Occupational Experiences of Associate and Full Professors of Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the worktime distributions, occupational satisfaction, and scholarly productivity of associate and full professors of counselor education (N = 230). Worktime distributions varied based on academic rank and the presence of a doctoral degree program in the academic unit. Occupational satisfaction was lower among associate professors, faculty caring for dependent children, and faculty with greater mismatch between typical and preferred worktime distributions. Among associate professors, occupational satisfaction was also associated with having a mentor. Years of experience, teaching load, and a doctoral program in the academic unit predicted scholarly productivity, whereas academic rank, binary gender, marital status, and the presence of any dependent children did not make unique contributions to this outcome

The Effect of Nature on Pain Perception

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of nature on perception of pain. Previous research has indicated that focusing on pleasant stimuli leads to increased pain tolerance. Previous research has also indicated that patients in hospitals recovering from surgery had shorter stays and fewer surgical complications when their windows faced trees and nature in comparison to those whose windows faced a wall. We examined whether images of nature altered perceptions of pain more than pleasant non-nature images. Participants were randomly assigned to condition. Participants in the nature condition viewed a six-minute slideshow of pleasant nature images (e.g., trees, flowers, clouds). Participants in the pleasant, non-nature condition viewed a six-minute slideshow of pleasant, non-nature images (e.g., clowns, balloons, money). Participants in the control condition read neutral text from a style manual for six minutes. After completing this task, each participant was asked to submerge her hand in a refrigerated bath (water temperature = 4°C). The researcher recorded pain threshold (the elapsed time when the participant first felt pain) and pain tolerance (the total time the participant left her hand submerged). After removing her hand, the participant completed ratings of pain intensity, unpleasantness, and distress. We hypothesized that pain threshold and pain tolerance would be greatest among those who had viewed the pleasant, nature slideshow. We hypothesized that pain threshold and pain tolerance would be lowest among those who had read the neutral text. These results show that it may be beneficial for hospitals to incorporate more nature scenes such as windows or indoor plants into their facilities to improve patients’ pain perceptions while hospitalized. This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of a non-pharmacological method of pain management