Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START): The case for a new structured professional judgment scheme

The Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START) is a new structured professional judgment scheme intended to inform multiple risk domains relevant to everyday psychiatric clinical practice (e.g. risk to others, suicide, self-harm, self-neglect, substance abuse, unauthorized leave, and victimization). The article describes the processes involved in establishing an interdisciplinary approach to risk assessment and management. The authors present a review of the rationale for START, including the value of dynamic variables, the importance of strengths, and the extent to which clinicians must be attentive to multiple risk domains, reflecting theoretical and scientific evidence of the overlap among risks. Using the development, validation, and implementation of START as an example, the authors describe the processes by which other researchers, clinicians, and administrators could adapt existing assessment schemes or create new ones to bridge some remaining gaps in the risk assessment and management continuum.     

Can Rachman's indirect pathways be used to un-learn fear? A prospective paradigm to test whether children's fears can be reduced using positive information and modelling a non-anxious response

This study investigated whether children's fears could be un-learned using Rachman's indirect pathways for learning fear. We hypothesised that positive information and modelling a non-anxious response are effective methods of un-learning fears acquired through verbal information. One hundred and seven children aged 6-8 years received negative information about one animal and no information about another. Fear beliefs and behavioural avoidance were measured. Children were randomised to receive positive verbal information, modelling, or a control task. Fear beliefs and behavioural avoidance were measured again. Positive information and modelling led to lower fear beliefs and behavioural avoidance than the control condition. Positive information was more effective than modelling in reducing fear beliefs and both methods significantly reduced behavioural avoidance. The results support Rachman's indirect pathways as viable fear un-learning pathways and supports associative learning theories.     

Probing the public's honesty: A field experiment using the “lost letter” technique∗

The present study probed the honesty of the general public through an experimentl approach. A variaty of experimental procedures have been used in previous research. This study used the “lost letter” technique, whereby ordinary citizens are offered an opportunity to keep envelopes that are planted on their cars and that are apparently lost. They are stamped and addressed (actually they are addressed to the investigators).

One quarter of the “lost” letters were kept by the subjects. On the whole, the value of the contents (some contained a coin made to appear valuable) did not seem to affect the return rate. Also, little difference was found in the behavior of the male and female subjects. Age, however, did appear important as younger subjects were significantly more likely to keep the letters. Since the value of the contents was not important, a failure to return could simply indicate less altruism on their part. Also, an interaction was found between the variables of age and sex, as young females had the lowest return rate and older females the highest return rate, with males of both age categories falling in between these extremes. This finding suggests that future research comparing the criminality or deviance of tie sexes consider the variations in the behavior of each sex across different age categories.     

Measuring the exchange-stiffness constant of nanocrystalline solids by elastic small-angle neutron scattering

In ferromagnets with a non-uniform magnetocrystalline and/or magnetoelastic anisotropy, such as nanocrystalline or cold-worked polycrystalline materials, the static magnetic microstructure gives rise to elastic magnetic small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The paper explores a method for determining the exchange-stiffness constant A by analysis of the dependence of the elastic SANS cross-section on the applied magnetic field. Experimental results for A and for the spin-wave stiffness constant D in cold-worked or nanocrystalline Ni and Co are found to agree with literature data obtained by inelastic neutron scattering on single-crystal specimens.     

The earth is the Lord's: the biblical view of the environment

The Church needs a characteristically Christian voice in environment discourse. The Bible offers this in the form of symbols and stories. Familiar terms such as righteousness, covenant and atonement originated in the biblical teaching about creation, and the liturgy of the Temple was to maintain the creation. Angels and their music described the powers of creation and cosmic harmony, and Adam lost all this when he chose secular knowledge rather than Wisdom from the Tree of Life.     

A review of: “Quality of life and mental health services”

Joseph Oliver, Peter Huxley, Keith Bridges and Hadi Mohamad (1996) Quality of Life and Mental Health Services, London: Routledge, $16.99 (pb)     

Reaction Papers and Journal Writing as Techniques for Assessing Resistance in Multicultural Courses

Writing reaction papers and journal entries has been a common assignment for multicultural courses (P. E. Priester, 2001). However, few individuals have discussed this technique in the literature in order to provide a model for those developing multicultural courses. The authors also discuss use of reaction papers to address student resistance in multicultural courses. Los ensayos de reacción y los diarios son trabajos comunmente asignados en cursos multiculturales (P.E. Priester, 2001). Pero, pocos han examinado esta técnica de una manera academica, para crear un modelo de los trabajos para aquellos que quieren desarroyar un curso multicultural. Los autores también tratan del uso de los ensayos de reacción para enfrentarse a la resistencia de los estudiantes en estos cursos.     

Dynamic Motivational Processing of Antimarijuana Messages: Coactivation Begets Attention

In the theoretical framework of dynamic motivational activation, this study reveals the dynamics of antimarijuana public service announcement (PSA) processing, especially the processing of co‐occurring positive and negative content. It specifies the important role of endogenous feedback dynamics of the information processing system and teases them apart from exogenous message effects. As suggested by real‐time psychophysiological responses (heart rate, skin conductance level, and facial electromyography), the copresence of positive and negative content is most attention eliciting and is not moderated by individuals' marijuana experience. Marijuana experience, however, increases attention to arousing content in the PSAs, increases smiling responses to positive content, and escalates arousal to the PSAs in general. Implications for designing and evaluating PSAs and health campaigns are discussed.