Effects of monetary rebates, feedback, and information on residential electricity conservation.

Assigned 129 participant households in Texas during the summer to 1 of 5 experimental conditions: A high monetary rebate condition in which Ss received conservation information, weekly written feedback on their electricity use, and monetary rebates amounting to a 240% price change in electricity; a low monetary rebate condition with the same structure as the high rebates except payments amounted to a 50% price change; a weekly feedback condition in which Ss also received information but no rebates; an information condition; and a control condition. The dependent measure was percentage reduction in electricity use based on actual weekly meter readings by the research staff. Only the high rebate condition significantly curtailed electricity use by about 12% over the course of the study. Elasticity estimates suggested limited responsiveness in electricity consumption to price changes. Questionnaire data showed a pattern in which actual reduction in electricity was associated with planning a conservation program, attending to feedback, and modifying air conditioning use. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comment on Matarazzo's "Behavioral health's challenge…"

Argues that J. D. Matarazzo's (see record 1982-25842-001) article on behavioral health's challenge to academic, scientific, and professional psychology focuses on individual behavior, responsibility, and life style without giving enough attention to how health or unhealthy behaviors develop. Although the article does identify some political and economic antecedents of ill health and enumerate their costs to society, these larger-scale antecedents were not pursued as viable targets for psychologists. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Constructing violence as a public health problem

MOTIVATION: The search for repeated patterns in DNA and protein sequences is important in sequence analysis. The rapid increase in available sequences, in particular from large-scale genome sequencing projects, makes it relevant to develop sensitive automatic methods for the identification of repeats. RESULTS: A new method for finding periodic patterns in biological sequences is presented. The method is based on evolutionary distance and 'phase shifts' corresponding to insertions and deletions. A given sequence is aligned to itself in a certain sense, trying to minimize a distance to periodicity. Relationships between different such periodicity measures are discussed. An iterative algorithm is used, and the running time is nearly proportional to the sequence length. The alignment produces a periodic consensus pattern. A 'phase score' is used to indicate a statistical significance of the periodicity. Three examples using both DNA and protein sequences illustrate how the method can be used to find patterns. AVAILABILITY: On request from the authors. CONTACT: evindc@mat nu.no; finn.drablos@unimed.sintef.no     

Walking to meet health guidelines: The effect of prompting frequency and prompt structure.

This study assessed the effects of frequency of prompting (phone calls once a week versus once every 3 weeks) and structure of prompting (high versus low structure) in 135 participants (132 women and 3 men) in a walking program designed to meet the American College of Sports Medicine's cardiovascular exercise goals. Survival analysis using 6 months of data points and using the criteria of walking at least 20 min a day for at least 3 times per week indicated an effect for more frequent versus less frequent prompting (46% and 13%) but not for high- versus low-structure prompting (30% and 31%). The results suggested the efficacy of frequent prompting delivered in inexpensive ways as a means to increase exercise adherence and the further parametric study of other basic behavior change strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comment on Costanzo et al.'s "Energy conservation behavior: The difficult path from information to action."

Comments that the conceptual model developed by M. Costanzo et al (see record 1986-26040-001) is a significant addition to the area of information and behavioral influence. However, in contrast to the assertion by Costanzo et al, there are growing indications that the media can be effective in changing relatively simple behaviors, including energy conservation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological contributions to economic policy: On Riegle and on Liem and Rayman.

Discusses articles by D. W. Riegle (see record 1983-24449-001) and R. Liem and P. Rayman (see record 1983-24446-001), which document and underscore the health and social costs of economic decline, particularly unemployment. A few examples are given of how psychologists can contribute to economic policy development, including conceptualizations of how broad-scale economic functioning affects the quality of life, the study of particular issues, and the evaluation of economic and regulatory policies. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral interventions in resource conservation: A systems approach based on behavioral economics.

Outlines some of the advantages of an integration of psychological (social-learning) and economic conceptualizations when developing behavioral interventions in resource conservation. The procedures and results of rebate studies in residential energy and water conservation are presented in which rebates were used as a method to modify conservation behaviors and to estimate experimental price elasticity in contrast to the usual econometric methods. A meta-analysis is performed on behavioral energy studies conducted from 1973 to 1980, which shows that the effectiveness of rebates and feedback is partially explained by an economic factor. Also reviewed are field-based studies designed to modify perceptions of comfort and residential energy conservation in addition to the development of a rebate system instituted to reduce domestic water consumption. Maximization theory is offered as an integrative, conceptual framework that may be useful for planning resource conservation interventions. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A preschool screener test for child care and related evaluation research.

Presents reliability and validity data for the Preschool Screener which was developed to tap school-related skills in children 3-5.5 yrs of age. The 15 items on the test are described, and data from its administration to 124 children are presented which show that the screener is significantly related to more complex, standardized instruments (e.g., Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) and to the child's age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)