ESID,Dissemination, and Community Psychology: A Case of Partial Implementation?

Dissemination, the second stage of Experimental Social Innovation and Dissemination (ESID) is a critical, if not defining, element of this social change model. This paper attempts to assess the extent to which community psychology has adopted and implemented ESID's dissemination focus in its training and publications. We identify four levels of commitment to dissemination: dissemination advocate, dissemination activist, dissemination researcher, and experimental dissemination researcher. Content analyses of textbooks, journal publications, and conference papers and a brief survey of doctoral training in the field were conducted. Findings suggest that the dissemination aspects of ESID have been modestly and partially implemented within the field. That is, although there is some evidence of a commitment to dissemination practice (advocate, activist), there is much less evidence of a commitment to dissemination research. The implications of these findings for the effectiveness of the ESID model and for training and practice in community psychology are discussed.     

Type 2 tasks in the theory of signal detectability: Discrimination between correct and incorrect decisions

It has been known for over 40 years that there are two fundamentally different kinds of detection tasks in the theory of signal detectability. The Type 1 task is to distinguish between events defined independently of the observer; the Type 2 task is to distinguish between one’s own correct and incorrect decisions about those Type 1 events. For the Type 1 task, the behavior of the detector can be summarized by the traditional receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. This curve can be compared with a theoretical ROC curve, which can be generated from overlapping probability functions conditional on the Type 1 events on an appropriate decision axis. We show how to derive the probability functions underlying Type 2 decisions from those for the Type 1 task. ROC curves and the usual measures of performance are readily obtained from those Type 2 functions, and some relationships among various Type 1 and Type 2 performance measures are presented. We discuss the relationshiPbetween Type 1 and Type 2 confidence ratings and caution against the practice of presenting transformed Type 2 ratings as empirical Type 1 ratings.     

Jewish identity and intentions to obtain breast cancer screening

This study explored the associations between 2 dimensions of Jewish identity (cultural identification and religious practice) and intentions to perform breast cancer screening. Ashkenazi Jewish women (N = 220) completed surveys as part of an ongoing study of breast cancer risk counseling. Multiple regressions examined the relationships between the 2 identity measures and intention to follow routine recommendations for mammography, intention to perform monthly breast self-exam, and interest in genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility. Cultural identity positively predicted interest in testing, whereas religious identity was inversely related. Religious identity was a significant predictor of intention to adhere to mammography recommendations. Findings show that culture and religion, although correlated, may have different associations with health attitudes.     

Stressors and child and adolescent psychopathology: moving from markers to mechanisms of risk

In the first half of this review, the authors critically evaluate existing research on the association between stressors and symptoms of psychopathology in children and adolescents. This analysis reveals (a) problems with conceptualizations of stress, (b) variability in measurement of stressors, and (c) lack of theory-driven research. To address these problems, the authors propose a general conceptual model of the relation between stressors and child and adolescent psychopathology. The authors examine basic tenets of this general model in the second half of this article by testing a specific model in which negative parenting mediates the relation between economic stressors and psychological symptoms in young people. Results generally provide support for the specific model as well as for the broader model.     

The Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (REACH): project design and baseline characteristics

The Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Cargiver Health (REACH) project was designed to test promising interventions for enhancing family caregiving for persons with dementia. The purpose of this article is to describe the research design, interventions, and outcome measures used in REACH and to characterize the sample recruited for the study. Nine interventions and 2 control conditions were implemented at 6 sites; 1,222 dyads were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control condition. The caregiver sample was 18.6% male with an average age of 62.3 years (56% Caucasian, 24% Black, and 19% Hispanic). Caregivers reported high levels of depressive symptoms and moderate burden. Care recipients were older, with a mean age of 79, and were moderately to severely impaired with mean Mini-Mental State Exam scores of 13/30.     

Children with lesbian parents: a community study

Existing research on children with lesbian parents is limited by reliance on volunteer or convenience samples. The present study examined the quality of parent-child relationships and the socioemotional and gender development of a community sample of 7-year-old children with lesbian parents. Families were recruited through the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a geographic population study of 14,000 mothers and their children. Thirty-nine lesbian-mother families, 74 two-parent heterosexual families, and 60 families headed by single heterosexual mothers were compared on standardized interview and questionnaire measures administered to mothers, co-mothers/fathers, children, and teachers. Findings are in line with those of earlier investigations showing positive mother-child relationships and well-adjusted children.     

Correlations for the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales with Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test in a forensic sample

People with an intellectual disability are over-represented in the criminal justice system in many western countries. Identifying accused persons with intellectual disability is important if they are to receive protections available under the law. Accurate diagnosis is also relevant for correctional administrators, probation and parole services, and community services. Diagnosis of intellectual disability must be made on the basis of both cognitive skills (intelligence) and adaptive behavior. In this study, the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test assessed intelligence, and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales assessed adaptive behavior, through self-report. Tests were administered to 150 offenders, ranging in age from 13 to 53 years, in Australian prisons, juvenile detention centers, legal aid offices, and probation services. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients calculated among all subtests and between total scores were significant. ROC curve analyses demonstrated that performance on each effectively predicted a standard score of less than 70 on the other one.     

An ESID Case Study at the Federal Level

The D (dissemination) phase of the ESID model has been often overlooked in our efforts to create innovative and widespread social change. The process of replicating successful social innovations is both a prerequisite for dissemination (in order to assess the consistency of effects) and an obvious outcome of a successful dissemination effort. Fidelity, the extent to which a replicated program is implemented in a manner consistent with the original program model, is an important dimension of replication. This study was designed to provide empirical data related to three questions. Can complex social programs be implemented with fidelity? How much fidelity is appropriate or desired? What are the organizational dynamics of adoption with fidelity? Data were collected from grantees of a national replication initiative funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Data suggest that high fidelity can be achieved, at least in the context in which programs are mandated to do so as part of the funding agreement and are given technical assistance in achieving fidelity. Secondly, programs perceived high fidelity as having positive effects on the program and its participants, a finding consistent with a limited assessment of the relationship of program outcomes and fidelity. Finally, much was learned about the human and organizational dynamics of replicating with fidelity. Implications for policy and direction regarding replication are discussed.     

Goal-specific influences on the representation of spatial perspective

In two experiments, subjects learned an unfamiliar campus environment, either by studying a map or by navigating. During acquisition, the subjects had one of two spatial goals: to learn the layout of the building (survey goal) or to learn the fastest routes between locations (route goal). Spatial memory was tested with several tasks, some assessing survey perspective processing and some assessing route perspective processing. Results indicate multiple influences on the representation of spatial perspective. Learning condition influenced performance. Individuals studying maps gave more accurate responses to some survey perspective tasks, whereas individuals navigating gave more accurate responses to some route perspective tasks. Spatial goals also influenced performance. Having a route goal enhanced performance on route perspective tasks; having a survey goal enhanced performance on survey perspective tasks. These findings are discussed in the context of research indicating flexibility when processing spatial perspective. Individuals can use spatial information from different perspectives, often doing so in a goal-directed manner.