Using optical illusions in the shoulder of a cycle path to affect lateral position

An important factor in single-sided accidents of older cyclists is that they ride off the cycle path onto the verge. Two experiments were performed to assess the feasibility of using virtual 3D objects in the verge to affect the lateral position of bicyclists. In the first experiment, different virtual objects were placed in the shoulder and 1150 passing bicyclists were observed using a fixed camera. The (standard deviation of the) lateral position and speed in four conditions with virtual objects differing in colour, structure, or 3D effect were compared with a control condition in which no virtual objects were applied. In a second experiment, the behaviour of 32 bicyclists aged 50 years or older was measured by mounting two digital action cameras with GPS on the participants’ bicycles. The participants cycled a route of approximately 12 km in which several locations were passed, one of these contained 15 virtual objects similar to the ones used in the first experiment placed in the shoulder of the cycle path. Cyclist behaviour was compared with behaviour at a control location consisting of a solitary two-way cycle path with a grass shoulder. Results indicate that the virtual objects in the tested format had little overall effect on cyclists’ behaviour. However, bicyclists were positioned closer to the virtual objects and the shoulder when they looked at the objects or when they reported that they saw them while cycling. This suggests that the overall visibility of the object design may have been too conservative.     

Three‐factor structure and psychometric properties of Witte's Risk Behaviour Diagnosis Scale: A French version adapted to diabetes

The aim of this study was to verify the psychometric properties and the factorial structure of Witte's Risk Behaviour Diagnosis (RBD). This article shows the results of a French version of the RBD adapted to diabetes screening. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out in order to understand the number of underlying factors, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed and the four‐factor model proposed by the author and alternative models were compared. The concurrent validity was tested by a correlational analysis with the Perceived Fear Emotions Scale. The results confirmed a stable factor structure for the 12‐item version, with three factors reflecting total efficacy, severity of and susceptibility to threat. The value of having a psychometrically valid instrument to assess the impact of fear appeal‐based campaigns is linked to the current lack of a comprehensive assessment tool and the importance of preventing health risk behaviours.     

To be an honest person or not to be a cheater: Replicating the effect of messages relating to the self on unethical behaviour

Previous research has found that negative‐valence appeals relating to the self (Don't be a cheater) are more effective at reducing unethical behaviour than appeals relating to behaviour (Don't cheat). We aimed to replicate these findings and examine whether positive‐valence appeals relating to the self (Be an honest person) and to behaviour (Answer honestly) could have a similar effect. We ran five experiments with Israeli and U.S. samples, using social interaction and anonymous settings, and different methodologies: Die roll, coin‐flip and number choice. A meta‐analysis of the five experiments revealed a small effect of the self‐appeals relative to the behaviour‐appeals. These findings provide additional support for the theoretical explanation offered in terms of the role of the self in regulating unethical behaviour. However, the effect sizes found in our experiments were smaller than the ones previously reported. We discuss the merit in using self‐appeals to reduce unethical behaviour, the possible advantage of positive‐valence self‐appeals, and the possible moderating role of the setting in which the behaviour takes place: Social interaction versus anonymous settings.     

Treatment effectiveness of combined medication/behavioural treatment with chinese ADHD children in routine practice

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of a combined methylphenidate/behavioural treatment (BT) versus methylphenidate-only for Chinese children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was tested in routine clinical practice in Hong Kong. METHODS: A randomized group comparison design was adopted with two treatment conditions (methylphenidate-only; methylphenidate/BT), which lasted for 6 months. There were four assessment time points (pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 6-month and 12-month follow-ups), using the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behaviours (SWAN) Rating Scale. Parental attitude toward different treatment options of ADHD was also assessed at pre-treatment and post-treatment. Participants included 90 Chinese ADHD children (mean age=8 years, SD=.95). RESULTS: The combination of BT and a low-dose methylphenidate was significantly more effective than methylphenidate-only in reducing ADHD and ODD symptoms at post-treatment. At follow-ups, the benefits of the combined treatment were maintained, while the methylphenidate-only group caught up in improvement in ADHD symptoms. Parents in both treatment conditions showed improved attitude toward medication after the 6-month treatment phase, while their attitude toward BT was positive all along. CONCLUSIONS: This study supported the added benefits of BT, on top of medication, for Chinese ADHD children in routine practice with treatments conducted by regular medical and paramedical staffs.     

Developing a self-report method for investigating adolescent road user behaviour

The aim of the present study was to develop a self-report questionnaire to provide a classification of aberrant road user behaviour in adolescent children. An Adolescent Road user Behaviour Questionnaire (ARBQ) was developed, comprising 43 items requiring respondents to rate the frequency with which they engaged in specific examples of road-using behaviour. The questionnaire was completed by 2433 children aged 11–16. Factor analysis showed that responses to the 43 items were best fitted by a three-factor solution. Factor 1 comprised items relating to “unsafe road crossing behaviour”, factor 2 comprised items related to “dangerous playing in the road”, and factor 3 comprised items which as a group were termed “planned protective behaviour”. A revised 21-item ARBQ was produced by selecting the items that loaded most strongly on the three factors. The 21-item instrument had good internal reliability. The effects of demographic variables on ARBQ scale scores were investigated. This study provided a tool that could be used in the future by researchers investigating adolescent road user safety. Possible avenues for future research include applying the ARBQ to the study of adolescents’ road accident involvement, and the study of the psychological variables that predict the ARBQ scales.     

Adolescent Place Attachment, Social Capital, and Perceived Safety: A Comparison of 13 Countries

In adolescence, children become increasingly independent and autonomous, and spend more time in neighborhood settings away from home. During mid-to-late adolescence, youth often become more critical about the place they live. Their attachment to home and even community may decrease as they explore and develop new attachments to other specific places. The aim of this study is to understand how 15-year-old students from 13 countries perceive their local neighborhood area (place attachment, social capital and safety), and how these different community cognitions are interrelated. We hypothesize that their place attachment predicts safety, and that the relationship is mediated in part by social capital. Result show that, despite cross-cultural differences in neighborhood perceptions, the proposed theoretical model fits robustly across all 13 countries.     

The role of experience in web-building spiders (Araneidae)

A typical feature of vertical orb-webs is the ‘top/bottom’ asymmetry, where the lower web region is larger than the upper web region. This asymmetry may improve prey capture success, because, sitting in the hub of the web, a spider can reach prey entangled below the hub faster than prey entangled in the area above the hub. While web asymmetry is known to vary intraspecifically, we tested if this variation also exists at the individual level and whether it is the result of experience, using two orb-web spider species, Argiope keyserlingi and Larinioides sclopetarius. The results reveal that experienced web-building spiders constructed more asymmetric webs than conspecifics deprived of any prior building experience over a period of several months. Experienced individuals invested more silk material into the web region below the hub, which covered a larger area. Moreover, web asymmetry was also influenced by previous prey capture experiences, as spiders increased the lower region of the web if it intercepted the most prey over a period of 6 days. Consequently, spiders may be able to use long-term web-building experience as well as short-term prey capture experience to build better traps. In contrast to previous views of spiders, experience can contribute to intraspecific as well as to individual variations in web design. Received: 1 March 1999 / Accepted after revision: 18 August 1999     

Examining cognitive development from a conceptual change point of view: The framework theory approach

Sexual socialization refers to how, through social interaction, an individual acquires and internalizes culture-specific knowledge, values and attitudes about sexuality. Little, however, is known about how an individual's genetic characteristics modify this process, or if individuals gravitate towards specific environments according to their genetic characteristics. The aim was to explore whether adolescents' genetic predispositions modify environmental influences on peer-group sexual attitudes. Using a Finnish population-based sample of twins and their siblings (n = 9534), it was found that genetic effects influenced peer-group sexual attitudes in men (52%) and women (46%), thus offering evidence for gene–environment correlation. Men showed less restricted peer-group sexual attitudes than women. Some indications of different genes influencing environmental exposure in men and women were found.     

Measuring child temperament: Validation of a 3‐item Temperament Measure and 13‐item Impulsivity Scale

A 3-item Temperament Measure and a 13-item Impulsivity Scale were tested against the 36-item Children's Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ). Overall, 229 caregivers completed the CBQ and the 3-item Temperament Measure based on the traits of Surgency, Negative Affectivity and Effortful Control as measured by the CBQ. Their children completed the Impulsivity Scale. Psychometrics of the CBQ and the Impulsivity Scale were examined, which were considered good in terms of internal consistency and factorial structure. The three temperament items correlated with the average scores on the corresponding CBQ factors. Furthermore, Surgency was highly related to Impulsivity. Findings provide evidence for the applicability of the Impulsivity and Temperament Measures for research.     

New dimensions of abnormal illness behaviour derived from the Illness Behaviour Questionnaire

The primary aim was to explore the factor structure of the Illness Behaviour Questionnaire (IBQ) and the generalisability of the derived dimensions to both general community members and four chronic illness groups. A questionnaire was administered to 675 participants, comprising 344 from the community, 80 with asthma, 95 with diabetes, 79 with chronic pain and 77 with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Illness severity was calculated for all chronic illness participants (self-rated health for community members). Three IBQ scales were derived following an exploratory factor analysis for the whole sample: Affirmation of Illness (α = 0.71 (CFS)–0.79 (asthma, diabetes)), Concern for Health (α = 0.71 (asthma)–0.78 (pain)) and General Affective State (α = 0.70 (CFS)–0.80 (asthma)). Patterns of response across the five samples, and intercorrelations among the new scales and the original seven scales, were largely in accord with expectation. Long-standing criticisms of the IBQ were addressed by using systematic statistical principles to identify meaningful and psychometrically sound IBQ dimensions. The derived structure offers a more parsimonious account of possible illness responses, with the availability of a more concise yet informative index of abnormal illness behaviour having practical utility for researchers and clinicians alike.