A drug court by any other name? An analysis of problem-solving court programs.

Beginning with the original drug court model, specialized court programs (SCPs) have expanded to address a variety of offense-related problems, such as domestic violence courts, mental health courts, veteran courts, and homeless courts. To date, there has been no empirical assessment as to whether these types of court programs share similar program characteristics with the drug court model. To address this gap, we used data from the 2012 Census of Problem-Solving Courts of 2,793 problem-solving court programs in the United States to examine differences between drug courts and other court types. We used multinomial logistic regression to analyze program-level characteristics between SCPs and drug courts. SCPs were similar on several key characteristics to drug courts, such as specialization and services, staff training, and procedures. Where SCPs tend to differ were whether felony offenders were allowed, charges dismissed after program completion, and participants entering the program post-adjudication. Though they may go by different names, many SCPs continue to rely on the original drug court model. Future research within the drug court paradigm should consider expanding to other types of SCPs to provide more comprehensive knowledge on the "black box" of problem-solving courts and how courts can more effectively implement court programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The bilingualism wars: Is the bilingual advantage out of (executive) control? / ¿Está el desacuerdo sobre la ventaja bilingüe fuera de control (ejecutivo)?

Whether bilingualism has an effect on the executive function of non-verbal representations is probably one of the most controversial issues in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. As bilinguals have to alternate between two languages that compete for selection in their daily lives, they make use of selection, inhibition, and monitoring (i.e., components of executive function) more often than monolinguals. Thus, it would not be surprising that these highly trained abilities at selecting and monitoring the linguistic processes would also help the processing of non-linguistic representations. Although the "bilingual advantage" in executive control (Bialystok, 1999) has been repeatedly demonstrated, a number of recent studies-in particular since the publication of the Paap and Greenberg (2013) study-have questioned this effect. Both positive and null findings are currently being published from each of the two sides, thus making it difficult to reach consensus in the scientific community. Here, we propose a plausible solution to this debate: a group of independent researches should carry out a carefully planned large-scale study

Uno de los temas actuales más controvertidos en psicología cognitiva y neurociencia cognitiva es si el bilingüismo tiene un efecto sobre el control ejecutivo de las representaciones no verbales. En su vida diaria, los bilingües tienen que alternar entre dos (o más) idiomas que compiten por su selección, por lo que han de seleccionar, monitorizar e inhibir (es decir, emplear componentes de la función ejecutiva) con más frecuencia que los monolingües. Por lo tanto, no sería sorprendente que estas habilidades empleadas para seleccionar/monitorear los procesos lingüísticos en bilingües también ayudaran al procesamiento de representaciones no lingüísticas. Aunque la "ventaja bilingüe" en control ejecutivo (Bialystok, 1999) se ha demostrado repetidamente, varios estudios recientes, especialmente desde la publicación del estudio de Paap y Greenberg (2013), han cuestionado este efecto. En la actualidad, tanto resultados positivos como resultados nulos se están publicando por cada una de ambas partes, lo que dificulta el consenso en la comunidad científica. Proponemos una solución plausible a este debate: que un grupo de investigadores independientes lleve a cabo un estudio cuidadosamente planificado a gran escala

Prevención de la depresión en cuidadoras no profesionales: relación entre habilidades de solución de problemas y síntomas depresivos / Prevention of depression in non-professional female caregivers: Relation between problem solving skills and depressive symptoms

El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar la sintomatología depresiva, las habilidades de solución de problemas y su papel en el cambio terapéutico en una intervención de prevención indicada de la depresión para cuidadoras no profesionales. Se realizó un ensayo aleatorizado controlado. Las participantes fueron asignadas aleatoriamente a un grupo de intervención de solución de problemas (n = 89) o a un grupo control de atención habitual (n=84). En el grupo de intervención las habilidades de solución de problemas postratamiento mejoraron significativamente con respecto al pretratamiento, t(88) = -10.44, p < .001. Hubo una asociación significativa en el postratamiento entre la sintomatología depresiva y la orientación positiva (r = -.22, p = .043) y negativa (r = .21, p = .045) a los problemas y la generación de soluciones alternativas (r = -.22, p = .040). Los cambios en solución de problemas total y funcional moderaron la disminución en sintomatología depresiva postratamiento

The goal of the present study was to assess depressive symptoms, problem-solving skills, and their role in therapeutic change in an indicated prevention of depression intervention aimed at non-professional female caregivers. We performed a randomized controlled trial in which participants were randomized to a problem-solving intervention (n = 89) or a usual care control group (n = 84). There was a significant pre- to post-treatment improvement in problem-solving skills in the intervention group, t(88) = -10.44, p < .001. We also observed significant associations between depressive symptomatology and positive (r = -.22, p = .043) and negative (r = .21, p = .045) problem orientation, as well as the generation of alternative solutions (r = -.22, p = .040). The changes in global and functional problem-solving skills were moderators of the post-treatment decrease in depressive symptomatology

The effect of pressure on high- and low-working-memory students: an elaboration of the choking under pressure hypothesis.

SAMPLE: Fifty-three third and fourth graders from China participated in this study. METHOD: Participants' working memory (WM) was assessed by the Automated Operation Span task. Then, they solved mental addition problems of different types under low- and high-pressure conditions. Performance was analysed as a function of pressure condition, working memory capacity, and problem type. RESULTS: On 'no carry' mental addition problems, there was no difference between the two groups of children regardless the presence of pressure. For problems with carries, low WM (LWM) children performed worse on all tasks compared with high WM (HWM) children in the no-pressure condition, but pressure influenced the LWM and HWM differently depending on the nature of the carrying task. On 'hidden carry' mental addition trials (for which guessing strategies were minimally effective), LWM performance was much lower than HWM performance under pressure. By contrast, performance was similar between LWM and HWM groups under pressure on the 'normal carry' trials that allowed for non-resource-intensive heuristic strategies. CONCLUSION: Whether high- or low-working-memory elementary-school-aged children were more or less affected by pressure was dependent on task-difficulty and the types of strategies that could be used to solve the problems.

Feature versus spatial strategies by orangutans (Pongo abelii) and human children (Homo sapiens) in a cross-dimensional task.

Despite the fact that photographic stimuli are used across experimental contexts with both human and nonhuman subjects, the nature of individuals' perceptions of these stimuli is still not well understood. In the present experiments, we tested whether three orangutans and 36 human children could use photographic information presented on a computer screen to solve a perceptually corresponding problem in the physical domain. Furthermore, we tested the cues that aided in this process by pitting featural information against spatial position in a series of probe trials. We found that many of the children and one orangutan were successfully able to use the information cross-dimensionally; however, the other two orangutans and almost a quarter of the children failed to acquire the task. Species differences emerged with respect to ease of task acquisition. More striking, however, were the differences in cues that participants used to solve the task: Whereas the orangutan used a spatial strategy, the majority of children used a feature one. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed from both evolutionary and developmental perspectives. The novel results found here underscore the need for further testing in this area to design appropriate experimental paradigms in future comparative research settings.

Is self-sacrificial competitive altruism primarily a male activity?

This study explored the basis of self-sacrificial prosocial behavior in small groups. Seventy-eight undergraduates (39M, 39F) filled out a thirty-item personality scale and then participated in a "group problem-solving study" in which the monetary success of a three-person group depended upon one of its members volunteering to endure pain (a cold stressor test) and inconvenience (being soaked in a dunk tank). There were 13 groups consisting of two females and one male, and 13 groups consisting of two males and one female. Across groups, the behavior of the altruist was judged to be more costly, challenging, and important and he/she was liked better, rewarded with more money, and preferred as a future experimental partner. Groups containing two males showed more evidence of competition to become altruists than groups containing two females, and personality traits were more effective predictors of altruistic behavior in males than in females. We conclude that competition between males and "showing off" are key factors in triggering self-sacrificial altruistic behavior.

Friends with benefits: the evolved psychology of same- and opposite-sex friendship.

During human evolution, men and women faced distinct adaptive problems, including pregnancy, hunting, childcare, and warfare. Due to these sex-linked adaptive problems, natural selection would have favored psychological mechanisms that oriented men and women toward forming friendships with individuals possessing characteristics valuable for solving these problems. The current study explored sex-differentiated friend preferences and the psychological design features of same- and opposite-sex friendship in two tasks. In Task 1, participants (N = 121) categorized their same-sex friends (SSFs) and opposite-sex friends (OSFs) according to the functions these friends serve in their lives. In Task 2, participants designed their ideal SSFs and OSFs using limited budgets that forced them to make trade-offs between the characteristics they desire in their friends. In Task 1, men, more than women, reported maintaining SSFs for functions related to athleticism and status enhancement and OSFs for mating opportunities. In Task 2, both sexes prioritized agreeableness and dependability in their ideal SSFs, but men prioritized physical attractiveness in their OSFs, whereas women prioritized economic resources and physical prowess. These findings suggest that friend preferences may have evolved to solve ancestrally sex-linked adaptive problems, and that opposite-sex friendship may directly or indirectly serve mating functions.

[On certain topical problems of contemporary industrial medicine].

The article tackles certain problems concerning occupational medicine organization work and methodology of its conceptual apparatus used to characterize individual and populational health of workers, covers suggestions on solving these problems.

Categorical and continuous--disentangling the neural correlates of the carry effect in multi-digit addition.

BACKGROUND: Recently it was suggested that the carry effect observed in addition involves both categorical and continuous processing characteristics. METHODS: In the present study, we aimed at identifying the specific neural correlates associated with processing either categorical or continuous aspects of the carry effect in an fMRI study on multi-digit addition. RESULTS: In line with our expectations, we observed two distinct parts of the fronto-parietal network subserving numerical cognition to be associated with either one of these two characteristics. On the one hand, the categorical aspect of the carry effect was associated with left-hemispheric language areas and the basal ganglia probably reflecting increased demands on procedural and problem solving processes. Complementarily, the continuous aspect of the carry effect was associated with increased intraparietal activation indicating increasing demands on magnitude processing as well as place-value integration with increasing unit sum. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the findings suggest representations and processes underlying the carry effect in multi-digit addition to be more complex and interactive than assumed previously.

The effects of age, control beliefs, and feedback on self-regulation of reading and problem solving.

The authors examined the effects of adult age and control beliefs on self-regulatory responses to feedback using a false-feedback paradigm. Young and older adults read and attempted to solve a series of problems and periodically received either high- or low-performance feedback. Self-regulatory processes were assessed in terms of task-specific beliefs consisting of self-efficacy and performance expectations as well as degree of attention allocated to reading the mysteries. Results showed that high-performance feedback increased self-efficacy and performance expectations relative to low-performance feedback and that these effects were comparable across levels of preexisting control beliefs and across age groups. However, the effects of feedback on attention were moderated by age and preexisting control beliefs. Older adults in the high-performance feedback condition who had high levels of control beliefs allocated more attention to the text than did their low-control peers. These findings suggest that positive feedback may encourage older adults to engage more fully in a reading task, but only when they possess a strong sense of control.

Perfil dos usuários do posto de saúde da família do bairro Humaitá, Tubarão – SC / Profile of users of users of the Humaitá Family care station in Tubarão, Santa Catarina

Introdução: A cobertura do SUS foi ampliada com a associação feita entre o Programa de Agentes Comunitários e a Estratégia de Saúde da Família, visandoaumentar a área de abrangência e levar melhores condições de saúde à população. Objetivo: Este estudo visou analisar e descrever o perfil dos usuários da Unidade Básica de Saúde doHumaitá do município de Tubarão, Santa Catarina. Métodos: foi desenvolvido através de uma análise transversal, com uma amostra de 105 pacientes,selecionados por demanda. A coleta dos dados foi feita no período de julho a setembro de 2007, sendo aplicadoum questionário semi-estruturado no próprio posto. Resultados: Houve uma prevalência do gênero feminino (73,3%), com 88,6% da população local adscrita natural de Tubarão e faixa etária entre 40 e 59 anos. A maioria dos entrevistados tem tempo de estudo superior a 11 anos e baixa renda mensal. A maioria não encontroudificuldades na marcação de consultas, carência de vagas, longo tempo de espera. Os usuários relataramestar satisfeitos quanto à relação médico-paciente e a resolutividade.Conclusão: O Posto de Saúde da Família Humaitá, segundo nosso estudo, já superou vários obstáculos, apresentando facilidade à marcação de consultas (95,2%), alta resolutividade (96,2%%) e satisfação do público-alvo (62,9% total e 37,1% parcial). Além disso, a população apresenta taxa de escolaridade superior aos estudos comparativos.

Background: The coverage of the Unique System of Health (SUS) was expanded with the union between the community agents and health family programs, aiming to increase the performance area and bring better health conditions to the population. Objective: This study sought to analyze and describe the profile of users of the Humaitá family care station in Tubarão, Santa Catarina. Methods: Was developed a cross-section studyanalysis, performed with a sample of 105 patients, selected by demand. The collection of data was done between July-September 2007 and applied a semistructured questionnaire on the station. Results: Prevalence was significantly higher for female gender (73,3%), with 88,6% of registered local population from Tubarão between 40-59 years old. Most of interviewed that answered the questionnaire havemore than 11 years of study and low-income monthly. The majority didn’t find problems to get an appointment, lacks of consultations or long time of wait. The users reported being satisfied about resolubility and doctorpatient relationship. Conclusions: The Humaitá Health Station, according our study, has already overcame several obstacles,presenting easy to get an appointment (95,2%), high resolubility (96,2%) and satisfaction of the local public (62,9% overall; 37,1% partial). Besides, the education rates of the local population are better than comparatives studies.

Nem todo material concreto é igual: a importância dos referentes na resolução de problemas / Not all concrete materials are the same: the importance of referents in problem solving

A partir da distinção entre material concreto definido e material concreto indefinido, examinou-se como diferentes suportes concretos de representação influenciam a resolução de problemas de divisão e de multiplicação. Quarenta crianças de 8 anos resolveram os mesmos problemas. Às crianças do Grupo 1 (concreto indefinido) foram disponibilizadas fichas plásticas; e às do Grupo 2 (concreto definido) objetos que tinham relação com os referentes das quantidades presentes no enunciado dos problemas (jarros e flores, carrinhos e caixas). O material concreto definido favoreceu a compreensão das relações lógico-matemáticas, facilitando o desempenho e o uso de procedimentos apropriados, o mesmo não ocorrendo com o material concreto indefinido. Concluiu-se que a compreensão da criança é influenciada pelos suportes de representação e que nem todo material concreto tem o mesmo efeito sobre a resolução de problemas, sendo necessário considerar, além de seu caráter manipulativo, a relação entre os referentes das quantidades e o material disponibilizado.(AU)

This study examines how different types of concrete materials (specific and non-specific) influence children's comprehension when solving multiplication and division problems. Forty 8-year-old children were divided into two groups, and asked to solve the same problems. The children in Group 1 (non-specific) were given plastic tokens. The children in Group 2 (specific) were given objects which had a direct relation to the referents of the quantities mentioned in the problems (e.g., vases and flowers, toy cars and boxes). The specific concrete materials favoured performance and the use of more appropriate procedures than non-specific concrete materials. The conclusion was that the child's comprehension is influenced by the representational support available to him/her, and that not all concrete materials have the same effect on problem solving. It is necessary to consider not only the manipulative nature of the material, but the relation between the referents of the quantities and the representational support available as well.(AU)

Nem todo material concreto é igual: a importância dos referentes na resolução de problemas / Not all concrete materials are the same: the importance of referents in problem solving

A partir da distinção entre material concreto definido e material concreto indefinido, examinou-se como diferentes suportes concretos de representação influenciam a resolução de problemas de divisão e de multiplicação. Quarenta crianças de 8 anos resolveram os mesmos problemas. Às crianças do Grupo 1 (concreto indefinido) foram disponibilizadas fichas plásticas; e às do Grupo 2 (concreto definido) objetos que tinham relação com os referentes das quantidades presentes no enunciado dos problemas (jarros e flores, carrinhos e caixas). O material concreto definido favoreceu a compreensão das relações lógico-matemáticas, facilitando o desempenho e o uso de procedimentos apropriados, o mesmo não ocorrendo com o material concreto indefinido. Concluiu-se que a compreensão da criança é influenciada pelos suportes de representação e que nem todo material concreto tem o mesmo efeito sobre a resolução de problemas, sendo necessário considerar, além de seu caráter manipulativo, a relação entre os referentes das quantidades e o material disponibilizado.

This study examines how different types of concrete materials (specific and non-specific) influence children's comprehension when solving multiplication and division problems. Forty 8-year-old children were divided into two groups, and asked to solve the same problems. The children in Group 1 (non-specific) were given plastic tokens. The children in Group 2 (specific) were given objects which had a direct relation to the referents of the quantities mentioned in the problems (e.g., vases and flowers, toy cars and boxes). The specific concrete materials favoured performance and the use of more appropriate procedures than non-specific concrete materials. The conclusion was that the child's comprehension is influenced by the representational support available to him/her, and that not all concrete materials have the same effect on problem solving. It is necessary to consider not only the manipulative nature of the material, but the relation between the referents of the quantities and the representational support available as well.

Efectos del sexo, el nivel educativo y el nivel económico en el afrontamiento de los problemas en personas muy mayores / Effects of gender, educational level and income on coping with problems in very old people

Introducción y objetivos: se sabe que el proceso de envejecimiento puede ser diferente en función de ciertas variables estructurales, como la edad, el sexo, el nivel educativo y el nivel económico. Por eso, es importante conocer si hay factores personales y contextuales que influyen en el uso diferencial de estrategias para afrontar los problemas en la vejez avanzada. Este trabajo ofrece un análisis del papel del sexo, el nivel educativo y el nivel económico en el modo de afrontar los problemas por parte de las personas muy mayores. Material y método: participaron 400 personas muy mayores de la ciudad de Salamanca. Se aplicó la Escala de Estrategias y Estilos de Afrontamiento (E3A) (Fernández-Abascal, 1997) y se recogió información sobre datos sociodemográficos. Resultados: los varones y las mujeres muy mayores se diferencian en el uso de las estrategias de afrontamiento para resolver el problema, planificación, control emocional, apoyo emocional, respuesta paliativa, negación y reacción depresiva. Las personas muy mayores, con un nivel económico medio-alto, aceptan más las consecuencias derivadas de sus problemas, aplazan más cualquier tipo de afrontamiento hasta obtener mayor información y tienden más a suprimir cognitivamente los efectos emocionales generados por la situación. Conclusiones: el sexo y el nivel económico marcan diferencias en el modo de afrontar los problemas que acompañan al proceso de envejecimiento de las personas muy mayores

Introduction and objectives: the ageing process is known to differ depending on certain structural variables such as age, gender, educational level and income. Accordingly, it is important to know whether there are personal and contextual factors that influence the use of strategies for coping with problems in very old age. The present study analyses the role of gender, educational level and income in the way in which the very old cope with problems. Material and method: four-hundred very old people from the city of Salamanca (Spain) took part. The Coping Styles and Strategies Scale (Fernández-Abascal, 1997) was applied and sociodemographic data were collected. Results: very old men and women differ in their use of coping strategies to solve problems; they also differ in planning, emotional control, emotional support, palliative response, denial and depressive responses. Very old people with a medium-high incomes more readily accept consequences arising from their problems, are more likely to put off any kind of coping until more information is received and tend to cognitively suppress the emotional effects generated by the situation. Conclusions: gender and income lead to differences in strategies for coping with problems during the ageing process amongst the very old

The Tower of London spatial problem-solving task: enhancing clinical and research implementation.

Since its development in 1982, The Tower of London (TOL; Shallice, 1982) spatial problem-solving task has been increasingly employed in test batteries of executive functions. This task has served as a rich source of information on preparation, planning and processing, but a number of issues remain unaddressed in the literature: (1) the problem structure, or problem space of the task, (2) the impact of modifications from the original, Shallice TOL, and (3) the variety of performance measures that can be derived from the TOL. We present here an overview of these issues in the hope that it may lead to a more effective and reasoned use of the TOL task by clinical and nonclinical investigators, alike.

Aspectos cognitivos e comportamentais na média meninice de crianças nascidas pré-termo e com muito baixo peso / Cognitive and behavioral aspects of preterm low birthweight children at school age

O objetivo deste estudo consiste em avaliar o desenvolvimento cognitivo e o comportamento de 20 crianças de 8 a 10 anos nascidas pré-termo e baixo peso (<=1500g) no HCFMRP. Na avaliação cognitiva utilizou-se o RAVEN, o WISC e a avaliação assistida e na avaliação de comportamento utilizou-se a Escala de Rutter. Verificou-se que as crianças apresentaram desempenho intelectual na média, tendendo ao rebaixamento cognitivo. Na avaliação cognitiva assistida, a maior parte das crianças foi classificada como ganhadora e foram capazes, com a ajuda da examinadora, de implementar e manter estratégias eficientes para a resolução do problema. Quanto ao comportamento, foram detectados índices sugestivos de necessidade de atendimento psicológico para a maioria das crianças. Verificaram-se correlações significativas entre os resultados das avaliações cognitivas ente si e entre estas e a do comportamento. Os resultados apontam para a necessidade de seguimento psicológico longitudinal desse grupo de risco para problemas de desenvolvimento(AU)

Two intact executive capacities in children with autism: implications for the core executive dysfunctions in the disorder.

Many studies have shown that children with autism perform at a much lower level than control subjects on tests of executive functioning, defined as tasks requiring subjects to hold information in mind while suppressing a prepotent response. These tasks have invariably required subjects to (a) follow arbitrary and novel rules and (b) make a nonverbal response. We report that when one of these features is absent, children with autism are not impaired relative to controls. They perform at a similar level to normally developing children on the "tubes" task (containing no arbitrary and novel rules) and on the day/night task (in which the output is verbal). Results are consistent, at least, with the hypothesis that children with autism are challenged by executive tasks because they are unlikely to encode rules in a verbal form.