Use of the nonequivalent control group design when subjects are growing.

Many experimental programs aim to accelerate the growth of individuals on some dimension of interest. Typically, a group exposed to the program is compared with a control group. When it is feasible, random assignment of Ss to the program and control groups assures an unbiased comparison between treatments. Without randomization there may be important differences between groups, in terms of pretreatment characteristics and growth potential. In the nonequivalent control group design, pretest and posttest data on both groups are obtained. Statistical methods are used to adjust posttest comparisons, based mainly on pretest information. A variety of statistical techniques have been proposed, but there is much disagreement among methodologists as to which, if any, are adequate. This article examines the adequacy of these techniques, from an individual growth perspective. The performance of various commonly used methods is examined under alternative assumptions about the nature of growth. It is concluded that statistical adjustments are generally inadequate in the face of nonequivalent growth systems across treatment groups. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analysis implications of the choice of a structural model in the nonequivalent control group design.

Reviews D. A. Kenny's (1975) general model and suggests an approach involving the use of multiple measures as an alternative means of achieving identification. The multiple measures approach has potential advantages where program assignment to the treatment condition is based on group differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Weight treatment: A group approach to weight control.

Describes a multidimensional method of weight treatment that includes stimulus control techniques, assertion training, the development of responses that compete with eating, the use of successful coping models, altering private speech, and a positive environmental support system. Equally important is the development of an exercise program that produces feelings of well-being, exhilaration, and enjoyment. Another treatment component is a focus on the self-concept of clients. Topical areas include the advantages of obesity, the promises and the difficulties change brings in self-image and new relationships, and the ways obese persons resist success at weight loss. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A performance-based group approach to the treatment of anosognosia and denial.

Developed a performance-based group treatment to manage the anosognosia and defensive denial that frequently interferes with effective rehabilitation of the brain injured. 36 head injury and stroke rehabilitation patients' predictions for their own performance in a free recall task and written arithmetic task were compared with their actual performance in a group format. Data demonstrate significantly improved self-predictions for performance both within and across treatment sessions, suggesting improved awareness of cognitive impairments and strengths. Techniques for facilitation generalization, as well as potential adverse treatment effects, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning effects in the block design task: A stimulus parameter-based approach.

Learning effects were assessed for the block design (BD) task, on the basis of variation in 2 stimulus parameters: perceptual cohesiveness (PC) and set size uncertainty (U). Thirty-one nonclinical undergraduate students (19 female) each completed 3 designs for each of 4 varied sets of the stimulus parameters (high-PC/high-U, high-PC/low-U, low-PC/high-U, and low-PC/low-U), ordered randomly within a larger set of designs with mixed stimulus characteristics. Regression analyses revealed significant, although modest, learning effects in all conditions. Negative-logarithmic learning slopes (growth factors) were greatest for high-U/high-PC designs and smallest for low-U/low-PC designs. Comparison of these slopes with known Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (3rd ed.; D. Wechsler, 1997; and 4th ed.; D. Wechsler, 2008) BD subtest gain scores demonstrated that presenting novel test items matched on stimulus parameters in multiple administrations reduced learning effects compared with the repeated use of the same test items. The results suggest that repeated administration of novel test items of the BD subtest, matched for PC and U, would result in more accurate assessments of changes in examinees’ abilities over time than would the use of the same items. Difficulties inherent in implementing this method are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new approach to training in research design.

Many suitable texts are now in existence which describe in detail standard types of research design. It is well known, however, that even a thorough grounding in, and mastery of, these techniques does not, by itself, equip the student to undertake experimental research without avoiding the pitfalls which lie in wait and can afflict even the most distinguished of research workers. This article describes and outlines a course in research design which aims to help the graduate psychology student face and resolve the day-to-day problems which arise during research and in particular to sensitize him to common errors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Statistical treatment of the Solomon four-group design: A meta-analytic approach.

One of the causes of the underuse of the Solomon four-group design may be that the complete details for the statistical analysis have not previously been presented. The primary issue previously unaddressed was how to combine an analysis of the effect of the treatment in the posttest-only groups with the same effect in the pre- and posttest groups (after an earlier phase of the analysis has shown no evidence of pretest sensitization.) A meta-analytic solution for this problem is proposed, and the entire analysis is presented, complete with flowchart and example. It is shown that the analysis has adequate statistical power even if the total N is not increased from that of a posttest-only design, removing the last of the serious objections to the Solomon design. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A formal approach to optimizing the groove design

A single formula is derived for the broadening in grooves of different shapes. On that basis, the groove design may be optimized so as to maximize the efficiency of deformation, by means of optimal control theory. Numerical results of optimization are presented.     

The principle of parallelism in the design of studies to estimate treatment effects.

An effect is a function of a cause as well as of 4 other factors: recipient, setting, time, and outcome variable. The principle of parallelism states that if a design option exists for any 1 of these 4 factors, a parallel option exists for each of the others. For example, effects are often estimated by drawing a comparison across recipients who receive different treatments. The principle of parallelism implies that an effect can also be estimated by drawing a comparison across settings, times, or outcome variables. Typologies of methodological options are derived from the principle of parallelism. The typologies can help researchers recognize a broader set of options than they would otherwise and thereby improve the quality of research designs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A multiple-component treatment approach to smoking reduction.

Compared the effectiveness of a package treatment program to reduce cigarette smoking with a single treatment condition (rapid smoking), a nonspecific treatment condition, and an untreated control condition. 60 volunteer smokers (mean age 29.4 yrs) participated. Following the treatment and posttesting sessions, another factor was introduced. One third of the Ss in each of the 3 treatment conditions were randomly assigned to specific booster (e.g., additional rapid-smoking) sessions, nonspecific booster sessions, or no booster sessions. Since the principal issue in the treatment of smoking is the maintenance rather than the induction of change, emphasis was placed on follow-up smoking levels 3 and 6 mo after the termination of treatment. The package condition produced substantially higher abstinence rates (45%) and lower percentages of baseline smoking (41%) after 6 mo than the other treatment and control conditions. No reliable effects due to booster sessions were found. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pulmonary aspergilloma. A rational approach to treatment

A prospective study of 15 patients with pulmonary aspergilloma was undertaken over an 11 year period. Serious underlying diseases, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and alcoholic cirrhosis, were present in 12 of them. Eight of 15 patients whose clinical and roentgenographic course was followed for an average of 50 months, received no specific therapy. There were four deaths in this group, none attributable to aspergilloma. The aspergilloma had lysed spontaneously in two, decreased in size in one and was unchanged in one. In the four surviving patients who had no treatment, the aspergilloma lysed spontaneously in one, remained unchanged in two and increased in size in one. Of the seven patients who were treated medically or surgically, three died. Among the seven deaths (untreated and treated patients combined), six were clearly related to underlying disease. The prognosis of aspergilloma is related primarily to the nature and severity of the underlying disease(s). Contrary to the conclusions of previous reports, the experience in our series of patients suggests that routine surgical excision of aspergilloma is not indicated.     

Getting a fresh start: A natural quasi-experimental test of the performance effects of moving to a new job.

Examined the effects of being traded to a new team on the job performance of 97 major league baseball players. Each trade was classified (a) as occurring either during the season or between seasons and (b) as sending the Ss to a new team either in the same league as his original team or the other league. As predicted, Ss traded during the season showed significant increases in batting performance when compared to those traded between seasons. No differences existed for the same-league vs other-league comparison. Implications for the management of baseball teams and possible generalizations of the findings are considered. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An innovative approach to short-term group cognitive therapy in the combined treatment of anxiety and depression.

Twenty-six adult outpatients completed a 12-session group cognitive therapy program specifically designed to conjointly treat individuals with comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms. The program takes a content specificity approach, differentially treating depression and anxiety from a cognitive therapy perspective. Participants showed significant improvement on measures of depression, anxiety, and dysfunctional attitudes from pre- to posttest. Findings suggest clinical and practical utility for this intervention and support the use of combination therapeutics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conceptualizing and assessing self-enhancement bias: A componential approach.

Four studies implemented a componential approach to assessing self-enhancement and contrasted this approach with 2 earlier ones: social comparison (comparing self-ratings with ratings of others) and self-insight (comparing self-ratings with ratings by others). In Study 1, the authors varied the traits being rated to identify conditions that lead to more or less similarity between approaches. In Study 2, the authors examined the effects of acquaintance on the conditions identified in Study 1. In Study 3, the authors showed that using rankings renders the self-insight approach equivalent to the component-based approach but also has limitations in assessing self-enhancement. In Study 4, the authors compared the social-comparison and the component-based approaches in terms of their psychological implications; the relation between self-enhancement and adjustment depended on the self-enhancement approach used, and the positive-adjustment correlates of the social-comparison approach disappeared when the confounding influence of the target effect was controlled. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A psychoeducational approach to the treatment of depression: Comparison of group, individual, and minimal contact procedures.

63 16–65 yr olds exhibiting unipolar depression were assigned to 1 of 4 conditions (i.e., class, individual tutoring, minimal contact, or delayed treatment control) with regard to a course of treatment for coping with depression to investigate the efficacy of a psychoeducational approach in treating unipolar depression. The course addressed specific target behaviors (i.e., social skills, thinking, pleasant activities, relaxation) and more general components hypothesized to be critical to successful cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression. Ss in the immediate-treatment conditions were assessed pre- and posttreatment and at 1- and 6-mo follow-up sessions; the delayed-treatment group was assessed prior to and following an 8-wk waiting period. Results indicate clinical improvement by all of the active treatment conditions, as compared to the delayed-treatment condition. Differences between active-treatment conditions were small, and some differences between high and low responders to treatment were found. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A novel approach to assessing family history in the prevention of coronary heart disease

Although the fundamentals of Endovascular Surgery were set down over 30 years ago, only recently has the potential impact of this therapy become readily apparent. Endovascular therapies with new instrumentation for the treatment of arterial aneurysms, occlusions, trauma, and venous thrombotic disorders have progressed dramatically over the past 5 years. Guidewire and catheter techniques for endovascular instrumentation of vessels have also been shown to compliment standard vascular surgical interventions. The need for vascular surgeons to obtain the knowledge and professional skills to perform wire and catheter techniques is essential to convert the professional "threat" of endovascular surgery to a future of "opportunity."     

A cognitive–behavioral approach to the treatment of psychopathy.

This paper reviews research on the learning abilities and physiological responsiveness of psychopaths and incorporates its conclusions into a cognitive–behavioral treatment approach to psychopathy. Unlike other treatment strategies, the present approach utilizes an appeal to the self-interests of the psychopath to motivate him to change. It was designed to modify irrational means–ends thinking, to teach self-control, and to encourage prosocial behaviors. Assumptions made about the nature of irrational beliefs, problem-solving skills, and self-interests of psychopaths are offered as testable hypotheses for further research. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Cognition Rating Form: A new approach to assessing self-generated cognitions in adolescent sentence completions.

The Cognition Rating Form (CRF), a new scoring measure for the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank, was evaluated using adolescent psychiatric inpatients (n?=?56) and high school controls (n?=?102). The CRF displayed adequate interrater agreement and internal consistency. Factor analysis revealed four CRF factors. One factor, Negative Cognitions, discriminated between inpatient and high school groups. The CRF also demonstrated concurrent validity with measures of depression, hopelessness, self-esteem, and depressive-anxious thoughts. Furthermore, when compared to measures of depression, hopelessness, and self-esteem, the CRF demonstrated higher sensitivity rates in predicting the two originally defined groups and suicide ideators versus nonideators. Thus, the CRF shows promise as a thought sampling scoring measure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)