Cognitive events in a problem-solving task: a qualitative method for investigating interactivity in the 17 Animals problem

Outside the cognitive psychologist's laboratory, problem-solving is an activity that takes place in a rich web of interactions involving people and artefacts. This interactivity is constituted by fine-grained action–perception cycles, and it allows a reasoner's comprehension of the problem to emerge from a coalition of internal and external resources. Taking an ecological approach to problem-solving, this paper introduces a qualitative method, Cognitive Event Analysis, for studying the fine-grained interactivity between a problem-solving agent and his/her environment. To demonstrate the potential of this method, it is used to study a single subject solving the so-called 17 Animals problem using a material model. The fine-grained procedure allows tracking the solution to a serendipity that was brought about because of the participant's aesthetic considerations and a change in her perceptual figure-ground configuration. While a qualitative single-case method cannot prove specific models of problem-solving, it questions prevalent mentalist models, and it generates new hypotheses on insight problem-solving, because it allows the researcher to attend to outliers and to variability on a fast and fine-grained between-measurement timescale.     

Object elicitation: A compassionate and culturally informed method for psychotherapy research

This study provides an innovative, compassionate and culturally informed method for psychotherapy research, using object elicitation with 13 participants from vulnerable groups. It examines the positive impact it has on building the research alliance, enhanced depth of sharing within qualitative research interviews and emic ways of knowing through the engagement with a culturally relevant, tangible, internalised or transitional object brought by vulnerable participants from diverse cultural contexts of origin. Results showcase how a creative and compassionate research method can promote a culturally informed research alliance with vulnerable participants, helping to build trust, rapport and relational depth; encourage elicitation of experiences; and empower emic and subjugated voices. The implications of this study make the case for the inclusion of object elicitation as a creative and compassionate method in qualitative research with traumatised and vulnerable individuals, which should be used as part of a culturally informed approach to psychotherapy research.     

Well‐being and pressures of daily life in two West Bank villages—Exploring context and history

Interest in the well‐being of people exposed to long‐term violence and conflict has tended to focus on measurable effects of acute traumatic events, while attention to the pressures of their daily living context is relatively new. Using qualitative and quantitative data from a 2005 survey of all female family caretakers in 2 neighbouring Israeli‐occupied West Bank villages (n = 820), we explored the associations of demographic, health‐related and contextual factors with reported pressures and WHO‐5 well‐being index scores. The final model explained 17.8% of the variance with negative associations between health‐related factors (“back‐aches,” “stomach aches” “psychological illness in the family”) and family‐related factors (“male head of household aggressive”, “male head of household physically violent”) and the WHO‐5 well‐being index scores. We found positive associations between socio‐economic factors (“standard of living”; “number of rooms”) and village‐related factors (“residency in village A/B”) and the WHO‐5 well‐being index score. Exploring the daily living context of villages A and B illuminated how the impact of historical and political events differed, even in villages that are geographically close. The paper lends support to calls for including politics and history in research on well‐being in contexts of long‐term violence and conflict.     

Parent and Staff Uncertainties Regarding the Philosophy of Early Intervention in a Preschool Autism Program

This study investigated the influences of dominant paradigms in the field of autism on the attitudes and beliefs of stakeholders in an early intervention (EI) program for children with autism. This EI program is based on a developmental approach with the premise that intensive intervention in young children (ages 2–6 years) can change their developmental trajectory given the brain's plasticity. This study was based on 48 interviews with parents and staff, as well as three focus groups with stakeholders at a program serving young children with autism. Qualitative data analysis revealed that parents and staff were most influenced by the curative aspect of the medical model while they did not commonly demonstrate adherence to the principles of EI. Parents also revealed conflicting attitudes simultaneously, as many of them expressed wishes for their children to be cured of autism while at the same time wanting that interventions would continue indefinitely.     

Out-of-bag Prediction Error: A Cross Validation Index for Generalized Structured Component Analysis

Cross validation is a useful way of comparing predictive generalizability of theoretically plausible a priori models in structural equation modeling (SEM). A number of overall or local cross validation indices have been proposed for existing factor-based and component-based approaches to SEM, including covariance structure analysis and partial least squares path modeling. However, there is no such cross validation index available for generalized structured component analysis (GSCA) which is another component-based approach. We thus propose a cross validation index for GSCA, called Out-of-bag Prediction Error (OPE), which estimates the expected prediction error of a model over replications of so-called in-bag and out-of-bag samples constructed through the implementation of the bootstrap method. The calculation of this index is well-suited to the estimation procedure of GSCA, which uses the bootstrap method to obtain the standard errors or confidence intervals of parameter estimates. We empirically evaluate the performance of the proposed index through the analyses of both simulated and real data.     

Reflective practice and work-based research: a description of micro- and macro-reflective cycles

The role and importance of reflective practice have been thoroughly documented and its benefits are well established. When coupled with research in a higher education context, a similar importance for reflection can be extended to professional development, leadership, and work-based learning. However, the relation of reflective practice to work-based research, specifically when defined as an element of methodology in higher degree research awards, has yet to be fully examined. In this paper, we explore the basic principles of reflective practice as they relate to work-based learning and highlight the interfaces or ‘bridges’ between reflective cycles, showing their centrality to work-based research. As an example of how these principles might be applied, we also introduce the role of each micro- and macro-reflective cycle in the Professional Studies program at University of Southern Queensland, a relatively new academic approach which utilises both work-based learning and work-based research.     

Validation française d’une version brève de l’Échelle de satisfaction maritale

IntroductionFew measuring instruments of couple satisfaction maximizing the individual perception of the relationship exists in French. Settings such as Liaison psychiatry of a general hospital could benefit from a questionnaire adapting to a variety of clinical profiles.ObjectiveThis article proposes a French revision and validation of the Marital Satisfaction Scale (MSS; Roach, Frazier, and Bowden, 1981), a 48-item self-reported questionnaire designed to evaluate personal satisfaction towards one's couple relationship.MethodA sample of 349 community-dwelling individuals aged 20–85 answered the MSS, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; Spanier, 1976), and a series of inquiries related to sociodemographics. As an initial Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) did not validate the unidimensional structure postulated by the original authors, the item number was reduced to 14.ResultsThis brief version of the scale (MSS-14) was subsequently validated with an internal replication analysis, a strong criterion-related validity with the DAS (r_s = 0.73, P < 0.001), an excellent internal consistency (α = 0.961, IC à 95% [0.955, 0.967]), a strong test-retest reliability (r_s = 0.90, CI à 95% [0.85, 0.93], P < 0.001, Z = − 0.033, P = 0.973), and strong item-to-total correlations (> 0.69). The MSS-14 could differentiate individuals with and without marital distress (AUC = 0.97), while no sociodemographic variable seemed to have a significant influence on couple satisfaction.ConclusionThe MSS-14 appears to be a reliable instrument to assess the personal satisfaction towards a couple relationship in community-dwelling adults.     

State humility: Measurement,conceptual validation,and intrapersonal processes

Humility is a core psychological process theoretically marked by low self-focus, secure identity, and balanced awareness of strengths and weaknesses. We began with a consensual definition of humility before theoretically unpacking it. First, using 25 samples and 2622 adults, we developed the Brief State Humility Scale, which demonstrates strong construct validity and good reliability, is sensitive to experimental manipulation, and is uncorrelated with social desirability. Second, using this measure, we replicated previously reported relationships involving interpersonal processes; revealed links between state humility and intrapersonal processes (e.g. affect, creativity, and personality); and demonstrated key theoretical differences between state humility and modesty. This framework highlights new avenues for humility research and suggests how humility plays a critical role in emotional experience.     

潜变量建模的贝叶斯方法

贝叶斯统计是统计学的两大流派之一,近年来贝叶斯统计在社会及行为科学领域日益流行。鉴于国内心理学界对贝叶斯统计应用仍不广泛,本文尝试从非技术性的角度对贝叶斯统计用于潜变量建模的过程进行简要介绍。主要涉及贝叶斯与频率论在统计学基本概念上的对比;贝叶斯统计的基本原理和分析过程。最后以一个验证性因子分析为例,简要介绍贝叶斯统计用于潜变量建模的分析过程。希望本文能为国内心理学者进行潜变量建模提供新的视角。