Cortical plasticity associated with Braille learning

Blind subjects who learn to read Braille must acquire the ability to extract spatial information from subtle tactile stimuli. In order to accomplish this, neuroplastic changes appear to take place. During Braille learning, the sensorimotor cortical area devoted to the representation of the reading finger enlarges. This enlargement follows a two-step process that can be demonstrated with transcranial magnetic stimulation mapping and suggests initial unmasking of existing connections and eventual establishment of more stable structural changes. In addition, Braille learning appears to be associated with the recruitment of parts of the occipital, formerly `visual', cortex (V1 and V2) for tactile information processing. In blind, proficient Braille readers, the occipital cortex can be shown not only to be associated with tactile Braille reading but also to be critical for reading accuracy. Recent studies suggest the possibility of applying non-invasive neurophysiological techniques to guide and improve functional outcomes of these plastic changes. Such interventions might provide a means of accelerating functional adjustment to blindness.     

Variables that predict academic achievement in the Spanish compulsory secondary educational system: a longitudinal, multi-level analysis

This article presents a study whose objective was to identify certain personal and institutional variables that are associated with academic achievement among Spanish, secondary school students, and to analyze their influence on the progress of those students over the course of that stage of their education. In order to do this, a longitudinal, multi-level study was conducted in which a total of 965 students and 27 different schools were evaluated in Language, Math and Social Science at three different times (beginning, middle and end of the period). The results show progress in all the schools and in all areas. As for the personal, student variables, the longitudinal, HLM analyses confirmed the importance of sex and sociocultural background and, distinguishing it from other studies, also the predictive capacity of meta-cognitive abilities and learning strategies on success in school. On the institutional level, the school climate and teachers' expectations of their students were the most relevant of the variables studied. The size of the school, the percentage of students who repeat grades, and the leadership of the administration also explained a portion of the variance in some areas.     

Psychometric Properties of the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBCS) in Spanish Preadolescents

Sex Roles - Objectification theory postulates that the body is constructed as a sexual object and is subject to observation and evaluation in such a way that a person may feel that their body is an...     

Relations between self-serving cognitive distortions and overt vs. covert antisocial behavior in adolescents

The present study addressed the relations between cognitive distortions (inaccurate thoughts, attitudes, or beliefs) and antisocial behavior that is either overt/confrontational (e.g., fighting) or covert/nonconfrontational (e.g., stealing). A controlled analysis of 52 male delinquents and a comparison sample of 51 high school students aged 14–18 years found the delinquents to be higher in both cognitive distortions and self-reported antisocial behavior. Furthermore, cognitive distortion related specifically to overt and covert antisocial behavior in both samples. In particular, cognitive distortion having overt antisocial behavior as its referent (e.g., “People need to be roughed up once in a while”) evidenced a significant path to overt but not covert antisocial behavior. Conversely, covert-referential cognitive distortion (e.g, “If someone is careless enough to lose a wallet, they deserve to have it stolen”) evidenced a significant path to covert but not overt antisocial behavior. The theoretical and treatment implications of the findings are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 24:335–346, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Training Public Sector Clinicians in Competency-Based Clinical Supervision: Methods,Curriculum, and Lessons Learned

This article describes an initiative to train public sector clinicians in competency-based clinical supervision. It was delivered as an 18-session course taught online to clinicians employed in departments of behavioral health in nine Southern California counties. The curriculum was co-constructed by a team of clinical supervision scholars and leaders who then served as instructors. Each two-hour meeting addressed a specific topic for which a training video had been prepared, usually featuring a member of the training team who had expertise in that topic. The second part of each meeting focused on a class member’s supervision case presentation. Those presentations revealed 35 themes; the four most frequently occurring were: developing supervisees’ clinical competencies, addressing countertransference and parallel process, balancing clinical and administrative supervisory roles, and addressing record keeping/paperwork. Participants’ pre-to-post supervisory self-efficacy changes demonstrated a moderate effect size (Cohen’s d?=?.46) for the training, with the greatest pre- to post-training changes being in the use of technology, multicultural competencies (awareness of oppression, bias, and stereotyping in clinical work and in clinical supervision), and contracting. They reported that the strengths of the course included an inclusive learning environment and opportunities to reflect on and apply new knowledge and skills, though they also reported struggling with the assignments and the course platform software. Lessons learned reflected the use of technology in this online program, the importance of obtaining buy-in from agency decision makers and being prepared to address challenges related to the use of direct observation in supervision, gatekeeping, and enacting the simultaneous roles of administrative and clinical supervisor.

     

Correction to: Training Public Sector Clinicians in Competency-Based Clinical Supervision: Methods,Curriculum, and Lessons Learned

Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy - A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-021-09504-9     

Giraffes go for more: a quantity discrimination study in giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis)

Animal Cognition - Many species, including humans, rely on an ability to differentiate between quantities to make decisions about social relationships, territories, and food. This study is the...     

Adapting to Context in Community-Based Participatory Research: “Participatory Starting Points” in a Chinese Immigrant Worker Community

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is increasingly being used to better understand and improve the health of diverse communities. A key strength of this research orientation is its adaptability to community contexts and characteristics. To date, however, few studies explicitly discuss adaptations made to CBPR principles and processes in response to community context and partners’ needs. Using data from our CBPR study, the San Francisco Chinatown Restaurant Worker Health and Safety Project, and drawing from literature on immigrant political incorporation, we examine the links between the contexts of the Chinese immigrant worker community, adaptations made by our collaborative, and study outcomes. In particular, we explore the concepts of contexts of reception and participatory starting points, which may be especially relevant for partnerships with immigrant communities whose members have historically had lower rates of civic and political participation in the US. We discuss contextual findings such as worker partner accounts of language barriers, economic and social marginalization, and civic skills and participation, as well as subsequent adaptations made by the partnership. We also describe the relative effectiveness of these adaptations in yielding equitable participation and building partners’ capacity. We conclude by sharing lessons learned and their implications for CBPR and partnerships with immigrant communities more broadly.     

Conceptos espaciales,mapas cognitivos y orientación en el espacio

RESUMEN

El tema del espacio ha sido abordado desde muy diferentes perspectivas. Desde la psicología del desarrollo, el modelo piagetano ha ofrecido un marco en el que pueden situarse muchos de los hallazgos sobre la representación del espacio y los mapas cognitivos. En este artículo se analizan los conceptos aplicados en este área (pensamiento, almacenamiento espacial, conceptos espaciales y mapas cognitivos, etc.) para ofrecer una serie de aclaraciones sobre estos temas. El objetivo es presentar y discutir estos conceptos y los estudios psicológicos que tratan de comprender el desarrollo de las nociones espaciales en los niños como instrumento de introducción a este área.