Peritraumatic fear, helplessness and horror and peritraumatic dissociation: do physical and cognitive symptoms of panic mediate the relationship between the two?

The goal of this study was to examine whether panic mediates the relationship between fear, helplessness, and horror (PTSD criterion A2) and dissociation at the time of trauma. The study sample included 709 police officers and 317 peer-nominated civilians who had been exposed to a variety of critical incidents. Participants filled out measures of critical incident exposure, PTSD criterion A2, panic, and dissociation. Results indicate that together, physical and cognitive symptoms of panic completely mediate the relationship between criterion A2 and dissociation in civilians, and partially mediate that relationship in police. These results provide support for the idea that panic mediates the relationship between fear, helplessness, and horror (criterion A2) and dissociation at the time of trauma. The results also raise the possibility, however, that the mediational role of panic may be further moderated by additional variables.     

Differential rates of skill acquisition and outcomes of early intensive behavioral intervention for autism

Intensive behavioral intervention for very young children with autism has received increased attention in recent years. Researchers have documented unprecedented success in educating some young children with autism, although not every child makes dramatic developmental gains. It might be useful to identify early in treatment those children who will benefit most from the current methodology and who might require slight variations in instructional format or curricular focus. The present study suggests that initial learning rates are moderately correlated with treatment outcomes after two years. Among 20 children receiving early, intensive behavioral intervention, initial acquisition of skills was correlated with later learning rates, severity of autism symptomatology and adaptive behavior profiles two years into treatment. Implications are discussed, especially in light of the universal need for intensive intervention in this population. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

IV—Knowledge of Meaning

The paper is sympathetic to the idea that speakers have implicit knowledge of the semantics of sub-sentential elements of language, loosely, of words. Implicit knowledge is knowledge which the subject need not be capable of articulating yet which is a genuine propositional attitude and it is to be contrasted with tacit knowledge which refers to an information-bearing state which, however, is not a genuine propositional attitude. ¹ I begin by defending the implicit knowledge conception of speakers' knowledge of the meanings of words from a challenge articulated by Evans and then go on the offensive against positions which attempt to replace the notion of implicit knowledge in semantic theory by that of tacit knowledge.     

Why didn’t you say something? Effects of after-event reviews on voice behaviour and hierarchy beliefs in multi-professional action teams

Team decision-making can go wrong when individuals fear to voice suggestions or concerns to higher status team members. We investigate how after-event reviews (AERs) can be used to promote voice behaviour and hierarchy-attenuating beliefs in multi-professional action teams. We hypothesized that (1) lower status team members will speak up more following an assertiveness-specific AER (ASAER) as compared to a teamwork-generic AER (TGAER) and (2) that an ASAER leads to stronger endorsement of hierarchy-attenuating beliefs than the TGAER. To test these hypotheses, we implemented simulations of medical emergencies with 20 healthcare teams consisting of low (i.e., nurses) and high-status (i.e., physicians) professions. After participating in one of the two AERs, teams managed a simulation in which a higher status confederate engaged in potentially harmful actions. Behavioural coding of the videotaped simulations and assessment of team members’ hierarchy beliefs supported both hypotheses: nurses spoke up more following the ASAER than following the TGAER and both professional groups reported significantly higher levels of hierarchy-attenuating beliefs following the ASAER as compared to the TGAER. We discuss how AERs can affect upward voice and increase awareness for the potential downsides of status hierarchies in multi-professional teams.     

E-mentoring for youth with special needs: preliminary results.

Recently, a growing number of electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) Web sites have become available that provide vocational and career support. To date, few researchers have addressed the phenomenon of e-mentoring from a socioemotional perspective for populations with special needs. This paper presents a pilot study designed to test and evaluate an e-mentoring intervention program based on mutual self-disclosure and friendship for youth with special needs. Using qualitative methods, the study characterized the e-mentoring process and its contributions to this population. Results provided support for the socioemotional potential of computer-mediated communication for youth with special needs, although some barriers were found. Practical implications for implementing feasible e-mentoring programs for youth with special needs are discussed.     

The modality effect in false recognition: Evidence for test-based monitoring

False recognition in the Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm has been shown to be greater following auditory study than following visual study, but there are competing explanations for this effect. We generalized this phenomenon in Experiment 1, finding an equivalent modality effect for associative (DRM) lists and categorized lists. Because conscious generationand subsequent monitoring of related lures during study is infrequent for categorized lists, this result is inconsistent with the idea that the modality effect is due to a study-based monitoring process. An alternative explanation is that visual study impairs relational processing relative to auditory study, which could cause a modality effect by lowering false recognition of related lures. We tested this idea in Experiment 2, by switching to a meaning-based test that is sensitive only to the retrieval of relational information. A modality effect was not obtained for either type of list on this test. The results from both experiments were predicted by a test-based monitoring account, rather than by the study-based monitoring or relational processing accounts.     

Sustainability of Teacher Implementation of School-Based Mental Health Programs

Evidence-based prevention and intervention programs are increasingly being implemented in schools and it therefore is becoming increasingly important to understand the complexities of program implementation under real-world conditions. Much research has focused on the contextual factors that influence program implementation but less work has attempted to provide an integrated understanding of mechanisms (e.g., teacher-training processes) that affect teachers' program implementation. In this paper, we review literature on factors related to teachers' implementation of school-based prevention and intervention programs, then from this review abstract what we believe are four basic ingredients that characterize potentially sustainable teacher-implemented classroom programs. Finally, we present a sequential model, based on these ingredients, of the naturalistic processes underlying sustainability of teachers' program implementation and describe how this sustainability can be enhanced through provision of teacher training and performance feedback from a classroom consultant.     

External support for collaborative problem solving in a simulated provider/patient medication scheduling task

Taking medication requires developing plans to accomplish the activity. This planning challenges older adults because of age-related cognitive limits and inadequate collaboration with health providers. The authors investigated whether an external aid (medtable) supports collaborative planning in the context of a simulated patient/provider task in which pairs of older adults worked together to create medication schedules. Experiment 1 compared pairs who used the medtable, blank paper (unstructured aid), or no aid to create schedules varying in complexity of medication constraints (number of medications and medication co-occurrence restrictions) and patient constraints (available times during the day to take medication). Both aids increased problem-solving accuracy and efficiency (time per unit accuracy) compared to the no-aid condition, primarily for more complex schedules. However, benefits were similar for the two aids. In Experiment 2, a redesigned medtable increased problem-solving accuracy and efficiency compared to blank paper. Both aids presumably supported problem solving by providing a jointly visible workspace for developing schedules. The medtable may be more effective because it externalizes constraints (relationships between medication and patient information), so that participants can more easily organize information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).