Dragon Training and Changing Culture: A Review of DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon

DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon is an animated coming-of-age story in which the hero uses behavioral techniques to befriend and then to train an adversary. This movie provides an example of the successful dissemination of behavioral principles and technologies to the general population. Although it does not represent best practices in every instance, the movie may be an indication of a broader social acceptance of behavioral approaches to conflict resolution.     

Use of an Orientation Session May Help Decrease Attrition in a Pediatric Weight Management Program for Low-Income Minority Adolescents

This study examined predictors of attrition from a pediatric weight-control program in a low-income minority community and the potential usefulness of an orientation session to increase length of treatment. Participants were 342 children and adolescents (M age=13.0 years old; 54% female; 89% African American; M BMI=44.2, M BMI z-score=6.0) and their caregivers who attended FitMatters, a multidisciplinary cognitive-behavioral program focused on long-term participation. Those who attended an orientation session stayed in treatment significantly longer, but attrition was not affected by demographic factors, weight status, or psychological functioning. These results indicate that an orientation session that clearly delineates the structure of a program and expected attitudinal and behavioral requirements for the families may help align expectations, as well as more effectively identify families who are ready to make concerted efforts to change the family lifestyle in support of their obese children's efforts.     

Recent Debates Over Structural Realism

Summary  In recent years Structural Realism has been revived as a compromise candidate to resolve the long-standing question of scientific realism. Recent debate over structural realism originates with Worrall’s (1989) paper “Structural Realism: The best of Both Worlds”. However, critics such as Psillos contend that structural realism incorporates an untenable distinction between structure and nature, and is therefore unworkable. In this paper I consider three versions of structural realism that purport to avoid such criticism. The first is Chakravartty’s “semirealism” which proceeds by trying to show that structural realism and entity realism entail one another. I demonstrate that this position will not work, but follow Chakravartty’s contention that structural realism need not imply that scientific knowledge can only be of mathematical structure. I advance from this conclusion to sketch a version of structural realism that is consistent with recent deflationary approaches to the scientific realism question. Finally, I consider a third approach to structural realism Ladyman’s “metaphysical structural realism” which tries to avoid the difficulties of earlier versions by taking structure to be ontologically primary. I show that the deflationary approach to structural realism undermines the rationale behind Ladyman’s approach.     

Support for an expanded tripartite influence model with gay men

This study investigated whether an expanded tripartite influence model would represent gay men's experiences. This model was extended by adding partners and gay community involvement as sources of social influence and considering dual body image pathways (muscularity and body fat dissatisfaction) to muscularity enhancement and disordered eating behaviors. Latent variable structural equation modeling analyses upheld this model for 346 gay men. Dual body image pathways to body change behaviors were supported, although three unanticipated interrelationships emerged, suggesting that muscularity and body fat concerns and behaviors may be more integrated for gay men. Internalization of the mesomorphic ideal, appearance comparison, muscularity dissatisfaction, and body fat dissatisfaction were key mediators in the model. Of the sources of social influence, friend and media pressure to be lean, gay community involvement, and partner, friend, media, and family pressures to be muscular made incremental contributions. Unexpectedly, certain sources were directly connected to body change behaviors.     

Where To From Here for the Psychology of Social Change? Future Directions for Theory and Practice

For a vibrant and viable psychology of social change it is necessary to examine its place and contribution to the societal processes it seeks to understand, explain, and (potentially) affect. In this article, we first consider the impact that research and theorizing on social change (should) have and related issues of how we communicate about our work (and to whom) and dilemmas around researchers being active participants in the change process. Second, we consider emerging trends in the field and comment on meta‐theoretical and “meta‐methodological” issues in going forward, including the interaction between individual and society, having theoretical models of the person that allow us to account for such an interaction, as well as rethinking our methodology and ways of “doing” psychology to better reflect people's experiences of mobilization and participation. In line with the proposed rethinking of our theories and methods, the final section introduces a new paradigm for investigating the nexus of social change and leadership dynamics. The overall aim of the article is to reflect on key questions and dilemmas facing the field and provide some starting points for debating and shaping its future.     

Continuity in Problems of Social Functioning in Adulthood: A Cumulative Perspective

Based on an ongoing longitudinal study involving 145 women and 152 men, this study analyzed the continuity in and accumulation of problems of social functioning from age 27 (year 1986) to age 36 (year 1995), and studied sex differences in these processes. The accumulation of problems of social functioning (e.g., poor financial standing, poor intimate relationships, and drinking problems) was more common in men than in women at both ages. Sex differences, however, narrowed because problems increased only among women during the follow-up period. Continuity, both in accumulated problems and in good social functioning, was stronger than continuity in single problems, as assumed on the basis of the theory of problem gravitation. The proportion of individuals with either accumulated problems or with good social functioning did not, however, increase relative to individuals with single problems, as the theory of problem gravitation has suggested. Continuity in problems of social functioning was partly mediated by career instability among both sexes. There was also a tendency for the quality of partner to moderate the relation between problems of social functioning between the two ages; in particular, a problematic partner was likely to add to women's problems.     

The Need for a Revolution in the Philosophy of Science

There is a need to bring about a revolution in the philosophy of science, interpreted to be both the academic discipline, and the official view of the aims and methods of science upheld by the scientific community. At present both are dominated by the view that in science theories are chosen on the basis of empirical considerations alone, nothing being permanently accepted as a part of scientific knowledge independently of evidence. Biasing choice of theory in the direction of simplicity, unity or explanatory power does not permanently commit science to the thesis that nature is simple or unified. This current ‘paradigm’ is, I argue, untenable. We need a new paradigm, which acknowledges that science makes a hierarchy of metaphysical assumptions concerning the comprehensibility and knowability of the universe, theories being chosen partly on the basis of compatibility with these assumptions. Eleven arguments are given for favouring this new ‘paradigm’ over the current one. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Clinically Significant Change After Cognitive Restructuring for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

This study investigated the outcome of cognitive restructuring for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse in terms of clinically significant change. Twenty-six participants were assessed for depression, State anxiety, State anger, State guilt and self-esteem before and after 10 weekly sessions of group Rational-emotive behavior therapy, and at follow-up after 8 weeks. In contrast to a previous analysis of the data in terms of statistical significance, indicating significant improvements on all variables from pre- to posttreatment, an analysis based on clinically significant change showed a differentiated treatment effect. Cognitive restructuring was found to be highly effective in facilitating recovery on anxiety, depression and anger, but less effective for guilt and low self-esteem. Only 3 patients (11, 54%) recovered on all 5 variables, while 10 patients (38, 46%) showed recovery on at least 4 variables. Relationship to the perpetrator and pre-treatment irrational evaluative beliefs (measured by means of the Survey of Personal Beliefs) were found to be the best predictors of treatment outcome. A poor response to treatment was associated with the perpetrator being a close family member and with more Other-directed Shoulds, while recovery was associated with the perpetrator being a friend or stranger and with more Awfulizing, Self-directed Shoulds and negative Self-worth beliefs.     

衰老机制的思考

衰老原因和机制极为复杂,是一具有累积性、普遍性、渐进性、内生性和危害性的生命过程。衰老的本质是渐进性的功能减退,各种因素通过引起功能减退加速衰老,减慢功能损害则能延缓衰老。本文笔者认为：衰老机制是非特异性的;理论上,能引起功能减退的因素应能加速衰老。