Rapid detection of person information in a naturalistic scene

A preferential-looking paradigm was used to investigate how gaze is distributed in naturalistic scenes. Two scenes were presented side by side: one contained a single person (person-present) and one did not (person-absent). Eye movements were recorded, the principal measures being the time spent looking at each region of the scenes, and the latency and location of the first fixation within each trial. We studied gaze patterns during free viewing, and also in a task requiring gender discrimination of the human figure depicted. Results indicated a strong bias towards looking to the person-present scene. This bias was present on the first fixation after image presentation, confirming previous findings of ultra-rapid processing of complex information. Faces attracted disproportionately many fixations, the preference emerging in the first fixation and becoming stronger in the following ones. These biases were exaggerated in the gender-discrimination task. A tendency to look at the object being fixated by the person in the scene was shown to be strongest at a slightly later point in the gaze sequence. We conclude that human bodies and faces are subject to special perceptual processing when presented as part of a naturalistic scene.     

An analysis of complaints to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, 1996–2006

In autumn 2006 the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy approved a proposal to conduct an independent audit of complaints submitted. This article represents the first stage of that audit. Case information from the professional conduct files was accessed and a total of 84 cases, considered by a pre‐hearing assessment panel to require a full hearing, were identified for this audit. The cases cover the period from October 1996 to January 2006. The information obtained was entered into a database for numerical analysis. Key findings suggest that accredited members are disproportionately complained against, as are male members of the association. The majority of complaints are made by people who are themselves involved in counselling.     

Using Conversation Analysis in Feminist and Critical Research

Conversation analysis – the study of talk‐in‐interaction – is proving a valuable tool for politically engaged inquiry and social critique. This article illustrates the use of conversation analysis in feminist and critical research, drawing on a range of empirical studies. After introducing conversation analysis – its theoretical assumptions, methodological practices and empirical findings – it highlights projects based on two key conversation analytic domains: turn‐taking and turn design, and sequence organization and preference structure. The final section examines the key contributions of conversation analysis to feminist and critical work in the areas of categories and gender; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues; women's labour; and the politics, ethics and design of the research process.     

Assessing risk: confrontation or avoidance—what is taught on counsellor training courses

Recent mental health policy development has focused on the assessment and management of risk in vulnerable clients. Counsellors have a significant role to play in delivering mental health care in a range of settings, with clients sometimes presenting with suicidal ideation, self-injury and a risk of violence. The aim of this research was to explore the profile of risk assessment teaching within BACP accredited courses. A total of 49 BACP accredited courses were contacted and 24 responded. This response rate is discussed with particular reference to those courses that did not respond to the questionnaire. Risk assessment was viewed as an important consideration for counsellor training whilst suicide and self-harm seemed to have a higher profile than violence to others. Supervision was cited by the majority of respondents to have an important role in developing trainees' skills in assessing risk. The implications of the findings of this study for how counsellors are prepared by their training experiences to work with clients at risk are discussed and some recommendations made for future training developments.     

Dealing with the Criterion Problem by Measuring the Quality and Quantity of Creative Activity and Accomplishment

The criterion problem was one of the focal points of early studies of creativity, but several useful criteria have been developed in the last few decades. The investigation reported here represents additional progress. This report (a) describes a new quality of creative achievement index for each domain of the Creative Activity and Accomplishment Checklist (CAAC); (b) compares quality and quantity of creative activity and accomplishment using CAAC data from 202 students; and (c) introduces 2 new scales for the CAAC, one representing everyday creativity and the other technological creativity. The advantages of the modified CAAC include the assessment of both quality (i.e., socially recognized) and quantity of creative achievement, as well as additional breadth in the domains that can be reliably assessed. Analyses of CAAC data confirmed that (a) all domains, including everyday and technological creativity, were reliable in the sample of students and (b) the quality of creative activity did indeed differ from its quantity. There were few sex differences, but boys outperformed girls in technological creativity and girls outperformed boys in the arts. Limitations and future research are noted.     

The Relational Impact of Multiple Sclerosis: An Integrative Review of the Literature Using a Cognitive Analytic Framework

This integrative literature review uses cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) theory to examine the impact of a chronic illness, multiple sclerosis (MS), on relationships and mental health. Electronic searches were conducted in six medical and social science databases. Thirty-eight articles met inclusion criteria, and also satisfied quality criteria. Articles revealed that MS-related demands change care needs and alter relationships. Using a CAT framework, the MS literature was analysed, and five key patterns of relating to oneself and to others were identified. A diagrammatic formulation is proposed that interconnects these patterns with wellbeing and suggests potential “exits” to improve mental health, for example, assisting families to minimise overprotection. Application of CAT analysis to the literature clarifies relational processes that may affect mental health among individuals with MS, which hopefully will inform how services assist in reducing unhelpful patterns and improve coping. Further investigation of the identified patterns is needed.