(A)Temporal dialectic: creative conversations between timelessness/time and transference

The intimate relationship between timelessness, time, and transference is generative in its clinical impact on analysis. A tendency to define and represent timelessness and time as opposing structures, antithetical in aim, can obscure the fertility and complexity of their relationship. The creative and transformative power of an (a)temporal dialectic is proposed whose engagement with transference destroys and creates new paradigms of human experience, presenting analyst and analysand with fresh ways of thinking and being. A brief history of timelessness and time in psychoanalysis follows their intertwined developmental path and their import in transference-countertransference experience.     

Courseware for observational research (COR): A new approach to teaching naturalistic observation

Naturalistic observation is one of the most basic and widely used techniques of scientific research, yet it often receives only a cursory treatment in the research methods course. In this paper, we describe a new interactive multimedia software program that teaches interval, frequency, and duration coding with the use of brief digitized video clips and model check sheets. The program teaches basic observational techniques by leading students through the stages of developing a behavioral coding scheme, collecting data, establishing interrater reliability, and analyzing with chi square. It also has a laboratory component that allows students to practice their skills.     

The sounds of social life: a psychometric analysis of students' daily social environments and natural conversations

The natural conversations and social environments of 52 undergraduates were tracked across two 2-day periods separated by 4 weeks using a computerized tape recorder (the Electronically Activated Recorder [EAR]). The EAR was programmed to record 30-s snippets of ambient sounds approximately every 12 min during participants' waking hours. Students' social environments and use of language in their natural conversations were mapped in terms of base rates and temporal stability. The degree of cross-context consistency and between-speaker synchrony in language use was assessed. Students' social worlds as well as their everyday language were highly consistent across time and context. The study sheds light on a methodological blind spot--the sampling of naturalistic social information from an unobtrusive observer's perspective.     

Influence of caregiver burden on the association between daily fluctuations in pleasant activities and mood: A daily diary analysis

Much research has focused on behavioral activation and its effect on depression, but less is known about the effects of leisure activities on the two distinct affective domains of depression: positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). Furthermore, individual factors (i.e., stress level) may moderate the impact of behavioral activation on affect. The present study utilized a daily diary approach to examine the moderating effect of stress on the relationship between leisure satisfaction and both PA and NA. Twenty-five dementia caregivers completed activity and affect measures four times daily for 14 days. Results were analyzed using multilevel modeling, an approach that considers intra-individual differences in activity and affect over time. Results supported the hypothesis that caregivers with higher burden display a stronger association between leisure satisfaction and affect than caregivers with lower burden. Specifically, caregivers with higher burden had a stronger positive relationship between leisure satisfaction and PA and a stronger negative relationship between leisure satisfaction and NA. These findings suggest that screening caregivers for level of burden may help identify those most likely to benefit from behavioral interventions.     

The home observation assessment method (HOAM): real-time naturalistic observation of families in their homes.

The Home Observation Assessment Method (HOAM) is a new method developed to carry out objective coding of family interaction over extended time periods in a home setting. It is a computer-compatible coding system that permits on-line data reduction of interactional variables emphasizing contextual and structural dimensions of family behavior. To date, the HOAM has been applied to the study of 31 families observed for a total of over 250 sessions. Initial analysis of data from these sessions indicates that coder reliability is high and that the HOAM successfully measures dimensions of family behavior independent of architectural aspects of the home setting. Preliminary findings also indicate that although families differ dramatically along the interactional dimensions measured by the HOAM, all families studied spent remarkably little time in decision-making behavior, suggesting that behavior in the home is predominantly "maintenance-oriented."     

A solid-state device for eliminating electrical noise and biopotentials in electromyographic (EMG) recordings

A small, low-cost, integrated circuit device is described. This circuit reduces electrical noise, such as that produced from a poor electrode-skin interface and power-line interference (60 Hz). Advantages of this device, with regard to use in electrically noisy environments and with long cables, are discussed.     

A naturalistic study of prospective memory in preschoolers: The role of task interruption and motivation

We conducted two naturalistic experiments to investigate preschoolers’ development of event-based prospective memory (PM) and to examine the effects of motivation and interruption of an ongoing task. Children aged 2–6 years were asked to perform familiar PM tasks while engaged in their habitual kindergarten play. PM performance improved systematically across the preschool years. The type of PM response (motor or verbal) did not affect performance. High motivation was necessary for 2-year-olds to perform well, and it remained an important factor that increased performance across the entire preschool age range. The need to interrupt an ongoing activity decreased performance in 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds, but not in children aged 2 or 6 years. The pattern of results is consistent with explanations for interruption effects that highlight the role of inhibitory control.     

The association between play materials and social behavior in a mainstreamed preschool: A naturalistic investigation

Social interaction during play with various types of materials was observed during free play in a DARCEE model mainstreamed preschool classroom. Results indicated that the use of play materials by mildly handicapped and nonhandicapped children was quite similar. Blocks and vehicles and water play materials were associated with handicapped/nonhandicapped interactions. Library, fine motor, and art materials were associated with solitary activity; blocks and vehicles, water play, housekeeping and music with cooperative interaction; and blocks and vehicles with conflict. Adult-child interaction was associated with children not engaged with any play materials. Implications for mainstreamed preschool settings are discussed.     

The Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire: A population-based random sampling study

The Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) has been shown to have acceptable reliability and factorial, predictive, and concurrent validity. However, the PRMQ has never been administered to a probability sample survey representative of all ages in adulthood, nor have previous studies controlled for factors that are known to influence metamemory, such as affective status. Here, the PRMQ was applied in a survey adopting a probabilistic three-stage cluster sample representative of the population of São Paulo, Brazil, according to gender, age (20–80 years), and economic status (n=1042). After excluding participants who had conditions that impair memory (depression, anxiety, used psychotropics, and/or had neurological/psychiatric disorders), in the remaining 664 individuals we (a) used confirmatory factor analyses to test competing models of the latent structure of the PRMQ, and (b) studied effects of gender, age, schooling, and economic status on prospective and retrospective memory complaints. The model with the best fit confirmed the same tripartite structure (general memory factor and two orthogonal prospective and retrospective memory factors) previously reported. Women complained more of general memory slips, especially those in the first 5 years after menopause, and there were more complaints of prospective than retrospective memory, except in participants with lower family income.     

Parts of activities: reply to Fellbaum and Miller (1990)

If people believe that one activity is a kind of another, they also tend to believe that the second activity is a part of the first. For example, they assert that deciding is a kind of thinking and that thinking is a part of deciding. Fellbaum and Miller's (1990) explanation for this phenomenon is based on the idea that people interpret part of in the domain of verbs as a type of logical entailment. Their explanation, however, suffers from at least 2 deficiencies. First, it fails to account for parallel effects with nouns (e.g., a contest is a kind of an activity, and an activity is a part of a contest). Second, it contains a flaw that incorrectly predicts many activities to be parts of each other (e.g., coming is part of going and going part of coming). However, a hypothesis Rips and Conrad (1989) originally proposed for the kind-part reciprocal effect avoids both of these difficulties.     

The association between conditional regard and relationship quality: A daily diary study

Research on conditional positive regard (CPR) and conditional negative regard (CNR) has shown that these practices are associated with some maladaptive qualities of romantic relationships. The current study investigated the associations between CPR and CNR and romantic relationship satisfaction using a daily diary methodology. A multilevel analysis of a sample of 80 individuals revealed that both CPR and CNR were negatively linked to relationship satisfaction at the between‐person level. However, at the within‐level, CPR was positively linked to relationship satisfaction, whereas CNR showed a negative association. The findings are discussed within self‐determination theory (E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan, 2000) and highlight how motivating one's partner by providing positive regard may be satisfying in the short term but controlling in the long run.     

Constructing desirable identities--self-presentation in psychotherapy and daily life: comment on Kelly (2000)

A. E. Kelly's (2000) thesis that psychotherapy clients benefit from withholding negative information is considered in light of current social-psychological theory and research. Positive illusions about oneself are associated with indexes of mental health; this is consistent with treating therapy as positive identity development. Self-presentation can shape self-concept, even apart from the feedback that an audience might provide; the social construction of identity is a powerful process, suggesting that withholding negative and presenting only positive information is adaptive. However, evidence concerning the level of identification of one's actions suggests complexities in understanding ways clients might deal with disclosing negative information; the authors argue that the impact on self-concept is probably more complex than A. E. Kelly's characterization and that the implications are of a broader scope than indicated so far.     

The Negative Therapeutic Reaction (NTR): A Review and Synthesis for Practitioners

This article explores some of the major theories concerning the negative therapeutic reaction (NTR), presenting the convergences and divergences found among the various theoretical perspectives on this most important clinical phenomenon. The article also summarizes Robert C. Lane's NTR typology. He discusses ten categories of response tendencies he has observed clinically over decades of psychoanalytic practice. This article, moreover seeks to synthesize the views of various classical and contemporary theories, treatment approaches, and thoughts on future research into NTR dynamics.     

The TMS 9918A VDP: A new device for generating moving displays on a microcomputer

A procedure for creating smooth and continuous moving displays on a microcomputer using the TMS 9918A video display processor (VDP) is discussed. This processor shares all of the features of other VDPs and, in addition, enables the user to directly program smooth motion of specified graphics shapes (sprites) with multilevel pattern overlaying. The general principles for programming this video chip are described, and a machine language driver is presented. Three illustrative applications from the event perception literature—wheel-generated motion, kinetic disruption of optical texture, and biomechanical motions—are presented as demonstrations of how the unique features of this video chip can be implemented in the creation of dynamic displays.     

Box for interaction with objects (BIO): A new device to synchronize the presentation of objects with electrophysiological recordings

Brain event-related potentials are a useful tool for investigating visual processing and action planning. This technique requires extremely accurate synchronization of stimulus delivery with recordings. The precision of the onset time of visual stimulus delivery is a major challenge when attempting to use real, three-dimensional objects as stimuli. Here, we present an innovative device, the “box for interaction with objects” (BIO), that is designed to synchronize the presentation of objects with electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings. To reach the required resolution of stimulus-onset timing, the BIO system features an interface with reflective glass and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). When the LEDs inside the BIO are turned on, the object inside becomes visible, and a synchronizing pulse is sent to the recording systems. The BIO was tested in a motivational study that focused on visual and motor event-related potentials. EEG signals were recorded during the presentation of an emotion-laden object that could be grasped and brought close to the participant’s chest. BIO successfully synchronized the appearance of a three-dimensional object with EEG recordings, which would allow for an analysis of visual and motor event-related potentials in the same experiment. The BIO device, through a high-quality psychophysiological approach, offers a new perspective for the study of the motivational factors that drive actions toward relevant stimuli.     

The lickometer: A simple device for the analysis of licking as an operant

A lickometer for recording dry (unreinforced) tube licking in rats is described. As opposed to the conventional drinkometer, where each lick produces fluid, the lickometer provides the possibility for automatically programmed intermittent reinforcement of (dry) licking, and it does not involve electrical connections through the chamber floor. Comparison of licking and leverpressing with equivalent reinforcers and under equivalent schedules of reinforcement is thus feasible.     

The Emotion Regulation Index for Children and Adolescents (ERICA): A Psychometric Investigation

There is increased recognition of the importance of children learning how to regulate emotions in a functional and adaptive manner for healthy psychological development. However, there is a paucity of tools for assessing emotion regulation during the middle childhood and adolescent years. This study reports on the psychometric evaluation of the 16-item self-report Emotion Regulation Index for Children and Adolescents (ERICA) involving a sample of 1,389 (768 girls, 621 boys) Australian children and adolescents aged 9 to 16 years. Convergent validity for the ERICA is reported with measures of self-conscious emotions (shame, guilt), empathy, childhood depressive symptomatology, and the perceived parenting dimensions of Care and Overprotection. Construct validity assessment using Principal Components Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis yielded three factors: (1) Emotional Control, (2) Emotional Self-Awareness, and (3) Situational Responsiveness. The ERICA was also found to have good internal consistency and to be relatively stable over a four week test-retest period and to be sensitive to age and sex differences. It is concluded that the ERICA is a psychometrically sound measure for the assessment of the identified key aspects of emotion regulation in children and adolescents.