The Limits of Self-Effacement: A Reply to Wittwer

Philosophical Studies - This article is concerned with the interconnection between three arguments: the Moral Explanatory Dispensability Argument (Moral EDA), the Epistemic Explanatory...     

Training Young Adult Peers in a Mobile Motivational Interviewing‐Based Mentoring Approach to Upstream HIV Prevention

Mentoring relationships are characterized by a sustained, high quality, and skill‐building relationship between a protégé and mentor (Handbook of Youth Mentoring, Los Angeles, SAGE, 2014). Within prevention science, youth mentoring programs emphasize creating a specific context that benefits a young person. Program‐sponsored relationships between youth and adults allow for creating a mentor–mentee partnership, but do not require the establishment of a strong bond in order to deliver prevention‐focused activities and experiences (Handbook of Youth Mentoring, Los Angeles, SAGE, 2014). Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a counseling style used widely to promote health behavior change and in prevention interventions. As part of an upstream approach to HIV prevention, we combined mentoring and MI by training peer mentors to use MI skills in their interactions as part of a large RCT of a mobile life skills intervention for adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM). Our training model developed for training peer mentors in MI skills resulted in peers reaching and exceeding established MI fidelity thresholds (e.g., mean percentage of complex reflections = 80%, mean reflection to question ratio = 2.2:1). We offer reflections on lessons learned and future directions for those researchers and practitioners who may benefit from adapting this blended approach for mentoring AMSM.     

Brief cognitive behavioral intervention for children and adolescents with persistent post-concussive symptoms: A pilot study

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a brief cognitive behavioral intervention program for children and adolescents experiencing persistent post-concussion symptoms. A total of 31 patients aged 10 to 18 years participated in the intervention. The median time since injury at treatment onset was 95 days though the range was large (23–720 days). Treatment was on average four sessions in duration. Sessions included concussion education, activity scheduling, sleep hygiene relaxation training, and cognitive restructuring. Outcomes were measured using symptom reports on the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool – Third Edition (SCAT-3) and parent-reported quality of life on the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Mixed-effects models revealed that symptom reports did not decrease prior to the initiation of this treatment, though significant symptom improvement occurred following treatment. Quality of life scores significantly improved across domains, with the largest gains made in the emotional and school domains. Participant characteristics including age, sex, maternal education, and previous mental health problems were not found to be significantly related to treatment outcomes. Contrary to predictions, length of time since injury was not related to symptom changes. The primary limitation of this study is that it lacks randomization and an experimental control group. The results suggest that brief cognitive behavioral intervention may be a promising treatment for children and adolescents experiencing persistent post-concussive symptoms and warrants further investigation.     

An inverse Ruddlesden-Popper nitride Ca7(Li1−xFex)Te2N2 grown from Ca flux

Nitridoferrates containing monovalent iron ions are a class of materials of recent interest as potentially novel magnetic materials. Aiming at the exploration of nitridoferrates of calcium, we report the single crystal growth from Ca ?ux and crystal structure of the first member (n?=?2) of a series of inverse Ruddlesden-Popper nitrides with a general formula of A_n?1A'₂B_nX_3n+1, where A?=?Li/Fe, A'?=?Te, B?=?N, and X?=?Ca. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses indicate the crystal with a composition of Ca₇(Li_0.32(1)Fe_0.68(1))Te₂N₂ and the tetragonal space group I4/mmm (a?=?4.7884(1) Å, c?=?25.3723(4) Å, Z?=?2). The structure features alternately stacking NaCl-type A'X slabs and the perovskite-type ABX₃ slabs along the c axis. The Li/Fe atoms are located in cuboctahedral cavities surrounded by eight Ca₆N octahedra in the ABX₃ slab. This work demonstrates the viability of the Ca-rich ?ux as a suitable solvent for the exploration of new complex nitrides with interesting crystal structure and properties.     

Re-examination of “release-from-PI” phenomena: recall accuracy does not recover after a semantic switch

Recall accuracy decreases over successive memory trials using similar memoranda. This effect reflects proactive interference (PI) – the tendency for previously studied information to reduce recall of new information. However, recall improves if memoranda for a subsequent trial are semantically dissimilar from the previous trials. This improvement is thought to reflect a release from PI. We tested whether PI is reduced or released from the semantic category for which it had been induced by employing paradigms which featured inducement, semantic switch, and then return-to-original category epochs. Two experiments confirmed that PI was not released after various semantic switch trials (effects from d?=??0.93 to ?1.6). Combined analyses from both studies demonstrated that the number of intervening new category trials did not reduce or release PI. In fact, in all conditions recall accuracy decreased, demonstrating that PI is maintained and can increase after the new category trials. The release-from-PI account cannot accommodate these broader dynamics of PI. This account is also incongruent with evidence and theory from cognitive psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience. We propose a reintroduction-of-PI account which explains these broader PI dynamics and is consistent with the wider psychological and neurosciences.