Validity of Treatment Target Progress Ratings as Indicators of Youth Improvement

We examined whether clinical progress ratings on the Monthly Treatment and Progress Summary form (MTPS), an idiographic treatment progress measure, were meaningfully related to changes measured by two separate standardized instruments; the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) and the Child and Adolescent Level of Care Utilization System (CALOCUS). Validity coefficients were examined at intake and three-, six-, and nine-month follow-up periods. Samples were selected for each measure and follow-up period from the population of youth receiving services through the Hawaii Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division’s (CAMHD) system of care. Significant youth improvement was evident on all three measures across all follow-up intervals. The type of changes measured by the MTPS and CAFAS were more alike over longer follow-up intervals than changes measured by the CALOCUS. The MTPS captures distinct aspects of client change that overlaps somewhat with CAFAS and CALOCUS measures. The MTPS is a brief client-tailored measure that seems to provide valid, sensitive, and nonredundant client specific treatment outcome information that can be collected on a frequent basis within a complex system of care.     

Family Empowerment as a Mediator between Family-Centered Systems of Care and Changes in Child Functioning: Identifying an Important Mechanism of Change

We investigated the associations among perceived fidelity to family-centered systems of care, family empowerment, and improvements in children's problem behaviors. Participants included 79 families, interviewed at two time points across a one-year period. Paired samples t-tests indicated that problem behaviors decreased significantly across a one-year period. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that both fidelity to family-centered systems of care and family empowerment independently predicted positive change in children's problem behavior over a one-year period. However, when family empowerment is entered first in the regression, the relationship between fidelity to family-centered systems of care and change in children's problem behavior drops out, indicating that family empowerment mediates the relationship between family-centered care and positive changes in problem behaviors. Consistent with other literature on help-giving practices, family empowerment appears to be an important mechanism of change within the system of care philosophy of service delivery. Implications for practice and staff training are discussed.     

Contextual learning induces an increase in the number of hippocampal CA1 neurons expressing high levels of BDNF

We examined behaviorally induced expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in area CA1 of the hippocampus. Sprague-Dawley rats were trained in a contextual fear conditioning (CFC) task, sacrificed 4h later, and their brains were processed for immunohistochemistry. We found distinctively high levels of BDNF immunoreactivity in a small number ( approximately 1%) of CA1 neurons in untrained animals. The number of these exceptional neurons, which are identified as BDNF(++) in this study, was increased by up to approximately 3% after CFC. This increase was blocked in the presence of a memory-impairing dose of a NMDA receptor antagonist (MK801 0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) given 30 min prior to training. The BDNF signal intensity in BDNF(++) neurons correlated with that of surrounding glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 65. This correlation between GAD65 and BDNF signal intensities suggests that BDNF upregulation was associated with increased signaling via inhibitory GABAergic synapses that would lessen further intervening neuronal activity. Our observation that neurons which upregulate BDNF expression following a learning experience are rich in GAD65-enriched afferent synapses suggests that these neurons may have distinct roles in memory consolidation.     

运动性心理疲劳问题的研究现状

通过对运动性心理疲劳概念和检测评价方法等问题的国内外研究现状及其局限性和不足进行的综述讨论,作者分析指出目前关于运动性心理疲劳问题的有关研究成果满足不了中国训练体系下训练实践的需要,提出有必要系统进行运动性心理疲劳问题的实证研究。就心理疲劳问题的研究方向和研究切入点,作者认为应综合开展运动性心理疲劳神经生理与心理机制的探索性研究。研究的主要切入点包括：（1）研究建立适合中国运动训练体制与环境的运动性心理疲劳概念,构建运动性心理疲劳概念模型;（2）基于此模型研究建立多维检测评价方法系统和运动性心理疲劳问卷。研究过程中要将神经生理方法与心理测量、行为观察等方法结合起来同步测量,在训练过程中开展纵向追踪与横向调查综合性的实证研究     

“大五”与五因素模型：两种不同的人格结构

随着词汇学取向的“大五”结构和理论取向的五因素模型的出现,人格研究者就人格分类系统的问题达成了初步的共识。“大五”结构和五因素模型在形式和内容上有很多相似之处,但二者在历史渊源、内容形式、基本性质、研究走向等方面都存在一定的差异。文章试图从以上方面明确二者的差异,以澄清相关的混淆和误解,并在文章结语部分对两种取向研究对中国人人格结构研究的启示进行了详细的分析     

合作数学问题解决与心理模型建构关系研究

合作学习研究者很早就开始关注合作互动中解释的作用。Chi关于自我解释的研究表明解释是一种非常有效果的学习现象,能够起到修补和建立学习者的心理模型的作用。本研究以28名高一学生为被试,采取了两种程序的合作学习任务,研究中虽然没有发现两种程序在问题解决结果上的显著差异,但是却表现出在心理模型建构方面互动效果上的差异,或表现为同等效果下的互动次数有显著性差异。     

平行分析在探索性因素分析中的应用

平行分析是探索性因素分析中用来确定所保留的凶子个数的一种方法。探索性因素分析中常用的确定因子个数的方法有特征值大于1准则和碎石图,但这两种方法又各有不足。平行分析则为探索性因素分析中所保留因子个数的确定提供了另一种新思路。本文详细介绍了平行分析的步骤、潜在逻辑以及进行平行分析所用的软件,并通过实例来说明其在探索性因素分析中如何应用。     

有限理性信任观:对理性计算和非理性态度的整合

信任是理性的还是非理性的,一直是信任研究中争论的焦点。在对理性信任观和非理性信任观进行比较分析之后,在"有限理性"和"心智成本"的框架下,提出了信任的有限理性观点,对信任的理性观和非理性观点做一整合。     

护士职业承诺结构的研究

目的:寻找适用于护士群体的职业承诺测评工具,探索护士职业承诺的结构维度,以期为解释护士离职现象、稳定护理队伍提供参考。方法:引入Blau(2003)的职业承诺问卷,以344名护士为预试样本,探索职业承诺的因子结构;采用正式问卷调查500名护士,再次验证问卷的信、效度。结果与结论:护士职业承诺问卷具有良好的信、效度,其因子结构由5维度组成,包括情感承诺、规范承诺、经济成本承诺、情感代价承诺和机会承诺。     

父母离异对子心理发展的影响:计票式文献分析途径的研究

采用计票式文献分析技术对国内1994-2005年间关于离异家庭子女心理特点的35篇研究进行了系统回顾,发现所有研究都报告了父母离异对子女心理发展存在消极影响。他们存在更多躯体化、强迫、焦虑、敌对、孤独、冲动等心理健康问题;行为问题发生率高于完整家庭对照组,主要表现为孤僻、退缩、抑郁、社交不良等行为问题;在人格方面更具神经质特征,表现出更强的掩饰性,人格倾向性容易出现过分内向或过分外向的两极化趋势;在自我意识方面更消极;在学业方面表现较差;知觉到更强的压力而且采用更消极的应对方式,有着更高的犯罪率和自杀意念。对目前研究方法上的不足之处进行了探讨,对国内外研究内容和结果上的差异进行了分析,对未来的研究方向提出了意见和建议。