Stability of Family Interaction from Ages 6 to 18

Research has demonstrated the stability of juvenile offending during childhood and adolescence but generally has not focused on the continuity of family interactions associated with juvenile offending. The present report focused on the stability of several family interaction events and attributes (i.e., physical punishment, communication, supervision, positive parenting, and parent–child relationship) for a large sample of male adolescents and their primary caretakers, drawn from a multiyear longitudinal study that represented middle childhood through late adolescence (ages 6–18). We also assessed the impact of ethnicity, family composition, teenage motherhood, and youth delinquency on these interactions. Test–retest correlations and growth-curve analyses were used to assess relative and absolute stability of the interactions, respectively. As predicted, relative stability of family interaction was high. There was an absolute change in scores of physical punishment (decreased) compared to poor supervision and low positive parenting (both increased), whereas poor communication and bad relationship with the caretaker did not measurably change with age. Single-parent families and families with teenage mothers experienced significantly worse interactions over time than did families consisting of two biological parents present in the household. These findings are discussed in relation to the development of juvenile offending.     

Stability of Q-sort attachment security from age two to five

The current report demonstrates reliability and stability of Q-sort attachment security in a sample of 46 mothers and their children seen by two observers at age two and again at age four to six years. Security scores were correlated between ages (r=.44), and a high proportion of item-by-item correlations between ages were also significant.     

The stability of resting metabolic rate and diet-induced thermogenesis in children

The stability of resting metabolic rate and diet-induced thermogenesis was assessed in a group of 8- to 12-year-old children over two sessions. Children were first oriented to the laboratory and participated in a practice session to adapt them to the laboratory procedures. The two metabolic sessions began with the measurement of resting metabolic rate. The children were then provided a caloric challenge, with metabolic measures taken at 30-min intervals for 150 min. Results showed stable resting and integrated diet-induced thermogenic responses across sessions. Differences in the pattern of response from 30 to 60 min were observed, with the response peaking earlier in the first session.This experiment was supported in part by Grant HD19532 NICHD awarded to the first author.     

Real-time kinematic biofeedback improves scapulothoracic control and performance during scapular-focused exercises: A single-blind randomized controlled laboratory study

Emerging evidence suggests that scapular-focused therapeutic exercises hold promise for shoulder dynamic stability retraining. While recent findings show that therapeutic exercises can alter scapular neuromuscular function measured with muscle electromyography, no study has yet addressed the effects of kinematic biofeedback for improving scapulothoracic control and performance. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of kinematic biofeedback on motor relearning transfer during shoulder flexion and a daily activity, on the quality of scapular-focused exercise performance, and on execution time. Thirty healthy young adults were randomly distributed into two groups. Skin mounted electromagnetic sensors were used to collect kinematic data of the thorax, scapula and humerus while subjects performed a shoulder flexion and a daily activity, prior to and after scapular-focused exercises. For both groups, the exercise execution error and the execution time determined the scapulothoracic control and performance. Significant statistical differences were found in the exercise execution error results within the experimental group (z = 5.313; p = 0.037) and between groups (u = 37.00; p = 0.001; u = 64.00; p = 0.024). This study’s results demonstrate that real-time kinematic biofeedback improves scapulothoracic control and performance during scapular-focused exercise execution.     

Dynamic stability during running gait termination: Predictors for successful control of forward momentum in children and adults

Reported differences between children and adults with respect to COM horizontal and vertical position to maintain dynamic stability during running deceleration suggest that this relationship may not be as important in children. This study challenged the current dynamic stability paradigm by determining the features of whole body posture that predicted forward velocity and momentum of running gait termination in adults and children. Sixteen adults and 15 children ran as fast as possible and stopped at pre-determined location. Separate regression analyses determined whether COM posterior and vertical positions and functional limb length (distance between COM and stance foot) predicted velocity and momentum for adults and children. COM posterior position was the strongest predictor of forward velocity and momentum in both groups supporting the previously established relationship during slower tasks. COM vertical position also predicted momentum in children, not adults. Higher COM position in children was related to greater momentum; consistent with previously reported differences between children and adults in COM position across running deceleration. COM vertical position was related to momentum but not velocity in children suggesting that strategies used to terminate running may be driven by demands imposed not just by velocity, but also the mass being decelerated.     

定量运动负荷和个性特征对动觉准确性和动作稳定性的影响

目的在于了解个性特征和定量运动负荷与同射箭运动员技术水平密切相关的肘关节动觉方位准确性和手动作稳定性的关系。研究结果表明：个性特征对肘关节动觉方位准确性和手动作稳定性的影响不显著;定量运动负荷可以使肘关节动觉方位准确性明显提高,而手动作稳定性变化不显著。本研究初步证明了韩国射箭训练中利用跑步等手段使运动员处于较高心率之下进行射准练习的方法是实用有效的。     

Placement Stability Following Short-Term Residential Care

Youth discharged from a short-term residential facility and reunified with their parents were contacted at least one year after discharge to determine whether or not they had a disruption in their placement since reunification. Follow-up intervals of 149 youth contacted (82% of the eligible sample) ranged from a minimum of 12 months to a maximum of 30 months post-discharge. Differences in the time to placement disruption were analyzed using survival analysis techniques. After controlling for adjustment differences during the treatment program, youth behavior problems, and family problems, a significant interaction of youth age and treatment intensity was found: Compared to the others, younger youth who received additional treatment components had placement disruptions later and less frequently.     

Some relationships between behavioral and traditional assessment

Psychometric principles and procedures were developed within the context of traditional approaches to assessment. In order to illustrate the frequent, if not uniform, applicability of these principles to behavior assessment, we first discuss the differences and similarities between traditional and behavioral assessment. We then point out ways in which, given the nature of behavior assessment, attention to certain psychometric principles and procedures would expedite the development of more adequate behavior assessment devices and procedures.