Skill differences in medical laboratory diagnostics

Skill differences in visual diagnostics were examined by asking novice and expert medical technologists to identify bacteria in eight Gram-stain specimens that varied in terms of diagnostically-significant features and stain quality. Verbal protocols were analyzed for knowledge of specific cell morphology and of staining properties. There were skill-related differences in visual diagnostic performance, particularly in terms of the quality of detail and number of explicit comments made for each relevant dimension. The implications of the findings for further research on the role of experience and the effects of practice/training in an applied domain such as medical technology is discussed.     

Factors Associated with Support for Adolescent Access to Contraception Among Mexican Catholic Parents

Journal of Religion and Health - We used a nationally representative survey of 2186 Mexican Catholic parents to assess two outcomes: support for adolescent access to modern contraception and...     

Interventions for Suicidal Youth: A Review of the Literature and Developmental Considerations

Suicidal behavior is developmentally mediated, but the degree to which interventions for suicidal behaviors have been developmentally tailored has varied widely. Published controlled studies of psychosocial treatment interventions for reducing adolescent suicidal behavior are reviewed, with a particular emphasis on the developmental nuances of these interventions. In addition, developmental considerations important in the treatment of suicidal adolescents are discussed. There are insufficient data available from controlled trials to recommend one intervention over another for the treatment of suicidal youth, but interventions that are sensitive to the multiple developmental contexts have potential for greater effectiveness in reducing adolescent suicidal behavior.     

A Randomized Trial of Two Promising Computer-Based Interventions for Students with Attention Difficulties

Few studies have examined whether attention can be improved with training, even though attention difficulties adversely affect academic achievement. The present study was a randomized-controlled trial evaluating the impact of Computerized Attention Training (CAT) and Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) on attention and academic performance in 77 inattentive first graders. Students receiving either intervention were more likely than controls to show a moderate decline in teacher rated attention problems in first grade. Students receiving CAI also showed gains in reading fluency and in teacher ratings of academic performance. Intervention effects for attention were absent by second grade largely because attention problems declined in all groups. However, post hoc analyses indicated potential longer-term benefits for children with 6 or more inattentive symptoms at baseline. Persistent attention problems were associated with poorer academic performance in multiple domains. Results provide initial evidence that CAT and CAI can improve children’s attention in the classroom - and support additional studies to determine whether more clinically significant benefits are attainable.     

Relational Aggression and Hostile Attribution Biases: Testing Multiple Statistical Methods and Models

The present study used both categorical and dimensional approaches to test the association between relational and physical aggression and hostile intent attributions for both relational and instrumental provocation situations using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development longitudinal Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (M = 8.3 years-old, SD = 0.19, N = 840). A one standard deviation threshold was used to create categorical aggression status groups. In categorical analyses, children who were both relationally and physically aggressive were found to attribute more hostile intent attributions in relationally provocative situations. Results from the dimensional analyses indicated that female gender, physical aggression, and hostile attribution biases for instrumental provocations each predicted increases in relational aggression over time. Further, relational aggression was not predictive of hostile attribution biases for relational provocations, and instead physical aggression was predictive. Implications for the fields of developmental psychology and psychopathology are discussed.     

The matching relation and situation-specific bias modulation in professional football play selection

The utility of a quantitative model depends on the extent to which its fitted parameters vary systematically with environmental events of interest. Professional football statistics were analyzed to determine whether play selection (passing versus rushing plays) could be accounted for with the generalized matching equation, and in particular whether variations in play selection across game situations would manifest as changes in the equation's fitted parameters. Statistically significant changes in bias were found for each of five types of game situations; no systematic changes in sensitivity were observed. Further analyses suggested relationships between play selection bias and both turnover probability (which can be described in terms of punishment) and yards-gained variance (which can be described in terms of variable-magnitude reinforcement schedules). The present investigation provides a useful demonstration of association between face-valid, situation-specific effects in a domain of everyday interest, and a theoretically important term of a quantitative model of behavior. Such associations, we argue, are an essential focus in translational extensions of quantitative models.