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Process Research (process + research)
Selected AbstractsDefining the moment of erosion: the principle of thermal consonance timingEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 13 2005D. M. LawlerArticle first published online: 9 DEC 200 Abstract Geomorphological process research demands quantitative information on erosion and deposition event timing and magnitude, in relation to fluctuations in the suspected driving forces. This paper establishes a new measurement principle , thermal consonance timing (TCT) , which delivers clearer, more continuous and quantitative information on erosion and deposition event magnitude, timing and frequency, to assist understanding of the controlling mechanisms. TCT is based on monitoring the switch from characteristically strong temperature gradients in sediment, to weaker gradients in air or water, which reveals the moment of erosion. The paper (1) derives the TCT principle from soil micrometeorological theory; (2) illustrates initial concept operationalization for field and laboratory use; (3) presents experimental data for simple soil erosion simulations; and (4) discusses initial application of TCT and perifluvial micrometeorology principles in the delivery of timing solutions for two bank erosion events on the River Wharfe, UK, in relation to the hydrograph. River bank thermal regimes respond, as soil temperature and energy balance theory predicts, with strong horizontal thermal gradients (often >1 K cm,1 over 6·8 cm). TCT fixed the timing of two erosion events, the first during inundation, the second 19 h after the discharge peak and 13 h after re-emergence from the flow. This provides rare confirmation of delayed bank retreat, quantifies the time-lag involved, and suggests mass failure processes rather than fluid entrainment. Erosion events can be virtually instantaneous, implying ,catastrophic retreat' rather than ,progressive entrainment'. Considerable potential exists to employ TCT approaches for: validating process models in several geomorphological contexts; assisting process identification and improving discrimination of competing hypotheses of process dominance through high-resolution, simultaneous analysis of erosion and deposition events and driving forces; defining shifting erodibility and erosion thresholds; refining dynamic linkages in event-based sediment budget investigations; and deriving closer approximations to ,true' erosion and deposition rates, especially in self-concealing scour-and-fill systems. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Caregiver Depressive Symptoms and Observed Family Interaction in Low-Income Children with Persistent AsthmaFAMILY PROCESS, Issue 1 2008MARIANNE CELANO PH.D. This study examined the relationship between caregiver depressive symptoms and observed parenting behaviors and family processes during interactions among 101 urban, low-income Africtan American families with children with persistent asthma. Caregivers (primarily female) were assessed on four dimensions (i.e., warmth/involvement, hostility, consistent discipline, relationship quality) in three videotaped interaction tasks (loss, conflict, cohesion). The results indicated that increased depressive symptoms were significantly associated with lower warmth/involvement and synchrony scores and greater hostility scores during the loss and conflict tasks. In the total sample, the highest levels of hostility and the lowest levels of warmth/involvement were found for the conflict task; nevertheless, caregivers with moderate/severe depressive symptoms showed a significantly greater increase in hostility from the loss to the conflict task than caregivers with minimal/mild depressive symptoms. The findings highlight the salience of considering task content in family observational process research to expand our understanding of depressed and nondepressed caregivers' abilities to modulate appropriately their behaviors and affect across various family interactions. Implications for improving asthma management for low-income children with persistent asthma are discussed, including the utility of multidisciplinary interventions that combine asthma education with family therapy. RESUMEN Síntomas de depresión en los responsables de los niños e interacción familiar observada en niños de familias de bajos ingresos que padecen asma crónica Este estudio examinó la relación entre los síntomas de depresión de los responsables de los niños y los comportamientos paternos y dinámicas familiares observados durante interacciones entre 101 familias afronorteamericanas, urbanas y de bajos recursos, con niños que padecen asma crónica. Los responsables de los niños (la mayoría mujeres) fueron evaluados en base a cuatro criterios: calidez/implicación, hostilidad, disciplina constante, y calidad de la relación) en tres tareas de interacción grabadas en cinta de video (pérdida, conflicto y cohesión). Los resultados demostraron que el aumento de los síntomas de depresión estaban relacionados de forma significativa con una menor puntuación en calidez/implicación y comprensión mutua, y una mayor puntuación en hostilidad durante las tareas de pérdida y conflicto. En la muestra total, los mayores niveles de hostilidad y menores niveles de calidez/implicación se encontraron en la tarea de conflicto; sin embargo, los responsables con síntomas de depresión de moderados a severos mostraron un aumento mucho mayor de la hostilidad, de la tarea de pérdida a la de conflicto, que los responsables con síntomas de mínimos a leves. Los resultados enfatizan la importancia de considerar el contenido de la tarea en la investigación observacional de familias para aumentar nuestra comprensión de las habilidades de los responsables de los niños, con o sin depresión, con el fin de modular de una manera apropiada su comportamiento y afecto en diferentes interacciones familiares. Las medidas para mejorar el control del asma en niños que padecen asma crónica y provienen de familias de bajos ingresos están en debate, incluida la utilidad de intervenciones multidisciplinarias que combinen formación sobre el asma con terapia familiar. [source] Intervention fidelity in family-based prevention counseling for adolescent problem behaviorsJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2005Aaron Hogue This study examined fidelity in multidimensional family prevention (MDFP), a family-based prevention counseling model for adolescents at high risk for substance abuse and related behavior problems, in comparison to two empirically based treatments for adolescent drug abuse: multidimensional family therapy (MDFT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Randomly selected videotapes of 109 MDFP sessions, 57 MDFT sessions, and 31 CBT sessions were observationally rated along two key dimensions of implementation: intervention parameters and intervention techniques. Overall, MDFP was similar to MDFT and different from CBT in a manner congruent with its theoretical principles of interactional, systemic intervention. However, deficiencies in parental monitoring and developmental knowledge interventions point the way for continued model development. The utility of fidelity process research for conveying intervention technology along the prevention-treatment continuum of mental health services is discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 191,211, 2005. [source] Feasibility of Using Interactive Voice Response to Monitor Daily Drinking, Moods, and Relationship Processes on a Daily Basis in Alcoholic CouplesALCOHOLISM, Issue 3 2010James A. Cranford Background:, Daily process research on alcohol involvement has used paper-and-pencil and electronic data collection methods, but no studies have yet tested the feasibility of using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to monitor drinking, affective, and social interactional processes among alcoholic (ALC) couples. This study tested the feasibility of using IVR with n = 54 ALC couples. Methods:, Participants were n = 54 couples (probands who met criteria for a past 1-year alcohol use disorder and their partners) recruited from a substance abuse treatment center and the local community. Probands and their partners reported on their daily drinking, marital interactions, and moods once a day for 14 consecutive days using an IVR system. Probands and partners were on average 43.4 and 43.0 years old, respectively. Results:, Participants completed a total of 1,418 out of a possible 1,512 diary days for an overall compliance rate of 93.8%. ALC probands completed an average of 13.3 (1.0) diary reports, and partners completed an average of 13.2 (1.0) diary reports. On average, daily IVR calls lasted 7.8 (3.0) minutes for ALC probands and 7.6 (3.0) minutes for partners. Compliance was significantly lower on weekend days (Fridays and Saturdays) compared to other weekdays for probands and spouses. Although today's intoxication predicted tomorrow's noncompliance for probands but not spouses, the strongest predictor of proband's compliance was their spouse's compliance. Daily anxiety and marital conflict were associated with daily IVR nonresponse, which triggered automated reminder calls. Conclusions:, Findings supported that IVR is a useful method for collecting daily drinking, mood, and relationship process data from alcoholic couples. Probands' compliance is strongly associated with their partners' compliance, and automated IVR calls may facilitate compliance on high anxiety, high conflict days. [source] Using the Computer to Compare Foreign and Native Language Writing Processes: A Statistical and Case Study ApproachMODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2000Helga Thorson Writing process research has attracted significant attention in English composition studies. However, much less research exists on the relationship between foreign language (FL) and first language (L1) writing processes. This study focuses on whether university students studying a FL (in this case German) at an American university use the same processes and writing strategies in FL and L1 writing in two different genres (letter and article). Using a computerized tracking device, individual writing sessions were analyzed through statistical techniques and individual case studies. Statistical results provided evidence that students wrote less, but revised more, when writing in the FL than in the L1. In their L1, students tended to revise less in the letter genre than when writing an article. The author advocates using the computer for writing process research, given that it is an unobtrusive and efficient method of data collection and because it provides researchers with an easy way to replicate research and to share data. [source] INTEGRATION IN PSYCHOTHERAPY: AN EVOLVING REALITY IN PERSONALITY DISORDERBRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY, Issue 2 2000Anthony W Bateman ABSTRACT Psychotherapy continues to be bedevilled by ideological schisms with practitioners apparently ignoring alternative conceptualizations and potentially superior interventions. However, I argue here that there is evidence of a rapprochement, both in theory and in practice, between cognitive therapy and psychoanalytic therapy, especially within the domain of personality disorder, which may lead to the development of integrative psychotherapy. Cognitive therapy has begun to encompass an interpersonal approach within its theoretical base. Similarly, psychoanalytic therapy increasingly uses an interpersonal formulation of the process of therapy. The therapeutic alliance is emphasized equally and process research suggests that interventions, when given by experienced practitioners, are not as dissimilar as,brand-named' therapies imply. Continued refinement of process psychotherapy research could lead to true integration of efficacious therapeutic interventions. But translating research findings into practice will necessitate psychotherapists opening themselves up to each others' ideas. [source] |