Wrapping services in an urban setting

Efforts to reform services for children and their families in Baltimore City have included providing Wraparound services to youth returned or diverted from out-of-state residential treatment. We briefly present the history and evolution of the system reform efforts in Baltimore City that were necessary to support the implementation of a Wraparound model of service delivery. The characteristics of the Wraparound service model is presented along with the referral pathway of the youth into the service system, the components of the service delivery system and an overview of step-down services and linkages utilized to transition the youth. Data are presented that demonstrate the level of community adjustment of a subset of the 121 youth served through the Wraparound model in contrast to the level of community adjustment achieved by nonequivalent comparison groups. We discuss the use of report card type of outcome measures, its user-friendly features, limitations, and the developmental steps needed to refine it further.     

THE USE OF GOAL SETTING AND CONTINGENCY CONTRACTING FOR IMPROVING CHILDREN'S HOMEWORK PERFORMANCE

We examined the effects of goal setting and contingency contracting on children's homework performance. Subjects were 4 parent—child dyads in which the child exhibited substantial homework problems. Using a combination of multiple baseline and reversal (ABAB) designs, goal setting and contingency contracting produced significant improvements in children's homework accuracy. Two of the 4 subjects showed substantial improvements in on-task behavior. Consumer satisfaction with the procedures was supported by parent ratings conducted posttreatment.     

短期目标和长期目标设置对投篮成绩,努力程度和状态焦虑的影响

这篇论文调查了短期目标和长期目标对投篮成绩、努力程度和状态焦虑的影响．８７名被试被随机分配到以下一个组中：（１）短期目标组,（２）长期目标组,（３）短期和长期目标结合组,（４）“尽力做好”组。实验时间为７周。研究结果显示：（１）结合目标组、短期目标组和长期目标组的投篮成绩显著优于“尽力做好”组;（２）结合目标组的投篮成绩提高幅度最大,其次是短期目标组和长期目标组,最后是“尽力做好”组,（３）结合目标组、短期目标组和长期目标组的投篮成绩随练习次数的增加而显著提高,（４）努力程度是结合目标组和短期目标组投篮成绩提高的调节变量。     

The role of planning for intention-behavior consistency

Two studies investigated how planning affects intention-behavior consistency. In Study 1 an experimental group and control group which each consisted of 14 undergraduates were requested in computerized interviews to indicate which activities they intended to perform on the following day. Subjects in the experimental group were also requested in a second phase of the interviews to specify when and where they intended to perform the activities. The results showed that activities for which time and place had been specified were more likely to be performed. In Study 2 another 75 undergraduates volunteered to participate in an experiment in which they were requested to perform an activity (reporting mood effects of reading a prose excerpt) by themselves on one of three following days. One group of subjects only agreed to perform the activity, another group agreed to perform the activity as well as indicated when and where they would do it, and a third group in addition to this indicated which other activities they would perform on the same day. In support of the hypothesis that planning an activity increases the likelihood that it will be performed, the results showed that subjects who indicated other activities more frequently performed the target activity. More efficient time management resulting from planning may account for the findings, although further research is needed to show this conclusively.     

A systematic evaluation of preferences identified through person-centered planning for people with profound multiple disabilities

Person-centered planning is becoming a popular means of designing supports for people with disabilities. However, very little research evaluating person-centered planning exists. We evaluated the degree to which items and activities reported to be preferred in person-centered plans represented accurate preferences based on how individuals responded when presented with the items and activities. Person-centered planning meetings were conducted with 4 individuals with profound multiple disabilities to develop preference maps and to identify leisure-related preferences. A sample of the reported preferences in the plans was then systematically assessed by observing each participant's approach and avoidance responses to the items and activities. Of the sampled items and activities reported to be preferred in the plans, 42% represented moderate preferences based on the latter assessment process and 33% represented strong preferences. With 2 participants, several preferences identified in the plans were nonpreferred items and activities based on the preference assessments, and some were frequently avoided. These results suggested that although person-centered plans may identify some accurate preferences for people with profound multiple disabilities, this approach should be used cautiously. Results also suggested that such plans should be supplemented with systematic preference assessments to ensure the accuracy of identified preferences. Future research areas focus on evaluating other aspects of person-centered planning.     

The Relationship Between Health and Human Services and the Personal Goal-Directed Activities of Persons Living with AIDS

This study evaluates the relationship between the social climate from different services and the personal goal-directed activities of 224 individuals with AIDS. The study's results supported the main hypothesis that recipient and participatory service involvement uniquely influence personal goal-directed activities, even after considering individuals with AIDS' physical symptoms, psychological distress, income, and recruitment site. Income and involvement with participatory services were both positively related to the amount of personal goal-directed activity. Longitudinal analyses suggest that personal initiative contributes to the subsequent amount of personal goal-directed activities a person pursues. These results suggest further examination of factors contributing to the selection of different service types and of the processes underlying the relationship between participatory services and positive outcomes for clients with AIDS.     

Responsibility and Planning

We are planning agents and we are, or so we suppose, responsible agents. How are these two distinctive aspects of our agency related? In his "Freedom and Resentment" Peter Strawson understands responsible agency in terms of "reactive attitudes" like resentment and gratitude, attitudes which are normally embedded in "ordinary inter-personal relationships." I draw on Strawson's account to sketch an answer to my question about responsibility and planning. First, the fact that an action is plan-embedded can influence the agent's degree of culpability for that action; for such embeddings can constitute or indicate important facts about the quality of the agent's will. Second, general planning incapacities can to some extent exempt an agent from normal judgments of responsibility. My argument for this second claim appeals to the normal roles of planning in "ordinary inter-personal relationships."     

初中学生学业延迟满足

采用问卷法,从自我调控学习的角度对208名初中学生学业延迟满足进行研究。研究发现不同目标取向对学业延迟满足有不同影响,任务取向对学业延迟满足有积极影响,趋向型自我取向对学业延迟满足有负面作用。学业延迟满足作为一种自我调控能力,能够预测学生在学习过程中元认知策略的运用情况,但对学业成绩无显著影响。     

我国医疗卫生改革中的伦理缺席

“中国的医疗卫生体制改革从总体上说是不成功的”结论的发表在社会上引发了对卫生改革的种种议论,从卫生改革的设计、实施和评估三方面论述了由于政府的缺位和伦理学的缺席,将卫生改革引向功利主义的死胡同,使得卫生改革背离了公正的目标而导致失败。但退回计划经济体制下的办医模式同样没有出路,在今后的深化改革中,必须强调医学目的,贯彻以人为本的指导思想,加大政府的投入,围绕公正目标,建立覆盖全民的医疗保障体制。