Offender interviewing in custodial settings: Understanding validity,value and veracity issues

The purpose of this scoping literature review was to identify trends regarding validity, value and veracity issues when conducting (qualitative) interviews with offenders in custodial settings. We selected for review works from electronic databases in SAGE, Springer, and Taylor and Francis by using e-journals, Google Scholar and the behavioural science database, PsycINFO. The inclusion criteria for our studies were based on whether sources addressed offender interviewing as a wellspring of information, but excluded those that focused solely on the acquisition of clinical information (at the expense of focusing on validity, value and veracity issues). We utilised the content analysis approach to identify themes/ patterns in the research findings. Key findings suggest that offenders with impression management motivations deceive and manipulate in their research interview presentations. When gathering data from inmates in custodial care settings, best practice includes cross-checking offender interview data against other sources of evidence and taking into account the context in which they are serving their sentences.     

Reply to Stuart and Lovegrove's question, "visual processing deficits in dyslexia: receptors or neural mechanisms?".

Recently Stuart and Lovegrove questioned the receptor hypothesis of Grosser and Spafford which these authors used to account for the findings that dyslexic individuals have superior peripheral color discrimination to normal readers but also have poorer peripheral brightness discrimination than normal readers. Stuart and Lovegrove hypothesized that dyslexics instead have an impaired transient visual system. The receptor hypothesis is an attempt by Grosser and Spafford to link the functioning of the rods and cones to transient and sustained visual system functioning in a more specific manner than has been tried heretofore by suggesting that, while the parvocellular system is almost entirely fed by cones, both kinds of receptors drive magnocellular cells (but with the rapid onset of early transient system responding being due to the highly light sensitive rods). The rods are proposed to be the receptors initiating the rapid onset of responding in the magnocellular, transient pathway. In dyslexic individuals, they maintain, there are relatively fewer rods to provide for the rapid onset of transient system responses, resulting in a diminished capacity of the transient system to inhibit sustained system activity (as occurs with normal readers). Their receptor hypothesis supplements the concept of transient-vs-sustained system differences.     

An analysis of response-blocking parameters in the prevention of pica

We manipulated two parameters of response blocking to reduce pica: (a) the criteria for initiating the procedure (either earlier or later in the response chain) and (b) the distance from which the procedure was initiated. Results suggested that response blocking may be effective only when implemented early in the chain and with near-perfect consistency. Further, additional treatment components may be required to eliminate all pica attempts.     

The duration component of the stress effect in stuttering

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether there is a relationship between stuttering on stressed syllables and the duration of these syllables. Sixteen adults who stutter read a text consisting of 226 syllables. The relative stress of each syllable was rated, and syllables were categorized into long- and short-stressed syllables, unstressed syllables and intermediate syllables lying in-between. In order to isolate effects caused by within-word position from those caused by linguistic stress, syllables in initial and in subsequent positions were analyzed separately. In both word position categories stressed syllables were stuttered more often than unstressed syllables. Stuttering frequency of intermediate syllables seems to be in-between stressed and unstressed syllables, just as their stress level is rated in-between. Results regarding the duration of stressed syllables do not allow final conclusions.

Educational objectives: The reader will learn about and be able to describe (1) language factors related with stuttering events, (2) the stress effect in adults who stutter, and (3) methods to control for its confounding variables.