Effects of safety behaviors on fear reduction during exposure

The use of safety behaviors has been considered one of the primary maintaining mechanisms of anxiety disorders; however, evidence suggests that they are not always detrimental to treatment success (Milosevic & Radomsky, 2008). This study examined the effects of safety behaviors on behavioral, cognitive, and subjective indicators of fear during exposure for fear of spiders. A two-stage design was used to examine fear reduction and approach distance during an in vivo exposure task for participants (N = 43) assigned to either a safety behavior use (SBU) or no safety behavior use (NSB) condition. Overall, both groups reported significant and comparable reductions in self-reported anxiety and negative beliefs about spiders at posttest and 1-week follow-up. Participants in the SBU group approached the spider more quickly than did participants in the NSB condition; however, participants in the SBU condition showed a small but significant decrease in approach distance at follow-up. These results call for a reconceptualization of the impact of safety behaviors on in vivo exposure.     

The structure of self-reported aggression, drug use, and delinquent behaviors during early adolescence

Examined the structure of self-report scales designed to assess the frequency of adolescent problem behaviors. Urban (n = 988) and rural (n = 1,895) middle school students completed the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale (Farrell, Danish, & Howard, 1992a) and measures of other relevant constructs. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a model that included specific factors related to aggression, drug use, and delinquent behaviors, and a higher order problem behavior factor. Findings did not support a distinction between physical and nonphysical aggression. Results were generally consistent across settings (i.e., urban vs. rural) and gender. Other relevant constructs, including peer pressure for drug use and attitudes favoring aggression, had both specific associations with relevant first-order factors and more general associations with the second-order factor. These findings support the construction of separate scales assessing specific domains of problem behaviors in studies of adolescents' problem behaviors.     

Delay of gratification: impulsive choices and problem behaviors in early and late adolescence

High school students were offered a monetary incentive for participating in research. They were given a choice between a smaller fee immediately or a larger fee one week later. Compared to students who delayed gratification, those who chose the immediate fee showed more self-regulatory deficits. They showed greater involvement with cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana, had a poorer self-concept and underperformed academically. A replication study with middle-school students and different reward parameters yielded equivalent results. Younger adolescents who chose the immediate monetary incentive showed a similar pattern of problem behaviors as the high school students. The findings indicate that this simple choice-delay procedure yields an unobtrusive behavioral measure of self-regulation and offers a developmentally appropriate extension of the delay-of-gratification paradigm for use with older children and adolescents.     

Prediction of work efficiency in early adolescence under the effects of noise

This is a short summary of research on how different stress factors in the work environment (climate, light, noise) affect work performance of early adolescents. Due to the complexity of the measurements, the research consisted of a small sample of male adolescents (N = 20); average age 13.5 years (SD = 0.25). Tasks were used which demanded average work attention from the adolescent boys and in this context applied the basic theory of the "rare" signal detection. The research was performed in an artificially created condition, a "climate chamber," which provided a wide variety of settings for various work conditions. We performed 360 measurements for each effect and all possible interactions. Of all three stress factors in the work environment, only noise was significant (p < .001). Its effect on the elements of work success is predictable on the basis of the introduced model under the defined marginal terms.     

学校资源对青少年早期幸福感发展的影响：意向性自我调节的纵向中介作用

通过对1214名初中生历时3年的3次追踪测量,考察了青少年早期的学校资源、意向性自我调节及幸福感的发展趋势,并对意向性自我调节在学校资源与幸福感发展间的纵向中介作用机制进行检验。结果发现,在青少年早期,学校资源具有相对的稳定性,意向性自我调节及幸福感均呈线性增长;学校资源对幸福感发展的作用机制表现为:一方面,学校资源通过意向性自我调节的初始水平分别对幸福感的初始水平和发展速度起间接作用,另一方面,学校资源通过意向性自我调节的发展速度对幸福感的发展速度起间接作用。结论:青少年早期,学生的学校资源水平保持稳定,意向性自我调节和幸福感的发展均呈线性递增趋势;学校资源能够通过意向性自我调节的初始水平和发展速度对幸福感的发展起间接作用。     

Effects of previous housing conditions on shock-induced aggression.

This study investigated shock-induced aggression as a function of housing rats in single or communal cages for varying periods of time before testing. Rates of fighting were unaffected by housing conditions when rats spent seven or 14 days in either of these settings before testing. Placing rats in these settings for 21 or 28 days before testing, however, did affect rates of fighting. Communal caging of subjects for 28 days before testing was particularly deleterious to shock-induced aggression. How rats are housed outside the experimental chamber is a variable affecting shock-induced aggression and should be considered both in designing future studies and as a topic for future investigation.     

Genetic influences on the development of spatial skills during early adolescence

The course of development of skill at face encoding is disrupted in early adolescence. Evidence is provided that the timing of this disruption is under genetic control. Regardless of their age, girls in the midst of pubertal change encode faces less efficiently than prepubescent or postpubescent controls. This maturational influence on face encoding is contrasted with a different effect of pubertal development on another visuo-spatial ability, performance on the Embedded Figures Test (EFT). Regardless of their pubertal status at time of testing, girls who mature earlier are disadvantaged on EFT compared to those who mature later. The results for EFT replicate earlier findings on the relation between individual differences in the age at which adolescence begins and certain spatial skills. Several possible explanations for each of these effects—that of maturational status on face encoding and that of maturation rate on EFT—are discussed. Consideration of the relation between physical and mental growth is advocated as a source of constraints on explanations of cognitive development.     

Neurocognitive impairment in early adolescence following prenatal alcohol exposure of varying duration.

The aims of the study were, first, to perform a comprehensive assessment of neurocognitive status in early adolescence of children exposed to alcohol prenatally; and, second, to examine whether duration of exposure continues to be predictive of outcome at this age. Twenty-seven exposed 12-14-year-olds and 39 non-exposed 13-14-year-olds underwent neuropsychological assessments (WISC-III, NEPSY subtests) of attention and executive functions, language, visuomotor functions, and memory. The group of non-exposed children was used to develop preliminary test norms for the 13-14-year-old exposed children whereas published test norms could be used for the 12-year-olds. The results demonstrated neurocognitive impairment across all types of tasks. Impairment varied in degree according to the duration of alcohol exposure. Children exposed throughout pregnancy, most of who had diagnoses of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE), performed well below the average range. It was concluded that the neurocognitive effects of alcohol exposure tend to be widespread and generalized. Attention and executive functions do not seem to be selectively affected. Further, the relationship between duration of prenatal alcohol exposure and neurocognitive development continues to be significant in early adolescence.     

Effects of different substance misuse in genital reflexes of paradoxical sleep deprived male rats

As psychostimulants are widely abused, their neurochemical and behavioral effects have been extensively studied for many years. Our previous data demonstrate that paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) enhances drug-induced penile erection and ejaculation. PSD in association to drugs of abuse like cocaine potentiated genital reflexes in male rats. In this sense, the present study investigated if three substances abused by young people--such as Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta(9)THC), alcohol and caffeine--had any significant effect on the genital reflexes in PSD rats. The results indicated that PSD induced erection in 50% of the rats and 20% ejaculated. In addition, there was no significant alteration in the number of animals exhibiting genital reflexes neither on the frequency of these behaviors when challenged with Delta(9)-THC or alcohol or caffeine after 96 h of PSD. These findings show that Delta(9)THC, alcohol and caffeine when administrated isolated did not produce alterations in genital reflexes in the PSD male rats.     

The effect of early cognitions on cigarette and alcohol use during adolescence

The present study predicts cigarette and alcohol use in adolescence from the development of children's cognitions in the elementary years. Using latent growth modeling, the authors examined a model using data from 712 participants in the Oregon Youth Substance Use Project, who were in the 2nd through 5th grade at the 1st assessment and followed for 6 annual or semiannual assessments over 7 years. Growth in children's prototypes and subjective norms in the elementary years (Times 1 through 4) were related to their substance use in adolescence (Time 6) through their willingness and intentions (Time 5) to smoke and drink. Across the sample, for both substances, the intercept and slope of prototypes were either indirectly related to use through willingness or directly related to use. Both the intercept and slope of subjective norms were indirectly related to use of both substances through both willingness and intentions and directly related to cigarette use. Results suggest that elementary children have measurable cognitions regarding substance use that develop during the elementary years and predict use later in adolescence. These findings emphasize the need for prevention programs targeted at changing children's social images of substance users and encouraging more accurate perceptions of peers' use.     

A dancer's well-being: The influence of the social psychological climate during adolescence

ObjectivesResearch suggests promoting task-involving dance climates is beneficial to well-being (Quested & Duda, 2009, 2010). Likewise, caring climates are integral to optimizing well-being (Fry et al., 2012). However, perceptions of a caring climate have not been examined in dance studios and little is known about the relationship between perceptions of a broader climate and aspects of psychological well-being. This study examined the relationship between perceptions of the social psychological climate (task-involving, ego-involving, and caring) and aspects of psychological well-being (positive and negative affect, body-esteem, and teacher and peer friendship quality) in adolescent dancers.DesignCross-sectional correlational design.MethodEighty-three female dancers (M age = 16.28 ± .93) self-reported well-being and perceptions of their studio's dance climate.ResultsPerceptions of task-involving and caring climates were related to better positive affect, body-esteem, and relationships with teachers and peers (r range: .33–.68). Two climate cluster profiles emerged: a Positive Climate (n = 57) with lower ego-involving and greater task-involving and caring climate perceptions and a Mixed Climate (n = 26) with higher ego-involving and lesser task-involving and caring climate perceptions. MANOVA revealed significant differences (V = 0.266, F (6, 76) = 4.59, p < .001) between the profiles on well-being. Discriminant function analysis showed dancers in the Positive Climate cluster reported greater body esteem, more friends, and less negative affect than dancers in the Mixed Climate cluster.ConclusionsPromoting a task-involving and caring climate and de-emphasizing an ego-involving climate is an effective strategy for promoting well-being in dancers.     

Students' perceptions of characteristics associated with social success: Changes during early adolescence

Students' endorsement of different characteristics associated with social success (sincere, responsible, dominant, disingenuous behaviors, appearance/athletic characteristics) were examined at six-month intervals for four time points spanning the transition from elementary to middle school (N = 558; 53% girls, 47% boys; 56% African American, 44% European American). Students' perceptions of socially successful children as sincere and responsible declined over time, whereas students' perceptions of socially successful children as dominant, disingenuous, and attractive/athletic increased over time. However, sincere behavior remained a top-rated characteristic at all time points and dominant and disingenuous behavior remained at the bottom, indicating that although the developmental trends were concerning the overall picture was not bleak. At all time points, girls endorsed sincere behavior as more important, and dominant and disingenuous behaviors and appearance/athletic characteristics as less important, to social success than boys. African American girls perceived appearance/athletic characteristic as less important to social success than other students.     

Adaptation of anterior pituitary hormones to chronic noise stress in male rats

We have studied the effects of acute and chronic noise on serum levels of pituitary hormones in male Wistar rats. Acute noise increased serum levels of corticosterone, prolactin, and luteinizing hormone and decreased serum GH. FSH was unaffected by this stressor. Chronic noise did not modify basal levels of any hormone studied, however responsiveness of some hormones to the same stimuli was altered. Reduced corticosterone, prolactin, and GH responses to noise was observed after previous chronic exposure to this stimuli. LH response followed the same pattern although it did not reach statistical significance. It might be concluded that adaptation to a repeated stress stimulus is not confined to the pituitary-adrenal axis, however, the degree of adaptation could vary between different hormones.