Progress with Science and Religion Issues: Critical Questions and Suggestions

Progress with the marriage of science and religion is slowed by “sterile” controversies. Ways toward overcoming them are suggested here. These concern the metaphysical foundations of science and religion (science and spirituality, science and theology) with a specific emphasis on epistemology, ontology, anthropology, aims, methodological procedures, limitations of binary logic, and the use of other types of logic (in particular relational and contextual reasoning). Dialogues between science and religion can have positive practical societal relevance, and therefore need to progress faster. An enlargement of humanity's mental horizons and development—especially of epistemic cognition—seems to be called for in order to secure the future of a global intellectual culture. Suggestions for achieving this are included.     

Freud

The author explores the evidence-base and selection criteria for a short-term supportive dynamic approach for patients whose psychological mindedness and quality of object relationships is low. Illustrating this approach with a case example he outlines the central features of Supportive Dynamic Therapy. He describes a psychodynamic conceptual and developmental framework that can be used to guide the therapist's interventions and responses, and modulate the patient's anxiety. A dynamic focus presented in the form of a central issue is shown to have a significant function both in containing the patient's anxiety, and in giving shape to the therapist's efforts to support the patient's ego-strengths and adaptive abilities. The therapeutic work can be seen to result in an alteration in the trajectory or reiterating pattern of the patient's life.     

Multicultural Feminist Therapy

SUMMARY

Psychological theory needs to be representative of the full range of human experience by being based in the experience of all groups of people. The women honored in this chapter, Jean Lau Chin, Lillian Comas-Diaz, Oliva Espin, Beverly Greene, and Monica McGoldrick, are all feminist therapists, researchers, scholars, clinicians and writers who have directed some substantial portion of their professional attention toward understanding the critical nature of minority and dominant group status on the development of psychological and feminist therapy theory. Together, their professional contributions and personal stories provide a powerful understanding of the nature of the intersection of race, culture     

Behavioral Strategies to Reduce School Violence

SUMMARY

Public schools that use punitive approaches toward student discipline can unwittingly promote violence and other antisocial behavior. This article reviews constructive and preventive methods to reduce school violence and vandalism. Various strategies are presented and discussed.     

The Influence of Reminder Trials on Contextual Interference Effects

Two experiments investigated the proposition of the elaboration explanation for contextual interference that more than one task is present in working memory when multiple tasks are practiced in a random schedule but that only one task is present in working memory when multiple tasks are practiced in a blocked schedule. Three motor tasks were performed as fast as possible in either a random or blocked practice schedule. At the end of practice, a reminder trial for each task was either given or not given. Acquisition performance was slower for the random practice conditions than for the blocked practice conditions. Retention performance was faster for the random practice conditions than for the blocked practice condition that did not receive a reminder trial for each task. Importantly, performance differences were not found between the random practice conditions and the blocked practice condition that did receive a reminder trial for each task. A blocked practice condition with a beneficial acquisition and reminder task order pairing performed faster during both acquisition and retention than a comparable random practice condition. Reminder trials can facilitate detailing of task characteristics, and their effectiveness is determined by the elapsed time and number of intervening tasks during acquisition and retention.     

Differences in psychosocial factors and fat consumption between stages of change for fat reduction

Abstract

Differences in fat consumption and psychosocial factors between subjects in different trans-theoretical stages of change for fat reduction were studied. Data on fat consumption, self-rated fat intake, attitudes, social support and self-efficacy were collected among a sample of 507 adults. Analysis of variance with Scheffe's multiple-comparison test was used to study differences in these factors between stages of change. Attitudes and social support were most positive among subjects in preparation and action. Self-efficacy expectations were lowest among subjects in contemplation and preparation. Fat consumption was highest among precontemplators hut no substantial differences between other stages were found. It is concluded that subjects in different stages of change differ in psychosocial factors that are regarded as important determinants of behavioral change. Based on these differences it is recommended to develop stage-tailored nutrition education. A majority of subjects in maintenance consumed more fat than is recommended. Therefore, it is suggested that the usually applied staging algorithms might need adjustment for a valid application in nutrition research.     

Predicting stage transitions for smoking cessation applying the attitude-social influence-efficacy model

Abstract

Cross-sectional studies integrating motivational stages with expectancy value models have suggested that contemplating smokers perceive more advantages of quitting and social support than precontemplators. Moreover, smokers preparing to quit were found to differ from precontemplators and contemplators by having higher self-efficacy expectations.

Using the ASE model, the present study confirmed the findings of these cross-sectional studies. The longitudinal design of this study, however, facilitated prediction of transitions that smokers made during a 10-month follow-up. Smokers who progressed from precontemplation perceived more advantages of quitting than those who remained in precontemplation. Smokers regressed from contemplation perceived fewer advantages of quitting than those who did not regress. Finally, smokers who progressed from preparation had higher self-efficacy expectations than those who did not progress.

In sum, the present study provided longitudinal support for the ø-pattern, which suggests tailoring of health educational messages to subjects in the various stages of change.     

Using Relative Motion Plots to Measure Changes in Intra-Limb and Inter-Limb Coordination

Methods for determining the degree of similarity between relative motion plots are examined and computational methods outlined. Hypothetical examples are provided to simply illustrate the function of selected indices of pattern shape, size, and orientation. Methods of using a composite of these measures to assess asymmetry, abnormality, or refinements in motor function are discussed. Statistical procedures for determining the reliability of assessments of change in relative motions are presented. A modification to Freeman’s (1961) pattern-recognition method is suggested as a more parsimonious application to angle-angle data derived in human movement research.     

CONTEXTUAL CONTROL OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR IN STUDENTS WITH SEVERE DISABILITIES

We investigated the impact of contextual variation on the effectiveness of two interventions. The problem behavior of 2 students with severe disabilities was analyzed across two contexts (task and leisure). Effects of differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) and time-out procedures were examined in the two contexts. Results indicated that in the task context the DRO procedure effectively reduced the problem behavior and increased task performance, whereas the time-out procedure was ineffective. In addition, rate of correct task performance increased during DRO relative to baseline and time-out. In contrast, in the leisure context, the time-out procedure effectively reduced the same problem behavior and the DRO procedure was ineffective. The results are discussed in terms of contextual control of problem behavior and alternative strategies for the design of DRO procedures.