School-based autism evaluations in the COVID-19 era.

School psychologists play a critical role in school-based Autism (AU) evaluations. Evidence-based AU evaluations should be multimodal, include multiple informants, and assess functioning across several domains. In the current era of COVID-19, school-based AU evaluations have become increasingly complex with school psychologists having to significantly adapt face-to-face evaluation procedures and/or conduct evaluations via teleassessment approaches. This poses profound challenges for some families, many of whom are from vulnerable groups. In the current article, we outline school psychologists' traditional role in school-based AU evaluations and review best practice guidelines. We then discuss the impact of COVID-19 on these processes and provide a framework for school psychologists to use when conducting school-based AU evaluations during this unprecedented time. We also provide resources school psychologists may find useful as they conduct school-based AU evaluations during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

More time for science: Using Testable to create and share behavioral experiments faster, recruit better participants, and engage students in hands-on research.

A major pain for researchers in all fields is that they have less and less time for actual science activities: reading, thinking, coming up with new theories and hypotheses, testing, analyzing data, writing. In psychology, three of the most time-consuming nonactual science activities are: learning how to program an experiment, recruiting participants, and preparing teaching materials. Testable (www.testable.org) provides a suite of academic tools to speed things up considerably. The Testable software allows the development of most psychology experiments in minutes, using a natural language form and a spreadsheet. Furthermore, any experiment can be easily converted into a social experiment in Testable Arena, with multiple participants interacting and viewing each other's responses. Experiments can then be published to Testable Library, a public repository for demonstration and sharing purposes. Participants can be recruited from Testable Minds, the subject pool with the most advanced participants verification system. Testable Minds employs multiple checks (such as face authentication) to ensure participants have accurate demographics (age, sex, location), are human, unique, and reliable. Finally, the Testable Class module can be used to teach psychology through experiments. It features over 50 ready-made classic psychology experiments, fully customizable, which instructors can add to their classes, together with their own experiments. These experiments can then be made available to students to do, import, modify, and use to collect data as part of their class. These Testable tools, backed up by a strong team of academic advisors and thousands of users, can save psychology researchers and other behavioral scientists valuable time for science.

Validación de un instrumento para evaluar factores psicosociales extralaborales en trabajadores venezolanos / Validation of an instrument to evaluate nonoccupational psychosocial factors in Venezuelan workers

instrumento para medir factores psicosociales extralaborales. Para la validación del cuestionario de factores psicosociales extralaborales se acudió a una muestra conformada por 907 trabajadores venezolanos, los cuales fueron seleccionados a través de un muestreo no probabilístico de tipo intencional. Fue un estudio descriptivo, no experimental, con diseño transversal. Para validar el instrumento, se acudió a expertos en el área de los factores psicosociales extralaborales para evaluar su validez de contenido, demostrando que presenta tal propiedad, luego, se efectuó un análisis de los ítems a partir de una muestra de 489 trabajadores, para determinar qué ítems contribuyen con el proceso de medición de las variables, quedando el cuestionario con 33 ítems y 8 dimensiones. Asimismo, se ejecutó un estudio de validez de constructo por medio del uso del Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio, obteniendo una estructura de 31 ítems y 9 dimensiones, posteriormente, se estimó la confiabilidad a través del coeficiente Alfa de Cronbach, en una muestra de 418 trabajadores, encontrando que, el cuestionario posee confiabilidad con coeficientes superiores a .60. Finalmente, se establecieron las normas, asignando percentiles por sub-dimensión. Con base en los resultados obtenidos, se cuenta con un instrumento estandarizado, válido y confiable(AU)

This study aimed to validate an instrument to assess nonoccupational psychosocial factors. We aimed to validate the questionnaire in a nonprobabilistic nonpurposive sample of 907 Venezuelan workers, in a cross-sectional, nonexperimental and descriptive study. Experts in the field of non-occupational psychosocial factors were consulted to assess its content validity. Next, weper formed an items analysis in a sample of 489 workers, which reduced the questionnaire to 33 items and 8 dimensions. At the same time, we examined construct validity through confirmatory factor analysis, resulting in a structure of 31 items and 9 dimensions. Reliability was measured through the Cronbach's alpha coefficient in a sample of 418 workers, resulting in a coefficient ofover 0.60. Lastly, we established guidelines and assigned percentiles to the subdimensions. Based on our results, this questionnaire of nonoccupational psychosocial factors is a standardized, valid and reliable instrument(AU)

Managing validity versus reliability trade-offs in scale-building decisions.

Scale builders strive to maximize dual priorities: validity and reliability. While the literature is full of tips for increasing one, the other, or both simultaneously, how to navigate tensions between them is less clear. Confusion shrouds the nature, prevalence, and practical implications of trade-offs between validity and reliability-formerly called paradoxes. This confusion results in most trade-offs being resolved de facto at validity's expense despite validity being de jure the higher priority. Decades-long battles against clear measurement malpractice persist because unspecified trade-offs render scale-building decisions favoring validity perennially unattractive to scale builders. In light of this confusion, the goal of this article is to make plain that the source of validity versus reliability trade-offs is systematic error that contributes to item communality. Moreover, straightforward, nontrivial trade-offs pervade the scale-building process. This article highlights common trade-offs in 6 contexts: item content, item construction, item difficulty, item scoring, item order, and item analysis. I end with 5 recommendations for managing trade-offs and out 7 "dirty tricks" often used to exploit them when nobody's looking. In short, reviewers should require scale builders to declare how validity and reliability will be prioritized and penalize those who resolve trade-offs in goal-inconsistent ways. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The Semantic Scale Network: An online tool to detect semantic overlap of psychological scales and prevent scale redundancies.

Psychological measurement and theory are afflicted with an ongoing proliferation of new constructs and scales. Given the often redundant nature of new scales, psychological science is struggling with arbitrary measurement, construct dilution, and disconnection between research groups. To address these issues, we introduce an easy-to-use online application: the Semantic Scale Network. The purpose of this application is to automatically detect semantic overlap between scales through latent semantic analysis. Authors and reviewers can enter the items of a new scale into the application, and receive quantifications of semantic overlap with related scales in the application's corpus. Contrary to traditional assessments of scale overlap, the application can support expert judgments on scale redundancy without access to empirical data or awareness of every potentially related scale. After a brief introduction to measures of semantic similarity in texts, we introduce the Semantic Scale Network and provide best practices for interpreting its outputs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Three gaps and what they may mean for risk preference.

Risk preference is one of the most important building blocks of choice theories in the behavioural sciences. In economics, it is often conceptualized as preferences concerning the variance of monetary payoffs, whereas in psychology, risk preference is often thought to capture the propensity to engage in behaviour with the potential for loss or harm. Both concepts are associated with distinct measurement traditions: economics has traditionally relied on behavioural measures, while psychology has often relied on self-reports. We review three important gaps that have emerged from work stemming from these two measurement traditions: first, a description-experience gap which suggests that behavioural measures do not speak with one voice and can give very different views on an individual's appetite for risk; second, a behaviour-self-report gap which suggests that different self-report measures, but not behavioural measures, show a high degree of convergent validity; and, third, a temporal stability gap which suggests that self-reports, but not behavioural measures, show considerable temporal stability across periods of years. Risk preference, when measured through self-reports-but not behavioural tests-appears as a moderately stable psychological trait with both general and domain-specific components. We argue that future work needs to address the gaps that have emerged from the two measurement traditions and test their differential predictive validity for important economic, health and well-being outcomes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Risk taking and impulsive behaviour: fundamental discoveries, theoretical perspectives and clinical implications'.

Positive Technologies for Understanding and Promoting Positive Emotions.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become increasingly present in our lives, and their use has spread considerably. This paper presents a review of the way ICTs can help practitioners and researchers to study, promote, and train positive emotions. It is framed within the field of Positive Technologies: the applied scientific approach to the study of the use of technology to improve the quality of personal experience, with the goal of increasing wellbeing. First, the article presents an introduction to the topic of technologies and positive emotions. Then, it describes how ICTs can aid in monitoring, assessing, promoting, modifying, and training positive emotions. Finally, implications and future directions of the role of Positive Technologies in positive emotions are discussed. The authors conclude that, in the near future, Positive Technologies and the field of positive emotions will interact synergistically, producing an exponential growth in the understanding and promotion of positive emotions.

Using Smartphones to Collect Behavioral Data in Psychological Science: Opportunities, Practical Considerations, and Challenges.

Smartphones now offer the promise of collecting behavioral data unobtrusively, in situ, as it unfolds in the course of daily life. Data can be collected from the onboard sensors and other phone logs embedded in today's off-the-shelf smartphone devices. These data permit fine-grained, continuous collection of people's social interactions (e.g., speaking rates in conversation, size of social groups, calls, and text messages), daily activities (e.g., physical activity and sleep), and mobility patterns (e.g., frequency and duration of time spent at various locations). In this article, we have drawn on the lessons from the first wave of smartphone-sensing research to highlight areas of opportunity for psychological research, present practical considerations for designing smartphone studies, and discuss the ongoing methodological and ethical challenges associated with research in this domain. It is our hope that these practical guidelines will facilitate the use of smartphones as a behavioral observation tool in psychological science.

Guía metodológica para elaborar el diagnóstico fisioterapéutico según la Clasificación Internacional del Funcionamiento (CIF), de la discapacidad y de la salud / Methodological guide for preparing the physiotherapy diagnosis according to the International Classification of Functioning (CIF), disability and health

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo plantear una guía metodológica que permita a los estudiantes de la Carrera de Fisioterapia y Kinesiología unificar criterios para desarrollar los procesos diagnósticos desde el enfoque biopsicosocial, a partir de las evidencias obtenidas en la evaluación inicial y tomando como base la Clasificación Internacional del Funcionamiento, de la Discapacidad y de la Salud (CIF). La idea surge a raíz de las dificultades que se tiene en la formulación del diagnóstico fisioterapéutico, más allá del referente “enfermedad”, asumiendo una identidad propia desde su objeto de estudio como es la función - disfunción del movimiento humano. Se propone el uso de la CIF porque incorpora en su estructura categorías desde la perspectiva corporal, individual y social, los cuales tienen relación estrecha con la naturaleza y niveles de estudio de la Fisioterapia y Kinesiología. Solo así se provee un marco inicial que dinamiza la organización de datos y opiniones clínicas facilitando un sistema de clasificación de acuerdo con las funciones y estructuras corporales, las actividades corporales y la participación en las actividades de la vida diaria, así como la identificación de barreras o facilitadores en el entorno ambiental y las características individuales que forman parte del estado de salud de las personas.

This article aims to raise a methodological guide that allows students of the School of Physiotherapy and Kinesiology unify criteria to develop diagnostic processes from the biopsychosocial approach, based on the evidence obtained in the initial evaluation and based on the ranking International of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The idea stems from the difficulties you have in the formulation of physiotherapy diagnosis, beyond the reference “disease”, assuming an identity from its subject as it is the function - dysfunction of human movement. The use of ICF is proposed that incorporates in its structure categories from body, individual and societal perspective, which are closely related to the nature and levels of study of physiotherapy and kinesiology. Only then an initial framework that streamlines the organization of data and clinical opinion facilitating a classification system according to body functions and structures, bodily activities and participation in activities of daily living, as well as identifying barriers is provided or facilitators in the ambient environment and the individual characteristics that are part of the health status of people.

Sustained attention in mice: expanding the translational utility of the SAT by incorporating the Michigan Controlled Access Response Port (MICARP).

Advances in mouse genetic technology have spurred increasing interest in the development of cognitive tasks for mice. Here, we describe and discuss the modifications necessary to adapt a task for the assessment of sustained attention performance for use in mice, including for taxing the top-down control of such performance. The validity of the Sustained Attention Task (SAT), including the distractor version (dSAT), has previously been demonstrated in rats and humans. This task requires moveable or retractable operanda; insertion of operanda into the operant chambers cues animals to respond to a prior signal or non-signal event, reporting either a hit or a miss, or a correct rejection or false alarm, respectively. Retractable levers did not support sufficiently high and stable levels of performance in mice. Given the widespread use of static nose-poke devices for testing operant performance in mice, we therefore designed and fabricated a retractable nose-poke device. As this device extends into chambers, a hole for nose-poking is slowly opened and closed again as the device retracts (termed the "Michigan Controlled Access Response Port", MICARP). Results describe the effects of variation of signal duration and event rate, trial outcome and trial type probability, effects of mice deprivation levels, and the reliability of SAT and dSAT performance. Mice perform the SAT and dSAT at levels comparable to those observed in rats. This task will be of assistance in expanding the translational usefulness of the SAT and dSAT.

Informe de las manifestaciones psicológicas observadas en sobrevivientes de violencia sexual atendidos durante el año 2009, en el área de psicología de la clínica de enfermedades infecciosas del hospital roosevelt. datos estadísticos y mapeo geográfico de áreas de mayor prevalencia / Report psychological manifestations observed in survivors of sexual violence treated in 2009, in the area of psychology infectious disease clinic at roosevelt hospital. statistical data mapping and geographic areas with the highest prevalence

Cuando se habla de violencia sexual, está implícito el uso de poder, entendiendo este como como una relación de fuerzas diversas que pueden o no ser represivas, que influyen y definen la conducción de las relaciones entre dos o más personas. Las fuerzas que influyen en estas relaciones son determinadas por el lugar social que se ocupa según el género (masculino o femenino). Las personas violentadas sexualmente, están expuestas a serios daños para la salud física, situaciones que hacen más vulnerables a las mujeres (riesgo de embarazo, ITS incluyendo VIH/SIDA) y a la salud mental (daño emocional/comportamental)...

The fish stick: an easy-to-use classroom training apparatus for fish.

The fish stick is an easy-to-use device for conditioning fish under classroom conditions. It is constructed from inexpensive plastic pipe available at most hardware stores and uses electronic components available at retail electronics outlets. Fish press a nipple for baby food which can be brought under stimulus control using lights, vibratory cues, or both. The fish stick is suitable for inquiry-based experiences in courses on the psychology of learning or comparative psychology. Data are presented using a continuous reinforcement schedule and discrimination learning. Students report that the fish are easy to train and enjoy the hands-on experience.

Ductus: a software package for the study of handwriting production.

Ductus is a software tool designed to analyze and aid understanding of the processes underlying handwriting production. Ductus is a digitizer-based device that provides online information on the handwriting process. It consists of two distinct modules that operate independently. The first module concerns stimulus presentation. It is particularly suited to experiments with children and patients presenting handwriting pathologies. The second module is devoted to data analysis. Apart from the geometrical aspects of handwriting, such as trajectory formation, Ductus provides a wide range of kinematic information, such as velocity, duration, fluency, and pauses, linked to the mastery of the movement itself. Ductus is available free from the authors. It works on a Windows platform with Wacom digitizers.

A computer program for testing and analyzing random generation behavior in normal and clinical samples: the Mittenecker Pointing Test.

Random sequence generation tests have proved to be a useful diagnostic tool for the identification of clinically relevant impairments of executive functions and for the study of cognitive functioning in healthy individuals. The most prevalent variety, random number generation, involves several limitations, however. In the original Mittenecker Pointing Test (MPT; Mittenecker, 1958), subjects were instructed to point successively and as randomly as possible at nine unlabeled circles irregularly arranged on a cardboard. With the computer program presented here, Mittenecker's classical test has been transferred to a contemporary format. The MPT can be applied using a standard PC keyboard and computes a series of sophisticated measures of deviations from randomness on the basis of information theory analysis. Because of its easy and well-controlled administration and reduced demands on memory and attention, the automatized MPT offers a wide range of application possibilities in normal but also in severely impaired clinical samples.

Knowledge space theory, formal concept analysis, and computerized psychological assessment.

In the present study, the use of knowledge space theory (KST), jointly with formal concept analysis (FCA), is proposed for developing a formal representation of the relations between the items of a questionnaire and a set of psychodiagnostic criteria. This formal representation can be used to develop an efficient adaptive tool for psychological assessment. Rusch and Wille (1996) have shown some interesting connections between KST and FCA; these connections are applied in the construction of knowledge structures, starting from a formal context representing the relations between items and criteria. The proposed general methodology was applied, as an example, to the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Questionnaire. We used a data set provided by a sample of patients with a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder to validate the obtained structures. The parameters of the basic local independence model (BLIM) were estimated for the obtained knowledge structures. The fit of each model was tested by parametric bootstrap because of the sparseness of the derived data matrix. The results are discussed in light of both psychological and methodological relapses. In particular, we propose a reinterpretation of the BLIM parameters that seems suitable for testing reliability and construct validity; furthermore, it is pointed out how the obtained structures could represent the starting point for the development of a computerized assessment tool.

Windows on the human body--in vivo high-field magnetic resonance research and applications in medicine and psychology.

Analogous to the evolution of biological sensor-systems, the progress in "medical sensor-systems", i.e., diagnostic procedures, is paradigmatically described. Outstanding highlights of this progress are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS), which enable non-invasive, in vivo acquisition of morphological, functional, and metabolic information from the human body with unsurpassed quality. Recent achievements in high and ultra-high field MR (at 3 and 7 Tesla) are described, and representative research applications in Medicine and Psychology in Austria are discussed. Finally, an overview of current and prospective research in multi-modal imaging, potential clinical applications, as well as current limitations and challenges is given.

Factor structure and psychometrics of the Adolescent Health Risk Behavior survey instrument.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the factor structure and psychometric properties of data collected with the Adolescent Health Risk Behavior Survey (AHRBS) instrument. METHODS: Measures of the AHRBS instrument were tested using statistical analyses to assess validity and reliability of data collected from a sample of 1992 Indiana adolescents. RESULTS: Factor analyses yielded a 13-factor solution with acceptable model fit statistics. Tests of internal consistency reliability for data in instrument scales ranged from 0.455 to 0.916. Measures were consistent across adolescent subdemographic categories. CONCLUSION: The AHRBS instrument is a valuable tool for investigating adolescent drug use.

Esbozo de una psicología genealógica, individuo y cultura / Outline of a genealogical psychology, individual and culture

El presente artículo es un ensayo. Hace una revisión epistemológica de la psicología, proponiéndola como un proyecto científico, como una teoría "popular" y como una curiosidad por la subjetividad humana. Esa revisión tiene como fin una aproximación a la formulación de una psicología fundamentada en el proyecto genealógico de Foucault, en tanto pueda cuestionar los modelos autorreferenciales con el fin de evitar su cristalización como realidades inmodificables.

This article is an essay. It presents an epistemological review of the psychology as a scientific project, as a "popular" theory and a curiosity about the subjective processes. This review is aimed at a psychological approach based on Foucault's genealogical project, which aim is to question personal models in order to prevent its crystallization as unchangeable realities.

Psicologia positiva e os instrumentos de avaliação no contexto brasileiro / Positive psychology and evaluating instruments used in Brazil

O objetivo é apresentar uma revisão integrativa da literatura científica acerca dos instrumentos de avaliação existentes na Psicologia Positiva, no contexto brasileiro. Pelas bases LILACS e SciELO (1970-2008), a partir de critérios de inclusão/exclusão, foram recuperados e analisados seis trabalhos. Os estudos que abordam os instrumentos de mensuração existentes são relacionados ao bem-estar subjetivo e à satisfação. Entre as principais contribuições do referencial, destaca-se a construção de instrumentos de avaliação e modelos de intervenção. As principais escalas mencionadas são norte-americanas, havendo apenas uma brasileira. Constatou-se a necessidade de se firmar a produção de instrumentos adaptados e validados para o contexto brasileiro, além de novos estudos que investiguem os instrumentos internacionais, seus pressupostos, validação e aplicação em diversos contextos culturais.

The objective of this study is to present an integrative review of the scientific literature about concepts, methods and evaluating instruments regarding Positive Psychology. Six papers from LILACS and SCIELO databases (1970-2008) based on inclusion/exclusion criteria were analyzed. The studies broached tools of measurement related to subjective welfare and satisfaction. Among the major contributions of this frame of reference, we point out the construction of estimation tools and intervention models. The foremost scales are North-American, in fact, there is just one Brazilian scale. Thus, it was noticed the necessity of developing adapted and valid instruments for the Brazilian context. Besides, new studies that investigate international instruments, their prerequisites, validation and applications in different cultural contexts should be done.

Um projeto de intervenção social visto pelos seus agentes - estudo psicossocial do programa de saúde da família / Social intervention project analyzed through its agents - a psychosocial study of the program health in the family / Un projet d’intervention sociale vu par ses agents - etude psychosociale du Programme de Sante de la Famille / Un proyecto de intervención social, como sus agentes lo ven - estudio psicosocial del Programa de Salud de la Familia

O Programa de Saúde da Família (PSF) foi escolhido como objeto deste estudo por ser um projeto de intervenção social que pretende promover maior autonomia da população para resolver problemas relativos à saúde no território. O material obtido em entrevistas com os profissionais foi analisado por meio de categorias agrupadas em dois blocos temáticos: concepção do trabalho - aquelas que se referem às atividades, e de sujeito - em que se reúnem as ideias sobre as pessoas envolvidas. Os conteúdos revelam que o programa não atinge as mudanças previstas. O conceito de território é incipiente, a participação é precária e as doenças se mantêm em lugar privilegiado. As pessoas da população são referidas num conjunto que é caracterizado por faltas, carências, necessidades e, em muitos casos, são identificadas aos próprios entrevistados. A ajuda mobiliza as ações e é o eixo a partir do qual os atores compreendem sua própria atuação.

The Program Saúde da Família (Health in the Family) was selected as the object of the present study because it is a social intervention project that aims to promote social changes directed to increasing the community's autonomy concerning the solution of health problems in the territory. The acquired material within interviews with these professionals was analyzed through categories grouped in two thematic blocks: work conception - the ones that refer to the activities, and the fellow ones - where are brought together the ideas about the involved people. The contents analyzed reveals that the program doesn't reach the foreseen changes. The territory concept is incipient, the participation is precarious and the illnesses are maintained in privileged place. The population's people are refereed in a collection characterized by lacks, absences and needs, in many cases, are identified as the interviewed people themselves. The help mobilize the actions; it is the axle from which the actors understand his acting itself.

Le Programme de Santé de la Famille (PSF) a été choisi comme l'objet de cette étude, étant donné qu'il s'agit d'un projet d'intervention sociale qui prétend promouvoir une plus grande autonomie de la population, afin de résoudre les problèmes de santé dans le territoire. Le materiau obtenu lors des entrevues avec des professionnels a été analisé par catégories regroupées en deux blocs thématiques: conception du travail, ceux qui se rapportent à des activités, et sujet - ooù les idées se rejoignent sur les personnes concernées. Les contenus montrent que le programme n'a atteint pas les changements envisagés. La notion de territoire est naissant, la participation est précaire et les maladies restent en lieu privilégié. Les gens de la population sont referées à un ensemble caractérisé par la pénurie, defaults et besoins, et, dans bien de cas, elles sont identifiées aux interrogés lui-mémes. L'aid mobilise les actions; est l'axe à partir de lequel les acteurs comprennent leurs propres actions.

El Programa de Salud Familiar (PSF) fue elegido como objeto de estudio porque es un proyecto de intervención social que tiene como objetivo promover una mayor autonomía de la población para resolver los problemas relativos a la salud en el territorio. El material obtenido en las entrevistas con los profesionales se analizó mediante categorías agrupadas en dos bloques temáticos: el diseño del trabajo - las lineas que se refieren a las actividades, y el sujeto - donde se reúnen ideas acerca de las personas involucradas. El contenido muestra que el programa no llega a los cambios esperados. El concepto de territorio es incipiente, la participación es precaria y las enfermedades se mantienen en lugar especial. Se hace referencia a la gente de la población como un grupo que se caracteriza por fallas, deficiencias, necesidades, y en muchos casos, se identifican a los propios profesionales. La ayuda moviliza acciones, y es el eje desde el que los actores comprenden su propio desempeño.