A bibliography on ethical and legal issues in psychotherapy, 1970–1982.

This bibliography compiles references from 1970 to 1982 on ethical and legal issues in various areas of therapeutic practice. The 162 references are intended to provide resources to the practitioner that are easily accessible in the published literature. Works deal with child therapy, marital and family therapy, group therapy, behavior therapy, community work, forensic work, and testing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preintegrative categorization of social information: The role of persons as organizing categories.

Two studies with 57 college students investigated the factors that cause persons to emerge as organizing categories during the initial classification of social information about individuals in groups. Preintegration categorization processes were studied using a speeded classification procedure for 4 social-information ensembles (unfamiliar and familiar names with high and low association values). Results suggest that person discriminability and strength of the person–feature association are important determinants of the categorization process. These findings emerged for both generic knowledge structures and newly developed person categories. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A video database of moving faces and people

We describe a database of static images and video clips of human faces and people that is useful for testing algorithms for face and person recognition, head/eye tracking, and computer graphics modeling of natural human motions. For each person there are nine static "facial mug shots" and a series of video streams. The videos include a "moving facial mug shot," a facial speech clip, one or more dynamic facial expression clips, two gait videos, and a conversation video taken at a moderate distance from the camera. Complete data sets are available for 284 subjects and duplicate data sets, taken subsequent to the original set, are available for 229 subjects.     

Directional guidance from audible pedestrian signals for street crossing

Typical audible pedestrian signals indicate when the pedestrian walk interval is in effect but provide little, or even misleading information for directional alignment. In three experiments, blind and blindfolded sighted adults crossed a simulated crossing with recorded traffic noise to approximate street sounds. This was done to investigate how characteristics of signal presentation affected usefulness of the auditory signal for guiding crossing behaviour. Crossing was more accurate when signals came only from the far end of the crossing rather than the typical practice of presenting signals simultaneously from both ends. Alternating the signal between ends of the crossing was not helpful. Also, the customary practice of signalling two parallel crossings at the same time drew participants somewhat toward the opposite crossing. Providing a locator tone at the end of the crossing during the pedestrian clearance interval improved crossing accuracy. These findings provide a basis for designing audible pedestrian signals to enhance directional guidance. The principal findings were the same for blind and sighted participants and applied across a range of specific signals (e.g. chirps, clicks, voices).     

A Methodology for Modeling and Optimizing Social Systems

Abstract

A system methodology for modeling and optimizing social systems is presented. It allows constructing dynamical models formulated stochastically, i.e., their results are given by confidence intervals. The models provide optimal intervention ways to reach the stated objectives. Two optimization methods are used: (1) to test strategies and scenarios and (2) to optimize with a genetic algorithm. The application case presented is a small nonformal education Spanish business. First, the model is validated in the 2008–2012 period, and subsequently, the optimal way to obtain a maximum profit in the 2013–2025 period is obtained using the two methods.     

Distributed machining control and monitoring using smart sensors/actuators

The study of smart sensors and actuators led, during the past few years, to the development of facilities which improve traditional sensors and actuators in a necessary way to automate production systems. In another context, many studies have been carried out aimed at defining a decisional structure for production activity control and the increasing need of reactivity leads to the autonomization of decisional levels close to the operational system. We study in this paper the natural convergence between these two approaches and we propose an integration architecture, dealing with machine tool and machining control, that enables the exploitation of distributed smart sensors and actuators in the decisional system.     

The learning environment,self‐handicapping,and Canadian high school mathematics students

Abstract

The strongest tradition of classroom‐environment research has focused on empirically testing the relationship between the classroom environment and student outcomes. This paper reports a study conducted within this general framework. Specifically, this research investigated the relationship between the classroom environment and self‐handicapping by students in Canadian high school mathematics classes. Results showed that the classroom environment accounted for appreciable proportions of variance in self‐handicapping, beyond that attributable to academic efficacy. Enhanced affective dimensions of the classroom environment were associated with reduced levels of self‐handicapping.     

Sequelae of cesarean and vaginal deliveries: Psychosocial outcomes for mothers and infants.

Mother-infant dyads grouped according to whether the infants had been delivered vaginally (n?=?74) or by planned (n?=?37) or unplanned cesarean (n?=?56) were compared on psychosocial outcomes at 4 and 12 months postpartum. Hypotheses were that unplanned cesarean delivery would be related to less optimal outcomes and that this relationship would be mediated by mother's appraisal of the delivery and would attenuate over time. No delivery-related differences in mother–infant interactions were found at 4 or 12 months postpartum with one exception: Women low in neuroticism who delivered by unplanned cesarean showed less positive affect toward their infants at 4 months than did women high in neuroticism who delivered by unplanned cesarean or women in any other group. There was some evidence of the mediating role of maternal appraisal of the delivery on these effects. In general, the results indicate little cause for concern about the quality of mother–infant interactions following cesarean deliveries. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Satellite observations of circulation features associated with a bowhead whale feeding ‘hotspot’ near Barrow, Alaska

Satellite images, along with oceanographic, meteorological, and whale aerial survey data, are used to illustrate aspects of ocean circulation associated with a bowhead whale feeding ‘hotspot’ near Barrow, Alaska. In response to weak winds, a strong front forms near the shelf-break along the southern edge of Barrow Canyon when the Alaska Coastal Current flows adjacent to the southern flank of Barrow Canyon or intrudes onto the western Beaufort shelf. This front is of particular local interest because it is indicative of aggregation and retention of zooplankton on the western Beaufort shelf and, as a result, is a locus for bowhead whales pausing to feed during their westward fall migration. Groups (4 or more individuals) of bowhead whales are primarily seen on the western Beaufort shelf following wind conditions that promote the formation of this front.