Unstable world: Recent experience affects spatial perception

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review - An accurate perception of the space surrounding us is central for effective and safe everyday functioning. Understanding the factors influencing spatial...     

Clinical supervision in cognitive behavior therapy improves therapists’ competence: a single-case experimental pilot study

ABSTRACT

Clinical supervision is a cornerstone in psychotherapists’ training but there are few empirical evaluations on the effects of supervision on therapists’ competencies. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the effects of standardized supervision on rater-assessed competency in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Six therapists with basic training in CBT were provided with protocol-based clinical supervision in CBT in a single-case experimental multiple baseline design. The supervision focused on specific CBT competencies and used experiential learning methods such as role-play. Each therapist recorded weekly treatment sessions during phases without and with supervision. The therapists’ CBT competence was assessed by third-party raters using the Revised Cognitive Therapy Scale (CTS-R). Statistical analyses showed that the therapists’ CTS-R scores increased significantly during the phase with supervision with a mean item increase of M = 0.71 (range = 0.50–1.0) on the supervision focus areas. This is one of the first empirical studies that can confirm that supervision affect CBT competencies. The results also suggest that supervision can be manualized and that supervisees have a positive perception of more active training methods. Further studies are needed to replicate the results and to find ways to improve the impact of supervision.     

Acquired Capability for Suicide,Pain Tolerance,and Fearlessness of Pain—Validation of the Pain Tolerance Scale of the German Capability for Suicide Questionnaire

The interpersonal theory of suicide (Joiner, 2005) postulates that for a serious suicide attempt, one has to possess the acquired capability to commit suicide. Acquired capability includes higher pain tolerance, which is further assumed to comprise both an elevated physical pain tolerance and fearlessness of pain. Recently, the German Capability for Suicide Questionnaire (GCSQ) was validated. The aim of this study is further validation of the GCSQ's Pain Tolerance scale by investigating the scale's association with objective pain tolerance and fearlessness of pain in two undergraduate samples (N = 81; N = 76). Both associations were found indicating a strong criterion validity of the Pain Tolerance scale.     

Investigating the actor effect in moral emotion expectancies across cultures: A comparison of Chinese and Canadian adolescents

The study investigated adolescents' moral emotion expectancies for actions versus inactions across cultures (Chinese vs. Canadian) and different moral rule contexts (rules that prohibit antisocial behaviour vs. rules that prescribe prosocial actions) while controlling for judgements of obligatoriness of moral actions. The sample consisted of 372 teenagers from three grade levels (7–8, 10–11, and 1st–2nd year university). Participants were provided with scenarios depicting moral and immoral actions of self or others. Moral emotion expectancies were assessed following each scenario by asking participants to rate the intensity of various emotions they anticipate for themselves in the given situation. Actions were related to stronger self‐evaluative and other‐evaluative moral emotion expectancies than inactions in both cultures. Whereas perceived obligatoriness of moral actions was associated with moral emotion expectancies, it did not account for the actor effect. Moreover, Chinese adolescents tended to report stronger negatively charged other‐evaluative emotions when observing others engaging in antisocial behaviour and less positive emotions for moral actions. Overall, the study indicates that moral emotion expectancies hinge upon universal moral principles (as exemplified by the actor effect) that interact with cultural values and individuals' moral judgement in complex ways.