In Defence Of The Phase Space Picture

While the Phase Space formulation of quantum mechanics has received considerable attention it has seldom been defended as a viable interpretation. In this paper I expound the Phase Space Picture, use it to provide a quasi-classical ‘hidden variables’ interpretation of quantum mechanics and offer a defence of it against various objections. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Improving quality of life in diverse rural older adults: a randomized trial of a psychological treatment

The efficacy of home-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in improving quality of life and reducing psychological symptoms in older adults was examined in this study. One hundred thirty-four participants, predominately African American and characterized as primarily rural, low resource, and physically frail, were randomly assigned to either CBT or a minimal support control condition. Results indicate that CBT participants evidenced significantly greater improvements in quality of life and reductions in psychological symptoms. Mediation of treatment through cognitive and behavioral variables was not found despite the acceptable delivery of CBT by research therapists. These data suggest that treatment can be effective with a disadvantaged sample of older adults and extend efficacy findings to quality of life domains. Creating access to evidence-based treatments through nontraditional delivery is an important continuing goal for geriatric health care.     

Alcohol self-administration by rats in the presence of a tangible object

The authors used the sucrose-substitution procedure to train operant self-administration of a 10% alcohol solution in 8 Long-Evans rats. After they established stable responding, they began a 10-session baseline. A 10-session experimental phase followed the baseline phase. During the experimental phase, the authors placed a large glass marble in the center of the experimental chambers before self-administration sessions. The presence of the marble decreased the rats' responding and alcohol intake significantly. The authors discussed the results in terms of distraction and the effects of concurrently available reinforcers on alcohol self-administration.     

How Do Partners Find out About the Risk of Huntington’s Disease in Couple Relationships?

Whilst a growing body of work has explored family communication about Huntington’s disease and how at-risk individuals learn about their risk, the experience of telling a partner and partners’ experiences of finding out about this potentially devastating hereditary illness have received little attention. This study describes the experiences of partners in finding out about Huntington’s disease and any impact on couple’s relationships/marriages. We undertook a thematic analysis of qualitative interviews which explored the dynamics of partners’ marriages after predictive testing and partners’ views of genetic counseling. A main theme from partners’ accounts was how they found out about their spouse’s risk of Huntington’s disease and the impact this had on marital relations. The analysis revealed four types of disclosure experiences: (1) marital secrets; (2) alerting, but not telling; (3) knowing and seeing; (4) marital ignorance. Our findings demonstrate that partners’ experiences of (non)disclosure about the risk of HD within marriages is an important factor which contributes to couples’ coping or marital problems. Exploring how spouses found out about their partner’s risk of HD will illuminate issues about a couple’s past and future patterns of communication and their coping strategies. A practical and ethical implication is the extent to which genetic counselors should inform partners about the course and nature of Huntington’s disease when a partner is the support person for the individual being tested.     

Teaching Introductory Upper‐Level Religion and Theology Classes

The undergraduate study of religion is predominantly undertaken by non‐majors who are meeting a general education requirement. This means that, while curricular discussions make important distinctions between the work of lower‐ and upper‐division courses, many religion and theology faculty are teaching hybrid courses that we call “introductory upper‐level courses.” These play an introductory role in general education while also serving the study of religion in a more advanced way. Attention to how these courses fit into multiple curricular goals will be important for the scholarship of teaching and learning in religious studies and theology. This essay draws on scholarship about introductory teaching and a survey of faculty about introductory upper‐level courses to argue that the content of such courses should be understood as serving the study of religion at an advanced level, the context should be understood as introducing general education goals, and the goals for intellectual growth must strike a challenging balance between the two.     

The effects of behavioral activation therapy with inpatient geriatric psychiatry patients

This study examined the effects of Behavioral Activation (BA) treatment on depressive symptoms and quality of life among older adult patients in a geriatric psychiatry facility. There were 50 participants with mild to moderate cognitive impairment, each being 65 years of age or older. A 2 (between) × 3 (time of measurement) design was used in this study comparing control (treatment-as-usual) and experimental (BA) conditions at pre-, mid-, and posttreatment. BA consisted of eight 30- to 60-minute sessions across 4 weeks. Intent-to-treat analyses indicated a significant Group × Time interaction on depressive symptoms, with this effect remaining when only completer data were included. Further analyses indicated that this effect was due to significant change early in treatment in both the full and completer samples. There was no evidence of a significant effect on the quality-of-life measure. Cognitive status was not related to change in depressive symptoms, suggesting that BA may be useful across a range of older adults.     

Comparisons of the Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide Constructs Among Individuals Without Suicidality,Ideators, Planners,and Attempters

The Interpersonal–Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) proposes that combinations of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and acquired capability lead to suicide ideation, planning, and attempting. We compared individuals with and without suicidality on thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, and compared a combined group of planners and attempters to ideators on fearlessness about death (one component of acquired capability). Individuals with suicidality had higher thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness than individuals without suicidality. Planners and attempters did not have higher fearlessness about death than ideators. These findings partially support IPTS hypotheses. Assessing thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness may improve suicide risk determination.