Obtaining Systematic Teacher Reports of Disruptive Behavior Disorders Utilizing DSM-IV

This study examines the psychometric properties of the Vanderbilt AD/HD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale (VADTRS) and provides preliminary normative data from a large, geographically defined population. The VADTRS consists of the complete list of DSM-IV AD/HD symptoms, a screen for other disruptive behavior disorders, anxiety and depression, and ratings of academic and classroom behavior performance. Teachers in one suburban county completed the scale for their students during 2 consecutive years. Statistical methods included (a) exploratory and confirmatory latent variable analyses of item data, (b) evaluation of the internal consistency of the latent dimensions, (c) evaluation of latent structure concordance between school year samples, and (d) preliminary evaluation of criterion-related validity. The instrument comprises four behavioral dimensions and two performance dimensions. The behavioral dimensions were concordant between school years and were consistent with a priori DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Correlations between latent dimensions and relevant, known disorders or problems varied from .25 to .66.     

Perpetuating the Father Christmas Story: a justifiable lie?

Most adults allow and even encourage young children to believe in Father Christmas as a real person. Although adults are usually engaged in open and rational communications with children they appear to be willing to deceive them and they often have to elaborate the story further to maintain such a reality. In the present paper, adult behaviours in perpetuating the Father Christmas story and the value, or not, of children being exposed to this story during their early years have been discussed in the light of the existing literature and the preliminary findings of the writers' own study.

In general, the discussion has shown that there appears to be a complexity of issues surrounding the Father Christmas story and many variables need to be considered before one would argue for or against the perpetuation of the story. Such variables include commercialization, traditional cultural conformity, the place of the story in diverse societies, possible adverse effects on children from being deceived, the development of children's imaginative potential, and children's access to alternative value systems and spirituality. Commercial pressures and traditional conformity may be factors for adults maintaining the story, but a further study of the unspoken and perhaps unexamined or unconscious beliefs that adults may hold about positive effects of the Father Christmas story may justify the perpetuation of the story.     

Effects of educational and career exploration system on vocational maturity

An experimental group of 792 tenth graders spent from 1 to 17 hr (average 3 hr) on ECES, a computer-based educational and occupational exploration system.Gains on a test of vocational maturity administered at the beginning and end of the school year were compared with a control group of 1453 tenth graders, matched on relevant variables. ECES users showed larger gains than nonusers in (1) degree of planfulness and (2) knowledge and use of resources for career exploration, as measured by the Career Development Inventory, not in information about education, occupations and career decision making. Gains were related to amount of time spent on ECES but male-female differences were not exhibited.     

Prediction and uncertainty in human Pavlovian to instrumental transfer

Attentional capture and behavioral control by conditioned stimuli have been dissociated in animals. The current study assessed this dissociation in humans. Participants were trained on a Pavlovian schedule in which 3 visual stimuli, A, B, and C, predicted the occurrence of an aversive noise with 90%, 50%, or 10% probability, respectively. Participants then went on to separate instrumental training in which a key-press response canceled the aversive noise with a .5 probability on a variable interval schedule. Finally, in the transfer phase, the 3 Pavlovian stimuli were presented in this instrumental schedule and were no longer differentially predictive of the outcome. Observing times and gaze dwell time indexed attention to these stimuli in both training and transfer. Aware participants acquired veridical outcome expectancies in training--that is, A > B > C, and these expectancies persisted into transfer. Most important, the transfer effect accorded with these expectancies, A > B > C. By contrast, observing times accorded with uncertainty--that is, they showed B > A = C during training, and B < A = C in the transfer phase. Dwell time bias supported this association between attention and uncertainty, although these data showed a slightly more complicated pattern. Overall, the study suggests that transfer is linked to outcome prediction and is dissociated from attention to conditioned stimuli, which is linked to outcome uncertainty.     

Early signs of memory impairment among multiple sclerosis patients with clinically isolated syndrome

The study investigates primary and secondary verbal memory and motor/executive functions (response inhibition and strategy shifting ability) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). We studied 44 CIS patients and compared them to 49 patients with relapsing remitting MS (RR-MS) displaying mild disability and to a large cohort of age- and education level-matched healthy volunteers(n=230). Results showed that both CIS and RR-MS patients evidenced a disproportionate impairment in the immediate and delayed recall of the second (as compared to the first) of two short narratives of the Logical Memory WMS-III subtest, and reduced performance on the Memory for Digits-Forward. Performance of either group on the executive tasks was not impaired, showing evidence of a reversed speed-accuracy trade-off. Illness duration emerged as a significant predictor of memory and executive task performance. Clinical, psychoemotional, and brain imaging findings were also examined as potential correlates of memory deficits and disease progression among CIS patients. These findings may signify early-onset decline of specific cognitive functions in CIS, which merits regular follow-up assessments and monitoring of psychoemotional adaptation and everyday functioning.     

Eustathius of Antioch and a Fragment Attributed to Patriarch Photius

This article deals with the fragment on Hebr. 7:3 attributedto Patriarch Photius of Constantinople (ninth century) as partof his commentary on the Pauline epistles. It shows that thefragment is an excerpt from the Epistula ad Alexandrum Alexandrinum(De Melchisedech) of the Nicene Father Eustathius of Antioch,and examines its relation to the Photian commentary as wellas its provenance and importance for the transmission of Eustathius’work.     

Sex, race/ethnicity, and romantic attractions: multiple minority status adolescents and mental health

This study examined the association between multiple minority statuses and reports of suicidal thoughts, depression, and self-esteem among adolescents. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used to examine mental health outcomes across racial/ethnic groups for same-sex-attracted youths and female youths. Hispanic/Latino, African American, and White female adolescents reported more suicidal thoughts, higher depression, and lower self-esteem compared with male adolescents in their racial/ethnic group. Same-sex-attracted youths did not consistently demonstrate compromised mental health across racial/ethnic groups. Follow-up analyses show that White same-sex-attracted female adolescents reported the most compromised mental health compared with other White adolescents. However, similar trends were not found for racial/ethnic minority female youths with same-sex attractions.     

Explaining Mendelian Inheritance in Genetic Consultations: An IPR Study of Counselor and Counselee Experiences

The explanation of Mendelian inheritance is a key component of most genetic counselling consultations, yet no evidence base exists for this area of practice. This qualitative study used Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) to explore how information about X-linked inheritance is provided and received in genetic counseling. Twelve consultations involving two senior genetic counselors and 21 counselees were videotaped. Section(s) of videotape featuring the explanation were subsequently played back separately to both counselees and counselors and their responses and reflections recorded. All interviews were fully transcribed and analysed using the constant comparison method. A personalised diagram, drawn “live” by the counselor during the consultation was recalled by counselees as being central to their understanding of the “bottom line”. This helped bridge the gap between scientific information and their family experience and did not appear to require a baseline understanding of genetic concepts such as genes or chromosomes. Counselors reflected on the diagram’s positive impact on the way they sequenced, paced and tailored the explanation. A positive counselor-counselee relationship was vital even during this educative exchange: for counselees to feel at ease discussing complex genetic information and to help gauge counselee understanding.