Contracting, prompting, and reinforcing substance use disorder continuing care: A randomized clinical trial.

Although continuing care is strongly related to positive treatment outcomes for substance use disorder (SUD), participation rates are low and few effective interventions are available. In a randomized clinical trial with 150 participants (97% men), 75 graduates of a residential Veterans Affairs Medical Center SUD program who received an aftercare contract, attendance prompts, and reinforcers (CPR) were compared to 75 graduates who received standard treatment (STX). Among CPR participants, 55% completed at least 3 months of aftercare, compared to 36% in STX. Similarly, CPR participants remained in treatment longer than those in STX (5.5 vs. 4.4 months). Additionally, CPR participants were more likely to be abstinent compared to STX (57% vs. 37%) after 1 year. The CPR intervention offers a practical means to improve adherence among individuals in SUD treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social dominance mediates the association of testosterone and neurobehavioral disinhibition with risk for substance use disorder.

This investigation determined the influence of testosterone and neurobehavioral disinhibition (ND) on risk for substance use disorder (SUD). Testosterone level during puberty was hypothesized to promote social dominance associated with norm-violating behavior that, in turn, predisposes individuals to use of illicit drugs and, subsequently, SUD. Using a prospective paradigm, the authors recruited 179 boys (mean age=11.62 years, SD=0.88) and followed up when participants were ages 12-14, 16, 19, and 22. Results indicated that social dominance/norm-violating behavior (SD/NVB) at age 16 mediated the association between testosterone level (ages 12-14) and SUD (age 22). In addition, SD/NVB mediated the association between ND and SUD. These findings suggest that development of SUD is influenced by androgen-dependent and neurobehavioral processes via a social motivational style characterized by SD/NVB. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dialogue as the interplay of otherness and shared humanity.

Presents a reply by B. Fowers and B. Davidov to Islam's comments (see record 2007-14606-019) regarding their article (see record 2006-11202-002). Islam noted that virtues are often presented as universally valid character strengths, yet formulations of virtues are always embedded in a particular cultural context, a point we took pains to make in our article. We focus our response on Islam's important suggestion that this tension between universal human characteristics and the particulars of cultural context is indissoluble. Whereas he suggested this tension leads to contradiction and paradox, we see it as a fertile dialectic. The virtue of openness to the other is also subject to the same tension of abstract formulation and particular application. Although we formulated this virtue in a very general way, any instantiation of it would be shaped by the particulars of the cultural context and the situation in which it is exercised. We introduced the concept of dialogue because it is constituted not only by differences between individuals or groups but even more fundamentally by the dialectical relationship between those differences in cultural particularities and the universal human capacities for reason, curiosity, and social engagement, among others. Dialogue acknowledges the indissoluble otherness one finds in those culturally different from oneself, and yet real interchange can only occur because participants in dialogue exercise the cognitive flexibility characteristic of human beings and recognize a shared humanity with the other. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

J?rn Diedrichsen: Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology.

Presents the citation, biography, and selected bibliography for J?rn Diedrichsen, one of the 2007 recipients of the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology (perception/motor performance). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patrik O. Vuilleumier: Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology.

Presents the citation, biography, and selected bibliography for Patrik O. Vuilleumier, one of the 2007 recipients of the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology (behavioral and cognitive neuroscience). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Larke Nahme Huang: Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest.

Presents the citation, biography, and selected bibliograpy for Larke Nahme Huang, the 2007 recipient of the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of experience in liking "read-to-drink" alcoholic beverages.

Ready-to-drinks (RTDs) are composed of an alcoholic component and a soft-drink base and are primarily consumed by a youth market. The authors explored whether liking and experience with an RTD soft-drink base predicts liking for the RTD. Participants (N=350) from ages 12 to 30 years sampled 3 RTDs and their respective soft-drink and alcoholic components. For milk- and fruit-based RTDs, liking for and familiarity with their soft-drink base was the best predictor of liking for and familiarity with the RTD itself. For the Coke-based RTD, familiarity with and liking for bourbon best predicted familiarity with and liking for the RTD. All of these effects were consistent across blind and nonblind testing. The authors' results suggest that where there is perceptual similarity between the RTD and its soft-drink base, these beverages may provide an easy transition into alcohol consumption for novice drinkers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

R. Chris Fraley: Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology.

Presents the citation, biography, and selected bibliography for R. Chris Fraley, one of the 2007 recipients of the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology (individual differences). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bruce E. Wampold: Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research.

Presents the citation, biography, and selected bibliography for Bruce E. Wampold, the 2007 recipient of the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research. Also presented is an article based on the author's award address delivered at the APA's 115th annual meeting, held August 17-20, 2007, in San Francisco, California. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social phobia and difficulties in occupational adjustment.

This study examined whether social phobics differed from nonanxious controls in occupational adjustment. Results indicated that generalized and nongeneralized social phobics, in contrast to controls, were underemployed and believed that their supervisor would rate them as less dependable. Nongeneralized social phobics and controls believed their supervisor would rate them higher in work role conformance and likelihood of advancement than did generalized social phobics. Generalized socially phobic women, in contrast to nongeneralized and control group women, were more likely to be employed in noninterpersonally oriented jobs. Generalized social phobics were more anxious than controls when starting their current job but did not differ in job satisfaction. Results are discussed relative to the nature of social phobia, subtype differences, and counseling services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)