Abstract
Manuel Eisner (2009) has posed the cynic’s hypothesis to help explain the slippage found between developer-led investigations of preventive interventions and those led by independent evaluators, and he has called for more research on developer self-interest as a possible explanation for this pattern of results. The issue Eisner raises has important implications for the integrity of science and for policy making, but he gives insufficient attention to the challenges of intervention development and effective replication across populations, communities, organizations, and service providers. The challenge he poses needs to be addressed by higher standards for reporting trials, better peer review, improved investigator training, and rigorous, collegial support of those who choose to enter this challenging field, lest we dissuade young investigators from seeking careers that combine their commitment to solve social problems with their commitment to rigorously evaluate their efforts.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Dishion, T., & Dodge, K. (2005). Peer contagion in interventions for children and adolescents: moving towards and understanding of the ecology and dynamics of change. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33(3), 395–400.
DuBois, D. L., Holloway, B. E., Valentine, J. C., & Cooper, H. (2002). Effectiveness of mentoring programs for youth: a meta-analytic review. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30(2), 157–197.
Durlak, J. A., & DuPre, E. P. (2008). Implementation matters: a review of research on the influence of implementation on program outcomes and the factors affecting implementation. American Journal of Community Psychology, 41(3–4), 327–350.
Eckenrode, J., Ganzel, B., Henderson, C. R,. Jr, Smith, E., Olds, D. L., Powers, J., et al. (2000). Preventing child abuse and neglect with a program of nurse home visitation: the limiting effects of domestic violence. JAMA, 284(11), 1385–1391.
Eggert, L. L., Thompson, E. A., Herting, J. R., Nicholas, L. J., & Dickers, B. G. (1994). Preventing adolescent drug abuse and high school dropout through an intensive social network development program. American Journal of Health Promotion., 8(2), 202–215.
Eisner, M. (2009). No effects in independent prevention trials: can we reject the cynical view? Experimental Criminology.
Ellickson, P. L., & Bell, R. M. (1990). Drug prevention in junior high: a multi-site longitudinal test. Science, 247, 1299–1305.
Kitzman, H., Olds, D. L., Henderson, C. R,. Jr, Hanks, C., Cole, R., Tatelbaum, R., et al. (1997). Effect of prenatal and infancy home visitation by nurses on pregnancy outcomes, childhood injuries, and repeated childbearing. A randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 278(8), 644–652.
Leung, C., Sanders, M. R., Leung, S., Mak, R., & Lau, J. (2003). An outcome evaluation of the implementation of the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program in Hong Kong. Family Process, 42(4), 531–544.
Martin, A. J., & Sanders, M. R. (2003). Balancing work and family: a controlled evaluation of the Triple P-positive parenting program as a work-site intervention. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 8(4), 161–169.
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational interviewing, second edition: preparing people for change. New York: Guilford Press.
Montgomery, D. T., Sanders, M. R., & Brechman-Toussaint, M. L. (2000). The mass media and the prevention of child behavior problems: the evaluation of a television series to promote positive outcomes for parents and their children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41(7), 939–948.
Morawska, A., & Sanders, M. R. (2006). Self-administered behavioral family intervention for parent of toddlers: Part I. Efficacy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(1), 10–19.
National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality. (1989). Home visiting: opening doors for America's pregnant women and children. Washington, D.C.: National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality.
Nowak, C., & Heinrichs, N. (2008). A comprehensive meta-analysis of Triple-P parenting program using hierarchical linear modeling: effectiveness and moderating variables. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 11, 114–144.
Olds, D. L., & Kitzman, H. (1990). Can home visitation improve the health of women and children at environmental risk? Pediatrics, 86(1), 108–116.
Olds, D. L., Eckenrode, J., Henderson, C. R,. Jr, Kitzman, H., Powers, J., Cole, R., et al. (1997). Long-term effects of home visitation on maternal life course and child abuse and neglect. Fifteen-year follow-up of a randomized trial. JAMA, 278(8), 637–43.
Olds, D., Henderson, C. R,. Jr, Cole, R., Eckenrode, J., Kitzman, H., Luckey, D., et al. (1998). Long-term effects of nurse home visitation on children's criminal and antisocial behavior: 15-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 280(14), 1238–1244.
Olds, D. L., Robinson, J., O'Brien, R., Luckey, D. W., Pettitt, L. M., Henderson, C. R,. Jr, et al. (2002). Home visiting by paraprofessionals and by nurses: a randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics, 110(3), 486–496.
Olds, D. L., Hill, P. L., O'Brien, R., Racine, D., & Moritz, P. (2003). Taking preventive intervention to scale: the Nurse–Family Partnership. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 10(4), 278–290.
Perry, A. E., & Johnson, M. (2008). Applying CONSORT to criminal justice trials: associations between journal impact factors and quality of report. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 4(2), 168–185.
Petrosino, A., & Soydan, H. (2005). The impact of program developers as evaluators on criminal recidivism: results from meta-analyses of experimental and quasi-experimental research. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 1(4), 435–450.
Plant, K. M., & Sanders, M. R. (2007). Reducing problem behavior during care-giving in families of preschool-aged children with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 28, 362–385.
Roberts, C., Mazzucchelli, T., Studman, L., & Sanders, M. R. (2006). Behavioral family intervention for children with developmental disabilities and behavioral problems. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 35(2), 180–193.
Rollnick, S., Miller, W. R., & Butler, C. C. (2007). Motivational interviewing in health care: helping patients change behavior. New York: Guilford Press.
Sanders, M. R., & Turner, K. M. T. (2006). Help when it’s needed first: a controlled evaluation of brief, preventive behavioral family intervention in a primary care setting. Behavior Therapy, 37, 131–142.
Sanders, M. R., Markie-Dadds, C., Tully, L. A., & Bor, W. (2000). The Triple P-Positive Parenting Program: a comparison of enhanced, standard, and self-directed behavioral family intervention for parents of children with early onset conduct problems. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(4), 624–640.
Sanders, M. R., Bor, W., & Morawska, A. (2007). Maintenance of treatment gains: a comparison of enhanced, standard, and self-directed Triple P-positive parenting program. J Abnormal Child Psychol, 35, 983–998.
Sherman, L. W. (2006). “To develop and test:” the inventive difference between evaluation and experimentation. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 2(3), 393–406.
St Pierre, T. L., Osgood, D. W., Mincemoyer, C. C., Kaltreider, D. L. & Kauh, T. J. (2006). Results of an independent evaluation of project alert delivered in schools by cooperative extension. Prevention Science, 6(4), 305–317.
St Pierre, T. L., Osgood, D. W., Siennick, S., Kauh, T., & Burden, F. (2007). Project ALERT with outside leaders: what leader characteristics are important for success? Prevention Science, 8(1), 51–64.
Tukey, J. W. (1977). Some thoughts on clinical trials, especially problems of multiplicity. Science, 19, 679–684.
Turner, K. M. T., Richards, M., & Sanders, M. R. (2007). Randomised clinical trial of a group parent education programme for Australian indigenous families. Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, 43, 243–251.
US Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect. (1991). Creating caring communities: blueprint for an effective federal policy on child abuse and neglect. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
Acknowledgments
Dennis Luckey, Mike Knudtson, Nancy Donelan-McCall, Harriet Kitzman, and Charles Henderson provided helpful comments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Olds, D. In Support of Disciplined Passion. J Exp Criminol 5, 201–214 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-009-9074-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-009-9074-8