University of Massachusetts Boston

About: University of Massachusetts Boston is a education organization based out in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 6541 authors who have published 12918 publications receiving 411731 citations. The organization is also known as: UMass Boston.

A second look at second-order belief attribution in autism

Abstract: Compared the performance of autistic and mentally retarded subjects, all of whom had passed a standard first-order test of false belief, on a new second-order belief task. 12 autistic and 12 mentally retarded subjects, matched on verbal mental age (assessed by PPVT and a sentence comprehension subtest of the CELF) and full-scale IQ were given two trials of a second-order reasoning task which was significantly shorter and less complex than the standard task used in all previous research. The majority of subjects in both groups passed the new task, and were able to give appropriate justifications to their responses. No group differences were found in performance on the control or test questions. Findings are interpreted as evidence for the role of information processing factors rather than conceptual factors in performance on higher order theory of mind tasks.

Criteria for Evaluation of Theory

Abstract: This column presents criteria for evaluation of nursing theories specified by Jacqueline Fawcett and Rosemarie Rizzo Parse. Fawcett's criteria are significance, internal consistency, parsimony, testability, empirical adequacy, and pragmatic adequacy. Some of those criteria are differentiated for grand theories and middle-range theories but are not differentiated by type of data-qualitative or quantitative-used to develop the theory. Parse's criteria are structure and process. Structure encompasses historical evolution, foundational elements, and relational statements. Process encompasses correspondence, coherence, and pragmatics. Parse's criteria are appropriate for the critical appraisal of all frameworks and theories, regardless of level of abstraction. Parse also presents a comparison of her own and Fawcett's criteria.

A general biodiversity–function relationship is mediated by trophic level

Abstract: M. I. O’Connor, Dept of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada. – A. Gonzalez and P. L. Thompson (http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5278-9045), Dept of Biology, McGill Univ., Montreal, QC Canada. – J. E. K. Byrnes (http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9791-9472), Dept of Biology, Univ. of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA. – B. J. Cardinale, School of Natural Resources and Environment, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. – J. E. Duffy, Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA. – L. Gamfeldt, Dept of Marine Sciences, Univ. of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden. – J. N. Griffin, Dept of Biosciences, Swansea Univ., Singleton Park, Swansea, UK. – D. Hooper, Dept of Biology, Western Washington Univ., Bellingham, WA, USA. – B. A. Hungate, Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Dept of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona Univ., Flagstaff AZ, USA. – A. Paquette, Centre for Forest Research, Univ. du Québec à Montréal, Centre-ville Station, Montréal, QC, Canada. – L. E. Dee, Inst. on the Environment, Univ. of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN, USA. – K. L. Dolan, Research Development Office, Univ. of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Mediators of physical activity behavior change: a multivariate approach.

Abstract: Using a multivariate extension of the Baron and Kenny (1986) mediation framework, we examined the simultaneous effect of psychosocial variables hypothesized to mediate the relationship between a motivationally-tailored physical activity intervention, and 6-month physical activity behavior in 239 healthy, under-active adults (mean age=47.5; 82% women). Participants were randomly assigned to 1) Print-based feedback; 2) Telephone-based feedback; or 3) Contact Control. All mediation criteria were satisfied for both intervention arms. In terms of effect size, a moderate indirect effect of Print (0.39, 95% CI=0.21, 0.57) was due to increases in behavioral processes (0.54, 95% CI= 0.29, 0.80) being attenuated by decreases due to cognitive processes (-0.17, 95%CI= -0.31,-.03). A moderate indirect effect was observed for Telephone (0.47, 95% CI=0.28, 0.66), with increases due to behavioral processes (0.61, 95% CI=0.34, 0.87) attenuated by decreases due to cognitive processes (0.15, 95% CI=-0.27, -0.02); self-efficacy and decisional balance mediational paths did not attain statistical significance. These findings highlight the importance of studies that deconstruct the theoretical components of interventions to determine which combination produces the greatest behavior changes at the lowest cost.

Comparing psychosocial predictors of physical activity adoption and maintenance.

Abstract: Background Most health behavior models do not distinguish between determinants of behavior adoption and maintenance.