The effect of intra- versus post-interview feedback during simulated practice interviews about child abuse

Objective
This study compared the effectiveness of two types of instructor feedback (relative to no feedback) on investigative interviewers’ ability to adhere to open-ended questions in simulated practice interviews about child abuse.
Method
In one condition, feedback was provided at the end of each practice interview. In the other, the instructor stopped the interviewer at various stages during the practice interviews to provide feedback. The relative effect of these conditions was examined by measuring interviewers’ performance in a standardized mock interview paradigm immediately prior to, immediately after, and 12 weeks after the practice and feedback sessions.
Results
Prior to and 12 weeks after the practice sessions were administered, there was no significant difference in participants’ adherence to open-ended questions irrespective of the nature of the feedback, or whether feedback was received. At the immediate post-practice assessment interval, however, the participants who received feedback during the practice interviews performed better (M proportion of open-ended questions = .85, SD = .13) than the other participants (post-interview feedback M = .67, SD = .18, p < .001; no feedback M = .56, SD = .16, p < .001). This heightened use of open-ended questions was associated with a greater tendency among the interviewees to provide abuse-related details in response to open-ended questions (M = .91, SD = .11) compared to the other participants (post-interview feedback M = .77, SD = .15, p < .05; no feedback M = .69, SD = .16, p = .001).
Conclusions
Different types of feedback can be differentially effective in training child abuse investigators to adhere to open-ended questions. The benefits of any training program, however, are likely to be short-lived without ongoing practice.
Practice implications
A single study compared the relative effectiveness of two types of instructor feedback (relative to no feedback) on investigative interviewers’ ability to adhere to open-ended questions in simulated practice interviews about child abuse. This research is relevant to trainers of investigative interviewers because there is currently large variability in the type of feedback employed in training programs. This study is one of the first to empirically demonstrate that different types of feedback may be differentially effective in improving the performance of investigative interviewers.

Effect of surface roughness of Ti, Zr, and TiZr on apatite precipitation from simulated body fluid

Some of the critical properties for a successful orthopedic or dental implant material are its biocompatibility and bioactivity. Pure titanium (Ti) and zirconium (Zr) are widely accepted as biocompatible metals, due to their non-toxicity. While the bioactivity of Ti and some Ti alloys has been extensively investigated, there is still insufficient data for Zr and titanium-zirconium (TiZr) alloys. In the present study, the bioactivity, that is, the apatite forming ability on the alkali and heat treated surfaces of Ti, Zr, and TiZr alloy in simulated body fluid (SBF), was studied. In particular, the effect of the surface roughness characteristics on the bioactivity was evaluated for the first time. The results indicate that the pretreated Ti, Zr and TiZr alloy could form apatite coating on their surfaces. It should be noted that the surface roughness also critically affected the bioactivity of these pretreated metallic samples. A surface morphology with an average roughness of approximately 0.6 microm led to the fastest apatite formation on the metal surfaces. This apatite layer on the metal surface is expected to bond to the surrounding bones directly after implantation.

The effect of using trained versus untrained adult respondents in simulated practice interviews about child abuse

Objective
A single study tested the hypothesis that simulated practice interviews for investigative interviewers of children are more effective when the role of the child respondent is played by trained actors (i.e., postgraduate psychology students) than untrained fellow participants (i.e., child protection workers).
Method
The interviewers included 50 child protection service workers. Each interviewer received instruction in the use of open-ended questions and then engaged in two simulated practice interviews. The role of the child respondent in the practice interviews was played by either a trained psychology student or an untrained fellow participant. The key outcome measure was the proportion of open-ended questions, which was assessed immediately prior to and after the practice sessions, as well as 12 weeks post-training.
Results
Interviewers who had practiced with trained actors had higher post-training performance (M = .83, SD = .12) compared to those who had practiced with untrained fellow participants (M = .73, SD = .13, p < .05), even at the 12-week follow up (M actors = .66, SD = .25; M untrained actors = .49, SD = .23, p < .05).
Conclusions
Training programs that make better use of practice opportunities (e.g., by using trained respondents) will be more effective in improving the performance of investigative interviewers.
Practice implications
A single study investigated the relative effectiveness of two simulated practice exercises for professionals who interview children about abuse. This research is relevant to professionals who design investigative interviewer training programs because it indicates that practical exercises, which are currently chosen on an ‘ad hoc’ or convenience basis, can vary markedly in their effectiveness in encouraging adherence to open questions.

Computer-simulated environment for training : challenge of efficacy evaluation

Computer-assisted instruction has been around for decades. There has been much speculation about the benefits of computer-mediated learning. Numerous applications have been developed in different domains incorporated with emerging technologies. In recently years, advanced technologies, such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), have received much attention in their potential of creating interactive learning experience for the users. However, related literature and empirical studies indicated that learning effects in computer-simulated environments or Virtual Environments (VEs) are not systematically tested. Furthermore, the performance and learning in computer-simulated learning environment need to be evaluated through more rigorous methods. This paper suggests that 1) the efficacy of VEs is subject to a close examination, not only in terms of how VE-based training systems are easy of use, but also in terms of how effective learning is; 2) evaluation of learning in computer simulated learning environments is required to be reconsidered in terms of theoretical basis and evaluation methodologies that are relevant to the measurement of training effectiveness in computer-simulated virtual learning environment. This paper explains on how learning can be assessed in VEs through the lens of training evaluation.

Is the social agenda driving sustainable property development in Melbourne, Australia?

Purpose – Sustainable property development has increased in market share over the past two to three years globally and locally. This research aims to analyze the drivers and barriers to sustainable property development in Melbourne using the triple bottom line (TBL) theoretical framework. The TBL posits that sustainability has social, economic and environmental aspects to fulfil.

Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was sent out to 190 developers in Melbourne who promoted sustainable property development to ascertain their views about the drivers and barriers.

Findings – This research indicates that in the 2007 Melbourne market the drivers were social rather than economic. The data reveal that social reasons are considered more than economic arguments for incorporating sustainability into developments. The business case, or the economic drivers for sustainability alone do not convince developers.

Research limitations/implications – The questionnaire survey informed us about developers' views but not why they have these views. The sample was limited to Melbourne.

Practical implications – More developments are required for developers to become convinced of the benefits. The relatively low price of energy undermines the business case for sustainability in property here and needs to be fully costed.

Originality/value – This paper illustrates that whilst the theoretical framework cites three key areas for sustainability, the reality is that developers are currently driven by social and environmental factors primarily and the business case is not accepted by the majority of developers.

Microstructures and bond strengths of the calcium phosphate coatings formed on titanium from different simulated body fluids

Calcium phosphate (Ca-P) coatings were deposited on Ti substrates by a biomimetic method from m-SBF and 10× SBF, respectively. Comparative study of microstructures and bond strengths of the Ca-P coatings deposited from those different SBFs was carried out. Effect of the surface roughness of the substrates on the bond strength of the Ca-P coatings was also studied. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), inductive coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP) and thermogravimetry (TG) were used to characterize the Ca-P coatings. The bond strengths between the coatings and Ti substrates were measured using an adhesive strength test. Results indicated that the ionic concentrations of the SBFs and the surface roughness of the substrate had a significant influence on the formation, morphology and bond strength of the Ca-P precipitates. The induction period of time to deposit a complete Ca-P layer from the m-SBF is much longer, but the Ca-P coating is denser and has higher bond strength than that formed from the 10× SBF. The Ti with a surface roughness of R_a 0.64 µm and R_z 2.81 µm favoures the formation of a compact Ca-P coating from the m-SBF with the highest bond strength of approximately 15.5 MPa.

'Rushing behind the wheel' : investigating the prevalence of 'drug driving' among club and rave patrons in Melbourne, Australia

The paper reports the findings of survey research recently completed in Melbourne, Australia, among a sample of 455 club and rave festival patrons. This research aims to provide a clearer account of the prevalence of drug driving within such settings in Melbourne, as well as identifying relevant ‘predictors’ of this drug driving. Just under half of the sample (48%) indicated that they had driven a motor vehicle within four hours of consuming an illicit substance at least once in the past year; 22% of respondents reported driving while ‘knowingly intoxicated’ in the previous year. Fifteen percent reported such behaviour ‘several times’ or more in this time. Relatively permissive attitudes towards drug driving, coupled with higher than average prevalence of drug driving in one's peer group, were found to be significant predictors of drug driving. So too was the reported frequency of the use of cannabis and ecstasy, and the propensity to use these substances in ‘rave’ and ‘party’ settings. Given the levels of drug driving revealed in this study, the paper closes with a series of recommendations regarding the design and delivery of more effective anti-drug-driving strategies within rave and club settings.

Integrating simulated annealing and delta technique for constructing optimal prediction intervals

This paper aims at developing a new criterion for quantitative assessment of prediction intervals. The proposed criterion is developed based on both key measures related to quality of prediction intervals: length and coverage probability. This criterion is applied as a cost function for optimizing prediction intervals constructed using delta technique for neural network model. Optimization seeks out to minimize length of prediction intervals without compromising their coverage probability. Simulated Annealing method is employed for readjusting neural network parameters for minimization of the new cost function. To further ameliorate search efficiency of the optimization method, parameters of the network trained using weight decay method are considered as the initial set in Simulated Annealing algorithm. Implementation of the proposed method for a real world case study shows length and coverage probability of constructed prediction intervals are better than those constructed using traditional techniques.

Using simulated patients to develop doctors' skills in facilitating bahaviour change : addressing childhood obesity

Objectives : This study aimed to describe the application, feasibility and outcomes of using simulated patients (SPs) to increase the skills of general practitioners (GPs) delivering a behavioural intervention to reduce childhood overweight and mild obesity.

Methods : Five female actors were trained as SPs. A total of 67 GPs from 46 general practices in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, conducted two simulated consultation visits regarding healthy lifestyle family behaviour change, during which they practised their skills and received formative feedback. The GPs and SPs rated GP performance immediately after each consultation. Subsequently, 139 parents of overweight or obese 5–9-year-old children rated GP performance during real-life consultations. Other measures included child body mass index (BMI) Z-scores (at baseline and at a 9-month follow-up) and GP-reported levels of comfort and competence and the perceived value of SP visits.

Results : Simulated patient ratings, but not GP self-ratings, of GP performance predicted both parent ratings of real-life consultations (Spearman's rho 0.39 for correlation with SP rating at Visit 1) and subsequent reductions in BMI Z-scores between baseline and follow-up (Visit 1, rho − 0.45; Visit 2, rho − 0.46). GP levels of comfort and competence were maintained during and after the SP visits. A total of 95% of GPs rated simulated consultations as useful, although only 18% said they would pay for them.

Conclusions : Simulated patient assessment may predict real patient feedback and clinical outcomes, helping to identify doctors who require further training in behaviour change techniques. Randomised controlled trials may establish whether SPs actually raise skills or improve outcomes.

Re-conceptualizing disability and assistive technology : Australian consumers driving policy change

For people living with a disability, enablers such as assistive technologies, environmental modifications and personal care can make the difference between living fully and merely existing. This article is written from the standpoints of people with disabilities and professionals in one Australian State who found their government and service system to be a constraining rather than an enabling force. It presents two key components of policy and practice change in the area of assistive technology: challenging understandings of disability, assistive technology, and the desired life outcomes that assistive technology contributes to; and building a public evidence base through consumer-focussed research. In short, government funding of assistive technology needs to move beyond a limited focus on functional needs and take responsibility for fully equipping people to live the lives they aspire to.

Measurement of light penetration through a simulated merino fleece

The degree of light penetration along the length of the fibre of a simulated Merino fleece was measured using a fibre optic probe to investigate the relationship between light exposure and photodamage to the wool fibre. The percentage of the total direct sunlight that reached the base of the 100-mm long, simulated, closed Merino fleece was ~1% and the section of the fibre from the root to 60 mm from the root was protected from exposure. The light intensity at the base of the fibre was increased to 2% when the density of the simulated fleece was halved. Wool was scoured and the yellowness and intensity of methylene blue staining was measured to estimate the extent of damage to wool staples.