Why clinicians infrequently do research.

Findings from several studies have indicated that the scientist-practitioner model (which stresses the integration of research into clinical practice) is infrequently adopted by practicing clinical psychologists. Although many hypotheses have been offered, there have been no empirical examinations of the reasons why clinicians infrequently engage in research. In this study, 79 practicing clinical psychologists completed a questionnaire focusing on perceived impediments to clinical research. A number of inhibiting factors were identified, but the intrinsic and extrinsic contingencies associated with the conduct of research were most salient. Other concerns included ethics, the impact of research on the clinical process, and the unavailability of appropriate research designs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Water deprivation enhances fear conditioning to contextual, but not discrete, conditional stimuli in rats.

Water-deprived and nondeprived rats were fear conditioned with a discrete tone CS and an aversive footshock unconditioned stimulus/stimuli (UCS). 24 and 48 hrs following conditioning, conditional fear to the tone CS and the context cues of the conditioning chamber, respectively, were assessed by measuring freezing behavior. Water deprivation had no effect on baseline responding to either tone or contextual stimuli. Following either 1 or 3 tone-shock pairings, however, water deprivation selectively enhanced conditional freezing to the contextual cues of the training chamber; conditional freezing to the tone was unaffected by water deprivation. These results are consistent with the view that water deprivation affects fear conditioning via an influence on the hippocampus. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Initial sociometric impressions of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and comparison boys: Predictions from social behaviors and from nonbehavioral variables.

Compared the influence of naturalistic social behaviors and nonbehavioral variables on the development of peer status in 49 previously unfamiliar boys, aged 6–12 yrs. 25 boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 24 comparison boys participated. Physical attractiveness, motor competence, intelligence, and academic achievement constituted the nonbehavioral variables; social behaviors included noncompliance, aggression, prosocial actions, and isolation, measured by live observations of classroom and playground interactions. As early as the first day of interaction, ADHD and comparison Ss displayed differences in social behaviors, and the ADHD Ss were overwhelmingly rejected. Whereas prosocial behavior independently predicted friendship ratings during the 1st wk, the magnitude of prediction was small. In contrast, the Ss' aggression (or noncompliance) strongly predicted negative nominations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internalization of interpersonal process in time-limited dynamic psychotherapy.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 31(3) of Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training (see record 2009-17141-002). This article contained, as Figure 1, an SASB model. The authorship and copyrights for the model were not acknowledged. The following acknowledgement should have been included: "Adapted from Benjamin (1984). Principles of Prediction using Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB). In R. A. Zucker, J. Aronoff, and A. J. Rabin (Eds.), Personality and the Prediction of Behavior (pp. 121- 174). New York: Academic." An apology is offered to the author, Dr. Lorna Smith Benjamin. The particular version used in the article was developed in collaboration with Clinton W. McLemore.] Investigated the internalization of positive aspects of therapist–patient (TP) interactions among 70 patients and their 16 therapists who participated in a 5-yr study (H. H. Strupp et al, unpublished) of time-limited dynamic psychotherapy. Patients sought help for anxiety, depression, or other problems with a clear interpersonal component and qualified for an Axis I or Axis II diagnosis on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III (DSM-III). Instruments included the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior and outcome measures of depression, anxiety, and psychological functioning. Patients' intrapsychic functioning became more similar to interpersonal activity in the TP relationship over the course of psychotherapy. Intrapsychic movement toward interpersonal activity in the TP relationship was associated with positive outcome on measures of depression, anxiety, and on independent clinician ratings of patient psychological functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Choice between fixed and variable delays with different reward amounts.

Choice between a variable and a fixed food source was studied in pigeons. The variable source yielded different durations of access to food (changed across experimental conditions) uniquely associated with equiprobable delays of either 20 sec or 60 sec, timed from the choice point. A comparison, elapsing alternative (time-left procedure [J. Gibbon and R. M. Church; see PA, Vol 67:2812]), was associated with fixed access to feeder after a 60-sec delay, timed from the beginning of the trial. Preference was best characterized as reflecting an average of the 2 local rates of reinforcement in the variable alternative (the average of the ratio of each standard amount and its associated delay). The averaging rule characterized initial choice link data well, but terminal link responding showed that Ss also remembered the 2 delay–amount combinations separately. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of melt spinning on the microstructure and mechanical properties of three Ni-base superalloys

A microstructural and mechanical analysis was performed on three rapidly solidified nickel base superalloys. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy along with tensile tests were performed on the ribbons in the as-cast and aged condition. This investigation permitted a correlation to be made between cooling rate, microstructure, and mechanical properties. It was found that melt spinning significantly altered the physical characteristics of the alloys studied. The rapid cooling rates (∼10⁷ K/s) produced ribbons with a low dislocation density and small (∼1 μm) low angle cells. The precipitation of γ′ was suppressed, producing alloys with a smaller volume fraction of precipitates and lower APBE than in the conventionally cast condition. Also, the matrix/precipitate lattice mismatch was higher in the melt spun foils. Tensile strengths were similar to those in the conventional form; however, no measurable ductility was present. Aging the ribbons resulted in increases in γ′ volume fraction, tensile strengths, APBE, and elongations compared to the as-cast ribbons. The results of this work suggest that many of the microstructural refinements produced by melt spinning are lost after a short aging time at moderate temperatures.     

Actions speak no louder than words: Symmetrical cross-modal interference effects in the processing of verbal and gestural information.

Five experiments are reported that investigate the distribution of selective attention to verbal and nonverbal components of an utterance when conflicting information exists in these channels. A Stroop-type interference paradigm is adopted in which attributes from the verbal and nonverbal dimensions are placed into conflict. Static directional (deictic) gestures and corresponding spoken and written words show symmetrical interference (Experiments 1, 2, and 3), as do directional arrows and spoken words (Experiment 4). This symmetry is maintained when the task is switched from a manual keypress to a verbal naming response (Experiment 5), suggesting the mutual influence of the 2 dimensions is independent of spatial stimulus-response compatibility. It is concluded that the results are consistent with a model of interference in which information from pointing gestures and speech is integrated prior to the response selection stage of processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of cognitive rehabilitation on the neuropsychological status of patients in drug abuse treatment who display neurocognitive impairment.

72 patients engaged in residential drug abuse treatment who also had cognitive impairment were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups. One group of patients received 2 hrs of computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation per week over a 6-mo period; a 2nd group received 2 hrs of progressive muscle relaxation per week over a 6-mo period; a 3rd group was taught typing on a computer; and a 4th group received no treatment beyond that provided by the program. All patients were tested with a neuropsychological test battery at admission and at monthly intervals thereafter for 6 mo. Results show that Ss in the cognitive rehabilitation group demonstrated a faster rate of cognitive recovery during the first 2 mo of treatment and had more efficient cognitive functioning over the first 4 mo of residence. These patients were also rated as more "appropriately participatory" in the treatment program by the clinical staff. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Isotherm analyses for single component and multi-component metal sorption onto lignite

The adsorption of the three metal ions, copper, cadmium and zinc in single component and multi-component mixtures in aqueous solutions by lignite is reported. A comparison is made between the single component saturation uptake and the multi-component uptakes. The isotherms indicate a competitive uptake with copper being preferentially absorbed by the lignite in multi-component solutions. The isotherms are plotted to obtain the Langmuir constants, the Freundlich constants and the Redlich–Peterson constants. Lignite is shown to possess an affinity for the metal ions which make its use as an adsorbent a possible alternative to the use of more expensive activated carbons.     

Humans: the missing link in manufacturing simulation?

Computer based discrete event simulation (DES) is one of the most commonly used aids for the design of automotive manufacturing systems. However, DES tools represent machines in extensive detail, while only representing workers as simple resources. This presents a problem when modelling systems with a highly manual work content, such as an assembly line. This paper describes research at Cranfield University, in collaboration with the Ford Motor Company, founded on the assumption that human variation is the cause of a large percentage of the disparity between simulation predictions and real world performance. The research aims to improve the accuracy and reliability of simulation prediction by including models of human factors.