Intervention to improve mother-infant interaction and infant development

Thirty-three infants at risk for developmental delay were videotaped interacting with their mothers. Maternal position during interaction (facing, beside, or behind the infant) was strongly related to the frequency of maternal interactional behavior and to indices of infant communication and cognitive development. Intervention to teach mothers to use the facing position showed that improvement in position was related to increases in both maternal interactional behavior and infant development. Because the mother's position is easily assessed, understood, and changed by a mother, it is potentially useful to early intervention programs, particularly those serving at risk populations.     

The use of counsellor verbal response modes and client-perceived rapport

The search for those counsellor'client interaction variables which mediate the level of rapport between participants in counselling sessions remains a major focus, particularly in view of the questions which are arising regarding the reliability and usefulness to practitioners of data from large scale controlled clinical trials of specific treatment procedures delivered via standardized manuals. This study examined one of the major therapy interaction variables'verbal response modes'and evaluated its effectiveness upon the development of the Bond aspect of the Working Alliance. To operationalize this variable, client-perceived rapport was assessed every minute via the standardized client procedure described elsewhere. Data suggested that minimal encouragers, reflections of feelings and restatements were the most prominent of the traditional verbal response modes in building rapport, and the usage across the period of 40 to 60 minute interviews varied. Other response modes were also examined. Implications for therapy and training of counselling skills are discussed.     

The impact of an 8-day intensive treatment for adolescent panic disorder and agoraphobia on comorbid diagnoses

Previous research findings have shown positive effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy for primary anxiety disorders as well as for nonprimary, co-occurring anxiety disorders. In this study, we analyzed data from an existing randomized controlled trial of intensive treatment for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PDA) to examine the effects of the treatment on comorbid psychiatric diagnoses. The overall frequency and severity of aggregated comorbid diagnoses decreased in a group of adolescents who received an 8-day treatment for PDA. Results suggest that an 8-day treatment for PDA can alleviate the symptoms of some specific comorbid clinical diagnoses; in particular specific phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, and social phobia. These findings suggest that an intensive treatment for PDA is associated with reductions in comorbid symptoms even though disorders other than PDA are not specific treatment targets.     

The relative importance of political skill dimensions for predicting managerial effectiveness

The present study uses relative weight analysis to garner support for the incremental validity of political skill over more traditional managerial skills for predicting managerial effectiveness and to help identify the underlying theoretical mechanisms driving this relationship. In addition, we explore boundary conditions, in terms of gender and organizational level, where political skill may be more or less critical. Using 199 middle- and upper-level managers enrolled in leadership development programmes and multisource data, the findings supported political skill’s incremental validity over more traditional measures of managerial skills for predicting managerial effectiveness. In addition, two of five political skill dimensions—image management and interpersonal influence—were significantly important predictors of managerial effectiveness, providing support for social influence theory as perhaps the best theoretical model for understanding the political skill-effectiveness relationship. Also, an individual’s gender and level in the organizational hierarchy had significant moderating effects on the relationship between three political skill dimensions and managerial effectiveness.     

Fractioned Reaction Ttme in Power-Trained and Endurance-Trained Athletes under Conditions of Fatiguing Isometric Exercise

Fractionated knee extensor and plantar flexor reaction time (RT) components were assessed in a group of eight weightlifters and eight long distance runners. Following a 4-day period of baseline stabilization for each muscle group, a 50% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) holding-time exercise was administered. Results showed that the runners had longer premotor times (PMT) than the weightlifters in the knee extensors, but had much faster PMTs than the lifters in the plantar flexor condition. Compared to previously reported investigations using non-athletes, the data for the present sample of athletes indicated faster total reaction times (TRT) in both the knee extensors and the plantar flexors. A resistance of 15% MVC applied during the RT task resulted in a lengthening of the motor time (MT) component in both groups prior to exercise. However, while knee extensor resisted motor time was lengthened by the exercise task, no such lengthening occurred in plantar flexor resisted RT. It is concluded that power-trained and endurance-trained athletes exhibit differences in response to a fractionated RT task, under both baseline and fatiguing exercise conditions.     

Assessment of Adult Relatedness: A Review of Empirical Findings From Object Relations and Attachment Theories

Assessment techniques designed to measure adult behavior and mental representation that emphasize relatedness constructs are reviewed. These measures grow out of two traditions, object relations and attachment theories. Although these two paradigms are fairly well elucidated theoretically, the relevant assessment literature is only more recently expanding, especially that focusing directly on adult attachment as opposed to childhood attachment, in addition to a presentation of various projective and objective measures, this review highlights the clinical and research implications for integration of these two paradigms around the cognitive, affective, and behavioral vicissitudes of adult relatedness.     

Parenting and Adolescents’ Academic Achievement: The Mediating Role of Goal Engagement and Disengagement

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Prior research has investigated parental behavior and students’ motivation separately as predictors of adolescents’ academic achievement. The...