Behind Closed Doors: An Exploration of Kinky Sexual Behaviors in Urban Lesbian and Bisexual Women

This study of 347 urban, self-identified lesbian (n = 289) and bisexual (n = 58) women examined women's engaging in 4 kinky sexual behaviors: bondage/domination, sadomasochism, photo/video exhibitionism, and asphyxiation/breath play. A cross-sectional, brief-intercept survey was administered at 2 New York City gay, lesbian, and bisexual community events. Over 40% reported engaging in at least 1 of these behaviors, and 25% reported engaging in multiple behaviors. Bisexual women were more likely to have engaged in any kinky sexual behavior and photo/video exhibitionism. White women were more likely than women of color to have engaged in bondage/domination. Compared to older women, younger women were more likely to have engaged in photo/video exhibitionism and asphyxiation/breath play. Participants who were younger when they came out to others, and younger at their same-sex sexual debut, were more likely to have engaged in any and each of the behaviors compared to women who were older at those developmental events.     

The Hassles Assessment Scale for Students in College: measuring the frequency and unpleasantness of and dwelling on stressful events.

Development of the Hassles Assessment Scale for Students in College, a new scale to measure students' stress, is described. In the scale, students rate each of 54 hassles for its frequency and unpleasantness in the past month and indicate the degree to which they dwelt or ruminated on it. Very high levels of internal consistency for the frequency, unpleasantness, and dwelling measures were found. Correlational analyses demonstrated the scale's criterion validity (scores were negatively correlated with the number of hours respondents reported engaging in physical exercise) and congruent validity (scores were positively correlated with scores on the Inventory of College Students' Recent Life Experience, an established scale for assessing student hassles). Exploratory factor analyses suggested the possibility that many items on the scale are independent, with each contributing some specific variance to the total variance of the item pool that is not shared with other items.     

Illusory Control, Gambling, and Video Gaming: An Investigation of Regular Gamblers and Video Game Players

There is a paucity of empirical research examining the possible association between gambling and video game play. In two studies, we examined the association between video game playing, erroneous gambling cognitions, and risky gambling behaviour. One hundred and fifteen participants, including 65 electronic gambling machine (EGM) players and 50 regular video game players, were administered a questionnaire that examined video game play, gambling involvement, problem gambling, and beliefs about gambling. We then assessed each groups' performance on a computerised gambling task that involved real money. A post-game survey examined perceptions of the skill and chance involved in the gambling task. The results showed that video game playing itself was not significantly associated with gambling involvement or problem gambling status. However, among those persons who both gambled and played video games, video game playing was uniquely and significantly positively associated with the perception of direct control over chance-based gambling events. Further research is needed to better understand the nature of this association, as it may assist in understanding the impact of emerging digital gambling technologies.     

Irrational thinking among slot machine players

According to the cognitive perspective on gambling, regular gamblers persist in trying to win money at gambling because they hold a set of false beliefs about the nature of gambling, the likelihood of winning, and their own expertise. In order to investigate this claim, twenty seven university students were recruited who played one of three types of games at least twice a week: slot machines, video draw poker, and video amusement games. Subjects played their preferred machines on site (clubs, hotels and amusement arcades) first for at least thirty minutes and then the other two games for a minimum of twenty minutes each. During play, each subject spoke aloud into a microphone describing what he or she was doing or thinking about in the game. It was hypothesised that slot machine players would verbalise more irrational thinking than video poker or video amusement players and that slot machines would elicit more irrational thinking than video poker or video amusement machines. Most importantly, it was hypothesised that slot machine players would exhibit relatively greater amounts of irrational thinking when playing their preferred game. The data supported all three hypotheses. Out of all of the statements made by slot machine players when playing slot machines, 38% were categorised irrational. Furthermore, 80% of the strategic statements made by slot machine players while playing slot machines were categorised as irrational. These results are consistent with earlier work which showed high levels of irrational thinking in artificial gambling games. Together, the results provide support for a cognitive view of the origins of gambling problems.     

How students evaluate university programmes for older people: A comparison between two models in Spain

This study examines how older students evaluate the University Programme for Older People (UPOP) they participate in, and how such evaluation might vary depending on the type of UPOP. The sample was made up of 257 older students (mean age = 67.6 years) and was gathered from two UPOP models, one structured as Older People Classrooms (134 participants) and the second one as University of Experience (123 participants). Participants completed a questionnaire evaluating different dimensions of the programme and two incomplete sentences to identify its weak and strong points. Overall, results suggest that older students are very satisfied with the educational experience. Apart from attracting a different profile of student (younger and more involved), University of Experience students seem to give more importance to methodological issues when compared to Older People Classroom counterparts. These results are discussed in the context of new strategies to improve university courses aimed at older people.     

Impact of Widowhood on Parent–Child Relations: Does Parents' Personality Matter?

The authors evaluated the extent to which the short‐term effect of late life widowhood on parent–child relationships is moderated by 5 personality traits—Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness to Experience—and how these interactive effects differ by gender. Data were from the Changing Lives of Older Couples Study (N = 1,532). The results indicated that the effects of widowhood on positive and negative interactions with children were significantly moderated by Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Openness to Experience. An agreeable personality helped widowed persons receive more positive interactions, whereas Openness to Experience reduced negative interactions. Widowed persons with higher Extraversion reported more negative interactions. Furthermore, moderating effects of Extraversion and Openness to Experience differed by gender; specifically, higher Extraversion scores predicted increased positive interactions with children for widowed women but decreased positive interactions for widowed men. The significant association between Openness to Experience and decreased negative interactions with children was more apparent among men than among women.     

A review of Australian classification practices for commercial video games featuring simulated gambling

This paper reviews Australian classification practices for commercial video games that contain simulated gambling. In the last decade, over 100 video games featuring gambling simulations have been classified as suitable for commercial sale to youth in Australia, with 69 of these video games rated ‘PG’ for Parental Guidance Recommended (i.e. suitable for ages 8+years) and the remaining 33 rated ‘G’ for General (i.e. suitable for all ages). A review of the literature suggests that consumer advice and warnings related to video game material are often inconsistent and/or not adequately provided. A public health approach suggests that the presence of gambling content in video games may present risks to younger players unfamiliar with how gambling operates. It is argued that there is a need for further academic debate on social responsibility issues of early childhood and adolescent exposure to, and involvement in, simulated gambling activities available in interactive gaming technologies.     

A new single transferable vote method and its axiomatic justification

We propose a new method for conducting Single transferable vote (STV) elections and provide a unified method for describing classic STV procedures (the Gregory Method, the inclusive Gregory method and the Weighted inclusive Gregory method) as an iterative procedure. We also propose a modification for quota definition that improves the theoretical properties of the procedures. The method is justified by utilising a new set of axioms. We show that this method extends the Weighted inclusive Gregory method with the modified definition of quota and random equiprobable selection of a winning coalition in each iteration. The results are extended to the methods, allowing fractional numbers of votes.     

Manipulations of the Features of Standard Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) Games: Effects in Pathological and Non-Pathological Gamblers

The present study was conducted to identify game parameters that would reduce the risk of abuse of video lottery terminals (VLTs) by pathological gamblers, while exerting minimal effects on the behavior of non-pathological gamblers. Three manipulations of standard VLT game features were explored. Participants were exposed to: a counter which displayed a running total of money spent; a VLT spinning reels game where participants could no longer stop the reels by touching the screen; and sensory feature manipulations. In control conditions, participants were exposed to standard settings for either a spinning reels or a video poker game. Dependent variables were self-ratings of reactions to each set of parameters. A set of 2(3) × 2 × 2 (game manipulation [experimental condition(s) vs. control condition] × game [spinning reels vs. video poker] × gambler status [pathological vs. non-pathological]) repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted on all dependent variables. The findings suggest that the sensory manipulations (i.e., fast speed/sound or slow speed/no sound manipulations) produced the most robust reaction differences. Before advocating harm reduction policies such as lowering sensory features of VLT games to reduce potential harm to pathological gamblers, it is important to replicate findings in a more naturalistic setting, such as a real bar.     

Healthcare Providers’ Nonverbal Behavior can Lead Patients to Show Their Pain More Accurately: An Analogue Study

Accurate pain assessment is a joint function of both the judge perceiving correct (valid) cues of pain and targets displaying valid indicators of pain. The present research examined whether the judgeability of pain expressions could be altered by manipulating the nonverbal supportiveness of a videotaped physician who guided targets through an experimentally induced pain experience in the laboratory. Ten-s video clips of these targets during their pain experience were viewed by 95 naïve judges who assessed each target’s pain on an 11-point numeric rating scale. In addition, the video clips were rated by independent coders on 9-point scales (focused, calm, tense, distressed, composed, fidgety, determined, bored, and nervous). Judges’ pain assessment accuracy was calculated by correlating their inferred pain rating for each target with targets’ self-reported pain. Pain targets assigned to interact with the nonverbally supportive physician displayed more valid impressions of their pain and judges had higher pain assessment accuracy when viewing these targets compared to targets assigned to interact with the nonverbally unsupportive physician. Interventions for caregivers and healthcare providers that emphasize the importance of nonverbal behavior when interacting with pain sufferers are discussed.     

At Home with Video Cameras

ABSTRACT

This article presents a study in which French families have been observed over one week each, with the aim of contributing to the understanding of home activities through video ethnography. This study also seeks to inform the design of home technology (ubiquitous computing) by examining the details of daily life. We used an ethnomethodogically informed reflexive approach to collected video data that meant including household members' orientations to the recording equipment in our analysis. This shows how examining these orientations is valuable not only in terms of understanding family activities at home but also in terms of informing the design of new technology. We demonstrate how the presence of recording equipment can play a role in the routine accomplishment of home life. Some implications of these analyses for the design of home technology are discussed, by focusing on the potential significance of introducing pervasive video cameras in the domestic sphere.     

The Clinical Uses of Video Therapy in the Treatment of Childhood Sexual Trauma Survivors

The power of visual images, combined with the increased availability of video taping equipment, has dramatically expanded the use of recorded images in psychotherapy over the past three decades. However, it appears that earlier video feedback techniques may not have fully capitalized on this modality's potential for catalyzing therapeutic change. Further, we have found scant literature on the use of video therapy in the treatment of adult survivors of sexual trauma. Drawing conceptually from a trauma model, as well as from cognitive behavioral and systemic/cybernetic frameworks, this article describes the therapeutic use of video therapy in the treatment of childhood sexual abuse. In video therapy, the patient is directed to independently view video recordings of therapy sessions to help correct cognitive and affective distortions resulting from trauma. How these distortions develop within the context of an incest "family trance" and how they are connected with processes of conditioning and programming are discussed. Further, the use of video therapy for marital therapy, perpetrator confrontations, and addressing suicidal impulses is described. The need for further empirical research is highlighted.     

Oh,Behave!

Behavior is essential for understanding infant learning and development. Although behavior is transient and ephemeral, we have the technology to make it tangible and enduring. Video uniquely captures and preserves the details of behavior and the surrounding context. By sharing videos for documentation and data reuse, we can exploit the tremendous opportunities provided by infancy research and overcome the important challenges in studying behavior. The Datavyu video coding software and Databrary digital video library provide tools and infrastructure for mining and sharing the richness of video. This article is based on my Presidential Address to the International Congress on Infant Studies in New Orleans, May 22, 2016 (Video 1 at https://www.databrary.org/volume/955/slot/39352/-?asset=190106 ). Given that the article describes the power of video for understanding behavior, I use video clips rather than static images to illustrate most of my points, and the videos are shared on the Databrary library.     

Video lottery gambling: Effects on pathological gamblers seeking treatment in South Dakota

Fifty-eight pathological gamblers receiving treatment for addictive illness in two South Dakota hospitals were assessed for types of gambling and grouped into three categories; 15 video lottery only (VLO), 36 video lottery mixed (VLM), and 7 not video lottery (NVL). There were 51 male and 7 female respondents, with a mean age of 38.2. We hypothesized that video lottery would be the predominant type of gambling on several dimensions: level of recent activity, most money lost on one occasion, and number of DSM-IV criteria met. Of all gamblers, 87.9% had pathological involvement with video lottery. Video lottery gambling accounted for the highest level of recent activity. In the VLM group, video lottery gambling led to greater single-occasion monetary losses. In addition, significantly more DSM-IV criteria were met in the VLM group for video lottery gambling than for other forms of gambling these subjects had engaged in. Results indicate that video lottery gambling is the predominant type of gambling behavior engaged in by gamblers seeking treatment for addictive illness in South Dakota. We propose that these findings could be associated with the availability and stimulus differences between video lottery and other gambling types.The authors would like to thank Larry Atwood, Chemical Dependency Counselor at Keystone Treatment Center in Canton, S.D., for his assistance with data collection.     

Personality traits,preferences and educational choices: A focus on STEM

Around the developed world, the need for graduates from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields is growing. Research on educational and occupational choice has traditionally focused on the cognitive skills of prospective students, and on how these determine the expected costs and benefits of study programs. Little work exists that analyzes the role of personality traits on study choice. This study investigates how personality traits relate to preferences of students for STEM studies and occupations, and to specialization choice in high school. We use a rich data set that combines administrative and survey data of Dutch secondary education students. We find that personality traits are related to both the preference that students have for STEM as the actual decision to specialize in STEM studies, but to different degrees. We identify significant relations with preference indicators for all Big Five traits, especially for Openness to Experience (positive), Extraversion and Agreeableness (both negative). The size of these relations is often larger than those between cognitive skills and STEM preferences. Personality traits are comparatively less important with respect to the actual specialization choice, for which we identify a robust (and sizable) negative relation with Extraversion, and for girls find a positive relation with Openness to Experience. The results suggest that once students have to make actual study choice decisions, they rely more on cognitive skills rather than personality traits, in contrast to their expressed preferences.     

Effects of 360° video on attitudes toward disaster communication: Mediating and moderating roles of spatial presence and prior disaster media involvement

Visual media technologies such as 360° video, augmented reality, and virtual reality are on the rise for immersive storytelling in a variety of public relations contexts. Yet there is a profound lack of scholarly research in public relations, crisis communication, and disaster communication to explore the effects of content displayed using these delivery formats on publics’ responses. To begin addressing the knowledge gap, this work reports results from a laboratory experiment investigating effects of media modality (traditional unidirectional video content vs. 360° omnidirectional video content) on attitudes toward the disaster communication content. Results demonstrate that 360° video featuring the aftermath of a natural disaster yields enhanced attitudes toward the helpful impact of the content. Importantly, mediation analyses show that (1) a sense of spatial presence underlies these effects, and (2) the mediating effects of spatial presence are attenuated by involvement with similar disaster media coverage (indirect experience).     

Video Deficit in Toddlers’ Object Retrieval: What Eye Movements Reveal About Online Cognition

The purpose of this study was to determine whether toddlers exhibit different eye‐movement patterns when watching real events versus video demonstrations in an object‐retrieval task. Twenty‐four‐month‐olds (N = 36) searched for a sticker on a felt board after watching an experimenter hide it behind a felt object in person or via video. Eye movements during the hiding event were recorded. Compared to those watching in‐person events, children watching video spent more time looking at the target location overall, yet they had relatively poor search performance. Visual attention to the target location predicted search performance in the video condition only; children who watched in‐person hiding events had high success rates even if they paid relatively little visual attention to the correct location. Findings are consistent with the hypothesis that toddlers process information more quickly for in‐person (versus video) events, enabling them to learn as well (or better) despite relatively low selective attention. Thus, relatively poor encoding, as well as memory retrieval, may underlie the video deficit.