Reasoning About Race and Pedagogy in Two Preservice Science Teachers: A Critical Race Theory Analysis

This study describes the experiences of two preservice science teachers as they progress through their respective teacher education programs and uses critical race theory to examine the manner in which conceptions about race and its pedagogical implications change over time. Using a longitudinal case study method, participants' conceptual ecologies of race and pedagogy are mapped both before and after student teaching, and each case is analyzed for evidence of conceptual change in these areas. Findings show that conceptions about race and the pedagogical implications of race changed in ways that likely would have gone undetected in earlier studies because they did not result in wholesale changes in beliefs or teaching practice. This study suggests that the difficulty of fostering an understanding of structural racism and difference may often be underestimated, as revising one's model about race is mitigated strongly by learners' existing conceptual ecologies.     

Measures of Ethnicity‐Related Stress: Psychometric Properties,Ethnic Group Differences,and Associations With Well‐Being1

This study introduces new measures of ethnicity‐related stress and a newly adapted measure of ethnic identity. Ethnicity‐related stressors assessed in this study were perceived discrimination, stereotype confirmation concern, and own‐group conformity pressure. Ethnic identity refers to the subjective sense of ethnic group membership and, following Luhtanen and Crocker (1992), was assessed as public regard, identity centrality, and private feelings. Data for 333 undergraduates from diverse ethnic groups indicated that the measures are psychometrically sound. Ethnic group differences for mean scores demonstrated the measures’ known‐groups validity. Cross‐sectional analyses indicated that ethnicity‐related stress and identity constructs captured by the instruments are related to measures of psychological and physical well‐being. The new measures may be useful in the investigation of psychological aspects of ethnicity and their adaptive consequences.     

Psychopathic Personality Traits and Somatization: Sex Differences and the Mediating Role of Negative Emotionality

Although a number of investigations have provided evidence for an association between antisocial personality disorder and somatization disorder, the variables underlying this association remain unknown. We examined the relations among measures of primary and secondary psychopathy, somatization, and negative emotionality (NE) in 150 undergraduates. Somatization was positively and significantly correlated with measures of secondary, but not primary, psychopathy, and the relations between secondary psychopathy indices and somatization tended to be significantly stronger in females than in males. Some support was found for the hypothesis that the association between secondary psychopathy and somatization is mediated by NE, but not for the hypothesis that low levels of behavioral inhibition lead to somatization. Although the present findings are consistent with the possibility that somatization is a sex-differentiated manifestation of secondary psychopathic traits, replication of these findings in clinical samples will be necessary.     

The Instructional Hierarchy as a Model of Stimulus Control over Student <Emphasis Type="Italic">and</Emphasis> Teacher Behavior: We're Close but are We Close Enough?

As a stage-based model of learning, the Instructional Hierarchy offers a useful heuristic for organizing research on effective instructional strategies at different levels of skill proficiency. In this paper, we summarize and highlight the unique contributions of each empirical study presented in the special issue. We describe common methodological features across the studies that likely contributed to intervention effectiveness, and present several implications for research and practice.     

Associations between miscellaneous symptoms and symptom dimensions: an examination of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adults is a heterogeneous disorder associated with significant psychosocial impairment. Although factor analytic studies have identified symptom dimensions, these analyses do not capture the varied miscellaneous symptoms that fail to load on a specific dimension despite being functionally related. The present study sought to extend the findings of previous research in adults to a sample of youth with OCD (n=131). Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the predictive value of each of the four symptom factors (contamination symptoms, obsessions and checking, symmetry and ordering, and hoarding) to the miscellaneous OCD symptoms. The vast majority of miscellaneous symptoms (17 of the 18 symptoms) were associated with one or more symptoms factors (i.e., contamination symptoms, obsessions and checking, symmetry, and ordering). Hoarding was not related to any miscellaneous symptom. In addition to improving our understanding about the clinical presentation of pediatric OCD, findings also have important assessment (e.g., understanding which miscellaneous symptoms relate to certain dimensions) and treatment implications (e.g., hierarchy development).     

A cross-cultural study of psychosocial aspects of sickle cell disease in the UK and Nigeria

Pain experience, health service utilization and psychological coping in adult patients with sickle cell disease were compared cross-culturally between the UK and Nigeria. Patients in the UK experienced a significantly greater number of pain episodes and of longer duration, with more frequent visits to accident and emergency departments compared with those in Nigeria. The Nigerian patients, on the other hand, applied more psychologically active coping strategies such as distraction to deal with their sickle cell pain in the community. These significant differences are explained in relation to external health locus of control factors including beliefs, and the cost of healthcare in relation to the use of health services. Clinical implications of these findings are also considered.     

Sexual Prejudice Among Heterosexual College Men as a Predictor of Condom Attitudes

Heterosexual male college students (N?=?100) (average age?=?19.7; 43% European American; 39% Christian) from the southwestern U.S. completed surveys in order to test a model predicting condom attitudes from religiosity, gender role attitudes, sexual prejudice, and the belief that “AIDS is a gay disease.” In the final model, those who reported more religiosity, more traditional gender role attitudes, and greater anxiety about interacting with gay men also reported feeling their core values and beliefs were threatened by gay men. In turn, men who felt strongly threatened in this way more strongly endorsed the belief that “AIDS is a gay disease,” and stronger endorsement of this belief was associated with more negative attitudes about condoms and condom use.     

One-year-olds’ understanding of nonverbal gestures directed to a third person

We investigated whether infants comprehend others’ nonverbal communicative intentions directed to a third person, in an ‘overhearing’ context. An experimenter addressed an assistant and indicated a hidden toy's location by either gazing ostensively or pointing to the location for her. In a matched control condition, the experimenter performed similar behaviors (absent-minded gazing and extended index finger) but did not communicate ostensively with the assistant. Infants could then search for the toy. Eighteen-month-old infants were skillful in using both communicative cues to find the hidden object, whereas 14-month-olds performed above chance only with the pointing cue. Neither age group performed above chance in the control condition. This study thus shows that by 14–18 months of age, infants are beginning to monitor and comprehend some aspects of third party interactions.