University of Nevada, Reno

About: University of Nevada, Reno is a education organization based out in Reno, Nevada, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 13561 authors who have published 28217 publications receiving 882002 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Nevada & Nevada State University.

Contextual behavioral science: Creating a science more adequate to the challenge of the human condition.

Abstract: The present article describes the nature, scope, and purpose of Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS). Emerging from behavioral psychology but expanding from those roots, CBS is based on contextual assumptions regarding the centrality of situated action, the nature of epistemology versus ontology, and a pragmatic truth criterion linked to the specific goal of predicting-and-influencing psychological events with precision, scope, and depth. These assumptions and goals explain the characteristic features of CBS including its environmentalism, focus on theory and principles, and its reticulated or networked program of theory development, research and practice. Domains of development include increased linkage to multi-dimensional and multi-level evolution science; development of principles that describe the interaction of behavior and symbolic events with genetic, epigenetic, and cultural dimensions; expansion of theoretical and model development to a broader range of areas of human complexity; advances in measurement theory and practice; the development of techniques and components linked to contextual processes and principles; broad testing of these methods; additional research on mediation and moderation; more concern for effectiveness and training; and enhancement of a diverse development community.

Earthquake clusters in southern California I: Identification and stability

Abstract: [1] We use recent results on statistical analysis of seismicity to present a robust method for comprehensive detection and analysis of earthquake clusters. The method is based on nearest-neighbor distances of events in space-time-energy domain. The method is applied to a 1981–2011 relocated seismicity catalog of southern California having 111,981 events with magnitudes m ≥ 2 and corresponding synthetic catalogs produced by the Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) model. Analysis of the ETAS model demonstrates that the cluster detection results are accurate and stable with respect to (1) three numerical parameters of the method, (2) variations of the minimal reported magnitude, (3) catalog incompleteness, and (4) location errors. Application of the method to the observed catalog separates the 111,981 examined earthquakes into 41,393 statistically significant clusters comprised of foreshocks, mainshocks, and aftershocks. The results reproduce the essential known statistical properties of earthquake clusters, which provide overall support for the proposed technique. In addition, systematic analysis with our method allows us to detect several new features of seismicity that include (1) existence of a significant population of single-event clusters, (2) existence of foreshock activity in natural seismicity that exceeds expectation based on the ETAS model, and (3) dependence of all cluster properties, except area, on the magnitude difference of events from mainshocks but not on their absolute values. The classification of detected clusters into several major types, generally corresponding to singles, burst-like and swarm-like sequences, and correlations between different cluster types and geographic locations is addressed in a companion paper.

Contributions of the home literacy environment to preschool‐aged children’s emerging literacy and language skills

Abstract: This paper reports on a study that examined both the concurrent and logitudinal connections between multiple components of the home environment and indicators of preschool‐aged children’s literacy and language development. Data were collected from 85 parents and their children at two different times. Results of structural path models indicated that (a) parental literacy habits were positively associated with parental reading beliefs, (b) parental reading beliefs were positively associated with parent–child literacy and language activities in the home, and (c) parent–child literacy and language activities were positively associated with children’s print knowledge and reading interest. Parental demographic characteristics were associated with children’s expressive and receptive language skills. The results highlight how different components of the home literacy environment are associated with different components of preschool‐aged children’s literacy and language abilities, findings that become more importa...