An Introduction to the Best Practices Section in the Journal of Counseling & Development

The authors present an introduction to the Best Practices section in the Journal of Counseling & Development. The section, announced in the fall of 2003, updates counselors on the latest research evidence to support their counseling practices. Four invited experts in the counseling profession (D. Bubenzer, J. G. Garci, T. Sexton, & J. West) discuss the role of best practices in counseling.     

Perception of illuminance flow in the case of anisotropic rough surfaces

Human observers estimate the illumination direction of rough surfaces rather precisely. When surfaces are rough, the illumination generates visible "texture" from differential shading at the level of the roughness, whereas differential illumination at the level of significant global surface curvature leads to the more familiar "shading". The shading is used in conventional shape-from-shading (SFS) algorithms, which ignore the illumination texture cue. Because of this simplification, SFS algorithms are typically formulated as global problems (partial differential equations, etc.). Human observers are likely to apply different methods than do these conventional SFS algorithms, however. When the roughness is not isotropic, one expects systematic errors in the visual detection of illumination direction, conceivably giving rise to erroneous shape estimates. Here we addressed this issue through systematic psychophysics on illumination direction detection as a function of the roughness anisotropy. Our expectations were fully borne out, in that the observers committed the predicted systematic errors. These results are precise enough to allow the inference that illumination direction detection is based on second-order statistics--that is, of edge detector (rather than line detector) activity.     

From Emic to Etic: Exporting Indigenous Constructs

The study of culture differs by methodology. This article distinguishes etic (global) and emic (focal) approaches to cross-cultural research, and uses empirical studies in personality and social psychology as examples to illustrate the pros and cons of these two approaches and examine their relationships. Then, the article reviews origins and trends of research on several culturally derived constructs, including face, harmony, filial piety, and modesty. The import and export processes of pan-cultural and indigenous constructs reveal that generalization and indigenization are interrelated, complementary. It is suggested that cultural similarities and differences be better conceptualized as malleable and dynamic, and that etic and emic approaches can be integrated to form a unified system, balancing universality and distinctiveness.     

The effects of ambiguous appearance-related feedback on body image,mood states,and intentions to use body change strategies in college women: An experimental study

The current study evaluated the effects of receiving ambiguous appearance-based or nonappearance-based feedback on body image, mood states, and body change strategies. One hundred and forty-six women were randomly assigned to either an appearance condition, wherein they interacted with a confederate supposedly working for a cosmetic surgery center, or a nonappearance condition, in which the confederate purportedly worked for an academic enhancement center. Counter to expectations, there was no evidence of significant group differences on most of the variables that assessed mood states and body change strategies. However, intentions to engage in bulimic behavior were significant higher and dieting intentions marginally higher at posttest for the appearance condition, however anger levels were significantly higher for the nonappearance condition. Limitations of the study are discussed and future indications for research in this area are suggested.     

Testing the theory of embodied cognition with subliminal words

In the current study, we tested the embodied cognition theory (ECT). The ECT postulates mandatory sensorimotor processing of words when accessing their meaning. We test that prediction by investigating whether invisible (i.e., subliminal) spatial words activate responses based on their long-term and short-term meaning. Masking of the words is used to prevent word visibility and intentional elaboration of the words’ semantic content. In this way, masking specifically isolates mandatory sensorimotor processing of words as predicted by the ECT. Do spatial subliminal words activate responses nonetheless? In Experiment 1, we demonstrate a spatial congruence effect of the invisible words if they precede visible target words. In Experiment 2, we show that masked words activate responses based on their long-term meaning. In Experiment 3, we demonstrate that masked words are also processed according to their short-term response meaning. We conclude that the ECT is supported by our findings and discuss implications of our results for embodied theories of semantic word processing and masked priming experiments.     

Text Integration and Mathematical Connections: A Computer Model of Arithmetic Word Problem Solving

Understanding arithmetic word problems involves a complex interaction of text comprehension and mathematical processes. This article presents a computer simulation designed to capture the working memory demands required in “bottomup” comprehension of arithmetic word problems. The simulation's sentence-level parser and text integration component reflect the importance of processing the problem from its original natural language presentation. Children's probability of solution was analyzed in exploratory regression analyses as a function of the simulation's sentence-level and text integration processes. Working memory variables measuring the combined effects of concepts to remember and text integration inferences account for a significant proportion of variance in children's solution probabilities across the first four grade levels (K-3). Consistent with previous results from others, which highlighted the significance of small changes in problem wording, the simulation offers a process-oriented perspective as to why natural language presentation constrains the comprehension of mathematical relationships.     

Marital Adjustment of Army Spouses One Year After Operation Desert Storm1

One year after Operation Desert Storm, marital adjustment was studied among 773 Army spouses married to soldiers who had been deployed. Interviews with some spouses and soldiers, conducted during site visits to a sample of installations, led to the identification of 19 marital adjustment events. Questions regarding these events were included in a mailed questionnaire that was sent to a sample of Army spouses. A factor analysis of the 19 events produced five factors: (a) Distance, (b) Closeness, (c) Role sharing, (d) Independent Spouse, (e) Dependent Spouse/Withdrawn Soldier. Predictors of factor scores were examined through multiple regression analysis. Predictors of factor scores included stress, prior marital problems, social support, and emotional well-being. Most spouses adjusted well to the deployment. Adjustment patterns are discussed in light of previous literature on war separation and attachment theory.     

HIV-positive pregnant women attending the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS (PMTCT) services in Ethiopia: economic productivity losses across urban-rural settings

HIV/AIDS impacts significantly on pregnant women and on children in Ethiopia. This impact has a multiplier effect on household economies and on productivity losses, and is expected to vary across rural and urban settings. Applying the human capital approach to data collected from 131 respondents, this study estimated productivity losses per HIV-positive pregnant woman–infant pair across urban and rural health facilities in Ethiopia, which in turn were used to estimate the national productivity loss. The study found that the annual productivity loss per woman–infant pair was Ethiopian birr (ETB) 7,433 or United States dollar (US$) 378 and ETB 625 (US$ 32) in urban and rural settings, respectively. The mean patient days lost per year due to inpatient admission at hospitals/health centres was 11 in urban and 22 in rural health facilities. On average, urban home care-givers spent 20 (SD = 21) days annually providing home care services, while their rural counterparts spent 23 days (SD = 26). The productivity loss accounted for 16% and 7% of household income in urban and rural settings, respectively. These high and varying productivity losses require preventive interventions that are appropriate to each setting to ensure the welfare of women and children in Ethiopia.     

Do episodic self- and partner-uncertainty mediate the association between attachment orientations and emotional responses to relationship-threatening events in dating couples?

This study examined relational-uncertainty perceptions (a form of cognitive appraisal) to investigate how partners in 272 heterosexual couples responded emotionally to a relationship-challenging event. Participants rated themselves on attachment anxiety and avoidance. Then, after listing a challenging event, they rated how uncertain it made them about their own and their partner's continued involvement in the relationship. Participants also rated how angry and fearful the event made them. An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model yielded three sets of results. First, actor effects from insecure attachment orientations to episodic relational uncertainty emerged. Second, proposed mediation between attachment orientations and emotional reactions by uncertainty was partially supported (perceived partner-uncertainty partially mediated the positive association of anxious attachment and fear, and self-uncertainty partially mediated the positive relation between avoidant attachment and anger). Finally, a partner effect was found between one couple member's avoidant attachment and the other's perceived partner uncertainty. Men and women exhibited similar findings.     

Differences in memory functioning between children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and/or focal epilepsy

Prior research has shown that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and epilepsy are frequently comorbid and that both disorders are associated with various attention and memory problems. Nonetheless, limited research has been conducted comparing the two disorders in one sample to determine unique versus shared deficits. Hence, we investigated differences in working memory (WM) and short-term and delayed recall between children with ADHD, focal epilepsy of mixed foci, comorbid ADHD/epilepsy and controls. Participants were compared on the Core subtests and the Picture Locations subtest of the Children’s Memory Scale (CMS). Results indicated that children with ADHD displayed intact verbal WM and long-term memory (LTM), as well as intact performance on most aspects of short-term memory (STM). They performed worse than controls on Numbers Forward and Picture Locations, suggesting problems with focused attention and simple span for visual-spatial material. Conversely, children with epilepsy displayed poor focused attention and STM regardless of the modality assessed, which affected encoding into LTM. The only loss over time was found for passages (Stories). WM was intact. Children with comorbid ADHD/epilepsy displayed focused attention and STM/LTM problems consistent with both disorders, having the lowest scores across the four groups. Hence, focused attention and visual-spatial span appear to be affected in both disorders, whereas additional STM/encoding problems are specific to epilepsy. Children with comorbid ADHD/epilepsy have deficits consistent with both disorders, with slight additive effects. This study suggests that attention and memory testing should be a regular part of the evaluation of children with epilepsy and ADHD.