Cross-cultural comparison of drivers’ tendency to commit different aberrant driving behaviours

The first aim of the present study was to identify key items which are rated differently by drivers from Finland, Sweden, Greece and Turkey. The second aim was to examine how these key items relate to drivers’ self-reported accident involvement. Similar comparisons have previously been conducted in Europe but these have only included items classified as violations and errors, but not lapses. A sample of Finnish (N = 200), Swedish (N = 200), Greek (N = 200) and Turkish (N = 200) drivers completed the driver behaviour questionnaire (DBQ) and reported their accident involvement during the previous 3 years. The results showed that nine key items (which drivers from different countries rated differently) could be identified. These items included two aggressive violations, four ordinary violations, three lapses, but no errors. Out of these nine items, five items (Become angered by a certain type of driver and indicate your hostility by whatever means you can, Disregard the speed limit on a motorway, Overtake a slow driver on the inside, Pull out of a junction so far that the driver with right of way has to stop and let you out and Get into the wrong lane approaching a roundabout or a junction) could explain differences in drivers’ self-reported yearly accident involvement when all four countries were taken together. At the same time, none of the items could explain differences in self-reported yearly accident involvement in Finland and Sweden while one of the items (Overtake a slow driver on the inside) could explain differences in self-reported yearly accident involvement in Greece and two of the items (Become angered by a certain type of driver and indicate your hostility by whatever means you can and Disregard the speed limit on a residential road) could explain differences in self-reported yearly accident involvement in Turkey. This shows that different countries have different problems with regard to aberrant driving behaviours which need to be taken into account when promoting traffic safety interventions and the driver behaviour questionnaire (DBQ) can be used to diagnose risk areas and to better inform road safety practitioners within and between countries.     

Relationship between parental discipline and children's ability to cope with stress

A questionnaire was developed to assess the use of disciplinary methods by parents regarding their children's approach to fearful situations. The predictive validity of this tool was evaluated by correlational analyses with the assessment of fear (behavioral, subjective, and physiological) in their children during hospitalizations for surgery. The results confirmed the usefulness of the questionnaire. Parents who reported use of positive reinforcement, modeling, and persuasion as ways of encouraging the child to deal with fearful situations had children who were low in anxiety during the actual stressful life experience. The reported use of punishment, force, or reinforcement of dependency was correlated with higher anxiety. Differences in the use of these methods by mothers and fathers are reported. The reliability of the questionnaire and its relationship to social desirability and the sex of the child are discussed.     

Changes in feeding and foraging patterns as an antipredator defensive strategy: a laboratory simulation using aversive stimulation in a closed economy.

The effects of the risk of electric shock on the meal patterns of rats living in an operant chamber were investigated. Rats could obtain food by working on a response lever that provided reinforcement according to chained fixed-ratio continuous reinforcement schedules that allowed the animals control over meal size. Using a two-compartment operant chamber with a safe nesting area and manipulanda area with a grid floor, shock could be correlated with responding on the schedule. Shocks (less than or equal to 1.25 per hour) were scheduled to occur randomly throughout the day, independent of the rat's behavior. Shock caused a reorganization of meal patterns such that the animals took less frequent but larger meals. This pattern reduced the time the animals spent at risk without compromising caloric balance. Similar changes in feeding pattern were obtained in both hooded and albino rats. Exposure to shock in a separate chamber did not produce these behavioral modifications. The magnitude of shock-induced alterations of meal patterns was greater with chained fixed-ratio 90 continuous reinforcement than with chained fixed-ratio 10 continuous reinforcement. Additionally, the rats seemed to be able to reduce food intake but increase caloric efficiency, such that the reduced food intake did not have deleterious effects on maintenance of body weight. These behavioral modifications reduced the number of shocks received from that which would have been expected if meal pattern changes had not occurred. We suggest that this technique may provide a useful laboratory simulation of the impact that the risk of predation has on foraging behavior.     

Factor structure,validity, and reliability of the fear questionnaire in a Hong Kong Chinese population

This study examined the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the Fear Questionnaire in Hong Kong. The sample consisted of 226 college students who were ethnic Chinese and they came from different parts of Hong Kong. Exploratory factor analysis produced three meaningful factors. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor model of Marks and Mathews (1979) in the present sample of subjects. Findings also showed that the Fear Questionnaire was both reliable and valid. Limitations of the study and implications for future research in this area were discussed. In particular, the need to assess the cross-cultural application of the Fear Questionnaire was stressed.This research project was supported by the Research and Conference Grants of the University of Hong Kong.     

A Longitudinal Analysis of Family Empowerment and Client Outcomes

We examined the relationship between family empowerment, parent satisfaction, and mental health outcome across time. Based on the Vanderbilt Family Empowerment Project Model, increased empowerment should lead to positive changes in client outcomes. Data consisted of the Family Empowerment Scale (FES), which was used to assess the caregiver's perception of empowerment, Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS), which measures the degree of disruption in the youth's current functioning, Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ), and demographic information gathered from families receiving services from a county mental health service system at intake and discharge. The results showed that the CAFAS and CSQ were related to empowerment at intake and discharge. Results also indicated significant increases in the knowledge subscale of the FES and the CAFAS and moderate increases in the advocacy subscale of the FES and the CSQ. We discuss the implications of these findings for systems of care, such as stronger parent-professional relationships.     

中国当代大学生情感素质的现状及其影响因素

在情感素质理论与实践探索相结合的基础上编制了《中国大学生情感素质问卷》(内含6个分问卷),并对全国3类地区14座城市100所大学的11982名大学生进行首次大规模情感素质调查。结果发现:该问卷具有较好的信效度,是适合研究大学生情感素质的原创性的有效测评工具;大学生情感素质具有2层面6大类33种情感的结构,呈现丰富情感,且总体发展水平尚好,其中道德、生活情感发展水平较高,人际、审美、理智情感和情绪智力等相对较低;男女大学生之间和本专科大学生之间存在情感素质的结构性差异;有获奖经历、学业自评高及无负性生活事件的大学生情感素质水平较高;良好的人际关系、对舆论的关注、对核心价值观的认同、自我高要求、民主的家庭教养方式等因素对大学生情感素质的发展具有促进作用。     

Threat is a Multidimensional Construct: Exploring the Role of Children’s Threat Appraisals in the Relationship Between Interparental Conflict and Child Adjustment

Past research has emphasised the importance of children’s appraisals of the threat posed by parent conflict for understanding links between interparental conflict and child outcomes. However, little is known about what it is that children actually find threatening about parent conflict. Children (n = 236) aged 10–16 years were recruited to examine the relative contribution of four specific threat subtypes—fear of parent conflict escalating, fear of being drawn into parent conflict, fear of parent conflict resulting in family breakdown, and fear of parent conflict disrupting parent/child attachment relationships—in explaining links between interparental conflict and child internalising adjustment. Results showed that children’s worries about being drawn into parent conflict mediated the relationship between interparental conflict and child internalising adjustment. Fear of interparental conflict disrupting parent/child attachment bonds mediated the relationship between interparental conflict and child internalising problems for girls, but not boys. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of considering multiple dimensions of threat for advancing understanding of the processes underlying the interparental conflict/child adjustment relationship.

中小学教师工作重塑问卷的编制

在文献分析和专家评定的基础上,从重塑的对象与方式出发,通过半结构化访谈和问卷调查,编制了初始的中小学教师工作重塑问卷。通过探索性因素分析和验证性因素分析对初始问卷进行修订,最终形成的正式问卷包含五个维度：任务重塑、角色重塑、关系重塑、技能重塑和认知重塑。结果表明,中小学教师工作重塑问卷具有较高的内部一致性信度、重测信度以及较好的内容效度、结构效度和效标效度。该问卷的心理测量学指标良好,可以作为我国中小学教师工作重塑的测量工具。     

Inviting witnesses to speculate: effects of age and interaction on children's recall

Inviting speculation has been found to increase children's false recall. In this study, kindergartners and third graders saw a clown perform actions alone or in interaction with a child. Two weeks later, the speculation group recalled all actions and was asked to speculate on half the actions. The control group recalled all actions without speculating. Four weeks after the show, all children recalled all actions again. The speculation group gave more false answers to the speculated items than the control group. Surprisingly, older children tended to report as many if not more false responses than younger children, regardless of speculation. In the speculation group, there were fewer false answers for interactions than actions, but false answers did not differ across observation types in the control group. Finally, speculation did not affect free and cued recall differentially.