Is REBT Marginalized?: A Survey of Counselor Educators

A questionnaire of 200 counselor educators assessed the marginalization of REBT in their preferred personal theory and in teaching. REBT was marginalized in personal theory although three quarters were influenced by REBT in their theory of choice. REBT was not marginalized in teaching and a majority noted teaching REBT in classes. Reasons for marginalization, or objections to REBT were factored into three categories: preference for another theory, deficiencies in REBT theory, and deficiencies in REBT application. Recommendations are given to address marginalization.     

Prospective memory and pediatric traumatic brain injury: effects of cognitive demand.

This study investigated the effects of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) on prospective memory. Fourteen children and 14 adolescents with TBI were compared with 25 and 23 noninjured children and adolescents, respectively. Based on a prefrontal model, the cognitive demand on the ongoing component of a prospective-memory task was manipulated. Overall, those with TBI had poorer prospective-memory performance than their noninjured peers. Performance was worse in a high cognitive-demand condition than a low, and younger children performed worse than adolescents. Decreases in performance from the low- to high-demand conditions were not significantly different between the two children's groups but were between the two adolescents' groups. Furthermore, the age and injury effects were reflected in the performances on executive function tests: the Self-ordered Pointing Task (SOPT), and the Stroop Color Word Interference Test. The Tower of London (TOL), which did not produce age or injury effects, was nevertheless found to be an important predictor of performance on the high-demand task in those with TBI. Although previous research has demonstrated impaired prospective memory performance in children with TBI, this study attempted to explain why this might occur, specifically that the prefrontal regions might be implicated.     

Reinforcer identification and evaluation of choice within an educational setting

Current research on preference methodology and the effects of choice with children who are typically developing is limited. This study evaluated two preference methodologies for identifying reinforcers across two choice options within the classroom. These methods include a teacher-generated list of reinforcers, a student-generated list of reinforcers, student choice from both lists, and teacher choice from both lists. Four elementary aged-children with no diagnosed learning or developmental disabilities participated. Both preference methods were effective in identifying reinforcers for all participants. Moreover, both choice options resulted in increases in responding. Results are discussed with respect to reinforcement and the effects of “choice.”     

Reward sensitivity and substance abuse in middle school and high school students

In this study, the authors investigated the relation between reward and punishment sensitivity and adolescent substance use. The sample (N = 216; 130 girls, 85 boys) was drawn from high school and middle school students enrolled in a Midwestern suburban school district. Participants completed a substance use questionnaire and the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (R. Torrubia, C. Avila, J. Molto, & X. Caseras, 2001). For 13 of 15 types of substance abuse, students with high reward sensitivity and low punishment sensitivity showed the highest levels of use. This finding supports the hypothesis of an interaction effect between reward sensitivity and punishment sensitivity and suggests that individuals who are high in reward sensitivity but low in sensitivity to punishment may be at a higher risk for substance abuse.     

Eccentric loading and range of knee joint motion effects on performance enhancement in vertical jumping

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of variations in eccentric loading and knee joint range of motion on performance enhancement associated with the stretch-shortening cycle in vertical jumping. Seventeen male elite volleyball players performed three variations of the vertical jump which served as the research model: the squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ) and drop jump from a height of 30 cm (DJ30). Knee joint angle (70 degrees and 90 degrees of flexion) at the commencement of the propulsive phase for each jump type was experimentally controlled, with the trunk kept as erect as possible. Force and motion data were recorded for each performance and used to compute a range of kinematic and kinetic variables, including hip, knee and ankle angles, angular velocities, work done, net joint moments and a number of temporal variables. The average of 12 trials for each participant was used in a series of repeated measures ANOVA's (jump xk nee, alpha=.05). From both knee joint angles, an increase in eccentric loading resulted in a significant increase in jump height (DJ30>CMJ>SJ; p<.05). These enhancements were significantly greater (p<.05) for 70 degrees in comparison to 90 degrees of knee flexion. From 70 degrees of knee flexion, these enhancements were due to significant increases in work done at all three joints; while from 90 degrees of knee flexion, only the hip and ankle joints appeared to contribute (p<.05). The amount of enhancement associated with employing the SSC in jumping is dependent upon the interaction of the magnitude of eccentric loading and the range of motion used.     

Use of Psychiatric Medications in Juvenile Detention Facilities and the Impact of State Placement Policy

The use of psychotropic medications is a significant factor in the overall effort to respond to detained youth with mental illness, yet there are very few studies of psychotropic medication use in juvenile detention settings. It is important to understand the factors that influence the use of mental health services and psychoactive medications in these settings since youth with emotional problems are overrepresented in them. This paper addresses the proportion of youth in these settings who receive mental health services and psychoactive medications. In addition, the impact of a major statewide policy change—the shift of juvenile placement responsibility from the state to local government—on these proportions was examined using 8 years of publicly available data from county probation departments. Multivariate regression analyses of 1,760 observations of quarterly reports from 55 counties showed that the use of both mental health services and psychoactive medications in detention facilities increased concurrently with the policy change. While these proportions had already been gradually increasing in these facilities, it appears that after the policy change they increased even more. This contradicts the aim of most juvenile justice planners—to divert non-violent youth offenders with emotional problems away from incarceration settings and towards community based treatment alternatives. If adequately available, these support services could provide diversion alternatives to prevent inappropriate detentions, and to provide post-detention treatment to prevent lapses in continuity of care and, ultimately, to prevent reoffending.