Changes in road-user behaviors following the installation of raised pedestrian crosswalks combined with preceding speed humps,on urban arterials

In this study, raised pedestrian crosswalks were installed at non-signalized mid-block crosswalks situated on urban arterial and collector roads. A raised crosswalk is built by installing a trapezoidal speed hump on the crosswalk area, building a preceding circular speed hump, in each travel direction, and adding traffic signs. A controlled field-study was conducted at eight sites, sixteen pedestrian crosswalks, where road user behaviors were compared in the after versus before the treatment periods. Two settings of raised crosswalks were applied at the study sites: a 15 cm high trapezoidal hump combined with 8–10 cm high circular humps, and a 10–12 cm high trapezoidal hump combined with 6–8 cm high circular humps. Field observations included video-recordings and free-flow speed measurements. Following the installation of the raised crosswalks, at most sites, a substantial decrease was observed in vehicle travel speeds while approaching the crosswalks, which was maintained over-time. In addition, at some crosswalks, improvements were found in the rates of giving-way to pedestrians by the vehicles, vehicle-pedestrian conflicts and shares of pedestrians who cross within the crosswalk boundaries, while the changes in keeping safe crossing rules by pedestrians were mixed. Overall, the changes in road user behaviors following the installation of the raised crosswalks were positive and associated with safety improvement of pedestrian crossing conditions. Based on the study results, raised crosswalks with preceding speed humps can be promoted as a pedestrian safety-improving measure on busy urban roads.     

The performance implications of ambivalent initiative: The interplay of autonomous and controlled motivations

Although initiative is thought to contribute to higher performance, researchers have called for a more comprehensive understanding of the contingencies for this relationship. Building on self-determination theory, we propose that initiative is more likely to predict performance when individuals experience autonomous and not controlled motivation. Across two studies, we find support for a hypothesized three-way interaction between initiative, autonomous motivation, and controlled motivation in predicting individual performance. In Study 1, the personal initiative reported by job applicants was most positively related to the number of job offers that they received several months later when they experienced high autonomous motivation and low controlled motivation. In Study 2, the objective initiative taken by call center employees was most positively related to the revenue that they generated in subsequent months when they reported high autonomous motivation and low controlled motivation. We discuss theoretical implications for motivation, initiative, proactivity, and performance.     

A Research Program Testing the Effectiveness of a Preventive Intervention for Couples with a Newborn

Noxious family environments are associated with a wide range of adverse child outcomes. In order to prevent couple and parent–child relationship problems, a number of programs have been developed for couples with newborns. The current paper describes a program of research evaluating the American version of couple CARE for parents of newborns. This version of CCP was administered to low‐income, unmarried couples with a new baby in an uncontrolled demonstration project (Study 1), compared with a waitlist control condition in a randomized controlled trial (Study 2), and evaluated with low‐income parents recruited from urban hospitals in two major metropolitan areas of the United States (Study 3 and Study 4). Despite participant satisfaction with CCP, preventive effects of the program were limited and there was one potential iatrogenic effect. Results were likely impacted by major challenges with recruiting participants and maintaining their engagement in CCP for the duration of the program. We discuss methodological differences between this series of studies and previous trials of prevention programs and make recommendations for improving service delivery to at‐risk new parents. These results have implications for public policies that aim to benefit children and families.     

The Development of Invariant Object Recognition Requires Visual Experience With Temporally Smooth Objects

How do newborns learn to recognize objects? According to temporal learning models in computational neuroscience, the brain constructs object representations by extracting smoothly changing features from the environment. To date, however, it is unknown whether newborns depend on smoothly changing features to build invariant object representations. Here, we used an automated controlled‐rearing method to examine whether visual experience with smoothly changing features facilitates the development of view‐invariant object recognition in a newborn animal model—the domestic chick (Gallus gallus). When newborn chicks were reared with a virtual object that moved smoothly over time, the chicks created view‐invariant representations that were selective for object identity and tolerant to viewpoint changes. Conversely, when newborn chicks were reared with a temporally non‐smooth object, the chicks developed less selectivity for identity features and less tolerance to viewpoint changes. These results provide evidence for a “smoothness constraint” on the development of invariant object recognition and indicate that newborns leverage the temporal smoothness of natural visual environments to build abstract mental models of objects.     

An intentional stance modulates the integration of gesture and speech during comprehension

The present study investigates whether knowledge about the intentional relationship between gesture and speech influences controlled processes when integrating the two modalities at comprehension. Thirty-five adults watched short videos of gesture and speech that conveyed semantically congruous and incongruous information. In half of the videos, participants were told that the two modalities were intentionally coupled (i.e., produced by the same communicator), and in the other half, they were told that the two modalities were not intentionally coupled (i.e., produced by different communicators). When participants knew that the same communicator produced the speech and gesture, there was a larger bi-lateral frontal and central N400 effect to words that were semantically incongruous versus congruous with gesture. However, when participants knew that different communicators produced the speech and gesture--that is, when gesture and speech were not intentionally meant to go together--the N400 effect was present only in right-hemisphere frontal regions. The results demonstrate that pragmatic knowledge about the intentional relationship between gesture and speech modulates controlled neural processes during the integration of the two modalities.     

The effects of total sleep deprivation on semantic priming: Event-related potential evidence for automatic and controlled processing strategies

There is general consensus that performance on a number of cognitive tasks deteriorates following total sleep deprivation. At times, however, subjects manage to maintain performance. This may be because of an ability to switch cognitive strategies including the exertion of compensatory effort. The present study examines the effects of total sleep deprivation on a semantic word priming task. Word priming is unique because it can be carried out using different strategies involving either automatic, effortless or controlled, effortful processing. Twelve subjects were presented with word pairs, a prime and a target, that were either highly semantically associated (cat…dog), weakly associated (cow…barn) or unassociated (apple…road). In order to increase the probability of the use of controlled processing following normal sleep, the subject’s task was to determine if the target word was semantically related to the prime. Furthermore, the time between the offset of the prime and the onset of the target was relatively long, permitting the use of an effortful, expectancy-predictive strategy. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 64 electrode sites. After normal sleep, RTs were faster and accuracy higher to highly associated targets; this performance advantage was also maintained following sleep deprivation. A large negative deflection, the N400, was larger to weakly associated and unassociated targets in both sleep-deprived and normal conditions. The overall N400 was however larger in the normal sleep condition. Moreover, a long-lasting negative slow wave developed between the offset of the prime and the onset of the target. These physiological measures are consistent with the use of an effortful, predictive strategy following normal sleep but an automatic, effortless strategy following total sleep deprivation. A picture priming task was also run. This task benefits less from the use of a predictive strategy. Accordingly, in this task, ERPs following the target did not differ as a function of the amount of sleep.     

An Evaluation of Pharmacological Treatment Combined with Stress Inoculation Training in the Management of oral Lichen Planus

The aim of this pilot study was to examine the effects of the inclusion of a cognitive-behavioral intervention to the pharmacological treatment of oral lichen planus (OLP). Using a randomized controlled clinical trial, 16 patients affected by OLP were treated either with a potent corticosteroid in addition with stress inoculation training or with the drug alone. There were significant differences between the groups regarding the severity of the pathology both at the end of the treatment as well as at one-month follow-up. It is concluded that a cognitive-behavioral intervention might be usefully combined with pharmacological treatment for OLP.     

A controlled trial of cognitive-behavior therapy combined with vestibular rehabilitation in the treatment of dizziness

Dizziness is a common and often untreated symptom in the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a combined cognitive-behavioral/vestibular rehabilitation (VR) program, using a randomized control design. A total of 29 participants were randomized to treatment consisting of psychoeducation, vestibular exercises, relaxation and cognitive interventions, or to serve as waiting list controls. Measures of dizziness-related handicap, dizziness-provoking movements, and daily diary registrations of dizziness symptoms at pre- and post-treatment showed statistically significant improvements in many domains, which translated to moderate effect sizes. These findings provide preliminary support for the combination of Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and VR methods in the treatment of dizziness.     

Cognitive therapy for social phobia: individual versus group treatment

Cognitive-behavioural group treatment is the treatment of choice for social phobia. However, as not all patients benefit, an additional empirically validated psychological treatment would be of value. In addition, few studies have examined whether a group treatment format is more effective than an individual treatment format. A randomized controlled trial addressed these issues by comparing individual cognitive therapy, along the lines advocated by Clark and Wells (Clark, D.M. and Wells, A., 1995. A cognitive model of social phobia. In: R. G. Heimberg, M. Liebowitz, D. Hope and F. Schneier (Eds.), Social Phobia: Diagnosis, assessment, and treatment (pp. 69-93). New York: Guilford.), with a group version of the treatment and a wait-list control condition. 71 patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for social phobia participated in the trial, 65 completed the posttreatment assessment and 59 completed a six-month follow-up. Social phobia measures indicated significant pretreatment to posttreatment improvement in both individual and group cognitive therapy. Individual cognitive therapy was superior to group cognitive therapy on several measures at both posttreatment and follow-up. The effects of treatment on general measures of mood and psychopathology were less substantial than the effects on social phobia. The results suggest that individual cognitive therapy is a specific treatment for social phobia and that it's effectiveness may be diminished by delivery in a group format.