Properties of internal speed control and psychophysiological response during continuous forearm rotation movement.

This study investigated the properties of speed control and psychophysiological response when subjects changed movement speed internally. The task consisted of a continuous forearm rotational movement, which 14 women performed under 3 conditions, namely, (1) Preferred: the subject performed the task at a freely selected speed, (2) Slow: the subject changed the speed in two steps from preferred to a slower pace (slow, then very slow), (3) Fast: the subject changed the speed in two steps from preferred to a faster pace (fast, then very fast). Rotation speed and the coefficient of variation were measured to evaluate within-subject variability. Under the Preferred condition, there were no significant differences in rotation speed or coefficient of variation during the trials. However, under Slow and Fast conditions, the standard variation scores and coefficient of variation indicated different tendencies. Under the Fast condition, although the standard variation increased with the faster speed, the coefficient of variation decreased. On the other hand, the coefficient of variation increased under the Slow condition. Preferred speed had a significant positive relationship to the slow, very slow, fast, and very fast speeds. Heart rate (R-R interval) and EEG spectral intensity measurements showed no significant changes among the three conditions: however, respiration frequency significantly increased during Fast as compared to Preferred and Slow conditions. These results suggest that a preferred speed for continuous movement exists and that it is closely related to internal speed control as a psychological criterion. Furthermore, different movement speeds may reflect different psychophysiological responses.     

Phonological processing during silent reading in teenagers who are deaf/hard of hearing: an eye movement investigation

There has been considerable variability within the literature concerning the extent to which deaf/hard of hearing individuals are able to process phonological codes during reading. Two experiments are reported in which participants’ eye movements were recorded as they read sentences containing correctly spelled words (e.g., church), pseudohomophones (e.g., cherch), and spelling controls (e.g., charch). We examined both foveal processing and parafoveal pre‐processing of phonology for three participant groups—teenagers with permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL), chronological age‐matched controls, and reading age‐matched controls. The teenagers with PCHL showed a pseudohomophone advantage from both directly fixated words and parafoveal preview, similar to their hearing peers. These data provide strong evidence for phonological recoding during silent reading in teenagers with PCHL.     

Evaluation and elimination of an avoidance response in a child who stutters: A case study

In this case study, efforts to treat stuttering in a 6-year-old male with cerebral palsy were complicated by frequent replies of “I don't know” that allowed the child to avoid more extensive answers to conversational questions. Following a program of extinction plus differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA), the response “I don't know” was decreased while both speech rate and stuttering increased. Simplified habit reversal (SHR) techniques (controlled breathing) were then applied and resulted in a reduction of stuttering and maintenance of low rates of avoidance. A reversal to baseline resulted in initially high levels of avoidance and low levels of stuttering, with these trends reversing as baseline continued. The SHR treatment for stuttering was then reimplemented and stuttering rates again decreased while avoidance rates remained low, Implications are discussed.     

Sexually dimorphic effect of an acute smoking manipulation on skin resistance but not on heart-rate during a cognitive verbal task

In a two-day, two-session experiment where smokers male and female college-student subjects worked on a cognitive verbal task during either the first or second day, and on a cognitive spatial task on the second or first day, smoking was manipulated as an acute independent variable by requiring 10+ hours of pre-experimental abstention, and providing a cigarette during the 15-minute rest period between the two sessions. Non-smoker female and male subjects underwent the same experiment, and hence served as controls for the effects of this acute-smoking manipulation. Overall adaptation (decreased arousal) to the experiment was manifested in a significant increase in skin resistance level (SRL) in all subjects, but when this adaptation effect was statistically controlled, there was a significant smokers by sex interaction during the verbal task only, such that SRL was increased by the cigarette in males, but decreased in females. In contrast, the same analysis indicated only a marked increase in heart-rate (HR) due to smoking, which was unaffected either by sex or by whether the task was the verbal or the (easier) spatial one. We interpret the SRL results as reflecting a sex difference in the direction of transient psychological arousal, and discuss it in relation to evidence in the literature based on self reports, and to evidence (based on HR in this study and on blood pressure in other studies) on physiological (cardiovascular) arousal.     

Sexually dimorphic effect of an acute smoking manipulation on skin resistance but not on heart-rate during a cognitive verbal task.

In a two-day, two-session experiment where smokers male and female college-student subjects worked on a cognitive verbal task during either the first or second day, and on a cognitive spatial task on the second or first day, smoking was manipulated as an acute independent variable by requiring 10+ hours of pre-experimental abstention, and providing a cigarette during the 15-minute rest period between the two sessions. Non-smoker female and male subjects underwent the same experiment, and hence served as controls for the effects of this acute-smoking manipulation. Overall adaptation (decreased arousal) to the experiment was manifested in a significant increase in skin resistance level (SRL) in all subjects, but when this adaptation effect was statistically controlled, there was a significant smokers by sex interaction during the verbal task only, such that SRL was increased by the cigarette in males, but decreased in females. In contrast, the same analysis indicated only a marked increase in heart-rate (HR) due to smoking, which was unaffected either by sex or by whether the task was the verbal or the (easier) spatial one. We interpret the SRL results as reflecting a sex difference in the direction of transient psychological arousal, and discuss it in relation to evidence in the literature based on self reports, and to evidence (based on HR in this study and on blood pressure in other studies) on physiological (cardiovascular) arousal. Key Words: Electrodermal activity, heart-rate, psychological vs. physiological, verbal and spatial cognitive tasks.     

Aging and inhibition of a prepotent motor response during an ongoing action

Inhibitory functions are key mechanisms underlying age related decline (Park & Gutchess, 2000, in: Cognitive aging: A primer. Hove: Psychology Press), yet few studies have investigated their impact on everyday tasks involving action as well as cognition. Using an everyday-based go/no-go task we devised a motor analogy of traditional neuropsychological tests to investigate in 134 older (aged 60-88) and 133 younger adults (aged 20-59) the ability to inhibit a prepotent motor response during an ongoing action. Older adults produced more inhibition failures as expected, but more strikingly inhibitory errors were not all or none; even when the inappropriate response was successfully inhibited, difficulties controlling ongoing movements emerged from as young as people in their 40s. The ability to inhibit therefore does not ensure control of ongoing tasks, and traditional cognitive tests may be unable to detect such difficulties. Furthermore, performance did not covary with education or action speed. Implications for neuropsychological theory and assessing/enhancing functional ability are discussed.     

The flankers task and response competition: A useful tool for investigating a variety of cognitive problems

Abstract

Research has shown that the reaction-time interference produced by the flankers task arises, at least in large part, from the incipient activation of competing responses. The response competition paradigm has made valuable contributions to evaluating continuous flow versus discrete stage models of information processing as well as understanding cortical evoked potentials. The paradigm has been used to map the visual attentional field as a function of task demands and has also been found useful in the study of memory. It offers promise in studies of cognitive categorization and has provided insights into the “fast same effect” on same-different judgements on comparison tasks. It is currently being applied to the study of disjunctive comparisons.     

A pilot investigation on the effects of combination transcranial direct current stimulation and speed of processing cognitive remediation therapy on simulated driving behavior in older adults with HIV

Cognitive impairments seen in people living with HIV (PLWH) are associated with difficulties in everyday functioning, specifically driving. This study utilized speed of processing cognitive remediation therapy (SOP-CRT) with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to gauge the feasibility and impact on simulated driving. Thirty PLWH (M_age = 54.53, SD = 3.33) were randomly assigned to either: sham tDCS SOP-CRT or active tDCS SOP-CRT. Seven indicators of simulated driving performance and safety were obtained. Repeated measures ANOVAs controlling for driver’s license status (valid and current license or expired/no license) revealed a large training effect on average driving speed. Participants who received active tDCS SOP-CRT showed a slower average driving speed (p = 0.020, d = 0.972) than those who received sham tDCS SOP-CRT. Non-significant small-to-medium effects were seen for driving violations, collisions, variability in lane positioning, and lane deviations. Combination tDCS SOP-CRT was found to increase indices of cautionary simulated driving behavior. Findings reveal a potential avenue of intervention and rehabilitation for improving driving safety among vulnerable at-risk populations, such as those aging with chronic disease.     

Empowerment and threat in response to mass protest shape public support for a social movement and social change: A panel study in the context of the Bersih movement in Malaysia

One path to social change is through sustained collective action. Although such actions often explicitly target the public audience to raise support for a movement's cause, we know little about how the public psychologically responds to protests. To examine this question, a sample of Malaysians was surveyed before and immediately after the occurrence of mass street protests in Malaysia (N = 422) using a two-wave longitudinal design. Analyses revealed that (beyond pre-existing levels of movement identity and support for social change) experiencing empowerment in response to the protests promoted a supportive movement identity and more support for social change after the protests, whereas experiencing threat in response to the protests promoted an oppositional movement identity and less support for social change after the protests. This research suggests that the psychological impact of ongoing protests on the public can determine subsequent public support for the movement and its goals.     

Relations between perceptual and physiological response during incremental exercise followed by an extended bout of submaximal exercise on a cycle ergometer

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations of ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) of the legs, chest, and overall body with physiological responses (heart rate and oxygen uptake) both during incremental cycling exercise and the recovery stage (submaximal light exercise after total exhaustion). Subjects were 10 healthy university males ages 18 to 23 years (M age=20.5 yr., SD=1.4 yr.) who performed incremental cycling exercise until exhaustion after 1-min. rest and unloaded cycling for 2 min. They then continued to exercise at a constant load of 30 Watts (used for cooling down; recovery stage) for a total of 25 min. Oxygen uptake and heart rate were measured, and three types of RPE were done; Respiratory (chest; RPE-R), Peripheral (legs; RPE-P), and Overall (overall body; RPE-O) during the exercise and recovery stage. All variables during exercise and RPE-R and RPE-P during recovery stage showed significant linear changes. RPE-O and physiological exercise intensity (oxygen uptake and heart rate) in the recovery stage showed significant curvilinear changes (quadratic). RPE-P were significantly higher than RPE-R both during exercise and the recovery stage and the variables highly correlated (r > or = .88, p < .05). At the point of exhaustion, RPE-P and RPE-O almost reached a peak, but RPE-R did not. In the exercise period until exhaustion, the regression coefficient of RPE-R (.38) was significantly lower than that of RPE-P (.56) and RPE-O (.50), and RPE-R increased according to an increase of the incremental load, but the amount was significantly lower than those of RPE-P and RPE-O. In the recovery stage after exhaustion, the regression coefficient of RPE-O (-1.35) was significantly greater than that of RPE-P (-1.07). A decrease in RPE-O corresponded to a decrease in heart rate and oxygen uptake, but RPE-P did not, and the recovery of RPE-P tended to be late. The results suggest that relations for the physiological responses of heart rate, oxygen uptake, and RPE, and between each RPE in the recovery stage differed from those during exercise until exhaustion.     

Paradoxical experiential therapy: A description of the technique and rationale of a nonbehavioral therapy for an unselected patient population

Paradoxical Experiential Therapy, a new technique of psychotherapy, is a nonbehavioral, short-term, experiential form of individual psychotherapy which produces long-lasting changes in ego strength, anxiety, depression, guilt, anger, and other common psychiatric symptoms, in an unselected patient population, in approximately 40 to 60 hours of therapy. This is accomplished by the use of structured fantasies accompanied by feelings which are instantly paradoxical to the content and nature of the fantasies themselves, and by other structured fantasies with paradoxical input from the therapist.     

Brain stimulation and affective behavior: A note on an early demonstration of a “reward center”

The note concerns the “rescue” of an early study describing the “rewarding” effects of brain stimulation.     

Dimensions of perceived control: A factor analysis of three measures and an examination of their relation to activity level and mood in a student and cross-cultural patient sample

Abstract

This study investigated whether measures of three perceived control (PC) concepts tapped independent dimensions, were invariant to population characteristics of health and culture, were differentially sensitive to health outcomes, and were discriminable from self-report disability. The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control, Generalized Self-efficacy, and Perceived Health Competence (PHC) Scales were administered to 106 Scottish students and 145 Scottish, Spanish and Irish patients, who also completed versions of the Sickness Impact Profile. Principal Components analyses revealed five factors reflecting scale constructions for students and six factors for patients, as PHC items fell on two factors. Disability items fell on a separate factor from all PC items. Results suggest: (a) PC is multidimensional regardless of health and culture; (b) adequate assessment requires multiple PC measures; and (c) it is meaningful to consider PC as a possible influence on disability.     

An investigation into the possibility of an innovative treatment for weight‐related hyperphagia: Towards a more effective combination of physiological and psychological treatment for clinically obese patients who binge‐eat,category DSM IV EDNOS (Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified)

This paper describes Phase One of a five‐phase doctoral research inquiry into hyperphagia (eating beyond requirement) as experienced in Binge Eating Disorder (BED). It is a response to the need for a treatment plan which combines the opportunity to explore psychological reasons for overeating, as well as to understand physiological reasons for uncontrollable cravings. Three participants, recruited through local gyms, received twelve sessions of integrative counselling combining cognitive behavioural therapy and physiological information with a person‐centred approach and psychodynamic theory to help participants discover for themselves the emotional causes of their overeating. The results informed Phase Two in which a small group addressed the same issues. The outcome of both phases will be used to design a treatment programme (Phase Three) for a larger group as a pilot study (Phase Four), all phases being part of an action research project which will be evaluated in Phase Five. The study is aimed at promoting a better understanding on the part of health professionals and counsellors of the need for sufferers of BED to address emotional causes of overeating and providing such treatment in primary care. Participants in Phase One self‐reported a steady decrease in Body Mass Index (BMI) during an interval of one year and achieved an awareness of the way in which their complex relationship with food was underpinned by emotionally painful and avoidant relationships with others.     

Efficacy of a Photovoice‐based video as an online mental illness anti‐stigma intervention and the role of empathy in audience response: A randomized controlled trial

This study examined the efficacy of a Photovoice‐based video as a novel online anti‐stigma video in reducing mental illness stigma, as well as the role of empathic concern in stigma reduction. Photovoice is a grassroots process by which members of a marginalized group, such as people with a mental illness, document and convey their experience; in this study’s context, the experience of living with a mental illness and the stigma associated with this experience. Canadian undergraduate university students (n = 303; average age = 21) were randomly assigned to view either a Photovoice‐based anti‐stigma intervention video (n = 156) or a control video (n = 147). Compared to the control condition, the Photovoice‐based video was efficacious in reducing mental illness stigma, including reduced fear and anger toward people with a mental illness, decreased perceptions of dangerousness, and decreased desired social distance. In addition, the intervention was efficacious in maintaining reduced desired social distance relative to the control at 1‐month post‐intervention. Finally, empathic concern was found to mediate the relationship between the Photovoice‐based video and reduced mental illness stigma, suggesting that one way the intervention reduced mental illness stigma was by eliciting empathy in the viewer.