Assessing the Effectiveness of Self-Talk Interventions on Endurance Performance

Self-talk in sport has been widely researched with somewhat conflicting results (Van Raalte et al., 1995 Van Raalte, J. L., Brewer, B. Brewer, Lewis, B. Lewis, Linder, D. Linder, Wildman, G. and Kozimor, J. 1995. Cork! The effects of positive and negative self-talk on dart throwing performance.. Journal of Sport Behavior, 18: 508–58.  [Google Scholar]; Perkos et al., 2002 Perkos, S., Theodorakis, Y. and Chroni, S. 2002. Enhancing performance and skill acquisition in novice basketball players with instructional self-talk.. The Sport Psychologist,, 16: 368–383. [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of three different self-talk interventions on endurance performance. Participants were nine cyclists who performed a 20-minute cycling ergometer workout two times per week for five weeks. At each workout participants were requested to cycle as far as possible. A multiple-baseline design was utilized, which after varying baseline lengths allowed for the implementation of one out of three self-talk interventions: self-regulated positive self-talk, assisted positive self-talk, and assisted negative self-talk. Results revealed a performance increase in all groups with the greatest increase being found in the assisted positive self-talk condition.     

A Cross-Cultural Psychometric Evaluation of the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale

The Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) is a widely used measure of athletic identity (Brewer & Cornelius, 2001 Brewer, B. W. and Cornelius, A. E. 2001. Norms and factorial invariance of the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale. Academic Athletic Journal, 15: 103–113.  [Google Scholar]). Although the factor structure of the AIMS has been tested repeatedly in an American population, its psychometric properties remain largely unexplored cross-culturally. Therefore, the purposes of the study were to further test the psychometric properties of the abbreviated 7-item AIMS in an American population, while also exploring its utility cross-culturally. Results revealed the AIMS to be a psychometrically sound measure of athletic identity for male contact and collision athletes in both American and English-speaking Hong Kong Chinese populations.     

A Web-Based Survey of AAASP Members' Ethical Beliefs and Behaviors in the New Millennium

Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) members (N = 1121) were contacted via a series of five broadcast e-mail messages and asked to complete a web-based survey about their personal ethical beliefs and practices germane to the practice of applied sport psychology. The survey inquired about professional beliefs and behaviors of AAASP members using a survey similar to that of Petitpas et al. (1994) Petitpas, A., Brewer, B., Rivera, P. and Van Raalte, J. 1994. Ethical beliefs and behaviors in applied sport psychology: The AAASP ethics survey. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 6: 135–151. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], which was instrumental in the development and adoption of AAASP's ethics code. Surveys were completed and returned by 322 individuals. Several differences with small to moderate effect sizes were found in the ethical beliefs and behaviors between men and women, professionals and students, AAASP Certified Consultants and non-Certified Consultants, and individuals from physical education and psychology backgrounds. Furthermore, many challenges to respondents' ethical thinking and conduct were identified. Respondents provided suggestions about the dissemination of ethical information and the role of the Ethics Committee. The results provide initial support for potential changes in the current ethical principles and standards of AAASP.     

Discrimination of sea-bird sounds vs. garden-bird songs: Do Scottish and German-Saxon infants show the same preferential looking behaviour as adults?

Birdsong and human speech share some genetic origins (Haesler, Rochefort, Georgi, Licznerski, Osten, & Scharff, 2007 Haesler, S., Rochefort, C., Georgi, B., Licznerski, P., Osten, P. and Scharff, C. 2007. Incomplete and inaccurate vocal imitation after knockdown of FoxP2 in songbird basal ganglia nucleus area X. PLOS Biology, 5: e312–e321.  [Google Scholar]; Vargha-Khadem, Gadian, Copp, & Mishkin, 2005 Vargha-Khadem, F., Gadian, D. G., Copp, A. and Mishkin, M. 2005. FoxP2 and the neuroanatomy of speech and language. Nature Review of Neuroscience, 6: 131–138. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). In two studies (N = 67 infants and N = 28 adults) in Scotland (UK) and Saxony (Germany), perceptual discrimination of innate, repetitive, lower frequency sea-bird sounds vs. learned, melodic, higher frequency garden-bird songs was tested in infants in their first year as well as in adults, using the conditioned head-turn procedure (CHTP; e.g., Jusczyk, Friederici, Wessels, Svernkerud, & Jusczyk, 1993 Jusczyk, P. W. and Krumhansl, C. L. 1993. Pitch and rhythmic patterns affecting infants' sensitivity to musical phrase structure. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 19: 627–640.  [Google Scholar]). Infants and adults reliably distinguished between the two types of sounds. Independently of environment, infants paid more attention to sea-bird sounds than to garden-bird songs, while adults showed the reverse preference. Further analysis revealed additional insights into the underlying processes.     

A closer look at moral dilemmas: Latent dimensions of morality and the difference between trolley and footbridge dilemmas

Although a distinction between moral-personal and moral-impersonal dilemmas (Greene, Sommerville, Nystrom, Darley, & Cohen, 2001 Greene, J. D., Sommerville, R. B., Nystrom, L. E., Darley, J. M. and Cohen, J. D. 2001. An fMRI investigation of emotional engagement in moral judgement. Science, 293: 2105–2108. doi:10.1126/science.1062872.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) has been widely accepted as an explanation for a difference between the trolley and footbridge dilemmas (Thomson, 1985 Thomson, J. J. 1985. “The trolley problem”. In Ethics: Problems and principles, Edited by: Fischer, J. M. and Ravizza, M. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.  [Google Scholar]), its psychometric properties remain a mystery. In this study 219 participants completed 62 moral dilemma tasks used in Greene et al. (2001 Greene, J. D., Sommerville, R. B., Nystrom, L. E., Darley, J. M. and Cohen, J. D. 2001. An fMRI investigation of emotional engagement in moral judgement. Science, 293: 2105–2108. doi:10.1126/science.1062872.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), and the correlation structure among the dilemmas was analysed through factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Findings suggest that, first, moral-personal dilemmas are composed of one factor, indicating that the assumption in Greene et al. (2001 Greene, J. D., Sommerville, R. B., Nystrom, L. E., Darley, J. M. and Cohen, J. D. 2001. An fMRI investigation of emotional engagement in moral judgement. Science, 293: 2105–2108. doi:10.1126/science.1062872.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) was supported. Second, moral-impersonal dilemmas are explained by two factors that reflect procedural and consequential aspects of decision making. Third, the trolley and footbridge dilemmas fall under the same factor category; therefore the difference between the two dilemmas cannot be attributed to emotional involvement. Additionally, the results of the structural equation modelling suggest that they differ in the engagement of rational processing.     

Commentary Research on gene–environment interdependence: Honing the tools and examining the angles

The insightful overview by Sir Michael Rutter (this issue) on gene–environment interdependence comes about 10 years after the breakthrough Science publications on gene–environment interactions (G×E) involving the MAOA and 5-HTT genes by Caspi et al. (2002 Caspi, A., McClay, J., Moffitt, T. E., Mill, J., Martin, J.Craig, I. W. 2002. Role of genotype in the cycle of violence in maltreated children. Science, 297: 851–854. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 2003 Caspi, A., Sugden, K., Moffitt, T. E., Taylor, A., Craig, I. W.Harrington, H. 2003. Influence of life stress on depression: Moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene. Science, 301: 386–389. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Since then, a field of research has burgeoned that has produced replications as well as intriguing new evidence of gene–environment interdependence. At the same time, however, the field has witnessed a growing scepticism about the relevance of studying gene–environment interactions and has seen replication failures (see Duncan & Keller, 2011 Duncan, L. E. and Keller, M. C. 2011. A critical review of the first 10 years of candidate gene-by-environment interaction research in psychiatry. American Journal of Psychiatry, 168: 1041–1049. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Risch et al., 2009 Risch, N., Herell, R., Lehner, T., Liang, K.-Y., Eaves, L.Hoh, J. 2009. Interaction between the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), stressful life events, and risk of depression: A meta-analysis. Journal of the American Medical Association, 301: 2462–2471. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Against this backdrop, we comment and elaborate on several of the key issues raised by Rutter, and suggest some directions for future research on G×E. Specifically, we discuss (1) replication issues; (2) the crucial role of experiments in understanding gene–environment interdependence; (3) current unknowns with regard to differential susceptibility; and (4) clinical and practical implications of G×E research.     

Sanctifying Work: Effects on Satisfaction,Commitment, and Intent to Leave

Sanctification involves perceiving objects or events: (a) theistically by viewing them as having spiritual significance, or (b) nontheistically by viewing them as extraordinary and worthy of veneration and respect without any reference to a higher being. Previous research has found positive outcomes associated with sanctification, including increased satisfaction with marriage (Mahoney et al., 1999 Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I., Jewell, T., Swank, A. B., Scott, E.Emery, E. 1999. Marriage and the spiritual realm: The role of proximal and distal religious constructs in marital functioning. Journal of Family Psychology, 13: 321–338. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), body image (Mahoney, Carels, et al., 2005 Mahoney, A., Carels, R. A., Pargament, K. I., Wachholtz, A., Leeper, L. E.Kaplar, M. 2005. The sanctification of the body and behavioral health patterns of college students. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 15: 221–238. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) and sexual intercourse (Murray-Swank, Pargament, & Mahoney, 2002 Murray-Swank, N. A., Pargament, K. I. and Mahoney, A. 2002. At the crossroads of sexuality and spirituality: The sanctification of sex by college students. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 15: 199–219.  [Google Scholar]) to name a few. This study extends these findings into the world of work by demonstrating that those who sanctify their jobs are more satisfied, more committed to their organization, and at the same time less likely to intend to leave.     

Is overgeneral autobiographical memory an isolated memory phenomenon in major depression?

The present study explored the relation between overgeneral autobiographical memory (AM) and other aspects of memory functioning in depression. A total of 26 patients with major depressive disorder completed a set of memory tasks measuring AM specificity (AMT; Williams & Broadbent, 1986), working memory, semantic memory, verbal learning, delayed verbal recall, recognition memory, and source memory. Reduced specificity of AM was related to poor working memory (central executive functioning) and poor source memory. The former finding conforms to the idea that the voluntary retrieval of specific autobiographical memories (AMs) involves central executive processes (e.g., Conway & Pleydell-Pearce, 2000 Conway, M. A. and Pleydell-Pearce, C. W. 2000. The construction of autobiographical memories in the self-memory system. Psychological Review, 107: 261–288. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The latter finding replicates and extends recent findings suggesting that overgeneral AM is part of a broader memory deficit in retrieving the specific details of the context in which information was acquired (Ramponi, Barnard, & Nimmo-Smith, 2004 Raes , F. , Hermans , D. , Williams , J. M. G. , Demyttenaere , K. , Sabbe , B. , Pieters , G . & Eelen , P. ( 2004 ). Reduced specificity of autobiographical memory: A mediator between rumination and ineffective social problem solving in major depression? Journal of affective disorders , 87 , 331 – 335  [Google Scholar]). Furthermore, in line with Ramponi et al. (2004 Raes , F. , Hermans , D. , Williams , J. M. G. , Demyttenaere , K. , Sabbe , B. , Pieters , G . & Eelen , P. ( 2004 ). Reduced specificity of autobiographical memory: A mediator between rumination and ineffective social problem solving in major depression? Journal of affective disorders , 87 , 331 – 335  [Google Scholar]), rumination was found to be related to both overgeneral AM and poor source memory.     

Effect of expertise acquisition on strategic perception: The example of chess

The two experiments presented here study perceptual processes implemented by chess players in situations related to their domain of expertise. The aim was to determine how patterns are perceived as a function of their strategic value when players acquire expertise. In this study, conducted on novice and more experienced players, it is hypothesized that with acquisition of expertise players would quickly encode familiar patterns and then rapidly focus their attention on patterns with a higher immediate strategic value. In Experiment 1, participants had to carry out a change-detection task that used the “flicker paradigm”. The results showed that during the perception of standard chess positions, experienced players—but not novices—quickly focused their attention on the most strategic patterns. In Experiment 2, experienced players and novices carried out a recognition task after having encoded chess positions for 1 or 5 s. The results indicated early encoding of familiar patterns without immediate strategic value, followed by the encoding of more strategic patterns. Taken together, the results of these two experiments are consistent with the results by both de Groot and Gobet (1996) de Groot, A. D. and Gobet, F. 1996. Perception and memory in chess. Heuristics of the professional eye, Assen, The Netherlands: Van Gorcum.  [Google Scholar] and McGregor and Howes (2002) McGregor, S. J. and Howes, A. 2002. The role of attack and defense semantics in skilled players' memory for chess positions. Memory & Cognition, 30: 707–717. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar] about the strategic content of Chase and Simon's chunks (Chase & Simon, 1973b Chase, W. G. and Simon, H. A. 1973b. Perception in chess. Cognitive Psychology, 4: 55–81. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]).     

Mental Practice or Spontaneous Play? Examining Which Types of Imagery Constitute Deliberate Practice in Sport

Imagery use was examined within the deliberate practice framework (Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Römer, 1993 Ericsson, K., Krampe, R. and Tesch-Römer, C. 1993. The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100: 363–406. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Athletes (N = 150) from three competitive levels (recreational, intermediate, and elite) completed an adapted version of the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ; Hall, Mack, Paivio, & Hausenblas, 1998 Hall, C., Mack, D., Paivio, A. and Hausenblas, H. 1998. Imagery use by athletes: Development of the sport imagery questionnaire. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 29: 73–89. [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Each SIQ item was scored for frequency, deliberation, relevance, concentration, and enjoyment. Eight SIQ items were deemed to be deliberate practice: five cognitive-specific images, two cognitive-general images, and one motivational general-mastery image. Motivational-specific imagery instead resembled deliberate play (Côté, Baker, & Abernethy, 2003 Côté, J., Baker, J. and Abernethy, B. 2003. “From play to practice: A developmental framework for the acquisition of expertise in team sports”. In Expert performance in sports: Advances in research on sport expertise, Edited by: Starkes, J. L. and Ericsson, K. A. 89–114. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.  [Google Scholar]). Elite and intermediate athletes used imagery more frequently and deliberately and perceived imagery to be more relevant and requiring more concentration than recreational athletes. Differences also existed regarding how deliberately the athletes engaged in various imagery types. The findings may inform applied practitioners regarding differences in imagery use between competitive levels and differences in the characteristics of imagery types.     

Psychophysiological Arousal and Perceived Support during Couple Support Interactions: The Role of Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance

Abstract

Couple support processes—typically occurring in the context of non-relationship distressing issues—are crucial to our understanding of relationships (Pasch, Bradbury, & Sullivan, 1997 Pasch, L. A., Bradbury, T. N., & Sullivan, K. T. (1997). Social support in marriage: An analysis of intraindividual and interpersonal components. In G. R. Pierce, B. Lakey, & I. G. Sarson (Eds.), Sourcebook of social support and personality (pp. 229–256). New York, NY: Plenum Press.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). These couple support processes influence important relationship outcomes, including relationship satisfaction and longevity (i.e., Collins & Feeney, 2010 Collins, N. L., & Feeney, B. C. (2010). An attachment theoretical perspective on social support dynamics in couples: Normative processes and individual differences. In K. T. Sullivan, & J. Davila (Eds.), Support processes in intimate relationships (pp. 89–120). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). In this study, we examined 51 couples’ support perceptions and physiological arousal during individually distressing support conversations. Using dyadic data analysis, results reveal important findings in terms of avoidant attachment and couple support perceptions. Additionally, significant results were found between attachment anxiety and psychophysiological arousal. Implications of the current findings for couple relationships and therapy are discussed.     

Millon's Contributions to Preadolescent and Adolescent Personality Assessment: Searching Onward and Upward

Theodore Millon was one of the most influential personality theorists of the 20th century. His theory was originally rooted in biosocial learning models and later reconceptualized as an evolutionary model. This foundation of Millon's work encompasses the entire life span. He had a genuine concern for humankind, especially children. His theory encompasses a comprehensive understanding of the relationship among childhood experiences, parenting styles, and recurring events throughout the life span in shaping the personality. Notable contributions to child and adolescent assessment are the Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (Millon, Green, & Meagher, 1982 Millon, T., Green, C., & Meagher, R. B. (1982). Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory manual. Minneapolis, MN: National Computer Systems. [Google Scholar]), the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (Millon, Millon, & Davis, 1993 Millon, T., Millon, C., & Davis, R. (1993). Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory manual. Minneapolis, MN: National Computer Systems. [Google Scholar]), and the Millon Pre-Adolescent Clinical Inventory (M–PACI; Millon, Tringone, Millon, & Grossman, 2005 Millon, T., Tringone, R., Millon, C., & Grossman, S. (2005). Millon Pre-Adolescent Clinical Inventory manual. Minneapolis, MN: Pearson. [Google Scholar]). Given Millon's influence on the personality disorders section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the aforementioned instruments have personality constructs tied to familiar DSM categories, and among them, cover the age range of 9 to 18 years old. His development of the Millon Inventories revolutionized personality assessment in the United States and abroad. Millon's legacies will live on through his works and through the respect and compassion he demonstrated toward others.     

Leg Perception of Object Heaviness

ABSTRACT

Perceived heaviness is a function of both the muscle activity used to wield an object and the resulting movement. Wielding reveals invariant properties of the effector-object system, such as rotational inertia. Recent research has proposed a psychophysiological mechanism for perceiving the heaviness of a handheld object through dynamic touch that captures how arm muscle activity and angular movement combined reveal this invariance (Waddell, Fine, Likens, Amazeen & Amazeen, 2016 Waddell, M. L., Fine, J. M., Likens, A. D., Amazeen, E. L., & Amazeen, P. G. (2016). Perceived heaviness in the context of Newton's Second Law: Combined effects of muscle activity and lifting kinematics. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42, 363–374.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The current study extends this hypothesis by investigating the dynamics of heaviness perception with the leg. Participants lifted objects of varying mass with knee extension lifts while reporting perceived heaviness. During each lift, the electromyogram (EMG) was recorded from the quadriceps, and peak angular acceleration was recorded about the knee. The resulting psychophysiological function revealed the hypothesized ratio of muscle activity to movement, similar to that found in Waddell et al. (2016) Waddell, M. L., Fine, J. M., Likens, A. D., Amazeen, E. L., & Amazeen, P. G. (2016). Perceived heaviness in the context of Newton's Second Law: Combined effects of muscle activity and lifting kinematics. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 42, 363–374.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]. This suggests that the dynamics for heaviness perception in the leg is similar to that shown in the arm in previous work.     

Why we simulate negated information: A dynamic pragmatic account

A well-established finding in the simulation literature is that participants simulate the positive argument of negation soon after reading a negative sentence, prior to simulating a scene consistent with the negated sentence (Kaup, Lüdtke, & Zwaan, 2006 Kaup, B., Lüdtke, J. and Zwaan, R. A. 2006. Processing negated sentences with contradictory predicates: Is a door that is not open mentally closed?. Journal of Pragmatics, 38: 1033–1050. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Kaup, Yaxley, Madden, Zwaan, & Lüdtke, 2007 Kaup, B., Yaxley, R. H., Madden, C. J., Zwaan, R. A. and Lüdtke, J. 2007. Experiential simulations of negated text information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60: 976–990. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). One interpretation of this finding is that negation requires two steps to process: first represent what is being negated then “reject” that in favour of a representation of a negation-consistent state of affairs (Kaup et al., 2007 Kaup, B., Yaxley, R. H., Madden, C. J., Zwaan, R. A. and Lüdtke, J. 2007. Experiential simulations of negated text information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60: 976–990. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). In this paper we argue that this finding with negative sentences could be a by-product of the dynamic way that language is interpreted relative to a common ground and not the way that negation is represented. We present a study based on Kaup et al. (2007) Kaup, B., Yaxley, R. H., Madden, C. J., Zwaan, R. A. and Lüdtke, J. 2007. Experiential simulations of negated text information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60: 976–990. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] that tests the competing accounts. Our results suggest that some negative sentences are not processed in two steps, but provide support for the alternative, dynamic account.     

Competitive state anxiety and self-confidence: Intensity and direction as relative predictors of performance on a golf putting task

Abstract

This study considered relationships between the intensity and directional aspects of competitive state anxiety as measured by the modified Competitive Sport Anxiety Inventory-2(D) (Jones & Swain, 1992 Jones, G. and Swain, A. B. J. 1992. Intensity and direction as dimensions of competitive state anxiety and relationships with competitiveness. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 74: 467–472. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) in a sample of 12 experienced male golfers. Anxiety and performance scores from identical putting tasks performed under three different anxiety-manipulated competitive conditions were used to assess both the predictions of Multidimensional Anxiety Theory (MAT; Martens et al., 1990 Martens, R., Burton, D., Vealey, R., Bump, L. and Smith, D. 1990. “The development of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2)”. In Competitive anxiety in sport, Edited by: Martens, R., Vealey, R. S. and Burton, D. 117–190. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.  [Google Scholar]) and the relative value of intensity and direction in explaining performance variance. A within-subjects regression analysis of the intra-individual data showed partial support for the three MAT hypotheses. Cognitive anxiety intensity demonstrated a negative linear relationship with performance, somatic anxiety intensity showed a curvilinear relationship with performance, and self-confidence intensity revealed a positive linear relation. Cognitive directional anxiety illustrated a positive linear relationship with putting performance. Multiple regression analyses indicated that direction (42% of variance) was a better predictor of performance than intensity (22%)     

Repeated Measurement of the Components of Attention With Young Children Using the Attention Network Test: Stability,Isolability, Robustness,and Reliability

The current study examined the robustness, stability, reliability, and isolability of the attention network scores (alerting, orienting, and executive control) when young children experienced repeated administrations of the child version of the Attention Network Test (ANT; Rueda et al., 2004 Rueda , M. R. , Fan , J. , McCandliss , B. D. , Halparin , J. D. , Gruber , D. B. , Lercari , L. P. , … Posner , M. I. ( 2004 ). Development of attentional networks in childhood . Neuropsychologia , 42 , 1029 – 1040 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Ten test sessions of the ANT were administered to 12 young children. Participants were asked to indicate the direction of a target fish, flanked by distractors, presented either above or below the fixation cross following different types of visual cues. Network scores, reflecting alerting, orienting, and executive control, were calculated using orthogonal subtractions of performance in selected conditions. Only the alerting network scores remained highly significant across the 10 sessions. The executive network scores showed some practice effects. The reliability of the network scores remained poor regardless of the amount of data. Based on the results, use of the ANT is cautioned against in young children when repeated testing is required.     

Controlling reactive aggression through cognitive evaluation of proactive aggression cues

The authors investigated how the relationship between the acts of proactive and reactive aggression was moderated by the individual differences in cognitive regulation of emotion. An aggression paradigm, a electrocardiogram recording, a cognitive assessment battery, and a short form IQ test were completed by 109 children, aged 8 to 13 years (Juujärvi, Kaartinen, Laitinen, Vanninen, & Pulkkinen, 2006 Juujärvi, P., Kaartinen, J., Laitinen, T., Vanninen, E. and Pulkkinen, L. 2006. Effects of physical provocations on heart rate reactivity, and reactive aggression in children. Aggressive Behavior, 32: 99–109. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Juujärvi, Kooistra, Kaartinen, & Pulkkinen, 2001 Juujärvi, P., Kooistra, L., Kaartinen, J. and Pulkkinen, L. 2001. An aggression machine: V. Determinants of reactive aggression revisited. Aggressive Behavior, 27: 430–445. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Lehto, Juujärvi, Kooistra, & Pulkkinen, 2003 Lehto, J. E., Juujärvi, P., Kooistra, L. and Pulkkinen, L. 2003. Dimensions of executive functioning: Evidence from children. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 21: 59–80. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The less the children subdued the intensity of their defence to the attacks in the aggression paradigm, the poorer they performed in the cognitive assessment battery tasks measuring Working memory capacity and in the task assessing crystallised intelligence. The mean cardiovascular reactivity during the aggression paradigm was neither associated with the performances in either the cognitive assessment battery nor the intelligence tasks. Both information processing and knowledge dimensions of cognition contributed to regulation of emotion, but the respective effects of the processes cannot be inferred from the mean cardiovascular reactivity.     

Perception-Movement Coupling in the Regulation of Step Lengths When Approaching an Obstacle

Experiment 1 showed that the control mechanism based on a perception–movement coupling observed in certain goal-directed movement tasks (De Rugy, Montagne, Buekers, & Laurent, 2000 De Rugy, A., Montagne, G., Buekers, M. J. and Laurent, M. 2000. The study of locomotor pointing in virtual reality: The validation of a test set-up. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 32: 515–520.  [Google Scholar]; Montagne, Cornus, Glize, Quaine, & Laurent, 2000 Montagne, G., Cornus, S., Glize, D., Quaine, F. and Laurent, M. 2000. A perception-action coupling type of control in long-jumping. Journal of Motor Behavior, 32: 37–44. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) can be extended to a stepping across an obstacle task. Regardless of the specificity of tasks, the initiation of regulations is a function of the amount of adjustment. Our participants organized their regulation later than long jumpers. Two additional experiments were conceived to investigate whether this control mechanism could be generalized to goal-directed locomotor displacements, with different constraints. The aim of Experiments 2 and 3 was to address the adaptation of this control mechanism by manipulating the obstacle width and the walking speed in a stepping across task. The results showed that the functioning of this control mechanism could be influenced by the spatiotemporal constraints. Participants' behavior depended on a perception–movement coupling. This study suggests the existence of a generic control mechanism based on a perception–movement coupling, and it emphasizes the adaptation of this type of control mechanism involved in goal-directed displacements.     

Relative Efficacy of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Administered by Videoconference for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Six-Month Follow-Up

Until recently, only one study was published on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in individual therapy via videoconference (Germain, Marchand, Bouchard, Drouin, & Guay, 2009 Germain, V., Marchand, A., Bouchard, S., Drouin, M. S. and Guay, S. 2009. Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy administered by videoconference for posttraumatic stress disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 38: 42–53. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]); however, it only assessed the posttreatment effect. This study presents the follow-up of Germain et al.'s (2009 Germain, V., Marchand, A., Bouchard, S., Drouin, M. S. and Guay, S. 2009. Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy administered by videoconference for posttraumatic stress disorder. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 38: 42–53. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) study. The main goal was to compare the effectiveness after six months of CBT for PTSD either face-to-face (n = 24) or by videoconference (n = 12). Each participant received CBT for 16 to 25 weeks and completed various questionnaires before and after treatment and at a six-month follow-up. The two treatments had equivalent levels of symptom reduction (Modified PTSD Symptom Scale: η² < 0.01, p > .05) and proportion of patients with a clinically significant change in symptoms (42% for face-to-face vs. 38% for videoconferencing, p > .05). Thus, CBT for PTSD via videoconference seems to be a viable alternative when adequate face-to-face treatments are less available.