Breath and blood ethanol following use of a cough-cold preparation

All leaders in health care today are charged with the responsibility of transforming present practices into new and different ones that are needed for the future. The structural side of transforming is ultimately easier than the human side. However, the most frequent failures come from not concentrating sufficiently on the behavioral side of the change. Structural and psychological change must occur simultaneously and embrace each other for best results.     

Fostering sustainable behavior through community-based social marketing.

Psychology has a central role to play in speeding the transition to a sustainable future, because a central aspect of sustainability is widespread behavior change. To date, however, most programs promoting sustainable behavior have featured information-intensive campaigns that make little use of psychological knowledge. Community-based social marketing is an attractive alternative approach in which promoters identify the activity to be promoted and the barriers to this activity and then design a strategy to overcome these barriers, using psychological knowledge regarding behavior change. The strategy is piloted to test its effectiveness and later evaluated when it is implemented on a broader scale. Unlike many information-intensive campaigns, community-based social marketing has been shown to have a much greater probability of promoting sustainable behavior. Two case studies are provided to illustrate the approach and its possible results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some big ideas for some big problems.

Although most psychologists do not see sustainability as a psychological problem, our environmental predicament is caused largely by human behaviors, accompanied by relevant thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and values. The huge task of building sustainable cultures will require a great many psychologists from a variety of backgrounds. In an effort to stimulate the imaginations of a wide spectrum of psychologists to take on the crucial problem of sustainability, this article discusses 4 psychological approaches (neoanalytic, behavioral, social, and cognitive) and outlines some of their insights into environmentally relevant behavior. These models are useful for illuminating ways to increase environmentally responsible behaviors of clients, communities, and professional associations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Barriers to and facilitators of HIV–STD behavior change: Intrapersonal and relationship-based factors.

This article draws on clinical, cognitive, and health psychology literature to explore a range of barriers to sexual risk behavior change. It is divided into 5 sections, each of which presents obstacles and solutions to address them. The first 4 sections are organized around antecedent factors commonly addressed in models of risk behavior. Barriers related to effective information, risk perception, attitudes and intentions, and behavioral skill acquisition are discussed. The 5th section focuses on barriers related to the psychological and social context of sexual encounters, factors relatively underexplored in traditional approaches to risk reduction. It is believed that future intervention programs will be strengthened by incorporating a more integrative and comprehensive approach to intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects of sexual behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Promoting psychology in diabetes primary care.

Better diabetes management can be achieved by adding an explicit psychological component to diabetes treatment. Three cases are presented that illustrate how integrated assessment and psychotherapy can improve glucose control through three mechanisms: increasing patient acceptance of a disease state, enabling behavior change for self-care, and removing psychological barriers to disease control. Guidelines are suggested for standardized integration of psychology into diabetes care. The explicit treatment of psychological barriers to diabetes self-management would enhance standard medical practice, which normally relies on education to overcome treatment adherence problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Where lies social responsibility?

L. Krasner's article, "Behavior Control and Social Responsibility" (see record 1963-00116-001) bypassed several points of view which might clarify some of the issues discussed, and at the same time tone down what seems to be an exaggerated claim for urgency in dealing with problems of social responsibility. In the matter of considering moral and ethical issues, it is important to proceed with calmness and careful consideration rather than to become overly excited about finding the "right" solution. Even the "psychologist-researcher" is human and when he turns his hand to such things as communicating to the lay public he may fall into the pattern of the "sensationalists and popularizers," though obviously not so crudely. First among three basic questions and answers presented by Krasner is that concerning whether or not human behavior is controllable. His answer is to the effect that there is overwhelming experimental evidence that human behavior is controllable. Such a statement seems exaggerated in the face of other evidence from both experimental and clinical impressions. Krasner states that there is a "subtle but important" difference between the "psychology of behavior control" and the science of psychology. There are several objections to some of Krasner's implications that the behavioral scientist is not or at least is less bound by an ethical and moral system. There seem to be no logical grounds for distinguishing in principle between an ethics for behavioral scientists and an ethics for behavior controllers. The atomic scientists produced a bomb as scientists employed by their government while at war. They did their job effectively. As informed private citizens they held some moral reservations as to the consequences of their scientific endeavors. The behavioral scientist and the behavior controller can also perform their professional tasks dispassionately and efficiently, but as people they might well look to the ethical and moral issues involved. They can choose to take appropriate ethical and moral action as private citizens who have the advantages of specialized knowledge. The behavioral scientist and the behavior controller are not to be compartmentalized into a patchwork of separate roles, rather they are to see themselves as integrated individuals functioning in various ways which on occasion may bring about a conflict in ethical and moral values. Then they should be enabled to resolve the conflicts for themselves on a rational basis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A model of stage of change to recommend colonoscopy among urban primary care physicians.

Theory is little used in the prediction of physician cancer screening stage of change. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the theoretical predictors of stage of change to recommend colonoscopy among 235 urban physicians. Constructs from the theory of planned behavior, social-cognitive theory, and the transtheoretical model were systematically tested. As predicted, contextual factors, such as the physicians' ages, their race-ethnicities, patient race-ethnicity, and office-related barriers to preventive care were associated with stage of change through self-efficacy, normative beliefs, and negative behavioral beliefs. The findings demonstrate the relevance of these models to studying the behavior of physicians and support the development of interventions that are tailored to normative beliefs and specific physician cognitions for colonoscopy recommendation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effective dissemination of energy-related information: Applying social psychology and evaluation research.

Reviews deficiencies in energy information programs that are based on the rational–economic model to change individual-level behaviors. Literature from social psychology, environmental psychology, evaluation research, and innovation diffusion is used to address 2 needs. The 1st is the need to supplement the rational–economic model with social and behavioral theories to understand the problem. The 2nd is the need to use some of the tools from these fields to make energy information-dissemination programs more effective at the individual level. Government agencies commonly seek to change public behavior using informational energy programs; however, program designs rarely take into account psychological theories about how people perceive or use the information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health problems of college students

College health professionals deal with a range of medical problems and risky behaviors. Some medical conditions occur more frequently in the college-age population, but college health is not unique because of the types of medical problems seen. Community providers welcome the opportunity to deliver primary care to this relatively healthy population, with less emphasis on screening, intervention, mental health, social well-being, and altering unhealthy behaviors. Young people have been recognized as experiencing higher rates of morbidity, disability, and mortality from various developmental, environmental, and behavioral risk factors than the general population. These risk factors are so interrelated that successful efforts to change them require a more comprehensive approach that extends beyond the health of individuals to the wellness of an entire campus community. On the continuum of health and well-being, college health must move away from focusing on disease and move toward community wellness.     

Neither too sweet nor too sour: problem peers, maternal control, and problem behavior in African American adolescents

This study examined whether maternal control protects African American adolescents from the negative influence of problem peers. Two forms of control were examined, behavioral control and psychological control. It was hypothesized that there would be a curvilinear relation between control and adolescent problem behavior, with the strength of the relationship and the amount of control optimal for adolescent development varying by the level of peer problem behavior. In general, data supported this model, particularly in regard to behavioral control, where the predicted curvilinear interaction occurred even after controlling for initial levels of problem behavior. The predicted curvilinear interaction between psychological control and peer problem behavior was statistically significant if initial levels of problem behavior were not controlled for but was not significant after controlling for initial problem behavior. These findings suggest that high-quality parenting can play a modest but critical role in the face of environmental adversity.     

The emerging discipline of environmental psychology.

Examines developments in the study of the relationships between the physical environment and behavior, and their significance for the psychological profession. 3 types of problems are distinguished: behavioral ecology, generalized effects of the physical environment on behavior, and effects of environmental stimulation on affective and motivational variables. The latter are given particular attention, and relationships to psychological principles from the study of arousal, exploratory behavior, and adaptation processes are pointed out. The question of the type of institutional structures best suited to promote training and research in this new discipline is examined. (44 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coaching and executive character: Core problems and basic approaches.

This article explores three major problems often encountered by consultants who are engaged to coach executives and who confront difficulties related to the character of their clients: executive character as a complex adaptive system that influences the unconscious aspects of organizational life, unconscious psychological conflict as a key motivating factor in individual and organizational behavior, and the challenges of changing executive character and behavior to improve organizational performance. Conceptual approaches to understanding these problems are provided. Specific methods and techniques for managing several of the more difficult issues in creating change in the behavior of executives are presented and briefly explored. A case study illustrates the material. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sustainable Disposal of Domestic Sanitary Waste

The study presented is an example of the assessment of the relative sustainability of either option for disposal of domestic sanitary waste, either via the toilet or via the solid waste route. This required an evaluation of the total (social, economic, environmental, and technical) benefit/cost of implementing and adopting the alternative routes and an assessment of public responsiveness to encouragement to change sanitary waste disposal practices. It illustrates how, even for an apparently straightforward either/or question, the assessment of relative sustainability is complex and the amount of data needed to quantify sustainability indicators is prodigious. The study also provides an appraisal of the effectiveness of public campaigns to reduce waterborne disposal. Important information regarding public attitude and behavior in relation to wastewater systems has been acquired and lessons for ways of encouraging behavioral change to more sustainable ways of living have been gleaned.     

Space Solar Power: Environmental Questionsand Future Studies

Many environmental issues surrounding space solar power (SSP), with impacts and benefits to the environment, must be addressed. The environmental issues surrounding SSP affect factors such as people, landscape, equipment, and pollution, including physical safety for people and for equipment, social questions connected with aesthetics, politics, and economics, as well as the more general issues of global change and sustainability of energy supply. Wireless power transmission is a key component of SSP systems, and the Grand Bassin wireless power transmission project, currently under development in La Réunion (France), will be a valuable test site for many environmental issues. The facility will allow one to study the environmental integration of the facility, which is the No. 1 priority of the project, and the actual effects of an operational microwave power beam.     

Applied behavior analysis and school psychology: An introduction to the mini-series.

Provides an overview of a mini-series on behavior analysis which stemmed from the authors' view that applied behavior analysis and school psychology are complimentary and that each area can make contributions to the other. It is suggested that there are 4 features of behavior analysis that make it particularly well-suited for assessment and intervention in the schools: the emphasis on analysis, the emphasis on repeated measures of individual behavior, the emphasis on observable behavioral and environmental events, and the reliance on proven principles of behavior to account for behavioral persistence and behavioral change. Behavior analysis is equally concerned with questions about why behavior is occurring and knowing why interventions are (or are not) effective. Behavior analysis also emphasizes repeated measurements of individual behavior, which is advantageous because the trends and patterns of behavior can be evaluated while those trends and changes are in progress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological advice on foreign policy: What do we have to contribute?

Explores ways in which psychologists can contribute to debates on foreign policy issues. Three forms that such contributions can take are distinguished: (a) Psychologists as experts on social judgment and decision-making processes can help to identify and perhaps reduce sources of error and bias in the policy-making process; (b) psychologists as experts on bargaining and negotiation processes can assist in developing policy-relevant theory that can inform the selection of influence strategies in dealings with other states; and (c) psychologists as experts on problems of predicting behavior in complex natural settings can assist policymakers in forecasting trends in international relations and in anticipating likely reactions of other states to policy initiatives. Current gaps in understanding and potential limits on the usefulness of psychological advice in each of these areas are examined. (90 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Genetically Informed Study of Marital Instability and Its Association With Offspring Psychopathology.

Parental divorce is associated with a number of emotional and behavioral problems in young-adult offspring, but theoretical and empirical considerations suggest that the relation may be partially or fully accounted for by passive gene-environment correlation or environmental selection characteristics. The current study used the Children of Twins Design to explore whether shared environmental or genetic factors confound the relationship between parental marital instability and measures of psychopathology. Comparisons of the offspring of adult twins in Australia on 3 factors of abnormal behavior, including drug and alcohol, behavioral, and internalizing problems, suggest that environmental influences associated with divorce account for the higher rates of psychopathology. The results are consistent with a causal connection between marital instability and psychopathology in young-adult offspring. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)