Abstinence-contingent reinforcement and engagement in non-drug-related activities among illicit drug abusers.

Methadone-maintained cocaine abusers (N = 78) were randomly assigned to 1 of the following 52-week interventions: (a) usual care only (UC), (b) take-home methadone doses contingent on cocaine- and opiate-negative results (THM), or (c) take-home methadone doses for cocaine- and opiate-negative results and monetary-based vouchers contingent on cocaine-negative urinalysis results (THM + V). Cocaine use was assessed by urinalysis on a thrice-weekly schedule. Frequency and enjoyability of non-drug-related activities were assessed with the Pleasant Events Schedule (PES) at baseline, midtreatment, and end of treatment. The THM + V condition achieved the greatest abstinence from cocaine and opiate use, followed by the THM and UC conditions. The THM + V condition had the highest PES frequency ratings at midtreatment and at the end of treatment, followed by the THM and UC conditions. There were significant differences between the THM + V and UC conditions on 10 of 12 PES-derived subscales. Analyses revealed that abstinence mediated the effects of treatment condition on frequency ratings. There were no significant differences in enjoyability ratings. These results suggest that when contingency-management interventions increase abstinence from drug abuse, they also increase engagement in non-drug-related activities in naturalistic settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexualities and technologies: How vibrators help to explain computers

In this article, I stress the importance of focusing on sexualities in critical analyses of computer technologies. Using the example of late nineteenth and early twentieth century vibrators, I demonstrate that by studying historically remote, predigital technologies, students can develop the language and analytical skills needed to interrogate the mutual construction of sexualities and computer technologies. Furthermore, I argue that examining the intersections of sexualities and computer technologies is especially important in networked computer classrooms where students’ sexual identities and concepts of sexuality not only shape interactions with peers and with technologies but can determine the quality of the educational experience for all.     

Statewide adoption and initial implementation of contingency management for substance-abusing adolescents.

Four hundred thirty-two public sector therapists attended a workshop in contingency management (CM) and were interviewed monthly for the following 6 months to assess their adoption and initial implementation of CM to treat substance-abusing adolescent clients. Results showed that 58% (n = 131) of the practitioners with at least one substance-abusing adolescent client (n = 225) adopted CM. Rates of adoption varied with therapist service sector (mental health vs. substance abuse), educational background, professional experience, and attitudes toward treatment manuals and evidence-based practices. Competing clinical priorities and client resistance were most often reported as barriers to adopting CM, whereas unfavorable attitudes toward and difficulty in implementing CM were rarely cited as barriers. The fidelity of initial CM implementation among adopters was predicted by organizational characteristics as well as by several demographic, professional experience, attitudinal, and service sector characteristics. Overall, the findings support the amenability of public sector practitioners to adopt evidence-based practices and suggest that the predictors of adoption and initial implementation are complex and multifaceted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivational interviewing in health promotion: It sounds like something is changing.

Motivational interviewing (MI), initially developed for addiction counseling, has increasingly been applied in public health, medical, and health promotion settings. This article provides an overview of MI, outlining its philosophic orientation and essential strategies. Major outcome studies are reviewed, nuances associated with the use of MI in health promotion and chronic disease prevention are described, and future directions are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An analysis of response, direction and place learning in an open field and T maze.

Rats were trained to locate food in a response, direction, or place problem on an open field located at 2 positions. In Experiment 1, both the response and direction groups solved the problem. The place group failed to solve the task in approximately 300 trials. Experiment 2 demonstrated that rats need distinguishable start points to solve a place problem when neither a response nor a direction solution is available. Findings from Experiment 3 suggest that a combination of path traveled and distinct cues help to differentiate start points. Experiment 4 replicated the findings using a T maze. These results suggest 'place' solutions are difficult for rats. The data are discussed with respect to conditional learning and modem spatial mapping theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of persistence to graduation: Extending a model and data on the transition to university model.

Persistence to graduation was investigated with 944 (272 males, 672 females) undergraduate students at a large, commuter Canadian university. Within six years, 57.9% of the students had graduated, 9% remained enrolled, and 33.1% were not enrolled or graduated. Results indicate that gender, parental support, stress, depression, and first-year GPA were direct predictors of persistence. When Baker and Siryk's (1985) adaptation scales were added to the model, social adaptation and goal and school commitment became direct predictors in addition to parental support and first-year GPA, whereas high school average and academic adaptation were indirect predictors of graduation. Results indicate that the predictors of persistence to graduation are not the same as the predictors of the transition to university. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Private land: conservation’s new frontier in America

Conservation in North America has proceeded through three discernible stages in the last 125 years. Moving from a response to unregulated commercial harvest and wildlife depletion, it matured into a science based institution that was largely driven by government policy and supported by organized conservation groups. Protecting significant regions by setting them aside as National Parks or otherwise protected landscapes was a significant aspect of conservation throughout its first and second phases. A new and effective paradigm of private lands conservation initiatives has now arisen to face modern conservation challenges in North America.     

Slashdotting Digital Library Resources

This study analyzes 1557 chat reference questions received at Grand Valley State University Libraries over four semesters to determine the quantity and nature of the questions. Results indicated that use of chat reference was low and that less than a quarter of chat questions required a librarian to answer. The cost of a librarian answering a chat question ranged from $37 to $439 per question. The findings suggest that assigning chat reference to trained reference assistants will not affect patron service and that it is not cost effective to use reference librarians to answer chat questions.     

Using response time measures to assess "guilty knowledge".

How can a suspect's guilt or innocence be reliably tested? The validity of the polygraph, which measures changes in physiological arousal during a "guilty knowledge" test, is controversial (e.g., T. R. Bashore & P. E. Rapp, 1993; T. P. Cross & L. Saxe, 1992; D. T. Lykken, 1998; J. P. Rosenfeld, 1995; R. Steinbrook, 1992). One alternative to the polygraph examines event-related potentials recorded during a memory interference task (L. A. Farwell & E. Donchin, 1991). The present study extended this paradigm to determine whether response times (RTs) can accurately identify participants possessing specific guilty knowledge. Results from Experiment I showed that RT alone can reliably discriminate "guilty" from "innocent" participants. Experiments 2a and 2b indicated that an RT-based paradigm is more resistant to strategic manipulation than previously suggested (Farwell & Donchin, 1991). This RT-based paradigm may be a viable alternative to the polygraph for detecting guilty knowledge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)