title: Flexibility, Impulsivity, and Relational Responding: A study of the relationship between experiential avoidance, delaying of aversive outcomes, and brief immediate relational responding

authors: Graddy, Joseph Patrick

subjects: IRAP

abstract: Abstract
The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) is a relatively new tool for assessing verbal behaviour, and shows promise in measuring verbal behaviour that participants may be unable to report otherwise. In this exploratory study, I sought to determine the relationship between responding as measured using the IRAP, a clinical measure of experiential avoidance, and impulsiveness. The first experiment was a first attempt to validate the use of the IRAP in a New Zealand sample by administering three IRAP tasks to undergraduate students. Results in the first experiment were consistent with past research and supported the validity of the IRAP in a New Zealand sample. In the second experiment, participants completed two IRAPs, the Action and Acceptance Questionnaire II, and an aversive delay discounting task. The first IRAP measured relational flexibility around gender roles, while the second measured relational flexibility around accepting and avoiding emotions. The results showed that more relational flexibility around gender chores predicted more self-control on the delay discounting task, and more experiential avoidance while more relational flexibility around emotions predicted more impulsiveness. My results from the second experiment represent one of the first attempts at linking the concepts of experiential avoidance, impulsiveness, and relational flexibility and as such my study is an important first step in understanding the relationship between these concepts.

text: Flexibility, Impulsivity, and Relational Responding: A study of the relationship between experiential avoidance, delaying of aversive outcomes, and brief immediate relational responding Abstract
The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) is a relatively new tool for assessing verbal behaviour, and shows promise in measuring verbal behaviour that participants may be unable to report otherwise. In this exploratory study, I sought to determine the relationship between responding as measured using the IRAP, a clinical measure of experiential avoidance, and impulsiveness. The first experiment was a first attempt to validate the use of the IRAP in a New Zealand sample by administering three IRAP tasks to undergraduate students. Results in the first experiment were consistent with past research and supported the validity of the IRAP in a New Zealand sample. In the second experiment, participants completed two IRAPs, the Action and Acceptance Questionnaire II, and an aversive delay discounting task. The first IRAP measured relational flexibility around gender roles, while the second measured relational flexibility around accepting and avoiding emotions. The results showed that more relational flexibility around gender chores predicted more self-control on the delay discounting task, and more experiential avoidance while more relational flexibility around emotions predicted more impulsiveness. My results from the second experiment represent one of the first attempts at linking the concepts of experiential avoidance, impulsiveness, and relational flexibility and as such my study is an important first step in understanding the relationship between these concepts.

year: 2015

title: High-precision radiocarbon measurements of contemporaneous tree-ring dated wood from the British Isles and New Zealand: AD 1850–950

authors: Hogg, Alan G.

subjects: radopcarbon

abstract: The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand and The Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland radiocarbon dating laboratories have undertaken a series of high-precision measurements on decadal samples of dendrochronologically dated oak (Quercus petraea) from Great Britain and cedar (Libocedrus bidwillii) and silver pine (Lagarostrobos colensoi) from New Zealand. The results show an average hemispheric offset over the 900 yr of measurement of 40 ± 13 yr. This value is not constant but varies with a periodicity of about 130 yr. The Northern Hemisphere measurements confirm the validity of the Pearson et al. (1986) calibration dataset.

text: High-precision radiocarbon measurements of contemporaneous tree-ring dated wood from the British Isles and New Zealand: AD 1850–950 The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand and The Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland radiocarbon dating laboratories have undertaken a series of high-precision measurements on decadal samples of dendrochronologically dated oak (Quercus petraea) from Great Britain and cedar (Libocedrus bidwillii) and silver pine (Lagarostrobos colensoi) from New Zealand. The results show an average hemispheric offset over the 900 yr of measurement of 40 ± 13 yr. This value is not constant but varies with a periodicity of about 130 yr. The Northern Hemisphere measurements confirm the validity of the Pearson et al. (1986) calibration dataset.

year: 2002

title: Efficacy of an incentive intervention on secondary prophylaxis for young people with rheumatic fever: a multiple baseline study

authors: Oetzel, John G.

subjects: Science & Technology

abstract: Background
Acute rheumatic fever in New Zealand persists and is a barometer of equity as its burden almost exclusively falls on Māori and Pacific Island populations. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether an incentive programme will result in increased secondary prophylaxis injections over a one-year period compared to a baseline period prior to the intervention.

Methods
The evaluation used a multiple baseline study to determine whether an incentive consisting of a mobile phone and monthly “top-up” (for data/calls) resulted in increased injections, increased texts/calls with nurses, reduced number of visits to get a successful injection, less medicine wasted, and increased nurse satisfaction. Participants were 77 young people (aged 14–21) on an acute rheumatic fever registry in Waikato region, New Zealand classified as either fully adherent (all injections received and no more than one late) or partially adherent based on injections at baseline.

Results
There was a sharp increase in injections for intermittent patients post-intervention and then a slight decrease overtime, while fully adherent patients maintained their high rate of injections (p = .003). A similar pattern for nurse satisfaction emerged (p = .001). The number of calls/texts increased for all patients (p = .003). The number of visits went down for partially adherent patients and up for fully adherent patients (p = .012). The overall incremental cost-effectiveness was $989 per extra successful injection although costs increased sharply toward the end of the intervention.

Conclusions
Incentivising secondary prophylaxis appears to have a strong impact for partially adherent patients, particularly during the early periods following the initiation of the intervention. Enhancing communication with patients who returned to care may result in more sustainable adherence.

Trial registration
Retrospectively registered: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618001150235, 12 July 2018.

text: Efficacy of an incentive intervention on secondary prophylaxis for young people with rheumatic fever: a multiple baseline study Background
Acute rheumatic fever in New Zealand persists and is a barometer of equity as its burden almost exclusively falls on Māori and Pacific Island populations. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether an incentive programme will result in increased secondary prophylaxis injections over a one-year period compared to a baseline period prior to the intervention.

Methods
The evaluation used a multiple baseline study to determine whether an incentive consisting of a mobile phone and monthly “top-up” (for data/calls) resulted in increased injections, increased texts/calls with nurses, reduced number of visits to get a successful injection, less medicine wasted, and increased nurse satisfaction. Participants were 77 young people (aged 14–21) on an acute rheumatic fever registry in Waikato region, New Zealand classified as either fully adherent (all injections received and no more than one late) or partially adherent based on injections at baseline.

Results
There was a sharp increase in injections for intermittent patients post-intervention and then a slight decrease overtime, while fully adherent patients maintained their high rate of injections (p = .003). A similar pattern for nurse satisfaction emerged (p = .001). The number of calls/texts increased for all patients (p = .003). The number of visits went down for partially adherent patients and up for fully adherent patients (p = .012). The overall incremental cost-effectiveness was $989 per extra successful injection although costs increased sharply toward the end of the intervention.

Conclusions
Incentivising secondary prophylaxis appears to have a strong impact for partially adherent patients, particularly during the early periods following the initiation of the intervention. Enhancing communication with patients who returned to care may result in more sustainable adherence.

Trial registration
Retrospectively registered: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618001150235, 12 July 2018.

year: 2019