Form Perception of Partly Occluded Shapes in 4‐Month‐Old Infants

Two habituation experiments were conducted to investigate how 4‐month‐old infants perceive partly occluded shapes. In the first experiment, we presented a simple, partly occluded shape to the infants until habituation was reached. Then we showed either a probable completion (one that would be predicted on the basis of both local and global cues) or an improbable completion. Longer looking times were found for the improbably completed shape (compared to probable and control conditions), suggesting that the probable shape was perceived during partial occlusion. In the second experiment, infants were habituated to more ambiguous partly occluded shapes, where local and global cues would result in different completions. For adults, the percept of these shapes is usually dominated by global influences. However, after habituation the infants looked longer at the globally completed shapes. These results suggest that by the age of 4 months, infants are able to infer the perceptual completion of partly occluded shapes, but for more ambiguous shapes, this completion seems to be dominated by local influences.     

How School Contexts Shape the Relations Among Adolescents’ Beliefs,Peer Victimization,and Depressive Symptoms

The present research examined how school contexts shape the extent to which beliefs about the potential for change (implicit theories) interact with social adversity to predict depressive symptoms. A preregistered multilevel regression analysis using data from 6,237 ninth‐grade adolescents in 25 U.S. high schools showed a three‐way interaction: Implicit theories moderated the associations between victimization and depressive symptoms only in schools with high levels of school‐level victimization, but not in schools with low victimization levels. In high‐victimization schools, adolescents who believed that people cannot change (an entity theory of personality) were more depressed when they were victimized more frequently. Thus, the mental health correlates of adolescents’ implicit theories depend on both personal experiences and the norms in the context.     

Using best available science to protect critical areas in Washington state: challenges and barriers to planners

Urban development has profound impacts on ecological patterns and processes making the scientific information required for developing environmental ordinances central for mitigating these negative ecological impacts. Washington State requires that planners use the best available science (BAS) to formulate land use ordinances as part of the state’s Growth Management Act (GMA). We present empirical findings describing challenges to planners in defining “best available science” and using BAS to create local ordinances that balance development needs with natural resource protection. We interviewed city and county planners (and their consultants) in western Washington to determine what they find useful about BAS, whether or not BAS is applicable to their jurisdictions, and what constraints they experience in reviewing and using BAS to create or update their land use ordinances. Our results suggest that applying the BAS requirement is particularly difficult in urban areas. Specifically, planners had difficulty applying results from research conducted in systems dissimilar to their urban landscapes. These challenges to planners were exacerbated by (1) a lack of resources and (2) political tensions among stakeholders with competing values in urban settings. We conclude with recommendations for improving the consideration of science in statewide land-use planning.     

The (non) gradual association of popularity with peer‐nominated and observed behavior in a cooperative and competitive context

Popularity among peers might be related to behavior in gradual or non‐gradual ways. In this research, a popularity subgroups approach was used to examine whether some behaviors were associated with only specific levels of popularity. Moreover, observational data in popularity research is valuable yet scarce. This research, therefore, also examined the association between popularity and observed behavior in a cooperative and competitive setting. In total, 182 early adolescents (58.2% girls, M_age = 10.7 years) completed peer nominations and were observed during a cooperative and a competitive task in groups of four. Results show that affective ties increased gradually with increasing popularity, but that relational aggression, bullying and attention‐attracting qualities distinguished popular adolescents from other early adolescents, and victimization distinguished unpopular adolescents from the other early adolescents. Observations showed that high popularity was defined by high levels of negative behavior, prosocial resource control, skillful leadership, and influence, with the effect of popularity on influence being stronger in the cooperative than the competitive setting. Using multiple methods, and taking context into account, a more complete behavioral profile of different levels of popularity is provided.     

Daytime Sleepiness,Poor Sleep Quality,Eveningness Chronotype,and Common Mental Disorders Among Chilean College Students

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate whether daytime sleepiness, poor sleep quality, and morningness and eveningness preferences are associated with common mental disorders (CMDs) among college students. Methods: A total of 963 college students completed self-administered questionnaires that collected information about sociodemographic characteristics, sleep quality characteristics, CMDs, and other lifestyle behaviors. Results: The prevalence of CMDs was 24.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] [21.5%, 27.1%]) among all students. Prevalence estimates of both excessive daytime sleepiness and poor sleep quality were higher among females (35.4% and 54.4%) than males (22.0% and 45.8%). Cigarette smoking was statistically significantly and positively associated with having CMDs (p = .034). Excessive daytime sleepiness (odds ratio [OR] = 3.65; 95% CI [2.56, 4.91]) and poor sleep quality (OR = 4.76; 95% CI [3.11, 7.29]) were associated with increased odds of CMDs. Conclusion: Given the adverse health consequences associated with both sleep disorders and CMDs, improving sleep hygiene among college students is imperative to public health.     

The Tension between Mainstream Competence and Specialization in Adult Protection: An Evaluation of the Role of the Adult Protection Co-ordinator

With the implementation of No Secrets (Department of Health, 2000),the question of how far to specialize in adult protection hasbeen raised for social services departments. Related issuesinclude the extent of specialization within the vulnerable adultclient groups as well as between adult protection specialistsand other workers. This paper draws on an evaluation of therole of the adult protection co-ordinator across two local authoritysocial services departments (the case study) who share adultprotection policies, protocols and procedures but where thespecialist role has only partially been implemented and hasevolved in different ways. It identifies a number of criticalconsiderations for the local implementation of national policy,including the particular model for adult protection specialization,working relationships with district management and care management,decision making and accountability, adult protection case managementand the development of mainstream competence in adult protection.     

Toni Morrison and the Idea of Africa

Southern Slavery and the Law, 1619–1860. Thomas D. Morris. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 1996. x, 575pp. $49.95. ISBN 0–8078–2238–8.

Slavery, the Civil Law, and the Supreme Court of Louisiana. Judith Kelleher Schafer. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. 1994. xix, 389pp. $32.95. ISBN: 0–8071–1845–1.     

The Management and Practice of Joint Adult Protection Investigations between Health and Social Services: Issues Arising from a Training Intervention

The implementation of government policy for the protection of vulnerable adults [Department of Health (2000 Department of Health. 2000. No Secrets: Guidance on Developing and Implementing Multi‐agency Policies and Procedures to Protect Vulnerable Adults from Abuse, London: HMSO.  [Google Scholar]) No Secrets] has set expectations for the development of multi‐agency policies and procedures in adult protection in England. Multi‐agency working in adult protection mainly concerns complex cases involving more than one service user or where a number of managers or practitioners are involved. However, these also tend to be the most serious abuse cases where the necessity for effective inter‐agency co‐ordination collaboration between social services authorities (local authorities) and health trusts (NHS) is most acute, especially with the development of partnership working such as in learning disability [Department of Health (2001 Department of Health. 2001. Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century, London: Department of Health.  [Google Scholar]) Valuing People]. Moreover, effective collaboration with the police in the conduct of adult protection casework and process is required for cases where criminal offences may have been committed. These demands put high expectations on the professionals involved. Based on a series of joint training interventions between social services and health personnel in Kent, this paper identifies key issues for the effective performance of joint adult protection investigations and maps both the challenges and management and practice competencies required. Potential solutions to the complexities of managing multi‐agency investigations in adult protection were identified with potential relevance to improving adult protection case management and co‐ordination more widely.     

Social Development and Minimum Standards in Social Work Education in South Africa

This paper evaluates how well South African minimum standards for social work education, known as Exit Level Outcomes, are aligned to a social development paradigm. Developmental social work is a relatively new approach in social work education internationally, and this article can therefore provide lessons for other countries using this paradigm in an education model based on national minimum standards.

The complexities and difficulties of using a minimum standards approach in education are discussed and the policy context for the development of these standards in South Africa is explained. The use of a social development framework for the analysis is motivated in relation to its relevance to the social context. Nine criteria for a social development perspective were drawn from the literature to form an analytical framework. A content analysis using this framework was done on the minimum standards.

The results show that the minimum standards are generally aligned with social development principles that drive national priorities, but a few significant gaps exist, which are outlined and discussed. This article attempts to grapple with the complexities of using these minimum standards to drive both curricula related and extra curricula activities in social work education in South Africa