Synchronous online CPD: empirical support for the value of webinars in career settings

The careers profession in England is facing unprecedented challenges. Initiatives to improve service delivery while keeping costs low are attractive and online training holds the promise of high impact at low cost. The present study employs a qualitative methodology to evaluate a series of online ‘webinars’ conducted with 15 careers advisers. Results showed that the technology itself could impede learning, and participants missed out on the peer-to-peer interaction that takes place in a ‘bricks and mortar’ setting, but overall participants found that access to relevant, good quality training from the convenience of their workplace more than compensated for the challenges. The article offers conceptual support for the viability of online learning through the theory of equivalency, andragogy and transactional distance theory, and makes recommendations for practice.     

Early Positive Information Impacts Final Evaluations: No Deliberation‐Without‐Attention Effect and a Test of a Dynamic Judgment Model

Evaluation judgments were affected by information order and not by subsequent unconscious versus conscious deliberation. In three experiments, we examined the influence of early positive information on final evaluations of four objects. Based on a task analysis, we predicted primacy effects in judgments in a sequential data acquisition task. Thinking periods following presentation were used to manipulate conscious or unconscious processing. In all three studies, we found no effects of thinking manipulations but instead found reliable order effects. We developed and tested an online judgment model on the basis of the belief updating model of Hogarth and Einhorn. The model accounted for large proportion of the individual level variability, and model comparison tests supported the presence of a primacy effect. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Forum: A New Culture of Learning

These brief essays by Mary Hess, Eugene Gallagher, and Katherine Turpin are solicited responses from three different contexts to the provocative book by Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown, The New Culture of Learning (2011). Mary Hess writes from a seminary context, providing a critical summary of the authors' major concepts and their ramifications, positive and negative, for theological education and the church. Eugene Gallagher writes from a liberal arts setting, identifying characteristics of the face‐to‐face classroom that would go missing in a careless adoption of online learning environments. Finally, Katherine Turpin reports from the classroom, chronicling her experience in a course she redesigned for a graduate theological setting to employ some of the authors' pedagogical principles and strategies. Together, these responses offer critical appreciation and constructive critique of the work Thomas and Seely Brown have done – and point the conversation forward.     

A systematic review of the literature on counselling and psychotherapy for the prevention of suicide: 1. Quantitative outcome and process studies

Scope of review: The paper reports a meta‐review of 15 previous systematic reviews and meta‐analyses of the literature concerning the outcome of counselling and psychotherapy with people at risk of suicide; a meta‐analysis of 67 outcome studies in this area; and a narrative review of 17 studies of the therapeutic process. Publication time span: The literature reviewed was published between 1981 and 2008. Publication origin: The majority of the literature reviewed was by authors from the USA or the UK, but there were also authors from other European countries, Australia, Canada, India, and Sri Lanka. Findings: There is evidence of the effectiveness of dialectical behaviour therapy, cognitive‐behavioural therapy, and problem solving therapy, but also for other forms of therapy. Therapist and client variables, as well as the therapeutic relationship, appear to be related to treatment outcome. Conclusions: People at risk of suicide should have access to psychological interventions, including, but not necessarily limited to, those within the cognitive‐behavioural spectrum. Therapies for which there have been promising findings, but which are under‐researched, should be a research priority.     

Working with psychosis Part 4: Therapy online – ending by email

This is the fourth and concluding paper from a series about psychotherapy with a man suffering from a psychotic illness. The paper describes the ending of the therapy which was precipitated by my decision to leave the country. News of ending was extremely disturbing for my client and stirred fears that he would again break down and need re-admission to hospital. Six weeks before the ending he stopped attending but continued to stay in contact by email. I decided to reply to his emails during the session times, and we developed what he came to call his ‘email therapy’. This online technology provided a means for my client and me to separate, to find a third perspective and to begin to mourn this ending without him losing his mind and breaking down. Following James Fisher's ideas about ‘mourning in the presence of the loved object’ I understand aspects of this email ending as enabling a relinquishing of projective identification used to possess and control, a recognition of the freedom of the other and of the need to mourn omnipotence. I discuss some of the problems presented by premature ending with a vulnerable client – problems which can be seen in my difficulty of mourning and working through the ending reflected in the long time it has taken to finish writing this paper.     

History,literature, and philosophy: A systematic review of positive functioning

ABSTRACT

The humanities are instrumental to human development and happiness and are an integral part of our lives. However, a lack of empirical research limits our current understanding of the role the humanities play in the well-being of individuals, communities, and societies. Through a systematic search of the literature, we identify and review empirical studies that investigate whether engagement with history, literature, and philosophy influences individual’s well-being (i.e. psychological well-being, subjective well-being, and virtues). The results suggest that studies investigating such influences are limited and mainly conducted in pedagogical settings. At the same time, these studies provide initial evidence for the positive effects of engagement in the humanities on individual well-being. Through this review, we identify gaps in the literature and provide recommendations for future research.     

Happiness,excellence, and optimal human functioning revisited: Examining the peer-reviewed literature linked to positive psychology

Since the original call by Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) for a new science of happiness, excellence, and optimal human functioning, there has been an explosion of activity in, acclaim for, and criticism of positive psychology. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the peer-reviewed literature linked to the positive psychology movement. An extensive systematic review identified 1336 articles published between 1999 and 2013. More than 750 of these articles included empirical tests of positive psychology theories, principles, and interventions. The results show a fairly consistent increase in the rate of publication, and that the number of empirical studies has grown steadily over the time period. The findings demonstrate that positive psychology is a growing and vibrant sub-area within the broader discipline of psychology, committed to using the same rigorous scientific methods as other sub-areas, in pursuit of understanding well-being, excellence, and optimal human functioning.     

The detection and influence of problematic item content in ability tests: An examination of sensitivity review practices for personnel selection test development

In organizational and educational practices, sensitivity reviews are commonly advocated techniques for reducing test bias and enhancing fairness. In the present paper, results from two studies are reported which investigate how effective individuals are at detecting problematic test content and the influence such content has on important testing outcomes. In Study 1, signal detection analyses are used to examine the role of individual differences in the identification of insensitive test items, while Study 2 investigates the extent to which insensitivity differentially influences item performance and reactions. Results revealed small but significant differences in the overall accuracy and response tendencies of student test reviewers on the basis of demographics and key individual differences variables. Contrary to predictions however, problematic items did not exhibit differential item functioning across sex nor did their presence engender negative test taker reactions. Implications and suggestions for future research and sensitivity review practices are discussed.     

糖皮质激素联合中医温阳法治疗原发性肾病综合征系统评价

系统评价糖皮质激素联合温阳法治疗原发性肾病综合征的效果.检索PubMed、Cochrane Library、CNKI、CBM、万方、维普,查找糖皮质激素联合温阳法与单用糖皮质激素比较,治疗原发性肾病综合征的随机对照试验（RCTs）.按照Cochrane手册5.1.0,采用RevMan5.2.0软件进行Meta分析.最终纳入4个RCTs,共272例患者.经Meta分析,糖皮质激素联合温阳法可能在升高血浆白蛋白,降低24h尿蛋白定量、降血脂、改善血液流变学,提高临床疗效等方面有积极作用.但对减少激素副作用、降低疾病复发率缺乏证据.     

Effectiveness of self-help and support groups for cancer patients: A Review

Abstract

Following the recognition of the psychological difficulties faced by cancer sufferers, there has been a rapid growth in forms of group help. There is a wide variety of types, and nomenclature is far from consistent. Evaluation studies are reviewed, and issues of potential harmfulness are considered.