Tachistoscopic exposure of real objects for measurement of reaction time and movement time

In this paper, we describe an apparatus for measuring reaction times and movement times involved in reaching for real objects. Subjects view an object through a liquid crystal window, which serves as a shutter that can be made clear or opaque quickly (10 msec from opaque to clear, 30 msec from clear to opaque). The subject’s hand rests on a microswitch-equipped home key, and the object sits on a force-sensitive platform so that initiation of reach and time of contact with the object can be marked accurately. The apparatus interfaces with an IBM PC/AT through a digital I/O parallel port, so that reaction times and movement times are recorded automatically.     

Affective responses to seeing oneself for the first time on unedited videotape

Despite the growing popularity of watching oneself on videotape, little systematic research has been conducted determine viewers' affective responses to video replay. This study addresses the question: what affective responses do women have when they view themselves for the first time on unedited videotape, in comparison to their responses when they view a peer or nature scenes on videotape? Affective responses were measured in three ways: self-report, physiological, and behavioral. Subjects who viewed themselves reported more negative feelings and anxiety, and smiled more frequently than subjects who watched another person or nature scenes on video. Subjects with high private self-consciousness had higher mean arterial blood pressures when viewing themselves than did subjects with low private self-consciousness. Overall, the implications for seeing oneself on video point to potential embarrassment but generally moderate effects.     

Toward a therapeutic jurisprudence analysis of medication refusal in the court review model

A therapeutic jurisprudence analysis attempts to discern the role of legal proceedings, lawyers and judges in producing therapeutic or anti-therapeutic consequences. This paper will attempt to use the therapeutic jurisprudence framework to analyze the legal and administrative aspects of court review as it was reported during a one year epidemiologic study of drug refusal. Characteristics of the review process, the effect on patient refusal, and the attitudes of treating psychiatrists are presented. To broaden the clinical context of the administrative findings, selected clinical characteristics of refusing patients, their attitudes toward mental illness, reasons for refusing medication and satisfaction with court review will be described. The discussion attempts to show how the initial administrative study findings may be interpreted in the broader context of their relationship to the achievement of therapeutic outcomes.     

Behavioral and Attitudinal Correlates of Masculinity: A National Survey of Male Counselors

In this study the authors investigated the relationship between the Male Role Norm Scales (MRNS; Thompson & Pleck, 1987) and gender-related attitudes and behaviors in a sample of 367 male counselors drawn from American Counseling Association (ACA), formerly the American Association for Counseling and Development (AACD), members. Results indicated that this group of men did not, in general, endorse traditional male roles as measured by the MRNS. When a degree of affiliation with these roles was found, however, it was predictive of violence proneness, intimacy style, and degree of perceived similarity to father. Implications for training and counseling are discussed.     

Employment and Roles of Counselors in Employee Assistance Programs

The authors studied employment and roles of master's-level counselors in employee assistance programs (EAPs) and the services offered by different types of EAP organizations. The study focused on programs, workshops and seminars: assessment; counseling; consultation; and evaluation and marketing services offered by EAPs. Master's-level counselors were found to be similar to those with Master's of Social Work (MSW) degrees in employment rate and percentage of EAP staff. Both groups were the most frequently employed and constitute the greatest percentage of the professional mental health staff in EAPs. Also, counselors were found to be involved in all of the service areas studied within each type of EAP. Differences in counselors' roles among EAP types are discussed.     

Interrelationships among students' study activities,self-concept of academic ability,and achievement as a function of characteristics of high-school biology courses

This investigation focused on the interrelationships among students' study activities, students' self-concept of academic ability ratings, students' academic achievement, and instructional practices in 12 high school biology courses. Using a framework derived from a previous investigation, course features were classified into those that appear to (a) place demands on, (b) support, or (c) compensate for student engagement in particular study activities. Students' study activities, self-concept of academic ability ratings, and achievement were measured with experimenter-developed instruments. Results are reported for (a) characteristics of instruments and course features, (b) relationships between central factors of the investigation, and (c) multi-level relationships between course features and student variables. Results at the student level indicated that self-concept of academic ability and, to a lesser extent, students' study activities were positively associated with student achievement. Students' self-concept of academic ability ratings were also linked to students' engagement in generative, proactive study activities. At the course level the supportive practices of providing challenging homework assignments and extensive feedback on student coursework were associated with student engagement in effortful, generative, proactive study activities. The provision of extensive feedback was also associated with high student achievement. Multi-level relationships were analysed using hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) analyses. These analyses revealed, for example, that in courses in which little or no feedback is given on homework assignments, the relationship between achievement and student engagement in diligent effort management activities was enhanced. Other HLM analyses were conducted to examine the mediating role of course features on the relationship between students' self-concept of academic ability and their study activities and achievement. For example, the presence of challenging course demands was associated with an enhancement of the relationship between self-concept of academic ability and achievement whereas the presence of instructor provisions (supports and compensations) designed to reduce course demands was associated with a reduction in this relationship.     

Unitarian validation of a mathematical problem-solving exercise for sales occupations

A content-related test construction strategy was employed as a means of yielding a test with criterion-related evidence of validity. Utilizing a national sample of field sales job incumbents, a group-based job analysis method was developed to identify job requirements. A content validity and concurrent criterion-related study were then conducted. The results demonstrated both content and criterion-related evidence of validity. Differential validity by race or gender was not found. A comparison between minority and non-minority group regression lines found no statistically significant difference between slopes. However, a statistically significant difference between minority and non-minority intercept values was found. The results are discussed in respect to their consistency with other research findings. The significance of the study is addressed in light of the recent Unitarian approach towards the theoretical and practical nature of test validity. It is suggested that practitioners and researchers investigate further the elements of this research effort as guidance for satisfying professional and federal standards.     

Route-finding: A measure of everyday executive functioning in the head-injured adult

This is an ecological test of adaptation in head-injured adults, reporting reliability and validity of the Executive Function Route-finding Task (EFRT; Boyd and Sautter, 1985). A Likert scale was used to rate executive aspects of route-finding such as task formulation, strategy of approach, detection and correction of errors, and dependence on cueing among 31 head-injured young adults within a large rehabilitation facility. The Task has high inter-rater reliability and acceptable concurrent validity with other neuropsychological constructs.