychotherapy as a way of conceptualizing both health and a goal of treatment. Re: pastoral psychotherapy in particular, multiplicity will be shown to have fruitful parallels in a constructive Trinitarian theology of multiplicity of God as a framework for interrogating “integration,” and claiming “dis-integration” as psycho-spiritual dissent and creativity.     

Preparing our future counselling professionals: Gatekeeping and the implications for research

Social science research specific to the identification and prevalence of unsuitable students within counselling, psychology, and social work training programmes is briefly reviewed in this article. This area of enquiry relates to the gatekeeping responsibilities of professional educational programmes, to ensure that their graduates are competent to provide ethical and effective practice to the public. Key issues which impede the usefulness of this gatekeeping literature to counselling educators are raised. These include: methodological inconsistencies which limit the comparison of findings and hence the drawing of sound conclusions; the lack of definitional clarity relating to the construct of gatekeeping; and the confusing array of nomenclature used to represent students’ failure to meet acceptable professional standards. It is apparent from this overview that there are common factors irrespective of nomenclature that are associated with students at risk of not becoming competent entry‐level practitioners. This suggests that a structured approach to terminology is appropriate. There is also evidence to suggest that encountering such students is a regular occurrence for faculty, with students indicating higher numbers of impaired students than educators. A working definition of gatekeeping is provided and nomenclature suggested.