A review of therapist characteristics and techniques negatively impacting the therapeutic alliance.

This review is an examination of the therapist's personal attributes and in-session activities that negatively influence the therapeutic alliance from a range of psychotherapy perspectives. The literature used in this review was found by searching PsychLit from 1988 to 1999. Therapist's personal attributes such as being rigid, uncertain, critical, distant, tense, and distracted were found to contribute negatively to the alliance. Moreover, therapist techniques such as over structuring the therapy, inappropriate self-disclosure, unyielding use of transference interpretation, and inappropriate use of silence were also found to contribute negatively to the alliance. In addition, this review reveals how therapist's personal qualities and use of technique have a similar influence on the identification or exacerbation of ruptures in the alliance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family instability and the problem behaviors of children from economically disadvantaged families

This longitudinal study examined the relation between family instability and the problem behaviors of children from economically disadvantaged families. Family instability was assessed when the children were ages 5 and 7 and included number of residence changes, changes of intimate caregiver relationships, and recent negative life events. The results showed direct concurrent relations between family instability and preschool children's externalizing behavior in the context of other family process variables, relations between subsequent family instability and 1st-grade children's internalizing behavior (i.e., with preschool behavior ratings controlled), and an effect for persistent instability across grade. Moderator effects were also found for child variables, including gender, temperamental adaptability, and prior externalizing scores.     

Use it or lose it? Wii brain exercise practice and reading for domain knowledge.

We investigated the training effects and transfer effects associated with 2 approaches to cognitive activities (so-called brain training) that might mitigate age-related cognitive decline. A sample of 78 adults between the ages of 50 and 71 completed 20 one-hr training sessions with the Nintendo Wii Big Brain Academy software over the course of 1 month and, in a second month, completed 20 one-hr reading sessions with articles on 4 different current topics (order of assignment was counterbalanced for the participants). An extensive battery of cognitive and perceptual speed ability measures was administered before and after each month of cognitive training activities, along with a battery of domain-knowledge tests. Results indicated substantial improvements on the Wii tasks, somewhat less improvement on the domain knowledge tests, and practice-related improvements on 6 of the 10 ability tests. However, there was no significant transfer of training from either the Wii practice or the reading tasks to measures of cognitive and perceptual speed abilities. Implications for these findings are discussed in terms of adult intellectual development and maintenance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analysis of gain in determining T0 in 1.3 μmsemiconductor lasers

Rapid decrease of differential gain has been determined to dominate the temperature dependence of threshold current in 1.3-μm multiquantum well and bulk active lasers giving rise to low values of T ₀. Extensive experimental characterization of each type of device is described. Results are presented for the dependence of gain on chemical potential and carrier density as a function of temperature. The data indicate the important role of the temperature-insensitive, carrier density dependent chemical potential in determining differential gain. Modeling of the temperature dependence of threshold carrier density in MQW and bulk active lasers based on a detailed band theory calculation is described. The calculated value of T₀ depends on the structure of the active layer, e.g., multiquantum well versus bulk. However, the calculated values are substantially higher than measured     

Next generation networking: distributed multimedia information for healthcare

This paper is derived from a keynote address given that the DMS-03 meeting. It chronicles the need and development of next generation networks (NGN) in the United States. Specific organizational examples are derived from the Internet2-Abilene Network. The technical characteristics of a next generation network versus the Internet are discussed. Examples are given from the point of view of the need for a quality of service based network to deliver distributed multimedia healthcare information to the point of need. The concepts of network trust and of a network based scalable information infrastructure for the reliable delivery of distributed multimedia information is also introduced.

Location-Aware Computing, Virtual Networks

This issue includes four works in process on issues and applications in location-aware computing: letting users set and control privacy policies when they use location-aware applications, cold-starting recommender systems for mobile location-aware services, aggregating contextual information for location-based applications, and applying location-based services to public transportation environments. The department also includes a report on lightweight virtualization of low-power wireless personal area networks.     

Collaborative Support for Informal Information in Collective Memory Systems

Informal information, such as the expertise of an organization or the workarounds practiced by a community, is a critical part of organizational or collective memory systems. From a user-centered perspective, a user merely wishes to get his work done, and to do this, he must solve his immediate problems. We have examined how to incorporate this problem solving into a collective memory, as well as how to incorporate the learning that accrues to it or from it. We report here on two systems, the Cafe ConstructionKit and the Collaborative Refinery, as well as an application, Answer Garden 2, built using these two systems. The Cafe ConstructionKit provides toolkit mechanisms for incorporating communication flows among people (as well as agents) into an organizational memory framework, and the Collaborative Refinery system provides mechanisms for distilling and refining the informal information obtained through these communication flows. The Answer Garden 2 application demonstrates the utility of these two underlying systems.     

Technological and Medical Advances: Implications for Health Psychology.

Behavioral telehealth, health informatics, organ and tissue transplantation, and genetics are among the areas that have been affected by advances in technology and medicine. These areas illustrate the opportunities and the challenges that new developments can pose to health psychologists. Each area is discussed with respect to implications for practice, research, public policy, and education and training: recommendations are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Relations Between Persistent Poverty and Contextual Risk and Children's Behavior in Elementary School.

Does persistent adversity over time have effects on children's behavior beyond the effects of intermittent or concurrent adversity? This study examined the relations between school behavior in 5th grade (mean age = 11 years 0 months) and indexes representing persistent poverty and contextual risk. The indexes described 2-year intervals of family adversity. The results showed effects for persistent risk over 2 consecutive intervals for several factors, but only for recent intervals (3rd and 5th grades), and the factors differed for externalizing behavior, internalizing behavior, and academic competence. The 3rd interval of risk added little to the outcomes, and most factors did not show persistence effects. The results highlight the need for caution in expecting and interpreting effects for persistent adversity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)