Unkindest Cuts? Some effects of picture editing on recall of television news information

Research into picture effects on encoding of verbal material has paid little attention to the effects of picture changes. In this experiment, it was found that adults’ recall of the spoken text in a TV news item was impaired by mid‐sentence picture editing. In contrast, both 11‐12 year old and 14‐15 year old children's recall was enhanced by rapid cutting, so long as the accompanying pictures were relevant to the verbal text. Both adults’ and younger children's recall was better with some of the experimentally‐manipulated material than it was with the original broadcast version of the news item. However, 14‐15 year olds performed best with the original version.

It is suggested that viewers are differentially sensitive to unintended production effects and that their processing of verbal information can be disrupted by inappropriately‐timed picture cuts. Research on picture‐text relationships in audio‐visual material needs to take account of picture‐timing, as well as picture content, and television editing procedures may need to be tailored more specifically to suit the intended audience.     

What Do People Need to Know About Writing in Order to Write in Their Jobs?

This article considers the different kinds of learning that are appropriate for the rapidly expanding range of writing that constitutes an everyday part of most people' working lives. It discusses the importance and demands of everyday writing in work, and the role of formal education in preparing people for the localised learning about writing that is necessary upon entering work. It considers the issue of the transfer of knowledge, and argues that both metacognitive and conceptual understandings about writing are crucial elements in enabling people to transfer and adapt foundation literacy skills to the workplace.     

Contraceptive use among high-risk adolescents

Despite awareness of the growing number of pregnant teens in the US, little information has been published concerning factors that predict early childbirth among individual girls. To begin to address this issue, the influence of specific life and social factors was examined in 50 adolescent girls with documented histories of good and poor contraception use. Patients selected for participation were 50 indigent nulliparous adolescent and young adult females from 14-22 years old receiving health care at the Teen Health Clinic at the Jefferson Davis Hospital in Houston, Texas. 25 adolescents who indicated that they had been able to use oral contraception prescribed by the clinic for at least 6 months without major problems or complaints were classified as good contraceptors. 25 adolescents assigned to the poor contraceptors group were those who missed 2 or more appointments in a 6-month interval, experienced at least one suspected pregnancy during this time, and indicated verbally that they had not been completely compliant. Each subject was assessed with a structured interview consisting of 25 questions on the patient's past history of contraception, school performance, family birth, employment, residence patterns, and accessibility to contraceptive services. Data from each of the 25 questions of the interview were pooled for the good and poor contraceptors. Where applicable, Chi-square frequency tests and t-tests were used to determine whether differences were statistically significant. Some of the results follow. 1) Reasons for occasional nonuse of oral contraception in the 12 months prior to the interview were assessed in both samples; no statistical differences were observed. The majority of nonusers attributed it to a random event, such as a memory lapse. 2) Sources of birth control education were equivalent in the 2 groups. 3) Good contraceptors reported intercourse 2.6 times/month, as compared to 4.7 times/month for poor contraceptors. 4) 3 of 25 good contraceptors had dropped out of school, while 9 out of 25 poor contraceptors had left school. 5) 72% of the good contraceptors intended to complete at least 2 years of college, but only 52% of the poor contraceptors did. 6) Poor contraceptors had a greater frequency of sisters who had become pregnant relative to good contraceptors. 7) Good contraceptors were more likely to be employed either part- or full-time (52%) than were the poor contraceptors (28%). 8) Good contraceptors reported fewer changes in residence relative to the poor contraceptors in the preceding 5 years. 9) Poor contraceptors had significantly longer travel times to the clinic (mean of 54.5 minutes) relative to good contraceptors (mean of 33 minutes).     

A model of intervention in child-abusing families: A wider systems view

This paper describes the application of some principles, taken from the modern psychotherapies by a therapeutic team, to the assessment and treatment of serious child abuse. Factors and dilemmas identified from the assessment and decision-making process are outlined, with particular reference to the roles of the various statutory and community agencies involved with such families. The paper demonstrates the ways in which the range of community and professional agencies may play a pathological role, unintentionally contributing to and maintaining child-abusing dynamics in families. The significance of dangerous unintended consequences of well-meaning agency interventions and of covert interagency activities are stressed.