Does Frequency of Interruptions Amplify the Effect of Various Types of Interruptions? Experimental Evidence

The aim of this experiment was to determine if the frequency of interruptions during an interaction amplifies the effect of the type of the interruptions on the interruptee (the amplification hypothesis). While interviewing 90 participants, two confederates manipulated four different kinds of interruptions (change-subject, same-subject, disagreement, and supportive interruptions) at two different frequencies (mean rates, 1.58 and 2.94 per minute), in addition to a no-interruption control condition. At the end of the interview, the participants were asked to answer questions about themselves, the interlocutor, and the situation. The results showed that the negative effects of change- and same-subject interruptions were amplified when they were more frequent, as were the positive effects of supportive interruptions. Contrary to expectations, disagreement interruptions were regarded as positive. All the results provide support for the amplification hypothesis.     

University Students’ Sense of Belonging to the Home Town: The Role of Residential Mobility

In the study of young people’s relationships with residential contexts, it is important to consider the role of developmental tasks (e.g. identity construction, academic and professional choices, etc.) in influencing Place Identity and Sense of Community. Residential mobility may represent an adaptive strategy for modifying some aspects of one’s identity and a contributing factor to the development of autonomy from the family. Limited attention has been devoted to the study of the ways young people deal with their attachments to old and new places within this process. This study involved 203 university students, attending a large university in the North of Portugal. The aim was to investigate Place Identity (PI) and Sense of Community (SoC) related to the home town, and differences according to residential condition (native vs. temporary resident) and year of attendance (I vs. IV). Among students who moved, the role of motives (forced vs. voluntary) and of residential choices after graduation on PI and SoC were assessed. Results indicated that, among students who moved for academic reasons, SoC and PI related to the home town were lower and decreased from the first to the fourth year. SoC was higher among students who experienced the relocation as a forced choice. Students who anticipated to return to their home town after graduation had higher SoC and PI.     

Effects of the 5th and 7th grade enhanced versions of the keepin' it REAL substance use prevention curriculum

This study assessed the outcomes of adapting the culturally-grounded, middle school, substance-use prevention intervention, keepin ' it REAL (kiR), to target elementary school students and to address acculturation. At the beginning of 5th grade, 29 schools were randomly assigned to conditions obtained by crossing grade of implementation (5th, 7th, 5th + 7th, and control/comparison) by curriculum version [kiR-Plus vs. kiR-Acculturation Enhanced (AE)]. Students (n = 1984) completed 6 assessments through the end of 8th grade. The kiR curricula generally appear no more effective than the comparison schools' programming. Students receiving either version of the kiR intervention in only the 5th grade report greater increases in substance use than did control students. Receiving the kiR-AE version twice (both 5th and 7th grades) has benefits over receiving it once.     

Mexican/Mexican American Adolescents and keepin' it REAL: An Evidence-Based Substance Use Prevention Program

A randomized trial tested the efficacy of three curriculum versions teaching drug resistance strategies, one modeled on Mexican American culture; another modeled on European American and African American culture; and a multicultural version. Self-report data at baseline and 14 months post-intervention were obtained from 3, 402 Mexican heritage students in 35 Arizona middle schools, including 11 control sites. Tests for intervention effects used simultaneous regression models, multiple imputation of missing data, and adjustments for random effects. Compared with controls, students in the Latino version reported less overall substance use and marijuana use, stronger intentions to refuse substances, greater confidence they could do so, and lower estimates of substance-using peers. Students in the multicultural version reported less alcohol, marijuana, and overall substance use. Although program effects were confined to the Latino and multicultural versions, tests of their relative efficacy compared with the non-Latino version found no significant differences. Implications for evidence-based practice and prevention program designs are discussed, including the role of school social workers in culturally grounded prevention.