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Three experiments investigated the effects of positive mood on perceptions of variability within and between groups. Participants formed impressions of two different and highly variable groups under a neutral or positive mood. When participants expected to learn about both groups, positive mood increased perceived intergroup similarity but did not affect perceived intragroup variability. In contrast, when participants expected to learn about only one group, judgments of intergroup and intragroup similarity were both affected by mood. Mood and the intergroup context influenced the nature and degree of information processing and resultant judgments of variability in social groups.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals who mutilate themselves are at greater risk for suicidal behavior. Clinically, however, there is a perception that the suicide attempts of self-mutilators are motivated by the desire for attention rather than by a genuine wish to die. The purpose of this study was to determine differences between suicide attempters with and without a history of self-mutilation. METHOD: The authors examined demographic characteristics, psychopathology, objective and perceived lethality of suicide attempts, and perceptions of their suicidal behavior in 30 suicide attempters with cluster B personality disorders who had a history of self-mutilation and a matched group of 23 suicide attempters with cluster B personality disorders who had no history of self-mutilation. RESULTS: The two groups did not differ in the objective lethality of their attempts, but their perceptions of the attempts differed. Self-mutilators perceived their suicide attempts as less lethal, with a greater likelihood of rescue and with less certainty of death. In addition, suicide attempters with a history of self-mutilation had significantly higher levels of depression, hopelessness, aggression, anxiety, impulsivity, and suicide ideation. They exhibited more behaviors consistent with borderline personality disorder and were more likely to have a history of childhood abuse. Self-mutilators had more persistent suicide ideation, and their pattern for suicide was similar to their pattern for self-mutilation, which was characterized by chronic urges to injure themselves. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide attempters with cluster B personality disorders who have a history of self-mutilation tend to be more depressed, anxious, and impulsive, and they also tend to underestimate the lethality of their suicide attempts. Therefore, clinicians may be unintentionally misled in assessing the suicide risk of self-mutilators as less serious than it is.

The purpose of this paper is to explain and explore the concept of tolerance as developed in post-Reformation Europe. The religious turmoil of this period tested the social order of the day and will be used to exemplify the difficulties of embracing tolerance while clinging to dogma. The work of French philosopher, Voltaire, provides the reader with an understanding of the Enlightenment's perspective on tolerance as an outgrowth of the repression of the reformation period. Tolerance, in the traditional sense, is limited to the allowance for diverse systems of ideas, beliefs and practices. Tolerance is differentiated from diversity, as a contemporary description of sensitivity to and appreciation of personal difference, and multiculturalism, an all—inclusive attempt to embrace ethnic and racial differences. Tolerance as a contributing factor to cultural progression has profound implications for the continuing evolution of leisure theory. Leisure, both substantively and functionally, requires and supports the notion of tolerance and its subcategories of diversity and multiculturalism.

The purpose of this study was to explore historical research trends in adapted physical activity by analyzing abstracts published under special populations by AAHPERD conventions from 1968 to 2004. There were 562 abstracts retrieved that were coded into seven categories: (a) number of authors, (b) data source, (c) sample size, (d) disability type, (e) data analysis, (f) type of study, and (g) focus of study. The coded data are presented as descriptive statistics and linear regression equations. The results of descriptive statistics describe an overall picture of the knowledge accumulation in adapted physical activity. The results of linear regression equations reveal a number of trends over the 37-year period. These trends suggest that adapted physical activity is a growing profession distinguished by several important research directions.

(2006). Student Self-Management through Contract Administration. SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 149-153.

OBJECTIVE. The history and development of the Sensory Processing Measure–School are detailed, and findings of initial pilot studies are reported.METHOD. Multiple reviews, focus groups, case studies, and two pilot studies were used to develop the early versions of the tool. Internal consistency and discriminatory ability were examined.RESULTS. Internal consistency measured with Cronbach’s alphas ranged from .93 to .99 in the first pilot study and .70 to .99 in the second pilot study. Children who were typically developing were correctly classified 92.3% of the time, and children with sensory issues were correctly classified 72% of the time.CONCLUSION. Initial results suggest that the tool is reliable and valid and discriminates children with and without sensory processing issues. Further research is under way with larger samples.

This cross-sectional survey research investigated play preferences of children with and without developmental delays who were between 3 and 7 years old. Parents completed questionnaires regarding their child's play activity and context preferences. Valid results were obtained for 166 children, 83 of whom had developmental delays. Preference ratings were compared by gender, age, and delay status. Play preference did not differ by gender. Rough-and-tumble play and computer/video game play increased with age, whereas object exploration decreased. Children with developmental delays had higher preferences for rough-and-tumble play and object exploration and lower preferences for drawing and coloring, construction, and doll and action figurine play than typically developing children. This comparison of children's play preferences across ages, gender, and developmental status enhances our understanding of how these variables influence children's play.

This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of play experiences and rationales for play choices of 6 boys and 4 girls between the ages of 7 and 11 years. Individual in-depth interviews were completed and then transcribed, and the transcripts were coded and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Fun emerged from the data as the core category explaining the choice of specific play activities for children, and 4 additional categories of characteristics surfaced as contributors to the children’s perception of fun: relational, activity, child, and contextual. The relationships among the core category, the 4 characteristics categories, and the development of play preference and meaningfulness are illustrated in the Dynamic Model for Play Choice. Included is a discussion of the usefulness of the model in supporting the careful consideration of factors that will increase the perception of fun during therapeutic activities and facilitate client-centered pediatric practice.

Changes in federal legislation guiding occupational therapy practice in educational environments have required modifications in the way therapists evaluate children in these settings. New methods in turn require new tools. This article will describe one new tool designed to assist school-based practitioners in their assessment of the impact of sensory processing and praxis difficulties on educational performance. The Sensory Processing Measure is an assessment tool that promotes team collaboration by examining performance across multiple natural environments and also considers the relationship between sensory processing, praxis and social participation. Part One of this paper provides a description of the assessment tool and its proposed uses while in Part Two, examples of the use of the measure will be presented.