Obesity: Responding to the global epidemic.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and other developed nations. In the United States, 27% of adults are obese and an additional 34% are overweight. Research in the past decade has shown that genetic influences clearly predispose some individuals to obesity. The marked increase in prevalence, however, appears to be attributable to a toxic environment that implicitly discourages physical activity while explicitly encouraging the consumption of supersized portions of high-fat, high-sugar foods. Management of the obesity epidemic will require a two-pronged approach. First, better treatments, including behavioral, pharmacologic, and surgical interventions, are needed for individuals who are already obese. The second and potentially more promising approach is to prevent the development of obesity by tackling the toxic environment. This will require bold public policy initiatives such as regulating food advertising directed at children. The authors call not for the adoption of a specific policy initiative, but instead propose that policy research, based on viewing obesity as a public health problem, become a central focus of research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Comparative Study of Group Contingencies and Randomized Reinforcers to Reduce Disruptive Classroom Behavior.

The present investigation employed an alternating treatments design to (1) examine the efficacy of group contingencies in the reduction of disruptive behavior, and (2) compare the effects of independent, interdependent, and dependent group contingencies in the reduction of disruptive behavior in adolescent males identified with serious emotional disturbance. Disruptive classroom behavior has been associated with both decrement inacademic performance and increased risk for antisocial behavior. Although research findings have suggested that group contingencies are efficacious in reducing disruptive behavior, the data remain inconclusive regarding which group contingency (interdependent, dependent, and independent) is most effective. Results suggest that a clear superiority among the group contingencies was not evidenced. However, all were dramatically effective in the reduction of classroom disruptive behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Stimulus Selection in Eyelid Conditioning in the Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by Perry S. Kinkaide (Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 1974[Jun], 86[6], 1132-1140). The lower portion of Figure 3 on page 1138 should have represented the last two conditions for Group T as Test AV and reTest AV. The last sentence of the caption should have been deleted. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1979-05368-001) Conducted 2 experiments, using a total of 24 female New Zealand white rabbits, in which a "visual" stimulus (V), either flashes or electrical stimulation of the optic chiasma, was reinforced in compound with a differentially reinforced (CS+) or nonreinforced (CS-) nonvisual stimulus. Visual stimulus control of conditioned eyeblink activity was acquired if V was reinforced in compound with CS- but was "blocked" when reinforced in compound with CS+. Both effects were demonstrable within Ss and were independent of the method of visual stimulation. Extinction and backward conditioning of chiasmic stimulation preceded retraining of 6 Ss. The establishment and blocking of visual stimulus control were again evident within Ss. The data are interpretable in terms of either attentional or associative theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adherence Across Behavioral Domains in Treatment Promoting Smoking Cessation Plus Weight Control.

The authors tested whether adherence to simultaneous health behavior changes was unitary or domain specific among 76 women who modified smoking, eating, and physical activity to accomplish smoking cessation plus weight control. Random-effects regression analyses showed that adherence to both smoking and diet plans declined linearly and covaried positively; their association tended to grow stronger over time. In contrast, physical activity plan adherence did not change over time and was unrelated to other domains. At the end of treatment, 65%, 30.5%, and 25% adhered well or excellently to smoking, diet, and activity treatments, respectively. Findings support both unitary and domain-specific aspects of adherence and suggest that among smokers, smoking and eating behaviors may have similarities unshared by physical activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identifying subgroups that succeed or fail with three levels of physical activity intervention: The activity counseling trial.

The authors used recursive partitioning methods to identify combinations of baseline characteristics that predict 2-year physical activity success in each of 3 physical activity interventions delivered in the multisite Activity Counseling Trial. The sample consisted of 874 initially sedentary primary care patients, ages 35-75 years, who were at risk for cardiovascular disease. Predictors of 2-year success were specific to each intervention and represented a range of domains, including physiological, demographic, psychosocial, health-related, and environmental variables. The results indicate how specific patient subgroups (e.g., obese, unfit individuals; high-income individuals in stable health) may respond differently to varying levels and amounts of professional assistance and support. The methods used provide a practical first step toward identifying clinically meaningful patient subgroups for further systematic investigation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

太钢炼钢二厂南区水处理集中控制系统的设计与实现

针对太钢炼钢二厂南区水处理系统设备陈旧落后、自动化程度低的问题,介绍了对该系统实施改造的设计思想、技术方案以及系统功能。改造后的系统实现了5个泵站的远程集中控制,故障率明显降低,彻底解决了制约生产的隐患,大大降低了维护量及维护成本费用,取得了较好的经济效益。     

The Cinderella of Psychology: The Neglect of Motor Control in the Science of Mental Life and Behavior.

One would expect psychology--the science of mental life and behavior--to place great emphasis on the means by which mental life is behaviorally expressed. Surprisingly, however, the study of how decisions are enacted--the focus of motor control research--has received little attention in psychology. This article documents the neglect and considers possible reasons for it. The hypotheses considered include three that are raised and then rejected: (a) no famous psychologists have studied motor control, (b) cognitive psychologists are mainly interested in uniquely human functions, and (c) motor control is simply too hard to study. Three other hypotheses are more viable: (d) cognitive psychologists have been more interested in epistemology than in action, (e) psychologists have disfavored motor control because overt responses were the only admissible measure in behaviorism, and (f) psychologists have felt that neuroscientists have the market cornered when it comes to motor control research. There are signs that motor control's Cinderella status is changing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is the Context Shift Effect a Case of Retrieval Failure? The Effects of Retrieval Enhancing Treatments on Forgetting Under Altered Stimulus Conditions in Rats.

This series of experiments sought to clarify the role of retrieval failure in forgetting that results from a change in context between training and testing (the context shift effect [CSE]). Because spontaneous forgetting (SF) is generally considered to reflect a retrieval failure, the effects of three manipulations known to alleviate SF were examined on forgetting due to an explicit shift in context at a short delay (24 hr). Pretest exposure to a reminder treatment involving the reinforcer from training (Experiment 1), pretest amphetamine administration (Experiment 2), and overtraining (Experiment 3) alleviated both SF and the CSE, supporting the view that the CSE reflects a retrieval deficit. Implications for the context change account of SF are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Role of Stimulus-Driven and Goal-Driven Control in Saccadic Visual Selection.

Four experiments were conducted to investigate the role of stimulus-driven and goal-driven control in saccadic eye movements. Participants were required to make a speeded saccade toward a predefined target presented concurrently with multiple nontargets and possibly 1 distractor. Target and distractor were either equally salient (Experiments 1 and 2) or not (Experiments 3 and 4). The results uniformly demonstrated that fast eye movements were completely stimulus driven, whereas slower eye movements were goal driven. These results are in line with neither a bottom-up account nor a top-down notion of visual selection. Instead, they indicate that visual selection is the outcome of 2 independent processes, one stimulus driven and the other goal driven, operating in different time windows. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stimulus control of predatory behavior by the Iberian wall lizard (Podarcis hispanica, Sauria, Lacertidae): Effects of familiarity with prey.

The authors examine the relative roles of vision and chemoreception and the influence of previous experience with prey on the predatory behavior of Iberian wall lizards (Podarcis hispanica). Experiment 1 compared the responses to visual, chemical, and a combination of visual and chemical cues of a familiar prey by 2 groups of lizards that had been kept in captivity for either 3 months or 21 days. Experiment 2 assessed the responses of lizards kept in the laboratory for more than 3 months to a novel prey species. The results reveal that feeding on a prey species affects the lizards' responses to chemical stimuli from that prey. The response to chemical cues of a novel prey requires a 1st-feeding experience with that prey. Lizards that have been fed the same prey species for several months cease responding to the chemical stimuli of that particular prey. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Theory of Planned Behavior in Prediction of Leisure Time Physical Activity Among Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: To examine the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for predicting leisure time physical activity (LTPA) among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Study Design: Prospective correlational design. Participants: 104 men (n=75) and women (n=29) with SCI. Method: Baseline telephone interview assessing attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and intentions for engaging in LTPA. One-week follow-up telephone interview assessing frequency of LTPA. Results: Attitudes (β=.29), subjective norms (β=.29), and PBC (β=.47) each predicted LTPA intentions. LTPA intentions (β=.45) but not PBC (β=-.05) predicted LTPA. Furthermore, intentions mediated the attitudes-LTPA, subjective norms-LTPA, and PBC-LTPA relationships. Conclusions: These findings support the tenets of the TPB and provide a foundation for developing interventions promoting LTPA in the SCI population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of Barriers Self-Efficacy and Perceived Behavioral Control for Explaining Physical Activity Across 1 Year Among Adolescent Girls.

The absence of longitudinal data about correlates of physical activity during adolescence has hindered the identification of key mediator variables that can be targeted by interventions. Building on the authors' previous report of a cross-sectional analysis, this study compared barriers self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control as predictors of change in 2 levels of physical activity across a 1-year period among a sample of Black and White adolescent girls (N = 1,038). Self-efficacy did not predict change in either moderate or vigorous physical activity. In contrast, perceived behavioral control exhibited a longitudinal, independent relationship with change in vigorous physical activity. The authors concluded that perceived behavioral control is an independent predictor of change in vigorous physical activity levels across a 1-year period among a sample of Black and White adolescent girls and warrants study as a potential mediator variable in interventions designed to increase or maintain physical activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aging and the Strategic Control of the Fixation Offset Effect.

A study was conducted to examine potential age-related differences in the strategic control of exogenous and endogenous saccades within the context of the fixation offset effect (FOE; i.e., faster saccades when a fixation point is removed than when it is left on throughout a trial). Subjects were instructed to make rapid saccades either on the basis of a suddenly appearing peripheral visual stimulus (exogenous saccade) or in response to a tone (endogenous saccade). On half of the trials the fixation point was removed simultaneously with the occurrence of the cue stimulus. Subjects' preparatory set was varied by manipulating the proportion of saccades generated to a visual and auditory stimulus within a trial block. Young and old adults both produced FOEs, and the FOEs were strategically modulated by preparatory set. The data are discussed in terms of aging and oculomotor control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Processes by Which Perceived Autonomy Support in Physical Education Promotes Leisure-Time Physical Activity Intentions and Behavior: A Trans-Contextual Model.

The trans-contextual model proposes that young people's perceived autonomy support in physical education will affect their perceived locus of causality, intentions, and physical activity behavior in leisure time. High school students completed measures of perceived autonomy support and perceived locus of causality in physical education. One week later, participants' perceived locus of causality and constructs from the theory of planned behavior were assessed in leisure time. Leisure-time physical activity behavior was measured 5 weeks later. Perceived autonomy support in physical education affected leisure-time physical activity directly and indirectly through a motivational sequence involving internal perceived locus of causality, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and intentions. Results support the trans-contextual model indicating that perceived autonomy support in an educational context influences motivation in a leisure-time context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Randomized Controlled Trial for Behavioral Smoking and Weight Control Treatment: Effect of Concurrent Versus Sequential Intervention.

The authors compared simultaneous versus sequential approaches to multiple health behavior change in diet, exercise, and cigarette smoking. Female regular smokers (N = 315) randomized to 3 conditions received 16 weeks of behavioral smoking treatment, quit smoking at Week 5, and were followed for 9 months after quit date. Weight management was omitted for control and was added to the 1st 8 weeks for early diet (ED) and the final 8 weeks for late diet (LD). ED lacked lasting effect on weight gain, whereas LD initially lacked but gradually acquired a weight-suppression effect that stabilized (p = .004). Behavioral weight control did not undermine smoking cessation and, when initiated after the smoking quit date, slowed the rate of weight gain, supporting a sequential approach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting adolescent eating and activity behaviors: The role of social norms and personal agency.

Guided by the theory of planned behavior, this 2-week longitudinal study examined health behaviors in a sample of 279 adolescents. Social norms and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were tested as predictors of self-reported intentions and behaviors in 2 domains, eating and physical activity. Differentiating, as opposed to aggregating, parent and peer norms provided unique information. For PBC, the authors distinguished global causality beliefs from self-related agency beliefs and intraself (effort, ability) from extraself (parents, teachers) means. Intraself agency beliefs strongly predicted healthy intentions, whereas intraself causality beliefs had a negative influence. Patterns differed somewhat across behaviors and gender. Results highlight theoretical issues and provide potential targets for research on health promotion programs for youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stimulus compounding in interval timing: The modality–duration relationship of the anchor durations results in qualitatively different response patterns to the compound cue.

We have previously demonstrated that rats trained on a two-duration peak procedure in which two modal signals (i.e., tone and houselight) predicted probabilistic reinforcement availability at two times (10 s and 20 s) would respond in a scalar manner at a time between the trained durations in response to the simultaneous compound cue (tone + houselight). In these experiments, we evaluated whether this scalar response pattern would remain with greater relative separation between the anchor durations. Results revealed an effect of the modality–duration relationship, such that scalar responding was seen on compound trials in rats trained that the auditory stimulus signaled the shorter duration, whereas the visual stimulus signaled the longer duration, but not in the reverse condition. In rats showing scalar responding on compound trials, post hoc analyses demonstrated that the peak time of compound responding was most accurately predicted by the reinforcement probability weighted average of anchor peak times. In contrast, rats trained that the visual stimulus signaled the shorter duration, whereas the auditory stimulus signaled the longer duration, responded in a highly rightward skewed manner. In these rats, initiation of responding to the compound stimulus appeared to be controlled by the visual stimulus only, whereas response terminations reflected control by both modal stimuli. These latter data provide evidence of separate determinants of response initiation and termination. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Effect of Content and Demeanor on Reactions to Dominance Behavior.

Dominance behavior, the attempt to direct or control others through threat, has been shown to be a generally ineffective influence tactic and results in negative affective reactions and evaluations from others. However, the nonverbal expression of dominance can be distinguished from dominant message content, and the authors propose that the nonverbal component of dominance (demeanor) may more readily convey feelings of threat and result in stronger negative reactions than the verbal component (content). Participants rated statements that varied in terms of neutral or dominant content and whether they were presented with neutral or dominant demeanor. The results indicated that both dominant content and dominant demeanor resulted in negative affective reactions and lower evaluations of competence and leadership. Results further indicated that dominant expressive behavior contributed more to the observer's negative reactions than did dominant content. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancing Treatment Fidelity in Health Behavior Change Studies: Best Practices and Recommendations From the NIH Behavior Change Consortium.

Treatment fidelity refers to the methodological strategies used to monitor and enhance the reliability and validity of behavioral interventions. This article describes a multisite effort by the Treatment Fidelity Workgroup of the National Institutes of Health Behavior Change Consortium (BCC) to identify treatment fidelity concepts and strategies in health behavior intervention research. The work group reviewed treatment fidelity practices in the research literature, identified techniques used within the BCC, and developed recommendations for incorporating these practices more consistently. The recommendations cover study design, provider training, treatment delivery, treatment receipt, and enactment of treatment skills. Funding agencies, reviewers, and journal editors are encouraged to make treatment fidelity a standard part of the conduct and evaluation of health behavior intervention research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Use of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Strategies in the Psychiatric Emergency Room.

The goal of the present article is to show how specific dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) strategies and techniques can supplement traditional psychiatric emergency room (ER) practice by potentially increasing outpatient treatment compliance in parasuicidal patients with borderline personality disorder traits. Unlike the traditional psychiatric approach, DBT provides emotionally dysregulated patients with a framework for understanding their chaotic interpersonal lives. The authors stress the importance of implementing paradoxical interventions, which aim at unbalancing the patient and increasing readiness for change, in the context of validation, which aims at acceptance and restores the communicative function of emotions. The authors illustrate--through case examples drawn from a large, metropolitan hospital--how emergency room clinicians using DBT strategies can enhance readiness for change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)