Sequential contrast effects with human subjects

Institutionalized retardates were exposed to a multiple variable-interval: extinction schedule of reinforcement in which 5-min periods of variable-interval reinforcement and 5-min periods of extinction were presented in a random order. This schedule was found to generate sequential contrast effects: response rates during variable-interval reinforcement were higher when a variable-interval period followed an extinction period than when it followed another variable-interval period. The rate of responding within a variable-interval period also was affected by the number of extinction periods preceding a variable-interval period. As the number of successive extinction periods that preceded a variable-interval period increased, the rate of responding during that variable-interval period increased. The sequential contrast effects were transient, being most evident during the early sessions and generally disappearing by the tenth session.     

Differences in children's peer sociometric and attribution ratings due to context and type of aggressive behavior

Sociometric and attribution (internality and responsibility) ratings of boys performing different kinds of aggression (hostile and instrumental hitting and pushing) and of neutral behavior occurring in two contexts (provoked and unprovoked) were investigated in an analogue fashion. Thirty fifth- and sixth-grade boys viewed and rated 12 brief videotaped scenes of two unfamiliar male peers interacting, presented in one of six random orders. Provoked aggression resulted in less dislike, less worthiness of punishment, and greater attribution to external causes than unprovoked aggression. Instrumental and hostile aggression produced lower liking ratings and were viewed as more deserving of punishment than neutral behavior but did not differ from each other. Results support distinctions between provoked and unprovoked aggression but not between hostile and instrumental aggression, at least in terms of their functional impact on peer judgements.     

Bright Cars and Speeding Tickets

Speeding tickets for a 22 month period in a suburban area were examined to determine the possible relationships among the percentage of speed over the speed limit, the age and color of the car, and the age and gender of the driver. The frequencies of speeding tickets by car color were also compared with the frequencies of cars on the road by colors. The percentage of speed over the limit was not related to the characteristics of the cars or the drivers. It was found, however, that red, grey, and brown cars were more likely to receive speeding tickets than cars of other colors. A previous conclusion that bright colored cars give the impression of speed, which results in a higher estimation of actual velocity, was not supported by the present study.     

An integrative theory of desistance from sex offending

Despite the fact that most offenders eventually desist from committing further crimes, there is an absence of comprehensive psychological and social accounts of the desistance process, beginning at the point when an individual decides to stop further offending, and finishing at the point of successful reentry and social reintegration. Building on previous work, the Integrated Theory of Desistance from Sex Offending represents an attempt to advance our understanding of desistance. The theory describes the desistance process in four phases: (1) decisive momentum (initial desistance), (2) rehabilitation (promoting desistance), (3) re-entry (maintaining desistance), and (4) normalcy (successful maintenance of desistance over a long period of time). The theory has significant implications for further theorizing, empirical research, clinical practice, and policy making.     

Competence in Everyday Activities as a Predictor of Cognitive Risk and Mortality

This study examined the association of a performance-based measure of everyday functioning with clinically meaningful outcomes. Elderly participants in a prospective study of dementia were assessed at two occasions on the Everyday Problems Test for Cognitively Challenged Elderly (EPCCE), a performance-based measure of everyday functioning. Older adults who remained cognitively intact performed approximately 0.66 SD units higher on the EPCCE at both occasions than elders rated as impaired, when covarying on age, education, gender, and cognitive status. Relative to the nonimpaired participants, decline in EPCCE performance over a 2-year interval was significantly greater for impaired participants and those participants who transitioned from nonimpaired to impaired over the course of the study. Increased risk of mortality was associated with lower baseline scores and decline in EPCCE performance even after controlling for demographic variables and performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination. Given the clinical importance of identifying “at risk” elders for impairment, the findings from this study provide initial evidence for the predictive utility of performance-based measures of everyday functioning.     

An Evaluation of Change Over Time in Everyday Cognitive Competence Among Alzheimer’s Patients

This short-term longitudinal study was designed to examine the pattern of change in everyday cognitive competence as assessed by an objective measure (i.e. the Test of Everyday Problem Solving for Cognitively Challenged Elderly; EPCCE; Willis, 1993) and by self- and caregiver reports (i.e. Instrumental Activities of Daily Living; IADL; Lawton & Brody, 1969). Patient and caregiver characteristics and clinical assessments were explored as predictors. Participants included 100 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and their caregivers who were part of the Stanford Longitudinal Study. Four waves of data were examined via hierarchical linear modeling. Major findings revealed that the EPCCE and the patient IADL formed a linear pattern of decline while the caregiver IADL demonstrated a curvilinear form. Second, different sets of predictors explained the variance in the competence measures at initial status. Finally, the predictors did not account for a significant amount of variance in the instantaneous rate of change on any of the measures; however, a portion of the variance in the acceleration in the caregiver IADL was explained.     

Clinical Behaviors for Addressing Religious/Spiritual Issues: Do We Practice What We Preach?

To determine if counselors integrate clinical behaviors for addressing religious/spiritual issues in counseling consistent with their ratings of the importance of such behaviors, the authors conducted a national survey of American Counseling Association (ACA) members. Seventy‐eight ACA members rated the importance of and frequency with which they engaged in a set of 30 clinical behaviors that were identified in the existing literature as addressing religious/spiritual issues within counseling. Results indicated possible disparities between importance and frequency ratings. Potential barriers to counselors' utilization of religious and spiritually directed clinical behaviors were identified.     

The cultural theory and model of suicide

A growing body of research has demonstrated important variations in the prevalence, nature, and correlates of suicide across ethnic and sexual minority groups. Despite these developments, existing clinical and research approaches to suicide assessment and prevention have not incorporated cultural variations in any systematic way. In addition, theoretical models of suicide have been largely devoid of cultural influence. The current report presents a comprehensive analysis of literature describing the relationship between cultural factors and suicide in three major ethnic groups (African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos) and LGBTQ¹ sexual minority groups. We utilized an inductive approach to synthesize this variegated body of research into four factors that account for 95% of existing culturally specific risk data: cultural sanctions, idioms of distress, minority stress, and social discord. These four cultural factors are then integrated into a theoretical framework: the Cultural Model of Suicide. Three theoretical principles emerge: (1) culture affects the types of stressors that lead to suicide; (2) cultural meanings associated with stressors and suicide affect the development of suicidal tendencies, one's threshold of tolerance for psychological pain, and subsequent suicidal acts; and (3) culture affects how suicidal thoughts, intent, plans, and attempts are expressed. The Cultural Model of Suicide provides an empirically guided cohesive approach that can inform culturally competent suicide assessment and prevention efforts in future research and clinical practice. Including both ethnic and sexual minorities in our investigations ensures advancement along a multiple identities perspective.