A study involving 1,000 parents examined factors that place parents at risk of abusing their children. Results found that examining parental attitudes, history, and personality characteristics, as well as religion and ideology, were important in predicting abuse proneness. Child age was also an important predictor. (Author/CR)

A study used the ABILITIES Index to assess the relationship of inappropriate behaviors to social skills and behavior, vision, intellectual function, and intentional communication in 202 children (ages 6-59 months) with visual impairments. Results indicate inappropriate and unusual behavior continued to increase between birth and age 5. (CR)

Investigates two competing hypotheses related to therapists' worldview and therapists' race/ethnicity: whether therapists of different racial/ethnic groups differ on worldview reflecting group membership, and whether therapists are similar to each other on worldview reflecting membership in a "therapist culture." Results indicate that therapists…

Examined juvenile firesetters of varying degrees to determine predictability of destructive behavior. Developed a prediction equation based on 14 variables, which was found to be accurate 95% of the time. (LBT)

Examined the differential predictive power and effects of representations of child/mother and child/father attachment for children's representation of self and socioemotional competence. Found that the child's positiveness of self was better predicted by quality of child/mother attachment representation than child/father attachment representation.…

Assesses predictors of teachers' responsible environmental behavior (REB). Stepwise multiple-regression analysis showed that most of the parsimonious set of predictors of REB for all teachers included perceived knowledge of environmental-action strategies (KNOW), intention to act (IA), and perceived skill in using environmental-action strategies…

Examines the predictors of recidivism of youths at a juvenile assessment center over a three-year period. Significant relationships were found between the youths' demographic characteristics, their dependency referral history variables, and their recidivism to the center. Discusses the service delivery and policy implications of these findings.…

Identity theory is used to organize data gathered from semistructured interviews with parole violators at large (N=25). A typology of absconders bridging clinical and actuarial prediction strategies is proposed. Situational constraints are explored; typical behavior patterns and experiences of parolees are described. Policy implications are…

The validity of the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory was tested with a sample of 40 child physical abusers and 40 nonabusers in Argentina. More than 97% of subjects were correctly classified as abusing or nonabusing individuals. The article is in Spanish. (CR)

Maintains that the Rhyme Detection measure used by Muter et al. (1997) is problematic and that counting onset as well as rhyme choices would yield a score predictive of reading, spelling, and phoneme tasks. Argues that this result would be consistent with the hypothesis that sensitivity to onset and rhyme plays a part in children's reading and…

Recidivism data (criminal charges) were collected for 58 adolescent sexual offenders participating in at least 12 months of specialized treatment and compared with other groups. Recidivism rates for treated adolescents were 5.17 percent compared to 17.8 percent for similar non-treated offenders. Sexual recidivism was predicted by sexual interest…

Investigates the influence on international news coverage in 38 countries of (1) traits of nations, (2) magnitude of interaction and relatedness between nations, and (3) logistics of newsgathering. Finds trade volume and presence of international news agencies were the two primary predictors of the amount of news coverage. (NH)

Application of the statistical techniques of survival analysis and credit scoring to private education loans extended to law students found a pronounced seasoning effect for such loans and the robust predictive power of credit bureau scoring of borrowers. Other predictors of default included school-of-attendance, school's geographic location, and…

Describes a distance education instrument developed to assess students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in a college-level accounting course presented via distance education using compressed video called PictureTel. Results indicated that specific items, related to instructor characteristics, could be used to predict students' choices about…

Examines the unique, combined, and interactive contribution of existential variables and traditional measures as predictors of depression in institutionalized and community-residing older adults. Results show that choice-responsibleness, social resources, and physical health predicted depression in community elderly; personal meaning, optimism,…