Interpersonal Skills Training to Reduce Aggressive and Delinquent Behavior: Limited Evidence and the Need for an Evidence-Based System of Care

The prevention of aggressive and delinquent behavior during childhood and adolescence is one of the highest priorities for public health and crime prevention. The most common approach to preventing or treating these conduct problems has been to provide interpersonal skills training to the affected youth. This paper reviews all randomized controlled trials evaluating interpersonal skills training programs as an intervention to reduce conduct problems. Research shows that such programs have weak empirical support as isolated interventions. An alternative evidence-based system of care is described. Such a system would include behavioral parent training and behavioral classroom-based interventions for young children at risk of developing problems, as well as multisystemic family therapy or multidimensional treatment foster care for chronic delinquents. Within such a network of services, interpersonal skills training could play an important supportive role. Such a system holds the greatest promise for reducing the prevalence of aggressive and delinquent behavior in communities.     

嫉妒心理及其内隐性研究

采用自行设计的关于嫉妒的故事集和嫉妒测验问卷两类材料,分别运用"快答"和"慢答"两种方法,在考察嫉妒心理的普遍性、强烈程度和个体差异的基础上,重点研究并确定了人类嫉妒心理的内隐性.研究表明人们普遍存有嫉妒之心且程度较强;理科的学生似乎更甚,但男女差异并不明显;一方面,大家已能承认自己存嫉妒之心,表明了现代人的理性,另一方面,嫉妒心理产生时却大都不为主体所察觉,具有明显的内隐性.另外,本研究所采用的研究方法及结果还启示我们各种测验量表若不严格控制施测时间,其效度将大打折扣.     

Driving skills after whiplash

Previous studies have shown that some persons with longlasting problems after whiplash have changed eye movements. These changes have been related to disturbance of the posture control system. The question raised in the present study is whether such disturbances can influence daily life functions connected with balance, position and external movements, such as car driving. A group of 23 persons with disturbed eye movements due to whiplash injury, was tested in a driving simulator, together with a closely matched control group. The results revealed significant differences between the two groups with respect to response times to the traffic signs presented, identification of type of sign, as well as steering precision while the subjects’ attention was directed to the process of identifying the signs. Alternative explanations such as driving experience, pain, medication or malingering are at least partly controlled for, but cannot completely be ruled out. A distorted posture control system leading to disturbance of eye movements seems to be the most likely primary causative factor, but these disturbances are most certainly complexly determined. Reduced attention capacity is considered to be a mediating secondary factor. Registration of eye movements may be a useful diagnostic tool to evaluate driving skill after whiplash.     

Longitudinal Correlates of Arrest Status Among At-Risk Males

We examined the longitudinal adjustment, from grade 4 to grade 11, of a sample (n = 76) of boys judged to be at-risk for developing antisocial behavior patterns. We also examined subgroups of the sample differentiated by risk status and arrest records at grade 11. Antisocial behavior patterns exhibited by these boys demonstrated considerable stability over time. Differences were noted among high and lower-risk groups who were and were not arrested. In particular, measures of academic and social skills dimensions were related to better overall adjustment as indicated by lower arrest rates. Implications of these results for intervention are presented.     

Programming generalization of social skills in preschool children with hearing impairments.

The efficacy of a social skills training package in producing stimulus generalization, both with and without the systematic application of generalization programming techniques, was evaluated with 5 preschool children with hearing impairments. The evaluation was conducted within a multiple baseline design. Generalization probes were conducted daily. The social skills training package was implemented in a training setting and produced high, stable rates of social interaction in that setting. However, generalization of the social skills to new teachers, peers, and play activities did not occur until generalization programming strategies were applied in the original training setting. Using sufficient stimulus exemplars and contacting natural consequences appeared to be the key strategies for promoting generalization of social interaction. In addition, the use of supplementary procedures (e.g., a fluency criterion and treatment integrity checks) may have contributed to stimulus generalization.     

Pandora's box reopened? The assessment of social skills

Social skills are viewed as an organizing principle for relating a variety of superficially dissimilar behaviors under a single megaconstruct. The underlying theme of this article is that since social skills are a megaconstruct we must be constantly vigilant lest we begin to regard them as a static, invariant dispositional-trait-like unit. Within this context, various theoretical-definitional issues are discussed and reduction of these issues is urged for any particular assessment task if adequate assessment is to be achieved. Social skills are viewed as response capabilities inferred from performance. Since performance is influenced by other parameters (e.g., cognitive factors — emotional states), these other parameters may need to be measured depending on the assessment task. The advantages and disadvantages of both molar unit and molecular unit recording of social skills are discussed. It is concluded that neither type of unit should be regarded as the proper measurement unit. The proper unit size is an empirical question which may differ as a function of the assessment task. An analogy is provided regarding the assessment of the megaconstruct of intelligence. It is hoped that we can profit from an examination of the strategies employed in intellectual assessment. Behavior assessors are urged to refamiliarize themselves with various psychometric theories and strategies to increase their methodological sophistication with respect to the assessment of social skills.     

一般性注意资源限制对返回抑制的影响

通过探讨视空间和语义通道内的注意资源的限制对IOR的影响的4个实验,来验证“IOR的低级成分不受注意资源限制的影响和IOR的高级成分受注意资源限制的影响”的假设。实验1A和1B的结果表明,在基于空间位置的简单检测任务中,IOR的低级成分既不随语义通道内注意资源的减少而消减,也不随空间通道内注意资源的减少而消减。实验2A和2B结果表明,在基于客体特性的辨别任务中,IOR的高级成分既随语义通道内注意资源的减少而消减,又随空间通道内注意资源的减少而消减。因此,辨别任务中的IOR受一般性注意资源的限制。同时,实验结果还表明,IOR的高级成分对空间通道内的注意资源的需求要高于对语义通道内注意资源的需求     

一般流体智力研究中工作记忆与注意的关系

随着对一般流体智力的研究逐步深入,研究者们认为了解工作记忆与注意的相互关系是解决一般流体智力与前二者结构关系的关键。由于工作记忆系统中中央执行器的功能尚不明确,注意控制能力与工作记忆的关系难以确定。研究者中存在两种不同的观点：一种认为两者之间存在着密切的互动,另一种则认为两者就是同功同构的一个认知成分。     

Skills Training for Spouses of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: Outcomes of an Intervention Study

The effects of a 12-week intervention on a patient-focused skills training group and a caregiver-focused skills training group were compared with those on a control group that received comparable attention, but no training. Intervention effects were monitored at the completion of the treatment phase and at 3- and 6-months postintervention. Treatment implementation was documented in a comprehensive fashion to ensure replicability. Both training groups acquired skills that enabled them to improve targeted behaviors (patient problem behaviors and caregiver mood, respectively). Weaker effects were found for more distal outcomes, such as depression, perceived stress, caregiver strain, and self-efficacy.     

浅谈现代普通外科观念的变更

随着自然科学和社会科学的发展,特别是现代医学模式的转变,普通外科的观念与传统观念有了很大不同。人本主义观念是普通外科的所有医疗活动的指导原则,循证观念成为解决临床问题的有效手段,微创观念将引导现代普通外科的发展方向,置换观念是社会和自然科学发展的必然,整体观念体现着现代医学对立统一的思想,而新的健康观念更符合人类文明进步的要求,协作观念则是提高医疗质量的保障。