Although syllabi provide students with important course information, they can also affect perceptions of teaching effectiveness. To test this idea, we distributed 2 versions of a hypothetical course syllabus, a brief version and a detailed version, and asked students to rate the teacher of the course on qualities associated with master teaching. Students in the detailed syllabus group rated the teacher as possessing more of these qualities; they were also more likely to report that they would recommend the course to others and take another course from the teacher. Thus, in addition to serving a communicative function, a detailed syllabus might signal to students that their teacher is competent and wants them to do well.

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The Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS) purports to measure reactance: a motivational state experienced when a behavioral freedom is threatened with elimination. To date, five studies have examined the psychometric properties of the HPRS, but reached different conclusions regarding its factor structure. The current study further investigated the factor structure of the HPRS by testing four competing models using responses from 1,282 college students. A modified bifactor model, in which a general reactance factor explained common variance among all the items and specific factors explained shared residual variance among sets of items, was championed. Implications for estimating reliability and scoring the HPRS are discussed.

Past research has revealed a relationship between sexual offending and psychopathy. Notably, offenders who sexually assault a minor as well as an adult (mixed offenders) score higher on the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) than child sex offenders, rapists, and nonsex offenders. Moreover, both PCL-R Factor 1 (interpersonal-affective traits) and PCL-R Factor 2 (impulsive-antisocial traits) scores have been implicated in explaining these higher psychopathy scores. Using data from 2,514 male prisoners, focusing on a subset of 40 mixed offenders, we attempted to replicate and clarify these findings. As predicted, mixed offenders scored higher on PCL-R total and Factor 1 than other offender groups. Given this distinctive profile, greater understanding of the association between these psychopathic traits and mixed sexual offending may be crucial for evaluating and treating sex offenders as well as for reducing victimization.

BACKGROUND Helicopters are widely used to facilitate the transport of trauma patients, from the scene of an incident to the hospital. However, the use of helicopters may not always be appropriate. The aim of this project was to conduct a geospatial analysis of helicopter transport to a Level I trauma center. METHODS Retrospective geospatial analysis of trauma registry data, 2013 to 2018. We included all adult (≥16) trauma patients brought to the trauma center directly from the scene. Data were geocoded and analyzed using arcGIS. Drive times and flight times were calculated using Google Maps. Flight times included the time required to reach the incident location. RESULTS Two thousand eight hundred ninety-three patients were identified, and 1,911 had incident locations recorded and were therefore included in the analysis. The median age was 41 years (interquartile range [IQR], 27–58 years). Twenty-four percent of the patients had suffered severe injuries (Injury Severity Score [ISS], 16–25), 17% very severe injuries (ISS > 25), 24% moderately severe injuries, and 36% minor injuries (ISS, 1–8). The overall geographical distribution was centroidal, although with a concentration of case volume in the vicinity, and to the northeast, of the trauma center. Median flight time was 60 minutes (IQR, 52–69 minutes), and median drive time 65 minutes (IQR, 54–86 minutes). In 33% of the patients, the calculated drive time to the trauma center was shorter than the calculated flight time when considering the time for the helicopter to reach the scene. CONCLUSION The majority of patients taken to our level I trauma center by helicopter are injured in relatively close proximity. One in four patients is severely or very severely injured, but one third of the patients have only minor injuries. Over a quarter of trauma patients might have reached hospital more quickly if they had been taken by road, rather than helicopter. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Epidemiological/geographical study, level V.

The current study examined whether psychological reactance differs across compliant and non-compliant examinees. Given the lack of consensus regarding the factor structure and scoring of the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS), its factor structure was evaluated and subsequently tested for measurement invariance (configural, metric, and scalar) across two types of examinees: examinees that attended university assessments (i.e., compliant examinees) and examinees that skipped these assessments (i.e., non-compliant examinees). Measurement invariance of the HPRS across compliant and non-compliant examinees was supported, enabling the testing of latent mean differences, which provided known-groups validity evidence: non-compliant examinees reported significantly higher levels of reactance than did compliant examinees. Implications for low-stakes testing internationally, including strategies to increase compliance, are discussed.

Trauma is a time-critical condition. Helicopters are thought to enhance the accessibility to trauma centers, but this benefit is poorly quantified. The aim of this study was to conduct a geographical analysis of the added benefit provided by helicopters, over ground transport. This study uses geospatial analysis. Helicopter bases and Level I and II designated trauma centers were geocoded. 60-minute drive-time and elliptical flight-time isochrones were mapped with ArcGIS™ (Esri, Redlands, CA). Calculations included allowance for mission ground time (MGT). We compared the proportion of the population that could be taken to Level I and II trauma centers, within 60 minutes, by road and by air. Using a 30-minute MGT model, helicopters permit 279,317 additional residents (5.8%) access to a Level I trauma center within 60 minutes. Using the 20-minute MGT model, 1,089,177 more residents (22.8%) would have access to Level I trauma center care. The benefits were marginally greater for access to Level I and II trauma center care. Helicopters enhance access to specialist trauma center care, but the benefit is small and dependent on MGT. Consideration should be given to the siting of helicopters, particularly in relation to trauma patients, MGT, and the timely response of EMS when determining the triage for helicopter transport.

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