Along with psychopathology, cognition has been one of the primary phenotypic focal points of the field of behavior genetics since its inception. Francis Galton's 1874 examination of eminent families in Britain was among the earliest attempts to investigate whether cognitive achievements run in families. This volume presents current methodologies for understanding cognitive abilities that move beyond the outdated nature vs. nurture paradigm. Recent advances in both collection and statistical modeling of twin data, particularly longitudinal twin data, make this an especially advantageous moment to produce a work that presents a collection of the groundbreaking research on cognitive abilities across the lifespan. This volume presents an overview of the current state of quantitative and molecular genetic investigations into the many facets of cognitive performance and functioning across the lifespan.

This book explains, with case examples, a variety of social science research methods suitable for studying the unconscious components of irrational social and political actions in world affairs, which can be defined as those that are intensely destructive, self-destructive, or extremely bizarre. The book argues that they are driven in part by feelings and fantasies that are outside of conscious awareness. Meyers explores the role of empathy in clinical understanding, as well as the value of exposing assertions to empirical disconfirmation. With a variety of research methods such as survey research, content analysis, and narrative analysis, and case examples such as studies of 'irreal' statements by authoritarian leaders, fabricated newspaper articles and climate change denial, this book sheds light on how to conduct research on psychodynamic matters in a scientifically valid and credible way.

This book covers the scope of current knowledge of cancer in the LGBT community across the entire cancer continuum, from understanding risk and prevention strategies in LGBT groups, across issues of diagnosis and treatment of LGBT patients, to unique aspects of survivorship and death and dying in these communities. Each chapter includes an in depth analysis of the state of the science, discusses the many remaining challenges and unanswered questions and makes recommendations for research, policy and programmatic strategies required to address these. Focus is also placed on the diversity of the LGBT communities. Issues that are unique to cancer in LGBT populations are addressed including the social, economic and cultural factors that affect cancer risk behaviors, barriers to screening, utilization of health care services, and legislation that directly impacts the health care of LGBT patients, healthcare settings that are heterosexist and unique aspects of patient-provider relationships such as disclosure of sexual orientation and the need for inclusion of expanded definition of family to include families of choice. The implications of policy change, its impact on healthcare for LGBT patients are highlighted, as are the remaining challenges that need to be addressed. A roadmap for LGBT cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, survivorship, including treatment and end of life care is offered for future researchers, policy makers, advocates and health care providers.

The Children's Court is one of society's most important social institutions. At the same time, it is steeped in controversy. This is in large measure due to the persistence and complexity of the problems with which it deals, namely, juvenile crime and child abuse and neglect. Despite the importance of the Children's Court as a means of holding young people accountable for their anti-social behaviour and parents for the care of their children, it has not been the subject of close study. Certainly it has not been previously studied nationally. This book, an edited collection, is based on the findings of study that spanned the six States and two Territories of Australia. The study sought to examine the current challenges faced by the Children's Court and to identify desirable and feasible directions for reform in each State and Territory. A further unique feature of this study is that it canvassed the views of judges and magistrates who preside over this court.

Acclaimed as a text and professional development tool, this user-friendly resource has now been revised and updated, and offers expanded coverage of collaborative action research (CAR) and participatory action research (PAR). Preservice and inservice educators get crucial step-by-step guidance for conducting classroom- and school-based studies to improve their instructional practices. Organized to mirror the full cycle of action research, the book provides balanced coverage of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Vivid vignettes and examples illustrate research approaches for a range of teaching and learning situations, school subjects, and age groups (PreK-12). Readers learn how research approaches are driven by the research question, as well as how to develop data collection strategies; design and/or evaluate assessment tools; interpret, analyze, report, and implement study results; and design a new cycle of research that builds on the previous one. New to This Edition *In-depth descriptions of CAR and PAR--which enable groups of teachers to work together to solve problems in a classroom or school--plus examples of both throughout the book. *Expanded or new discussions (with examples) of such topics as how research approaches and methods are driven by the research question, how to assess different types of reliability and validity, the differences between analysis and interpretation, and how to use sequential cycles of research for continuous improvement and professional development. *Fully updated references and resources. Pedagogical Features *Both individual and group exercises and activities in every chapter. *New and updated checklists and guidelines that enable busy educators to self-assess the progress and quality of their studies. *Sample templates to assist in development of research instruments. *Example boxes illustrating the components of an action research report. *Summary tables highlighting key aspects of different research strategies. *Chapter summaries (now shorter for ease of use) and suggestions for further reading.

This textbook takes a truly interdisciplinary approach to studying health psychology. It examines five systems that affect individual health outcomes: individual, family/community, social/physical environment, healthcare systems, and health policy. While grounded in psychology, it incorporates perspectives from anthropology, biology, economics, environmental studies, medicine, public health, and sociology. The social ecological perspective on health psychology creates a depth of understanding of the diverse facets of health. This text also examines health from a global perspective by exploring the impact of infectious and chronic illnesses locally, regionally and globally. This new edition includes updated statistics and references throughout, a new chapter on psychoneuroimmunology, and significant changes and updates to the chapters on health care systems and risky health behaviors. It will be of particular interest to undergraduate students. For additional resources, consult http://routledge.com/9781138201309, where instructors will find downloadable lecture slides, instructor manual, and testbank.

Practical Multilevel Modeling Using R provides students with a step-by-step guide for running their own multilevel analyses. Detailed examples illustrate the conceptual and statistical issues that multilevel modeling addresses in a way that is clear and relevant to students in applied disciplines. Clearly annotated R syntax illustrates how multilevel modeling (MLM) can be used, and real-world examples show why and how modeling decisions can affect results. The book covers all the basics but also important advanced topics such as diagnostics, detecting and handling heteroscedasticity, power analysis, and missing data handling methods. Unlike other detailed texts on MLM which are written at a very high level, this text with its applied focus and use of R software to run the analyses is much more suitable for students who have substantive research areas but are not training to be methodologists or statisticians. Each chapter concludes with a "Test Yourself" section, and solutions are available on the instructor website for the book. A companion R package is available for use with this text.

New data have come to light through the Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association Archive (hereafter, the Archive). This information is drawn from manuscripts and video featuring one of the SF founders, Insoo Kim Berg, MSW. Archive video examples of Ms. Berg conducting supervision, therapy teams, and case consultation as well as unpublished manuscripts written by her provide unique opportunities to illustrate specific assumptions and techniques rarely seen before. The documents outline Ms. Berg's philosophy, assumptions, and techniques to conduct supervision, and the videos offer in vivo examples of her supervision and team/case consultation style. Together, the Archive materials offer a rich resource for a book that both informs and illustrates SFS .

Research findings and dissemination are making healthcare more effective. Electronic health records systems and advanced tools are making care delivery more efficient. Legislative reforms are striving to make care more affordable. Efforts still need to be focused on making healthcare more accessible. Clinical Videoconferencing in Telehealth takes a comprehensive and vital step forward in providing mental health and primary care services for those who cannot make traditional office visits, live in remote areas, have transportation or mobility issues or have competing demands. Practical, evidence-based information is presented in a step by step format at two levels: for administrators, including information regarding selecting the right videoconferencing technology, navigating regulatory issues, policy temples, boilerplate language for entering into care agreements with other entities and practical solutions to multisite programming; and for clinicians, including protocols for safe, therapeutically sound practice, informed consent and tips for overcoming common technical barriers to communication in clinical videoconferencing contexts. Checklists, tables, templates, links, vignettes and other tools help to equip professional readers for providing safe services that are streamlined and relevant while avoiding guesswork, false starts and waste. The book takes a friendly-mentor approach to communication in areas such as: Logistics for administrators: Clinical videoconferencing infrastructures and technologies Policy development, procedures and tools for responsible and compliant programming Navigating issues related to providing services in multiple locations Protocols for clinicians: The informed consent process in clinical videoconferencing Clinical assessment and safety planning for remote services Minimizing communication disruption and optimizing the therapeutic alliance Clinical Videoconferencing in Telehealth aptly demonstrates the promise and potential of this technology for clinicians, clinic managers, administrators and others affiliated with mental health clinical practices. It is designed to be the comprehensive "one-stop" tool for clinical videoconferencing service development for programs and individual clinicians.

Glena Iten investigates the impact of interactive visual simulations on conceptual understanding of statistical principles. Overall, all students were able to increase their knowledge by working with visual simulations, whereas students who could manipulate statistical graphs in the simulation on their own were significantly faster. Currently, interactive learning tools explaining statistical concepts are widely spread, but only few are tested. Well-structured interactive learning programs with visual simulations have in the past been shown to be effective. By applying effective instructional design principles, an online tutorial where students could either manipulate or only observe changes in the visual simulations, was developed. Practical implications and opportunities for further investigations in this research project are discussed.

From Subject to Subjectivities profiles the recent debates about the role of qualitative and participatory methods in psychology, a discipline which has traditionally seen itself as a form of positivistic science. Contributors explain how fundamentally different views of the nature of reality and of scientific theory have shaped these debates, and how psychology is being transformed through the use of these methods.

At the heart of the book are 10 exemplars of interpretive and participatory action research which describe the rationale for and process of using these methods in actual cases. They also articulate some of the challenges psychologists may face in adopting them, offering insights into how these complications can be successfully negotiated. Relevant beyond psychology, the models provided can be used within the context of a wide array of social science disciplines, from sociology and anthropology to women's studies and public health.

The contributors represent a veritable "who's who" of qualitative scholars, including Lyn Mikel Brown, Larry Davidson, Michelle Fine, Louise Kidder, M. Brinton Lykes, Jeanne Marecek, Abigail Stewart, and Niobe Way.

No previous book has examined qualitative and participatory methods specifically within the context of psychology. From Subjects to Subjectivities provides a unique and badly needed resource for those interested in learning about the practice of these methods in the field.

What does morality have to do with psychology in a value-neutral, postmodern world? According to a provocative new book, everything. Taking exception with current ideas in the mainstream (including cultural, evolutionary, and neuropsychology) as straying from the discipline's ethical foundations, Psychology as a Moral Science argues that psychological phenomena are inherently moral, and that psychology, as prescriptive and interventive practice, reflects specific moral principles. The book cites normative moral standards, as far back as Aristotle, that give human thoughts, feelings, and actions meaning, and posits psychology as one of the critical methods of organizing normative values in society; at the same time it carefully notes the discipline's history of being sidetracked by overemphasis on theoretical constructs and physical causes-what the author terms "the psychologizing of morality." This synthesis of ideas brings an essential unity to what can sometimes appear as a fragmented area of inquiry at odds with itself. The book's "interpretive-pragmatic approach": * Revisits core psychological concepts as supporting normative value systems. * Traces how psychology has shaped society's view of morality. * Confronts the "naturalistic fallacy" in contemporary psychology. * Explains why moral science need not be separated from social science. * Addresses challenges and critiques to the author's work from both formalist and relativist theories of morality. With its bold call to reason, Psychology as a Moral Science contains enough controversial ideas to spark great interest among researchers and scholars in psychology and the philosophy of science.

This volume is the most comprehensive reference book on community sentiment available. The classic book about community sentiment is Norm Finkel's "Commonsense Justice: Jurors' Notions of the Law" (1995). A similarly influential book called "Justice, Liability, and Blame" was published at the same time, examining lay sentiment about a variety of criminal issues and suggesting ways in which the substantive criminal law could be reformed in light of such lay responses (Robinson & Darley, 1995). Although these books were influential and important for their time (and since), this Handbook expands significantly on them, both by updating research since that time and broadens the scope of topic areas to ones that are not limited to trial and criminal justice issues. Each chapter is original/unpublished and focuses on an area related to children/families, many of which are "hot topic" areas in the news and courts today. For instance, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a case in June 2012 about the constitutionality of "life without parole" for juvenile offenders-a topic discussed in the Fass and Miora chapter. Thus, it is of interest to those interested in family law topics as well.

The rapid social change in the East Asia has brought great research attention on the family, education and political impacts. The growth trajectory of the next generation is exposed to an entirely different context owing to the dual effects of traditional and modern values as well as practices. This book provides an overall picture of the developmental trajectory of Taiwanese youth as a typical example in the region. The time frame is set from early adolescence (13years old) to young adulthood (22yeard old). Individual psychological well-being in its broad definition will be used as the outcome indicator to reflect significant developmental processes during this important transitional life course. Benefitted from the rare panel datasets conducted from 2000-2009, this book has two major focuses: one is to explore the interplay among family, school and community with regard to their influence on the individual growth patterns; the other is to highlight the potential constraint and/or strength of the prevailing social norms and values shared among East Asian societies. To be specific, different chapters will describe and analyze the life chances and growth patterns among youth with different social capitals (including family SES, educational achievement, rural-urban residence, etc.). Their short-term versus long-term outcome, as indicated by various psychological well-being variables (e.g., depressive symptoms, deviant or problem behaviors, happiness, edutional performance), will allow us to delineate the particular structural context that individual East Asian youth encounters and to offer constructive suggestions on family interaction, educational strategy as well as health related policies based on the scientific evidence. This book incorporates comparative reports from other East Asian societies, and from youth panel studies of Australia and the U.S.. The experience of their counter-part in the advanced societies will contribute to readers' understanding of the particular social situation that East Asian youth is embedded in the growth process. In addition, comparative perspective will enable the reader to contemplate on the potential future development of the affluent generation in the region. Since changing social structure occurred in the last few decades in the East Asia has suffered inadequate investigation in the realm of family, education and community, this book provides timely information to fill up the gap. Analyses of the valuable dataset from early adolescents to young adults will attract those who are interested in family researches, in youth studies, in panel data analyses, as well as in the social development in Taiwan and in East Asia.

The source of endless speculation and public curiosity, our scientific quest for the origins of human consciousness has expanded along with the technical capabilities of science itself and remains one of the key topics able to fire public as much as academic interest. Yet many problematic issues, identified in this important new book, remain unresolved. Focusing on a series of methodological difficulties swirling around consciousness research, the contributors to this volume suggest that 'consciousness' is, in fact, not a wholly viable scientific concept. Supporting this 'eliminativist' stance are assessments of the current theories and methods of consciousness science in their own terms, as well as applications of good scientific practice criteria from the philosophy of science. For example, the work identifies the central problem of the misuse of qualitative difference and dissociation paradigms, often deployed to identify measures of consciousness. It also examines the difficulties that attend the wide range of experimental protocols used to operationalise consciousness-and the implications this has on the findings of integrative approaches across behavioural and neurophysiological research. The work also explores the significant mismatch between the common intuitions about the content of consciousness, that motivate much of the current science, and the actual properties of the neural processes underlying sensory and cognitive phenomena. Even as it makes the negative eliminativist case, the strong empirical grounding in this volume also allows positive characterisations to be made about the products of the current science of consciousness, facilitating a re-identification of target phenomena and valid research questions for the mind sciences.

Maternal filicide has been discussed in the medical, mental health, and child abuse fields, yet little research exists with a criminal justice/law enforcement perspective. Nevertheless, criminal justice professionals responsible for investigation and prosecution of these offenders often must give attention to unique behavioral, social, and psychological dynamics not considered in many other types of cases. The Federal Bureau of Investigation s (FBI) Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) III Crimes Against Children identified, collected, and reviewed law enforcement case files in which a biological mother killed her child(ren). Collectively, the cases involve 213 biological mothers who killed 265 children, and are comprised of neonaticide, infanticide, and filicide cases. Data analysis revealed that the offenders ranged in age from 12-46 years, and many were unmarried, unemployed, and had a history of violence. Many of the victims were three years of age or younger, did not live with their biological fathers at the time of their deaths, and had a history of maltreatment most often perpetrated by their mothers. In addition, traditional weapons such as a firearm or knife were used less often compared to asphyxiants and blunt force instruments. The authors explore the tenets of female violence, the mother-child dynamic and mental disorders, and address the complexities associated with investigating and prosecuting maternal filicide offenders. "

The Collective Unconscious in the Age of Neuroscience brings the connection between C. G. Jung's theory of a collective unconscious, neuroscience, and personal experiences of severe mental illness to life. Hallie B. Durchslag uses narrative analysis to examine four autobiographical accounts of mental illness, including her own, and illuminate the interplay between psychic material and human physiology that Jung intuited to exist. Durchslag's unique study considers the links between expressions of the collective unconscious, such as myth, fairy tales, folk tales, and 'big dreams', and the experiences of those diagnosed with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder. The author's personal narrative account of a psychotic episode is at its heart, bringing both an intimate foundation and exceptional insight to the book. With reference to neuroscientific and genetic research throughout, The Collective Unconscious in the Age of Neuroscience highlights gaps in depth psychological notions of etiology and treatment, highlights patterns of collective material in the qualitative experience of these genetic and biological disorders, and explores how the efficacy of pharmacological treatment sheds light on Jung's theoretical model. The Collective Unconscious in the Age of Neuroscience will be essential reading for academics and students of Jungian and post-Jungian studies, consciousness, neuroscience and mental health. It will also provide unique insight for analytical psychologists interested in severe mental illness and the collective unconscious.

Haptics technology is being used more and more in different applications, such as in computer games for increased immersion, in surgical simulators to create a realistic environment for training of surgeons, in surgical robotics due to safety issues and in mobile phones to provide feedback from user action. The existence of these applications highlights a clear need to understand performance metrics for haptic interfaces and their implications on device design, use and application. Performance Metrics for Haptic Interfaces aims at meeting this need by establishing standard practices for the evaluation of haptic interfaces and by identifying significant performance metrics. Towards this end, a combined physical and psychophysical experimental methodology is presented. Firstly, existing physical performance measures and device characterization techniques are investigated and described in an illustrative way. Secondly, a wide range of human psychophysical experiments are reviewed and the appropriate ones are applied to haptic interactions. The psychophysical experiments are unified as a systematic and complete evaluation method for haptic interfaces. Finally, synthesis of both evaluation methods is discussed. The metrics provided in this state-of-the-art volume will guide readers in evaluating the performance of any haptic interface. The generic methodology will enable researchers to experimentally assess the suitability of a haptic interface for a specific purpose, to characterize and compare devices quantitatively and to identify possible improvement strategies in the design of a system.

Interest in the field of neurodevelopmental disorders has grown exponentially in recent years across a range of disciplines, including psychology, psychiatry, education and neuroscience. The research itself has become more sophisticated, using multidisciplinary methods to probe interdisciplinary questions. Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Research Challenges and Solutions provides a thorough overview of the key issues involved in researching neurodevelopmental disorders. The volume includes 14 chapters, arranged over three sections. Chapters in the first section address general research challenges for the study of neurodevelopmental disorders. The second section draws upon specific disorders (such as Williams syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, ADHD, and Language Disorders) to consider the syndrome-specific issues or challenges that may be crucial to advancing our understanding of aspects of cognition and behavior associated with them. The final section considers how research evidence may be translated into practice to begin making an impact upon the lives of individuals who have neurodevelopmental disorders and their families. Each chapter in the book also includes 'practical tips' for either conducting research with individuals who have neurodevelopmental disorders or considering wider practical issues. The book will be indispensable reading for advanced students, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of developmental psychology, developmental psychopathology, special needs education, neuropsychology, and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Missing data affect nearly every discipline by complicating the statistical analysis of collected data. But since the 1990s, there have been important developments in the statistical methodology for handling missing data. Written by renowned statisticians in this area, Handbook of Missing Data Methodology presents many methodological advances and the latest applications of missing data methods in empirical research. Divided into six parts, the handbook begins by establishing notation and terminology. It reviews the general taxonomy of missing data mechanisms and their implications for analysis and offers a historical perspective on early methods for handling missing data. The following three parts cover various inference paradigms when data are missing, including likelihood and Bayesian methods; semi-parametric methods, with particular emphasis on inverse probability weighting; and multiple imputation methods. The next part of the book focuses on a range of approaches that assess the sensitivity of inferences to alternative, routinely non-verifiable assumptions about the missing data process. The final part discusses special topics, such as missing data in clinical trials and sample surveys as well as approaches to model diagnostics in the missing data setting. In each part, an introduction provides useful background material and an overview to set the stage for subsequent chapters. Covering both established and emerging methodologies for missing data, this book sets the scene for future research. It provides the framework for readers to delve into research and practical applications of missing data methods.

This book is a first attempt to combine insights from the two perspectives with regard to the question of meaning by examining a collection of theoretical and empirical works. This volume therefore is destined to become an important addition to psychological literature: both from the viewpoint of the history of ideas (again this would be one of the first times that positive and existentialist psychologies meet) and from the viewpoint of theoretical and empirical research into the meaning concept in psychology.

This edited collection will provide an overview of the field of physiological computing, i.e. the use of physiological signals as input for computer control. It will cover a breadth of current research, from brain-computer interfaces to telemedicine.

This volume in the Springer Series in Evolutionary Psychology presents a state of the art view of the topic of sexuality and sexual behavior drawing on theoretical constructs and research of noted individuals in the field. Comprehensive and multi-disciplinary, this book seeks to provide a broad overview without sacrificing the complexity of a multi-faceted approach. The book is framed by introductory and closing sections that provide a context for the range of ideas contained within. Ample space is provided in designated sections that focus on key areas of sexuality from both male and female perspectives and that include information from primate studies. This volume can serve as a graduate text in sexual behavior in evolutionary terms and as a guide for further research.

This book seeks to confront an apparent contradiction: that while we are constantly attending to environmental issues, we seem to be woefully out of touch with nature. The goal of Ecopsychology, Phenomenology and the Environment is to foster an enhanced awareness of nature that can lead us to new ways of relating to the environment, ultimately yielding more sustainable patterns of living. This volume is different from other books in the rapidly growing field of ecopsychology in its emphasis on phenomenological approaches, building on the work of phenomenological psychologists such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty. This focus on phenomenological methodologies for articulating our direct experience of nature serves as a critical complement to the usual methodologies of environmental and conservation psychologists, who have emphasized quantitative research. Moreover, Ecopsychology, Phenomenology and the Environment is distinctive insofar as chapters by phenomenologically-sophisticated ecopsychologists are complemented by chapters written by phenomenological researchers of environmental issues with backgrounds in philosophy and geology, providing a breadth and depth of perspective not found in other works written exclusively by psychologists.

Globally there is growing concern over charities abilities to raise funds. This is of concern to both charity organizations and policy makers. One of the key factors that determine the public's willingness to provide funds (to donate) is trust in both specific charity organizations and the sector in general. A significant amount of research from a number of disciplines has pointed to ways in which the public's trust can be generated and maintained. Bring this research into a single source will provide a valuable guide for both individual charity organizations and policy makers.