Empathy revisited: the effect of representational system matching on certain counseling process and outcome variables

Therapist-offered empathy has been shown to be an important ingredient in the counseling relationship. Many operational definitions of empathy and tools for measurement of this elusive quality exist. Most empathy measures have been criticized on methodological grounds and their construct validity is suspect. Yet there is little argument with the trend which emerges from the data; the overall relationship between empathy, or those dimensions tapped by empathy measures and effective therapy appears positive. The nature of empathy however remains enigmatic and it is evident that all of the variables which account for the empathic process have not been explicated.;This study defined and investigated the validity and effect on counseling of a new dimension of empathy. From their linguistic analysis of effective therapy Bandler and Grinder have formulated the construct of representational systems or internal maps used by individuals to organize reality. Such maps are visual, auditory or kinesthetic and are reflected in natural language. Do you see what I mean? Empathy, then, is operationally defined as the counselor\u27s matching language with the representational system used by the client.;It was hypothesized that counselors who use representational system matching would: (1) be perceived by subjects as more empathic than counselors who do not (accepted, p = .0045); (2) be perceived by judges as more empathic than counselors who do not (accepted, p = .0165); (3) elicit a greater willingness to self-disclose than counselors who do not (rejected) and (4) be preferred by clients over counselors who do not use representational matching (accepted p \u3c .05).;Subjects (N = 20) were undergraduates at The College of William and Mary who met with each of two counselors, in counterbalanced order, for an analogue of a beginning counseling interview. One counselor used representational system matching; the other counselor took a more generic, human relations, approach to empathy. After each interview subjects completed Barrett-Lennard\u27s Relationship Inventory (RI) and Jourard\u27s Willingness-to-Disclose Questionnaire (WDQ). Following their second interview subjects indicated their preferred counselor. Covariates were: (1) Carkhuff\u27s Empathic Understanding Scale (EU) which also served as a dependent measure; (2) The Counseling Readiness Scale (Crs) of Gough and Heilbrun\u27s Adjective Check List and (3) Rotter\u27s I-E scale. The Latin-square design produced data analyzed by: repeated measures analysis of covariance (Hypotheses 1-3); stepwise regression (Hypotheses 1 & 2) and Chi square (Hypothesis 4).;Results indicate that both subjects and judges perceived the representational system matching counselor as more empathic than the generic empathy counselor. While EU accounted for 11.76% of the variance on RI-empathy scale scores, representational system matching accounted for 11.94% of the variance beyond that accounted for by EU. Clients preferred the representational system matching counselor by a ratio of 3 to 1.;It was concluded that representational system matching is an important dimension of empathy and the recommendation was made that beginning courses in counseling techniques and human relations training include a section on identifying and responding to client\u27s representational systems. Recommendations were made for further study

Means and method of camera space manipulation

A means and method for camera space manipulation includes a manipulator arm extending from a base to an outward end. The arm is movable through a workspace to accomplish various tasks. One or more cameras are movably oriented towards the arm and work space to capture the arm and work space in what will be called camera space or camera vision. A visual cue is associated with the outward end of the manipulator arm. Additionally, a visual cue is associated with an object which is desired to be engaged by the manipulator arm or by what is held by the manipulator arm. A control device is connected to the camera or cameras and to the manipulator. According to identification and tracking of the visual cues in the camera space, the control device instructs appropriate motors to move the manipulator arm according to estimations for engagement calculated by the control device

James Joyce. Ulysses: Based on the 1939 Odyssey Press Edition

For the last couple of decades, readers of Ulysses seeking an annotated edition have had two choices: The Oxford “World’s Classics” facsimile reprint of the first 1922 edition with annotations by Jeri Johnson (1993), and the Penguin “Annotated Students’ Edition” based on the 1960 Bodley Head text with annotations by Declan Kiberd (1992). Supplementing these has been Gifford’s Ulysses Annotated, a stand-alone and widely-respected guide. The Alma Press edition (first published in 2012, now out ..

Ages of the Whitewater and Fairhaven tills in southwestern Ohio and southeastern Indiana

Alloisoleucine/isoleucine (aIle/Ile) ratios obtained from fossil mollusc shells collected at localities in southwestern Ohio and southeastern Indiana, where they occur in silt beds associated with the Whitewater and Fairhaven tills, indicate a pre-Wisconsinan age for these tills, which had previously been thought to be early or middle Wisconsinan. The aIle/Ile ratios in shells from beneath the buried soil (Sidney soil) and till exposed near Sidney, Ohio, are most similar to values in shells obtained from Illinoian sediments at Clough Creek in Hamilton County, Ohio; Mechanicsburg southwest, Illinois; and Trousdale Mine in Vermillion Co., Indiana. The first well-developed weathering profile in the sequence above the implied Illinoian age silt at the Sidney cut, therefore, probably represents Sangamonian, early and middle Wisconsinan weathering. Molluscs from an organic silt, exposed near the base of the Bantas Fork cutbank section, also have aIle/Ile ratios that are similar to those measured in shell recovered from the silt at the Sidney cut and from the silt inclusion in inferred Illinoian till at Clough Creek. These data indicate that the organic silt is pre-Wisconsinan. Therefore, the Fairhaven Till, which overlies the silt at the Bantas Fork locality, could be pre-Wisconsinan and the weathering profile developed in the Fairhaven Till may be correlative with the Sangamon Soil of Illinois. The New Paris Interstade silt overlies Whitewater Till at the American Aggregates quarry at Richmond, Indiana. Shells from the silt have aIle/Ile ratios that are intermediate between those obtained from inferred Illinoian age sediments at Bantas Fork, Sidney cut, and Clough Creek, and magnetically reversed sediments at Handley Farm, near Connersville, Fayette County, Indiana. These data suggest a pre-Illinoian age for the silt unit and the underlying Whitewater Till

Everything But the Merits: Analyzing the Procedural Aspects of the Healthcare Litigation

The role of States as Litigants in the Mandate Litigation Panel featured E. Duncan Getchell, Jr., Solicitor General of Virginia; William F. Brockman, Acting Solicitor General of Maryland; and William P. Marshall, the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina School of Law. The Defining the Scope and Legal Effect of the Challenges to the Individual Mandate Panel featured Edward A. Hartnett, Richard J. Hughes Professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law; Tobias A. Dorsey, Special Counsel for the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC); and Kevin C. Walsh, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Richmond School of Law The Situating the Mandate Litigation in the Broader Regulatory and Political Landscape Panel featured Bradley W. Joondeph, Santa Clara University School of Law, Creator of the ACA litigation blog; A. Christopher Bryant, Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law; and Elizabeth Weeks Leonard, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Georgia Law School

Female and male life tables for seven wild primate species

We provide male and female census count data, age-specific survivorship, and female age-specific fertility estimates for populations of seven wild primates that have been continuously monitored for at least 29 years: sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) in Madagascar; muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) in Brazil; capuchin (Cebus capucinus) in Costa Rica; baboon (Papio cynocephalus) and blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) in Kenya; chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) in Tanzania; and gorilla (Gorilla beringei) in Rwanda. Using one-year age-class intervals, we computed point estimates of age-specific survival for both sexes. In all species, our survival estimates for the dispersing sex are affected by heavy censoring. We also calculated reproductive value, life expectancy, and mortality hazards for females. We used bootstrapping to place confidence intervals on life-table summary metrics (R0, the net reproductive rate; λ, the population growth rate; and G, the generation time). These data have high potential for reuse; they derive from continuous population monitoring of long-lived organisms and will be invaluable for addressing questions about comparative demography, primate conservation and human evolution

Low Demographic Variability in Wild Primate Populations: Fitness Impacts of Variation, Covariation, and Serial Correlation in Vital Rates

In a stochastic environment, long-term fitness can be influenced by variation, covariation, and serial correlation in vital rates (survival and fertility). Yet no study of an animal population has parsed the contributions of these three aspects of variability to long-term fitness. We do so using a unique database that includes complete life-history information for wild-living individuals of seven primate species that have been the subjects of long-term (22–45 years) behavioral studies. Overall, the estimated levels of vital rate variation had only minor effects on long-term fitness, and the effects of vital rate covariation and serial correlation were even weaker. To explore why, we compared estimated variances of adult survival in primates with values for other vertebrates in the literature and found that adult survival is significantly less variable in primates than it is in the other vertebrates. Finally, we tested the prediction that adult survival, because it more strongly influences fitness in a constant environment, will be less variable than newborn survival, and we found only mixed support for the prediction. Our results suggest that wild primates may be buffered against detrimental fitness effects of environmental stochasticity by their highly developed cognitive abilities, social networks, and broad, flexible diets

NAP SACC UK:protocol for a feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial in nurseries and at home to increase physical activity and healthy eating in 2-4 year olds

Introduction: Systematic reviews have identified the lack of intervention studies with young children to prevent obesity. This feasibility study examines the feasibility and acceptability of adapting the Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP SACC) intervention in the UK to inform a full-scale trial. Methods and analysis: A feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial in 12 nurseries in England, with 6 randomly assigned to the adapted NAP SACC UK intervention: nursery staff will receive training and support from an NAP SACC UK Partner to review the nursery environment (nutrition, physical activity, sedentary behaviours and oral health) and set goals for making changes. Parents will be invited to participate in a digital media-based home component to set goals for making changes in the home. As this is a feasibility study, the sample size was not based on a power calculation but will indicate the likely response rates and intracluster correlations. Measures will be assessed at baseline and 8–10 months later. We will estimate the recruitment rate of nurseries and children and adherence to the intervention and data. Nursery measurements will include the Environmental Policy Assessment and Observation score and the nursery staff's review of the nursery environment. Child measurements will include height and weight to calculate z-score body mass index (zBMI), accelerometer-determined minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day and sedentary time, and diet using the Child and Diet Evaluation Tool. Questionnaires with nursery staff and parents will measure mediators. A process evaluation will assess fidelity of intervention delivery and views of participants. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval for this study was given by Wales 3 NHS Research Ethics Committee. Findings will be made available through publication in peer-reviewed journals, at conferences and to participants via the University of Bristol website. Data will be available from the University of Bristol Research Data Repository

Knowledge of HIV Serodiscordance, Transmission, and Prevention among Couples in Durban, South Africa

Objective Couples’ voluntary HIV counseling and testing (CVCT) significantly decreases HIV transmission within couples, the largest risk group in sub-Saharan Africa, but it is not currently offered in most HIV testing facilities. To roll out such an intervention, understanding locale-specific knowledge barriers is critical. In this study, we measured knowledge of HIV serodiscordance, transmission, and prevention before and after receipt of CVCT services in Durban. Design Pre- and post-CVCT knowledge surveys were administered to a selection of individuals seeking CVCT services. Methods Changes in knowledge scores were assessed with McNemar Chi-square tests for balanced data and generalized estimating equation methods for unbalanced data. Results The survey included 317 heterosexual black couples (634 individuals) who were primarily Zulu (87%), unemployed (47%), and had at least a secondary level education (78%). 28% of couples proved to be discordant. Only 30% of individuals thought serodiscordance between couples was possible pre‐CVCT compared to 95% post-CVCT. One-third thought there was at least one benefit of CVCT pre‐CVCT, increasing to 96% post‐CVCT. Overall, there were positive changes in knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention. However, many respondents thought all HIV positive mothers give birth to babies with AIDS (64% pre-CVCT, 59% post-CVCT) and that male circumcision does not protect negative men against HIV (70% pre-CVCT, 67% post-CVCT). Conclusions CVCT was well received and was followed by improvements in understanding of discordance, the benefits of joint testing, and HIV transmission. Country-level health messaging would benefit from targeting gaps in knowledge about serodiscordance, vertical transmission, and male circumcision