Psychopathological and Behavior Impairments in Williams-Beuren Syndrome: The Influence of Gender,Chronological Age,and Cognition

The aim of this study was to explore psychopathological and behavior impairments in Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) by focusing on individual differences rather than group tendencies. Parent/Guardian ratings on the Child Behavior Checklist were analyzed in order to examine the influence of gender, chronological age, and cognitive abilities on psychopathological impairment within WBS. In line with predictions, and consistent with cognitive heterogeneity in WBS, psychopathological and behavioral abnormalities were variable, with gender and specific cognitive abilities making significant and independent contributions to this variance. For gender, females were significantly more likely than males with WBS to display difficulties with externalizing problems. For specific cognitive abilities, those cognitive functions characteristic of the classic WBS cognitive profile (a strength in verbal skills and a weakness in spatial skills) related to significantly greater internalizing difficulties. Future studies should explore underlying genetic and neurological differences in individuals with WBS in order to help explain the variability in psychopathological and cognitive functions.     

Learning About Categories in the Absence of Training: Profound Amnesia and the Relationship Between PerceptualCategorization and Recognition Memory

Previous evidence suggests that amnesics can categorize stimuli as well as normal individuals but are significantly worse at recognizing those stimuli. In an extreme case, a profoundly amnesic individual, E.P., was found to have near-normal categorization, yet, unlike most amnesics, was unable to recognize better than chance. This evidence has been used to argue against the possibility that a common memory system underlies these cognitive processes. However, we provide evidence that the experimental procedures typically used to test amnesic individuals may be flawed in that initial exposure to category members may be unnecessary to observe accurate categorization of test stimuli. We experimentally "induced" profound amnesia in normal individuals by telling them they had viewed subliminally presented stimuli, which were never actually presented. Using the same experimental paradigm used to test amnesics, we observed that participants' recognition performance was completely at chance, as should be expected, yet categorization performance was quite good.     

Global and Local processing in Williams Syndrome: Drawing versus Perceiving

It has been hypothesized that a local processing bias underlies overall visuospatial impairments in Williams syndrome (WS). However, recent studies have challenged this hypothesis by providing evidence against a local processing bias at the perceptual level. The aim of the present study was to further examine drawing and perceptual skills in children with WS using closely matched-hierarchical stimuli. In the drawing task children with WS exhibited a local processing bias. However, no significant preferential bias was found in the perceptual task. This indicates that children with WS do not systematically present a preferential bias for local information. Taken together the findings of the present study suggest that perceptual processing deficits per se are unlikely to explain local processing biases in visuoconstructive tasks often described in people with WS.     

Hiring Discrimination Against Arab Minorities: Interactions Between Prejudice and Job Characteristics

Individuals of Arab descent have increasingly experienced prejudice and employment discrimination. This study used the social identity paradigm to investigate whether greater Arab identification of applicants led to hiring discrimination and whether job characteristics and raters' prejudice moderated this effect. One hundred forty-one American and 153 Dutch participants rated résumés on job suitability. Résumés with Arab name and affiliations negatively influenced job suitability ratings, but only when job cognitive demands and external client contact were limited. Within the Dutch sample job suitability rating of Arab applicants was lowest when Dutch raters' implicit prejudice was high. As expected, no effects of explicit prejudice were found: discrimination may operate in subtle ways, depending on the combined effect of applicant, job, and rater characteristics. Further research and implications for employment-related decision making, such as anonymous résumé-sifting, are discussed.     

The Relation Between Parental Mental Illness and Adolescent Mental Health: The Role of Family Factors

Children of parents with a mental illness are often found to be at high risk of developing psychological problems themselves. Little is known about the role of family factors in the relation between parental and adolescent mental health. The current study focused on parent–child interaction and family environment. This cross-sectional questionnaire study included 124 families with a mentally ill parent and 127 families without a mentally ill parent who at the time of the study had children aged 11–16 years old. Parents completed questionnaires about their mental health, parent–child interaction (i.e., parental monitoring and parental support), and family environment (i.e., cohesion, expressiveness, and conflict). Adolescents reported their internalizing and externalizing problems. Path analyses were used to examine the direct associations between parental mental illness and adolescent problems as well as the indirect relations via parent–child interaction and family environment. The results showed that interaction between parents with a mental illness and their child was significantly worse compared to parents without a mental illness. The family environment of parents with mental illness was also more negative. Mentally ill parents monitored their adolescents less, which in turn related to more externalizing problems of the adolescents. No factors mediated the relation between parental mental health and adolescent internalizing problems. Moreover, no direct effects of parental support, family cohesion, and family expressiveness with externalizing problems were found. These findings imply that parental monitoring should get a specific focus of attention in existing interventions designed to prevent adolescents with a mentally ill parent from developing problems.     

鼻部因素在阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征中的作用

比较临床鼻中隔偏曲、解剖鼻中隔偏曲及无鼻中隔偏曲组间睡眠呼吸紊乱指数(AHI)、最低血氧饱和度的差异.比较过敏性鼻炎与无过敏性鼻炎病史组间AHI、最低血氧饱和度的差异.分析性别、年龄、病程、过敏性鼻炎、鼻中隔偏曲等多种因素对AHI和最低血氧饱和度的影响作用.比较临床鼻中隔偏曲组、解剖鼻中隔偏曲组、无鼻中隔偏曲组的AHI和最低血氧饱和度,均无统计学差异.比较过敏性鼻炎组与无过敏性鼻炎组AHI和最低血氧饱和度,过敏性鼻炎组的AHI大于无过敏性鼻炎组,差异有统计学意义,两组间最低血氧饱和度无统计学差异.多种因素对AHI和最低血氧饱和度的影响作用无统计学意义.合并过敏性鼻炎的OSAHS患者可能睡眠中的呼吸暂停和低通气次数更多,但不能通过性别、年龄、病程、过敏性鼻炎及鼻中隔偏曲的因素来预测OSAHS的疾病严重程度.     

Necessity and Language: The Gap Is Still Very Real

In my previous paper “Has the later Wittgenstein accounted for necessity?” I argued against the conventionalist account of necessity proposed by Wittgenstein and his followers. Glock has addressed some of my objections in his paper “Necessity and Language: In Defence of Conventionalism”. This brief rejoinder considers Glock's replies to three of those objections. In the course of doing so, I revisit Wittgenstein's explanation of the special status of necessary propositions, the supposedly arbitrary nature of colour‐grammatical propositions, and the relation between rules and modality.     

系统视角下致癌基因与遗传背景的相互作用

肿瘤是当今人类生命健康的主要威胁之一。致癌基因与遗传背景和肿瘤的形成有密切关系。致癌基因与遗传背景,致癌基因与抗癌基因之间的时空结构和非线性作用都有可能使正常细胞恶变,导致肿瘤的形成。致癌基因与遗传背景实际上构成了细胞中的一个完整的遗传系统。本文试图用系统方法探讨两者的相互作用,以便更好地探讨肿瘤发生的机理和治疗手段。     

军人焦虑、忧郁情绪研究Ⅱ:主导因素及其交互作用

在研究Ⅰ中我们揭示了军人焦虑、忧郁情绪的基本状态,发现了影响因素,产提出因素间可能存在一定的交互作用,共同对情绪发生影响的假设。本研究在此基础上,着重对主导因素及因素间的交互作用进一步探索。结果发现,导致忧郁的主要因素为家庭因素即单亲家庭;其次为军龄,独生子女和成长环境（城市或农村）,环境与文化程度两因素的交互作用明显;导致焦虑的主要因素也为单亲家庭,其次为军龄,环境与文化程度两因素的我互作用同样     

The Relationship Between Secondary Traumatic Stress and Personal Posttraumatic Growth: Personality Factors as Moderators

This present study examined the relationship between secondary traumatic stress, personality factors, and personal posttraumatic growth for persons indirectly exposed to traumatic life events. A sample of 162 nurses and physicians completed the self-report measures describing symptoms of secondary traumatic stress, personality factors and vicarious posttraumatic growth. The results indicated that secondary traumatic stress negatively correlated with vicarious posttraumatic growth. Moreover, this relation is moderated by personality factors. A low level of secondary traumatic stress symptoms is associated with a higher level of perceived posttraumatic growth for participants with a high level of openness, agreeability and conscientiousness. These findings emphasize the differences in perceiving posttraumatic growth in the context of secondary exposure to traumatic life events.     

学业情绪与学业成绩的关系及其影响因素研究

学业情绪指教学或学习过程中与学生学业相关的各种情绪体验,包括高兴、厌倦、无助、焦虑等。学业情绪与学业成绩之间相互影响:学业情绪对学业成绩具有预测作用、而学业成绩对学业情绪具有回馈作用。学业控制感和成就目标通过影响学业情绪来影响学业情绪与学业成绩之间的关系。未来的研究方向主要在进一步探讨学业情绪与学业成绩之间的关系以及学业情绪对学业成绩的影响机制等方面。     

Attachment Quality and Psychopathological Symptoms in Clinically Referred Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Early Maladaptive Schema

This study investigated relationships between attachment insecurity, maladaptive cognitive schemas, and various types of psychopathological symptoms in a sample of clinically referred adolescents (N = 82). A mediation model was tested in which maladaptive schemas operated as mediators in the relations between indices of attachment quality and conduct, peer, and emotional problems. Results revealed partial support for the hypothesized mediation effect: the schema domain of disconnection/rejection acted as a mediator in the links between insecure attachment and peer problems and emotional problems. Further analysis of these effects revealed that different types of maladaptive schemas were involved in both types of psychopathology. Altogether, findings suggest that treatment of adolescent psychological problems may need to target the improvement of attachment relationships with peers and parents and the correction of underlying cognitive schemas.     

The Relation Between the Two Factors of Psychopathy and Intimate Partner Aggression

Psychopathy is a personality disorder that has emerged as a correlate of antisocial, impulsive, and violent behavior, including intimate partner violence (IPV). In the current study, we sought to explore the complex relationship between two factors of psychopathy and IPV perpetration. The Fearlessness-Dominance Factor I (PPI-I) assesses the affective-interpersonal traits of psychopathy, whereas the Impulsive-Antisociality Factor II (PPI-II) assesses the behavioral-lifestyle traits of psychopathy. Data from 114 couples was utilized in the current study. When using male self-report of IPV, all forms of violence were significantly correlated with PPI-I. No male self-report or female-report of any of the forms of violence were significantly correlated with PPI-II. Hierarchical regression was utilized to study the impact of psychopathy factors in predicting physical violence while controlling for demographic variables. In predicting women’s report of men’s violence, the addition of psychopathy factors to the model explained significantly more of the variance (F = 2.71; p < .05) above and beyond demographic variables. The addition of psychopathy factors to the model predicting men’s self-reported physical violence was also significant (F = 4.78, p < .001). These results suggest that individuals high in PPI-I may be at higher risk of IPV perpetration compared to those high in PPI-II.     

Spatial Frequency and Interference Between Global and Local Levels of Structure

In three experiments, subjects identified local or global forms of hierarchical stimuli that had been “contrast-balanced”. Contrast balancing eliminates low spatial frequencies, so that both local and global forms must be identified based on high-spatial-frequency information. In all three experiments, response times (RTs) to global forms were slowed for contrast-balanced stimuli, suggesting that low spatial frequencies facilitate the analysis of global forms. In contrast, interference between local and global forms was little affected by contrast balancing, suggesting that interference does not depend on differences in spatial frequency between local and global forms. Consistent with earlier data, some evidence of a difference in interference for stimuli presented in the right versus left visual field was found. However, this difference was not affected by contrast balancing—a finding that is at odds with the hypothesis that the hemifield asymmetry in interference reflects a hemispheric difference in inhibitory interactions between high and low spatial frequency channels.     

Conflict Between Firemen and Ghetto Dwellers: Environmental and Attitudinal Factors1

During the past few years urban fire companies have responded to a vastly increased number of false alarms, especially from lower income areas. In a preliminary attempt to understand this phenomenon, two studies were conducted. In the first, several environmental variables, in addition to average neighborhood income, reported harrassments of firemen, and type of alarm box, were correlated with false alarm frequencies for randomly selected alarm boxes in lower income sections of Brooklyn. Results of a step-wise multiple regression analysis indicated that (a) a linear combination of six environmental variables accounts for 73% of the variance in false alarms, (b) this relationship is not due simply to differences in average neighborhood income, and (c) false alarms are associated geographically with harassments. The results suggested that false alarms should be interpreted as expressions of protest. The second study explored the beliefs and attitudes of ghetto residents and revealed that young nonwhites showed most hostility to the fire department. Although most respondents expressed positive attitudes toward firemen, many believed they do unnecessary damage; and some respondents linked this with racism. Other causes for anger not directly related to the fire department were also mentioned, including the environmental factors emphasized in the first study. The findings raise several questions amenable to social psychological investigation and suggest ways to reduce false alarms, but it seems unlikely that the problem can be solved until deeper racial and class antagonisms are reduced.     

The Relationship Between Postdeployment Factors and PTSD Severity in Recent Combat Veterans

Combat traumas precipitate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, nontraumatic deployment and postdeployment factors may also contribute to PTSD severity. The Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory (DRRI) was used to investigate pre-, peri-, and postdeployment factors associated with current PTSD severity in 150 recent combat veterans with PTSD and hazardous alcohol use. Hierarchal linear regression analyzed what factors independently predicted PTSD severity when controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and combat specific variables. Four postdeployment factors independently predicted PTSD severity: unemployment, alcohol use, social support, and stressful (nontraumatic) life events. The centrality of trauma in the maintenance of PTSD and clinical implications for treatment providers are discussed.     

Behavioral Microanalysis of Helping Interactions Between Mothers and Adult Children with Mental Retardation

Although direct observation has provided much information regarding caregiver-care recipient interactions, our understanding of the applications of this technique remains incomplete. This study expands upon earlier observational work by examining adults with mental retardation (MR) and their family caregivers in the home setting. Specialized computer software was used to conduct real-time observation and recording of interactional styles of maternal caregivers of eight younger (M = 23 years old) and eight older (M = 49 years old) MR adults during two cognitive tasks: block design and card sorting. Differences in the amount and type of assistance provided by the caregiver were examined by coding the occurrence and duration of seven interactional behaviors. The results demonstrated that the caregivers of the younger adults used more positive statements and modeling/gestural prompts, whereas the caregivers of the older adults provided more physical assistance and performed more of the tasks themselves. More importantly, this project provided information regarding interactions between MR adults and their maternal caregivers and demonstrated the utility of computer-assisted data collection technology with a community-based, nondemented population.