Remembering and diagnosing clients: does experience matter?

Experienced mental health clinicians often do not outperform novices in diagnostic decision making. In this paper we look for an explanation of this phenomenon by testing differences in memory processes. In two studies we aimed to look at differences in accuracy of diagnoses in relation to free recall of client information between mental health clinicians with different levels of experience. Clinicians were presented with two cases, and were asked afterwards, either directly (Study 1) or after 1 week (Study 2), to give the appropriate diagnoses and to write down what they remembered of the cases. We found in Study 1 that the accuracy of the diagnoses was the same for all levels of experience, as was the amount of details recalled. Very experienced clinicians did remember more higher-order concepts, that is, abstractions from the presented information. In Study 2 we found that the very experienced clinicians were less accurate in their diagnoses and remembered fewer details than the novices. In response to these findings we further discuss their implications for psychodiagnostic practice.     

The confirmability and disconfirmability of trait concepts revisited: does content matter?

M. Rothbart and B. Park (1986) demonstrated that, consistent with the common negativity bias, positive traits are difficult to confirm and easy to disconfirm, whereas the opposite is true for negative traits. This article extends their analysis by showing that trait (dis-)confirmability is moderated by trait content (warmth vs. competence). Study 1 identifies a trait sample representative of warmth and competence. Study 2 shows a strong negativity effect for warmth and a reduced (or absent) negativity effect for competence. Study 3 examines trait properties related to the behavioral range of the trait possessor and to the motivational goals of the perceiver as predictors of trait (dis-)confirmability. The theoretical and practical implications of the authors' findings are discussed, and avenues for future research are suggested.     

Gender and role-based perceptions of domestic abuse: does sexual orientation matter?

Although it is estimated that domestic abuse is as common in gay male and lesbian intimate relationships as in heterosexual relationships, the legal system often fails to recognize or respond to same-gender cases. Empirical research examining the impact of sexual orientation on perceptions of abuse is virtually nonexistent. Undergraduates (N = 252) read a summary of a domestic abuse incident in which victims and perpetrators varied by gender and, by implication, sexual orientation. Victim and respondent gender, rather than the couple's sexual orientation, primarily affected responses to domestic abuse. Domestic abuse perpetrated against women was perceived to be more serious and in need of intervention than abuse against men. Women were more likely than men to believe the victim and to recommend criminal justice system interventions. Because they are inconsistent with gender role stereotypes, domestic abuse cases involving male victims or female perpetrators may not receive equitable treatment within the criminal justice system.     

Precis of why does inequality matter?

Philosophical Studies -     

Psychiatric disorders and dissatisfaction with social relationships: does type of relationship matter?

The specificity of the association between 9 Axis I psychiatric disorders and quality of the relationship with spouse, relatives, and friends was evaluated for married participants who completed the Ontario Health Survey Mental Health Supplement (N = 4,933). When the authors controlled for the quality of other social relationships, not getting along with one's spouse was related to 6 disorders, with the strongest associations found for generalized anxiety disorder, major depression, panic, and alcohol problems; 4 associations remained significant when they controlled for comorbid disorders. Not getting along with relatives and friends was generally unrelated to psychiatric disorders when they controlled for the other social relationships. Results indicate that the association between marital quality and psychiatric disorders is not an artifact of general social dissatisfaction and that this association is significant for several disorders.     

Risk-induced neophobia: does sensory modality matter?

Recent studies have documented that exposure to high levels of background risk can induce neophobic predator avoidance in prey animals, whereby they respond to any novel cue with an anti-predator response. Such phenotypically plastic predator avoidance may allow prey to maximize anti-predator benefits in variable risk environments. It remains poorly understood whether risk assessment information from different sensory modalities can be integrated to induce generalized, cross-sensory system neophobic responses. Here, we directly test this hypothesis by exposing juvenile convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) to high- versus low-risk environments using either conspecific alarm cue (chemosensory risk) or a model avian predator (visual/mechanical risk) and testing their response to a novel chemosensory cue (Experiment 1) or visual cue (Experiment 2). Our results suggest that regardless of the sensory modality used to increased perceived risk, cichlids pre-exposed to high-risk conditions exhibited increased predator avoidance in response to any novel visual or chemical cue. As expected, cichlids pre-exposed to low-risk conditions did not display any neophobic responses. Our results suggest that induced neophobia is not cue specific; rather, it may function as a generalized response to perceived predation risk.     

Alignment during feeding and swallowing: does it matter? A review

This article provides a critical assessment of evidence for the claim of experienced clinicians that proper body alignment will ameliorate the feeding problems of patients with cerebral palsy and related neuromotor disorders and reduce the risk of aspiration. While there is evidence that alignment reduces extensor tone and improves feeding, further research is needed to determine whether this population's high risk for aspiration can be reduced by alignment.     

Sequential compatibility effects and cognitive control: does conflict really matter?

Although it is widely accepted that control mechanisms are necessary for human behavior to be adapted, very little is known about how such mechanisms are recruited. A suggestion to fill the gap was put forward by M. M. Botvinick, T. S. Braver, C. S. Carter, D. M. Barch, and J. D. Cohen (2001), who proposed the conflict-loop theory. This theory has been successful in accounting for the reduction of compatibility effects after an incompatible trial: The level of conflict being, on average, higher during an incompatible trial, more control occurs after such a trial. The authors have tested this prediction by sorting the trials on the basis of amount of conflict (quantified by the electromyographic activity) they presented. A reduction of the compatibility effect was observed after incompatible trials, but it was independent of the level of conflict on previous trials, suggesting that the conflict does not trigger changes in executive control. Consequences for the conflict monitoring model are discussed.     

Openness to experience and creativity: When does global citizenship matter?

The relationship between the openness to experience trait (OTE) and creativity has been well documented in previous research. Likewise, the global citizenship construct has theoretical overlap with both OTE and creativity. We hypothesised global citizenship would make a unique contribution to explaining variance in five types of creativity (self/everyday, scholarly, performance, mechanical/scientific and artistic), above and beyond the contribution of OTE. Participants were predominantly female, European American, traditionally aged college students (N = 407). Global citizenship prosocial outcomes explained unique variance in self/everyday (sr² = .10), scholarly (sr² = .03) and mechanical/scientific (sr² = .03) creativity. Results are discussed in terms of dual processes theories of cognition.     

The relationship between emotional clarity and suicidal ideation among trauma-exposed adolescents in inpatient psychiatric care: does distress tolerance matter?

ABSTRACT

The present investigation examined associations between low emotional clarity (the extent to which individuals are confused about the specific emotions they are experiencing) and suicidal ideation in a diverse sample of trauma-exposed inpatient adolescents, as well as the moderating role of distress tolerance (DT) in this association. Participants (N = 50; 52.0% female; M = 15.1 years, SD = .51; 44% White) completed measures of emotion dysregulation, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation/attempts, as well as a behavioral measure of DT. Controlling for age, gender, presence of mood disorder, and past history of attempts, results revealed a significant interaction between DT and low emotional clarity in relation to suicidal ideation. Specifically, lower emotional clarity was related to suicidal ideation at higher, but not lower, levels of DT. Findings suggest that presence of suicidal ideation among traumatized youth with low emotion clarity is most likely when these emotional deficits are coupled with a high tolerance for cognitive/psychological distress. Given that the ability to withstand distress is arguably a key factor in transitioning individuals from ideation to lethal suicidal behavior, attention to the presence of this construct in the context of clinical practice may be warranted.     

Sanctions for ethics violations: does licensure of socioeconomic status matter?

Although sexual relationships between therapists and their clients are unethical, such beahviors still occur. This study investigated whether psychologists with applied versus nonapplied training differed in the severity of sanctions advocated for psychologists charged with sexual ethical violations toward high- or low-socioeconomic status victims. Licensed and Nonlicensed psychologists (N=48) viewed a 15-min videotape simulating the adjudication process about an alleged sexual involvement between client and psychologist, then prescribed either: Dismissal of Charges, Educative Advisory, Educative Warning, Reprimand, Censure, Stipulated Resignation, Permitted Resignation, or Expulsion. The alleged victim was described as a college professor of home economics or a hairdresser. Licensed psychologists chose more severe sanctions ("Stipulated or Permitted Resignation") than did Nonlicensed psychologists ("Censure"). Socioeconomic status made no significant difference in sanctions. Apparently, applied therapy training results in more severe judgements toward those who violate American Psychological Association ethical guidelines than other types of psychology training.     

When does feeling of fluency matter?: how abstract and concrete thinking influence fluency effects

It has been widely documented that fluency (ease of information processing) increases positive evaluation. We proposed and demonstrated in three studies that this was not the case when people construed objects abstractly rather than concretely. Specifically, we found that priming people to think abstractly mitigated the effect of fluency on subsequent evaluative judgments (Studies 1 and 2). However, when feelings such as fluency were understood to be signals of value, fluency increased liking in people primed to think abstractly (Study 3). These results suggest that abstract thinking helps distinguish central decision inputs from less important incidental inputs, whereas concrete thinking does not make such a distinction. Thus, abstract thinking can augment or attenuate fluency effects, depending on whether fluency is considered important or incidental information, respectively.     

Terminal decline and cognitive performance in very old age: does cause of death matter?

Cross-sectional differences and longitudinal changes in cognitive functioning in relation to mortality across a 7-year follow-up period, with 3 times of measurement, were examined in a population-based sample of very old adults. The authors also sought to determine whether cause of death (cerebro/cardiovascular disease [CVD]; non-CVD) modified the magnitude of mortality-related cognitive deficits. Cognitive performance was indexed by tests of general cognitive ability, episodic memory, primary memory, verbal fluency, and visuospatial ability. Results indicated cross-sectional differences on all domains of functioning, with persons who would die within 3 years after baseline testing performing more poorly. Longitudinally, greater decrements were observed on all domains for persons who would die after the first follow-up period, as compared with survivors. Cause of death failed to modify the magnitude of the cross-sectional and longitudinal deficits. The pattern of results point to the general nature of this phenomenon.     

The essence, characteristics and limitation of post-colonialism: from Karl Marx’s point of view

Following postmodernism, post-colonialism reflects modernity from a new perspective—the cultural perspective. Post-colonialism interprets colonialism contained in modernity, deconstructs orientalism and cultural hegemonism, and turns western reflection of modernity into an inquiry about the global relationship between the East and the West. Post-colonialism brings forward a new theoretical domain, that is, the colonizational relationship between the East and the West in the process of modernization. This interpretation expresses a strong tendency of anti-western centrality and shares some ideas with marxism. This article discusses the essence, characteristics, and limitation of post-colonialism from the viewpoint of Marxism, expecting to further the study of post-colonialism and its relationship with Marxism. __________ Translated from Shehui Kexue Zhanxian 社会科学战线 (Front of Social Sciences), 2005 (2) by Wang Qi     

In Cinderella's slippers? Story comprehension from the protagonist's point of view

Research on text comprehension shows that readers construct a model of the situation described in a narrative. A major factor in constructing a situational model is the perspective from which the action of the narrative is imagined. J. B. Black, T. J. Turner, and G. H. Bower (1979) found that adults recall a deictic verb of motion more accurately if it is spatially consistent with the point of view of the main protagonist. Recall is more accurate for the verbs come and bring if they describe a movement toward the protagonist; recall is more accurate for go and take if they describe a movement away from the protagonist. Thus, adults interpret movements in a narrative from the perspective of the protagonist. This study indicates that 3- and 4-year-old children show the same pattern of recall. They accurately recall verbs of motion that are consistent with the protagonist's perspective but make substitution errors on verbs inconsistent with that perspective.     

Spirituality and mental health among children and youth – a Swedish point of view

There is growing evidence that spirituality and spiritual development are important for the health and mental well-being of children and youth. In individualistic and secularised countries, resources and language adequate for securing this right to spirituality is shrinking. Sweden is regarded as one of the most secularised and individualised countries in the world, and the article argues that Sweden could be described as ‘spiritual illiterate’. Increasing mental ill-health among youth is discussed in relation to a heightened privatisation of religion, ‘state individualism’, and a growing performance culture. It is argued that strong cultural ideals like independence and self-realisation repress children’s and youth’s spirituality and spiritual development. Further research is called for in order to explore the complex interplay between individualisation, spirituality and mental ill-health among children and youth in today’s Sweden.