Strategic development in exact calculation: Group and individual differences in four achievement subtypes

This longitudinal study sought to identify developmental changes
in strategy use between 5 and 7 years of age when solving exact
calculation problems. Four mathematics and reading achievement
subtypes were examined at four time points. Five strategies were
considered: finger counting, verbal counting, delayed retrieval,
automatic retrieval, and derived fact retrieval. Results provided
unique insights into children’s strategic development in exact calculation
at this early stage. Group analysis revealed relationships
between mathematical and/or reading difficulties and strategy
choice, shift, and adaptiveness. Use of derived fact retrieval by
7 years of age distinguished children with mathematical difficulties
from other achievement subtypes. Analysis of individual differences
revealed marked heterogeneity within all subtypes,
suggesting (inter alia) no marked qualitative distinction between
our two mathematical difficulty subtypes.

Premorbid IQ in patients with functional psychosis and their first-degree relatives

Numerous studies have found deficits in premorbid IQ in schizophrenic patients, but it is not clear whether this deficit is shared by (a) patients with other functional psychoses, and (b) relatives of these patients. Ninety-one schizophrenic patients, 66 affective psychotic patients (29 schizoaffective and 37 manic or depressed), and 50 normal control subjects were administered the National Adult Reading Test (NART) which provides an estimate of premorbid IQ. The NART was also completed by 85 first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients and by 65 first-degree relatives of affective psychotic patients. After adjustments were made for sex, social class, ethnicity and years of education, schizophrenic patients had significantly lower premorbid IQ than their relatives, the affective psychotic patients and controls. Manic and depressed patients had significantly lower NART scores than their first-degree relatives, but schizoaffective patients did not, and neither group differed significantly from controls. There was no significant difference in premorbid IQ between patients who had experienced obstetric complications (OC +) and those who had not (OC -). Both OC + and OC - schizophrenic patients differed significantly from their relatives, but the disparity was greatest between OC + patients and their relatives. Relatives of OC + schizophrenic patients had significantly higher IQ than relatives of OC - schizophrenic patients. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Neonatal Ultrasound Results Following Very Preterm Birth Predict Adolescent Behavioral and Cognitive Outcome

This study investigated the association between different neonatal ultrasonographic classifications and adolescent cognitive, educational, and behavioral outcomes following very preterm birth. Participants included a group of 120 adolescents who were born very preterm (33 weeks of gestation), subdivided into three groups according to their neonatal cerebral ultrasound (US) classifications: (a) normal (N = 69), (b) periventricular hemorrhage (PVH, N = 37), and (c) PVH with ventricular dilatation (PVH + DIL, N = 14), and 50 controls. The cognitive functions assessed were full-scale IQ, phonological and semantic verbal fluency, and visual-motor integration. Educational outcomes included reading and spelling; behavioral outcomes were assessed with the Rutter Parents' Scale and the Premorbid Adjustment Scale (PAS). Adolescent outcome scores were compared among the four groups. A main effect for group was observed for full-scale IQ, Rutter Parents' Scale total scores, and PAS total scores, after controlling for gestational age, socioeconomic status and gender, with the PVH + DIL group showing the most impaired scores compared to the other groups. The current results demonstrate that routine neonatal ultrasound classifications are associated with later cognitive and behavioral outcome. Neonatal ultrasounds could aid in the identification of subgroups of children who are at increased risk of neurodevelopmental problems. These at risk subgroups could then be referred to appropriate early intervention services.

The effects and side-effects of statistics education: Psychology students’ (mis-)conceptions of probability

In three studies we looked at two typical misconceptions of probability: the representativeness heuristic, and the equiprobability bias. The literature on statistics education predicts that some typical errors and biases (e.g., the equiprobability bias) increase with education, whereas others decrease. This is in contrast with reasoning theorists’ prediction who propose that education reduces misconceptions in general. They also predict that students with higher cognitive ability and higher need for cognition are less susceptible to biases. In Experiments 1 and 2 we found that the equiprobability bias increased with statistics education, and it was negatively correlated with students’ cognitive abilities. The representativeness heuristic was mostly unaffected by education, and it was also unrelated to cognitive abilities. In Experiment 3 we demonstrated through an instruction manipulation (by asking participants to think logically vs. rely on their intuitions) that the reason for these differences was that these biases originated in different cognitive processes.

Stress, Positive Psychology and the National Student Survey

The aim was to explore the predictive ability of sources of stress and a range of dispositional and coping behaviours on student satisfaction and motivation. Most research exploring sources of stress and coping in students construes stress as psychological distress, with little attempt to consider positive experiences of stress. A questionnaire was administered to 120 first-year UK psychology students. Questions were asked which measured sources of stress when rated as likely to contribute to distress (a hassle) and likely to help one achieve (an uplift). The sources of stress were amended from the UK National Student Survey (NSS, 2011). Support, control, self-efficacy, personality and coping style were also measured, along with their potential affect on
course satisfaction, motivation and feeling part of a learning community. The sources of stress likely to lead to distress were more often significant than sources of stress likely to lead to positive, eustress states. Ironically,
factors one would consider would help students, such as the university support facilities, only did so when rated as a hassle, not as an uplift. Published university league tables draw heavily on student course satisfaction but this negatively correlated with intellectual motivation and feeling part of a learning
community. This suggests course satisfaction alone reveals an incomplete picture of the student experience. Course educators need to consider how course experiences contribute not just to potential distress but to
potential eustress. Teaching quality, effective support and work-life balance are key to student satisfaction and motivation. How educators interact with their students and the opportunities they create in and outside the class to promote peer support are likely to enhance satisfaction and motivation.

Children’s Views Matter Too! A Pilot Project Assessing Children’s and Adolescents’ Experiences of Clinical Psychology Services

This pilot study explored the experiences and understanding of clinical psychology practices and services of children and adolescents attending clinical psychology outpatient appointments. Fifteen young participants took part in the study. A content analysis indicated that young children and adolescents have an appropriate understanding of the role of the clinical psychologist, with older children commenting on the uniqueness and value of the therapeutic relationship. Attendance was rated as positive and helpful with regards to difficulties across all ages; however, many children were not consulted with at the point of referral and many did not know why they were attending. Implications for assessing children's and adolescents’ experiences of clinical psychology services are discussed.

A ten year retrospective audit of clinical psychology referrals within a paediatric CF team

Objective: This retrospective audit was undertaken to explore the nature of referrals made by the paediatric CF team to the Clinical Psychologist over a period of 10 years. The aim of the audit was to identify patterns or trends related to difficulties referred by the team.
Methods: A database consisting of all referrals received over a ten year period from 2001-2010 was created. A coding template was then created by KR and AC, which allowed for the categorisation of referrals into three main themes: Mood disturbance; CF related events; and non-CF related events. The same coding template was used to categorise referrals to the adult CF service. Descriptive statistics were used to interpret the data.
Results: Over the ten year period, 106 young people with CF were referred to psychology, representing 266 referrals. On average, a referral was made every two weeks. The most common reason for referral was for CF related events (i.e. adherence, living everyday life with CF). Referrals were found to increase with age. Both genders were equally likely to be referred, with females being re-referred most frequently, indicating increased psychological morbidity. The majority of referrals (79%) were repeat referrals, indicating that psychology input is focused upon a small number of young people but over a period of time. In a typical year (09-10), only 16% of all young people with CF were able to access psychology services. Conclusion: This audit identified patterns related to inequality of access, gender differences, and the identification of common concerns across age groups. The audit also highlighted areas where early intervention and training efforts could be targeted.

A ten year audit of clinical psychology referrals in the regional Adult Cystic Fibrosis Unit in Northern Ireland

Objectives: A retrospective audit was conducted into Clinical Psychology referrals made by the adult cystic fibrosis (CF) team over a ten year period from 2001-2010. The aim of the audit was to examine the psychological difficulties referred to Clinical Psychology and identify any trends.
Methods: A database of all referrals received over a ten year period was created. A coding template was created by KR and AC which allowed for the categorisation of referrals into three main themes: Mood disturbance, CF related events and non-CF related events. The same coding template was used to categorise referrals to the children’s CF service. Descriptive statistics were used to interpret the data.
Results: In 2009/10, 11% of the adult CF population in Northern Ireland were referred to Clinical Psychology. In the past 10 years there were 200 referrals and 105 adults who accessed Clinical Psychology services. The majority of referrals (67%) were re-referrals (range 2-7). More females were referred and they were also more likely to be referred repeatedly The main reason for referral was anxiety. Depression, adherence and end of life/transplant issues also accounted for a large proportion of referrals. A small proportion of referrals were due to non CF related events. There were age and gender differences in the reasons for referral.
Conclusion: A minority of CF patients attending the regional unit were referred to Clinical Psychology. Those who accessed the services appear to be at increased risk of psychological morbidity as re-referral rates are high. The gender difference in referral and re-referral rates may reflect a difference in psychological morbidity or males not accessing services.

Reading Elizabeth Bishop's "Artifact of [Words]"

As Emerson noted in his essay 'The Poet' "we are not pans and barrows, not even porters of the fire and torch-bearers, but children of the fire, made of it, and only the same divinity transmuted, and at two or three removes, when we least know about it." For Emerson, the fire is poetry, an elemental force capable of transmutation, transformation and enduring relevance. Moving from Emerson, Elizabeth Bishop rises as the twentieth-century poet most aligned with the possibility of poetry and the powers of its practice, as 'At The Fishhouses' indicates in her clear referencing of Emerson:

"If you should dip your hand in,
your wrist would ache immediately,
your bones would begin to ache and your hand would burn
as if the water were a transmutation of fire
that feeds on stones and burns with a dark gray flame."

This essay will look in detail at Bishop's understanding of the possibility of poetry and how art functions as a multi-dimensional structure that is unsettled as much as it unsettles. In particular, Bishop's poem 'The Monument' will be unpicked as testament both to the practice of Bishop's art and also the role of the poet critic responding to what they uncover