Bayesian model selection of informative hypotheses for repeated measurements

When analyzing repeated measurements data, researchers often have expectations about the relations between the measurement means. The expectations can often be formalized using equality and inequality constraints between (i) the measurement means over time, (ii) the measurement means between groups, (iii) the means adjusted for time-invariant covariates, and (iv) the means adjusted for time-varying covariates. The result is a set of informative hypotheses. In this paper, the Bayes factor is used to determine which hypothesis receives most support from the data. A pivotal element in the Bayesian framework is the specification of the prior. To avoid subjective prior specification, training data in combination with restrictions on the measurement means are used to obtain so-called constrained posterior priors. A simulation study and an empirical example from developmental psychology show that this prior results in Bayes factors with desirable properties.     

Development and dissemination of collaborative family-oriented services: the case of community/day residential care in Israel

The initiation, development, and dissemination of family-oriented programs are a unifying thread that highlights family therapy's contribution to the fields of mental/physical health and social services. These demanding tasks require an ecosystemic vision, a supportive larger context, and a range of skills. This article delineates the evolution of community and day residential care in Israel by examining processes at different ecological levels: the formulation and implementation of national social policy, the follow-up of two family-oriented facilities, one of which thrived while the other eventually closed, and the residential care provided to 1 family with 3 children. The analysis of this multilevel data highlights 4 facilitating/obstructing factors that have had major impact on family-oriented programs: support by both national and local sociopolitical-professional administration, program's management autonomy, staff training, support and development, and effective facility leadership that establishes and nurtures family-oriented organizational structure and culture.     

Toward an Evidence-Based System for Innovation Support for Implementing Innovations with Quality: Tools,Training, Technical Assistance,and Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement

An individual or organization that sets out to implement an innovation (e.g., a new technology, program, or policy) generally requires support. In the Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation, a Support System should work with Delivery Systems (national, state and/or local entities such as health and human service organizations, community-based organizations, schools) to enhance their capacity for quality implementation of innovations. The literature on the Support ystem has been under-researched and under-developed. This article begins to conceptualize theory, research, and action for an evidence-based system for innovation support (EBSIS). EBSIS describes key priorities for strengthening the science and practice of support. The major goal of EBSIS is to enhance the research and practice of support in order to build capacity in the Delivery System for implementing innovations with quality, and thereby, help the Delivery System achieve outcomes. EBSIS is guided by a logic model that includes four key support components: tools, training, technical assistance, and quality assurance/quality improvement. EBSIS uses the Getting To Outcomes approach to accountability to aid the identification and synthesis of concepts, tools, and evidence for support. We conclude with some discussion of the current status of EBSIS and possible next steps, including the development of collaborative researcher-practitioner-funder-consumer partnerships to accelerate accumulation of knowledge on the Support System.     

Owning evaluation: Revaluing clinical work in a university context

This paper draws on the experience of a year-long evaluation project in a university counselling service. The author considers some reasons for practitioners' reluctance to undertake formal evaluation, but suggests their confidence in clinical work may be enhanced if ambivalence can be explored. The paper discusses the impact of organizational culture on such ventures and considers what conditions might promote their success.     

Training service providers working with traumatized children in South Africa: The navigations of a trainer

In South Africa, counselling training poses two related difficulties: working in a situation of ubiquitous, ongoing violence, and offering training to people who have minimal or no qualifications and are often overwhelmed by enormous workload. In this context, there is a temptation either to give up hope in the face of the enormity of the task, or defensively to package counselling as a set of techniques which can be taught without much self-reflection. In this article we discuss, by contrast, an intervention which used psychodynamic principles to develop learner-centred training drawing on trainees' own experiences. We consider the benefits of this approach even in a context of violence and meagre resources.     

Getting Everybody Involved

Abstract

This paper describes a creative approach for training counselor and counselor educators that provides collaborative interactions among students and faculty in several university training programs. Structured around a problem-solving activity and self-reflection questionnaires, undergraduate teachers-in-training were given an opportunity to receive one-to-one consultative counseling from the master's level counselors-in-training, who in turn received structured problem-solving supervision from the doctoral level students. Finally, the doctoral level students received faculty support to facilitate the development of their supervisory skills. The goal of this training approach is to provide students at all three levels with experiences similar to those they will encounter as professionals following graduation from the university, but within the context of scaffolding from faculty and more advanced students.     

Training attention: Interactions between central cues and reflexive attention

Three experiments are reported in which we investigate whether the recently reported interactions between central cues (e.g., arrows) and reflexive attention are attributable to the overlearned spatial properties of certain central cues. In all three experiments, a nonpredictive cue with arbitrary spatial properties (a colour patch) is presented prior to a detection target in the left or right visual field. Reaction times to detect targets are compared before and after a training session in which participants are trained to associate each colour patch with left and right space, either via a target detection task in which colour predicts target location 100% of the time (Experiments 1 and 3), or via a left/right motor movement as a function of colour (Experiments 2 and 3). In the first two experiments, a small but highly significant training effect is observed. Participants are approximately 10 ms faster to detect targets at congruent locations relative to incongruent locations after training relative to before training, despite the fact that cue colour was nonpredictive during the test sessions. In Experiment 3, the length of the training session is increased and the magnitude of the training effect also increases as a result. Implications for the interaction between central cues and reflexive attention, as well as premotor theory of attention, are discussed.     

Psychological aspects of the transformations in poland: Changes in the sense of participation in the life of a plant

Abstract

In order to promote innovation, most theorists agree, high levels of participation by all employees in an organization is required. In Eastern Europe nation-wide interventions are underway in some countries to promote participation across all organizations. This article describes one study of this phenomenon.     

Personality,epistemology and psychotherapists' choice of theoretical model: a review and analysis

This article reviews a body of research, empirical and speculative, describing variables thought to determine a psychotherapist's choice of theoretical orientation. The review finds two types of variables (1) the influences of training, colleagues, supervisors, initial clinical experience and (2) the effects of personality traits and epistemological values, beliefs and philosophy. The weight of evidence from the reviewed studies of cognitive behavioural/behavioural and psychodynamic psychotherapists, and an analysis of the data, suggests that personality and epistemic traits are significantly involved in orientation choice. This has implications for training, practitioner and client outcome satisfaction, and understanding the poor communication that exists between these two major orientations.     

Six orienting ideas for collaborative counsellors

An enhanced form of collaboration in counselling is made possible by recent developments in social constructionist theory and a new group of ‘postmodern therapies’. Highlighting six orienting ideas that draw from this theory and the postmodern therapies (solution-focused, narrative and collaborative language systems therapy), the author suggests that these ideas can focus counsellors’ listening and creativity broadly. Examples illustrate each of the orienting ideas, with no assumption that the ideas can be narrowed down to specific techniques.