Orchestra auditions form a critical career challenge for many aspiring classical musicians. Hence, emerging professional musicians--defined as promising musicians entering the professional circuit without having yet established full-time employment--require effective practice and performance strategies to manage the demands of auditions. The…

Despite the plethora of research in the field of mental rotation, researchers are still divided over a range of related issues, particularly the processes involved in coping with mental rotation tasks. This field of research, for the most part, is descriptive rather than interpretative, leading to the absence of a theoretical framework to enable…

The author employs Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences to frame a discussion about the abilities of children on the Autism spectrum. Since children possess special gifts in visual/spatial areas, an argument is made to support this ability instead of "correcting" it into a more "normal" range. References from Dr. Temple Grandin's life…

Translates Oskar Pfister's 1930 article proposing that persons faced with extreme danger exclude reality from their perceptions and lapse into pleasurable fantasies that constitute a form of psychic protection against the threat of death. Notes that depersonalization takes place and prevents the conscious experience of fear. (Author/RC)

Research investigating public speaking anxiety treatments is subject to demand effects. This study tests the relative effectiveness of systematic desensitization (SD) and multiple treatment method (MT) containing visualization therapy against no-treatment and credible placebo controls. Data (N = 238) were collected at six points in a public…

This article provides suggestions for treating test anxiety by training students in stress management strategies. Detailed instructions for teaching deep muscle relaxation are provided, followed by an introduction to Wolpe's (1958) technique of systematic desensitization, which features identification of a hierarchy of anxiety-producing situations…

Provides a session-by-session description of "Free to Be Me," a 12-week psychoeducational group for overweight clients combining education, nutritional counseling, and moderate exercise. Goals include improved fitness, enhanced self-concept, and weight stabilization. Group exercises, guided visualizations, and case examples are included.…

Sought to compare the visual imagery (i.e., the drawings) and the metaphorical statements (i.e., the words used to describe the pictures) of coping and noncoping children to ascertain whether the pictures and words of coping children reflect emotional health, whereas those of noncoping children signify inner turmoil. (ABB)