1,720,958 research outputs found
Key factors in psychotherapy training: an analysis of trainers', trainees' and psychotherapists' points of view
Full text linkThe literature on clinical training lacks identifications of the factors that are most relevant in training programs; accordingly, the main aim of this work is to fill this research gap by assessing which factors that trainers, trainees and psychotherapists consider most relevant in psychotherapy training programs. A secondary aim is to identify whether these factors differ among trainers, trainees and psychotherapists. An ad hoc questionnaire was created and administered at 24 psychotherapy schools from 14 institutions; the sample included 641 trainees, 172 trainers and 218 psychotherapists of various theoretical orientations. The questionnaire included 63 items and used a 5-point Likert scale. An exploratory factor analysis was completed to identify the latent structure. The reliability of the dimensions was then checked. Finally, an analysis of variance and a multivariate analysis of variance were completed to achieve the study's aims. Four factors emerged from the study's results: trainers' relational characteristics, supervision, transmission of clinical know-how, and theoretical background and technical support. All these factors displayed acceptable reliability and internal consistency. Moreover, their relative rankings varied based on the participants' roles and theoretical backgrounds. This study's results indicate that the new instrument's psychometric qualities are acceptable. It thus could be used to develop a new approach to psychotherapy training, as this study's results regarding trainees' needs underline the differences between trainees' perceptions of those needs, as compared to trainers' and psychotherapists' perceptions
The successful therapy dog: An insight through a Delphi consultation survey among Italian experts
Full text linkAnimal assisted interventions (AAI) refer to planned and structured interactions between humans and animals managed by a multidisciplinary team. The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) is the most involved species in this kind of programs. Even though, it is agreed worldwide that these animals should fulfil some requirements, their selection is still based on general principles and each organization gives its own interpretation. Some selection protocols were set up in the past, but they found little application in practice among professionals. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the phenomenon is needed. Our study aims to build consensus about features that make a therapy dog successful in AAI settings among Italian professionals that work in the AAI field. A three-round Delphi process was set up to get closer to this goal. All Delphi exercises were conducted using online questionnaires distributed to professionals. As a first step, respondents were asked to answer an open-ended question, asking what defining features a therapy dog should have to be eligible in most dog-assisted intervention programs, while in subsequent rounds participants rated to what extent characteristics resulting from round 1 are desirable/undesirable for a therapy dog. Thirty-three professionals responded to all rounds. The Delphi study allowed us to identify 55 defining features of a therapy dog. Among them, 16 features resulted “very desirable” with expert consensus and they all relate to dog resilience, dog emotional balance, dog willingness to collaborate with both handler and users/patients and dog communication skills. Moreover, we noticed that respondents often assign human qualities onto the animal showing anthropomorphism attitude. We concluded that a selection of therapy dog should not consider only exclusion criteria and role-playing, but their communication skills, willingness to engage, resilience and emotional balance should also be assessed. Further studies are needed to investigate the link between our results and the successful and reliable involvement of dogs in most settings of animal assisted interventions. However, our findings provided a baseline for future research that started from the professionals’ point of view with a participatory approach
Are whippets and Italian Greyhounds “breedist” when deciding whether to join other dogs in play? A survey among Italian caretakers|I levrieri italiani e Whippet sono “razzisti” quando decidono di giocare con altri cani? Un’indagine tra i possessori di cani di queste razze
No full textDogs modulate their social behavior in response to the species of the other partner(s) and to the situation or context of the interaction. In the present study, reluctance to join other dogs in play, exhibited by whippets and Italian greyhounds (two sighthound breeds) was investigated, regarding breed. The effects of the possible canine play partner being another sighthound vs other breed/type, and of being in a fenced vs an unfenced area, was considered about caretaker perception. Data on a convenience sample of 75 dogs (38 Italian greyhounds, 37 whippets) were analysed using a generalized estimated equation with breed, age, sex as factors, the dog as individual, and the area, the breed/type of other dog and the interaction area*partner as within subject predictive variable. The dependent variable was the rating given to the dog by the caretaker regarding the reluctance of a dog to join other dogs in play in the four different situations resulting by the combination of area and partner. Overall, the sighthounds in the present study’s sample were quite willing to join other dogs in play, showing little reluctance (median 3 out of 10). Both investigated breeds (Italian greyhounds were more hesitant than whippets) and the breed/type of other dogs playing (dogs hesitating more if the prospective partner(s) was/were not (a) sighthound(s)) significantly influencing the hesitation, whereas the other factors in the model had no effect. Given the importance of play in the development of behavior and for maintaining positive welfare, further studies investigating factors influencing willingness to play in animals are needed
Behaviors expressed by whippets and Italian greyhounds when in two positive emotional states, as perceived by Italian caretakers
No full textGiven the importance of scientifically investigating signs of good welfare and positive emotional states in dogs, the present pilot study aimed to investigate behaviors expressed by whippets and Italian greyhounds when in two positive emotional states, as perceived by their caretakers. A dedicated questionnaire was developed and uploaded on a digital platform after pre-testing. The questionnaire included a section asking whether the respondents thought that there any postures or expressions signaling when their dogs were “happy and excited” or “happy and relaxed”. In case of a positive answer, respondents were asked how often their dog showed 13 behaviors (e.g., tail wagging, running up and forth, bowing, spinning, jumping on the caretaker) when in each of the two positive emotional states, and whether there were other possible behavioral signs of those two states. The survey yielded answers for 329 dogs (165 whippets, 162 Italian greyhounds, two whippet mixes) given by a convenience sample of 266 respondents. Among the tested 13 behaviors, the only one reported to happen at least often in more than 90% of the dogs was tail wagging when “happy and excited”. Most of the investigated behaviors were expressed more often when the dog was “happy and excited” than when “happy and relaxed” (e.g., tail wagging, spinning), and some were expressed with a different frequency in the two breeds (e.g., Italian greyhounds bowed more often than whippets when “happy and excited”). It is concluded that further studies are needed to identify possible behavioral correlates of different positive emotional states in different types/breeds of dogs
Satisfaction, behavior and health problems in whippets and miniature Italian greyhounds, as reported by their caretakers
Full text linkGiven the relative scarcity of research focusing on non-rescue sighthound behavior, the present exploratory study aimed to investigate the presence of, and factors associated with, behavioral complaints and owner satisfaction in Italian greyhounds and whippets, using an online questionnaire. Some other behavioral characteristics (such as being challenging, gentle, or reliable), deemed likely to be important for satisfaction and/or cited in the breed standards, were likewise analyzed, and possible predictors of owner satisfaction with the dogs were investigated. The survey yielded answers for 326 dogs (164 whippets, 162 Italian greyhounds) given by a convenience sample of 268 caretakers. Compared to whippets, Italian greyhounds were reported more often to show aggressive behavior toward people (11.7% vs. 4.9%, P < 0.05), fear of people (13.6% vs. 6.1%, P < 0.05) and of dogs/other animals (10.5% vs. 2.4%, P < 0.001), separation distress (29.8% vs. 19.1%, P < 0.05) and house soiling (43.7% vs. 11.1%; P < 0.001) and less often to show predatory behavior (56.2% vs. 79.9%, P < 0.001). Age of the dog was the most often significant predictor among those
studied, with older dogs being reported as showing less fear of people (P < 0.001), fear of dogs/other animals (P < 0.01), predatory behavior (P < 0.05), “disobedience/lack of cooperation” (P < 0.001), and “miscellaneous
other issues” (P < 0.01). Intact females were reported as to be less challenging/demanding (P < 0.010), and to show stereotypies less often (P < 0.001) than other dogs. Dogs being scored the maximum score on satisfaction-related questions were associated with them being reliable, not challenging, and not being reported as showing out-of-context fear of other dogs and other animals (all P < 0.05)
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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