Some experimental analogues of obsession

This paper is an attempt to analyse some of the features of obsessional neurosis in terms of learning theory. First, the syndrome is described and found to have three main features: brooding, strong impulses to do unacceptable things, and ritualistic, defence-substitute activities. Second, the classical psychoanalytic explanation of the etiology of obsession is reviewed. This theory locates the source of conflict in the anal stage, but fails to give a satisfactory account of the precipitating conditions and of the cause for the persistence or fixation of the neurotic responses. In the third section both the precipitating conditions and the fixation conditions are analysed in terms of factors shown to be operative in animal learning experiments.     

Re-evaluation of Wolpe and Dollard/Miller

The major inadequacy in both Wolpe's and Dollard and Miller's learning-theory approach to therapy, is an oversimplified view of “stimulus” and “response”. Dollard and Miller's analysis of conventional psychotherapy accurately reflects the heavy emphasis on verbal mediation of emotional and instrumental responses in psychotherapy. Wolpe's work, on the other hand, belongs to a different tradition: his techniques involve direct intervention, by a variety of means, into the behaviour patterns to be eliminated, and direct training of new behaviour patterns. The debate over the relative merits of verbal versus non-verbal approaches to therapy has been confounded by a debate over ethical or philosophical attitudes.     

Erziehungsfähigkeit in familienrechtlichen Begutachtungen

Parental competence describes the multidimensional ability of parents to take responsibility for their children and to bring them up. There is a multitude of criteria and guidelines for the assessment of parental competence in the context of family court procedures, when a child’s well-being is at risk or in the case of divorce and separation. However, little is known about what forensic experts in Germany understand by the term parental competence. In a nationwide study  600 forensic experts were questioned about the contents and their methods of assessment concerning parental competence. Of the 104 participating psychologists and doctors (response rate 17.3 %) 90 % follow a schema while assessing parental competence and include the factors interaction and communication skills, care and nurturing, relationship skills, attachment capabilities, teaching rules and complying with them, and the ability to foster a child. While 99 % conduct a talk with the mother, 98 % conduct at least one talk with the father; 27 % talk to both parents together, 94% talk to the child systematically, 84 % use free play and 78 % combine playing and talking. The most frequently mentioned third persons include social workers, new partners, nursery school teachers and child protective services. Approximately 77 % use standardized tests. Although the study revealed a large heterogeneity in the procedures used by forensic experts, there is more accordance concerning the understanding of the term parental competence and the assessment procedure. Possibilities to assess parental competence in more general and standardized terms are discussed.     

Complex Trauma Symptoms in Former Ugandan Child Soldiers

Children exposed to repeated interpersonal trauma often develop symptoms that exceed those documented in criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and are better described with the emerging concept of developmental trauma disorder (DTD). This study examines complex trauma symptoms in a sample of 330 former Ugandan child soldiers (age 11–17 years, 49% female). Prevalence rates were 33.0% for PTSD, 36.4% for depression, and 78.2% for DTD. Whereas PTSD symptoms were significantly related to traumatic war experiences and depression, DTD symptoms were significantly associated with experiences of domestic violence, community violence, social support, and depression. Assessment tools and tailored interventions for DTD are urgently needed.     

Barriers and traps: great apes’ performance in two functionally equivalent tasks

Tool-using tasks that require subjects to overcome the obstacles to get a reward have been a major component of research investigating causal knowledge in primates. Much of the debate in this research has focused on whether subjects simply use certain stimulus features or instead use more functionally relevant information regarding the effect that certain features may have on a moving reward. Here, we presented two obstacle tasks, a trap platform and a barrier platform, to 22 great apes. Although perceptually similar, these two tasks contain two perceptually different but functionally equivalent obstacles: a trap and a barrier. In a pre-exposure phase, subjects either experienced an obstacle task or a task without any obstacle. In the transfer phase, all subjects were presented with an obstacle task, either the trap platform or the barrier platform. Our results show that those subjects who received an obstacle task prior to the second task performed better than those who first received a non-obstacle task. The type of obstacle task that subjects received first did not have any effect on their performance in the transfer phase. We suggest that apes possess some knowledge about the effects that obstacles have on slow-moving unsupported objects.     

Comparison of ability tests administered online and in the laboratory

As the Internet, the global medium of the future, expands exponentially, it has become increasingly relevant to scientific research. So far, there is but little evidence that online testing is suitable for collecting ability-test data. The present article aims to shed light on some aspects of the issue by comparing the performance in a computer-administered ability test of one lab sample and two online samples using a quasi-experimental design. Mean score differences appeared, but can be explained by differences in age and education, and were not due to the test setting (online vs. laboratory). Also, there were no structural differences between the achievement scores of both samples. Some limitations on generalizability are discussed.     

Parental Influences on the Prevalence and Development of Child Aggressiveness

The development of aggressiveness between 5 and 17 years and some parental influences on this development were analyzed using data from Germany. International studies have shown a “camel humps” curve, i.e., a peak of aggression of children (primarily boys) between 2 and 4 years and a second peak of antisocial or aggressive behavior of boys between 15 and 20 years, but small groups of children and adolescents were persistently aggressive. A representative longitudinal study (2,190 children and their parents) and an additional study (1,372 children and adolescents) were conducted in Germany. The hypotheses of this article are that in the data can be found (a) an U-shaped course of aggressiveness for boys and girls, but on different levels, (b) a minority of persistently aggressive children and youth, (c) influences of parental temperaments, behavioral tendencies, parenting styles and the family status on the children’s aggressiveness. The results replicate roughly the “valley” of the U-shaped course of aggressiveness. Small groups of chronically aggressive children were found as well. Influences of parental temperaments and corresponding behavioral tendencies (internalizing and externalizing behavior), parenting styles (child-centered communication, use of violence) and the social status of the families on child aggressiveness confirmed the hypotheses. These processes were moderated by gender effects between mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. In regard to the group of persistently aggressive young people prevention of aggression should start early in childhood and over the long term. Parent education should consider more the individual personalities of the parents, not only parenting styles.