Are memories for sexually traumatic events "special"? A within-subjects investigation of trauma and memory in a clinical sample

According to a long-standing clinical tradition, sexually traumatic experiences are processed and recalled differently from other experiences, often leading to memory impairment. In this study, we compared the characteristics of traumatic memories for sexual violence and two other types of emotional experiences. N=44 women recruited from a local sexual trauma agency were asked to recall and describe three autobiographical events: sexual abuse/assault, a non-sexual trauma, and a positive emotional event. The characteristics of the three memory types were compared on both subjective and objective measures. Further, the potential influences of level of traumatic impact and dissociation were assessed. Results indicated that memories for sexual trauma were not impaired or fragmented relative to other memories. Instead, memories for sexual trauma were associated with a remarkably high level of vividness, detail, and sensory components. Further, high levels of traumatic impact were not associated with memory impairment. Implications for the ongoing traumatic memory debate are discussed.     

A matter of habit? Stressful life events and cognitive flexibility in 15-month-olds

Exposure to chronic stress is associated with habitual learning in adults. We studied the origins of this association by examining the link between stressful life events and infant cognitive flexibility. The final sample consisted of N = 72 fifteen-month-old infants and their mothers. Mothers completed a survey on pre- and postnatal negative life events. To assess chronic stress physiologically, infant and maternal hair cortisol concentrations were determined for cortisol accumulation during the past 3 months. Each infant participated in two cognitive tasks in the laboratory. An instrumental learning task tested infants’ ability to disengage from a habituated action when this action became ineffective (Seehagen et al., 2015). An age-adequate version of the A-not-B task tested infants’ ability to find a toy at location B after repeatedly finding it at location A. Correlations between cortisol concentrations and postnatal negative life events (number, perceived impact) did not yield significance. Infant and maternal hair cortisol concentrations were not correlated. Infants’ ability to shift to a new action in either task, controlled for acute stress, correlated neither with pre- and postnatal negative life events nor with cortisol concentrations. Taken together, these results indicate that the potential link between long-term stress exposure and cognitive flexibility might not be present in samples with low levels of psychosocial stress.     

When is negative emotion positive for relationships? An investigation of married couples and roommates

Three types of negative emotion (hard, soft, and fear based) were believed to be integral to functioning in close interpersonal relationships. Hard emotion includes feeling angry, soft emotion includes feeling sad or hurt, and fear‐based emotion includes feeling anxious or threatened. Married persons (studies 1 and 3) and college roommates (study 2) rated the extent to which they would feel different emotions in response to a variety of negative partner behaviors. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the distinction between the three types of emotion. Although hard and soft negative emotions were highly positively correlated, they had opposite effects when used to predict relationship functioning. After controlling for shared variance between the emotions, soft emotion was associated with positive relationship functioning (high satisfaction, low conflict, and low avoidance) and hard emotion was associated with negative relationship functioning (low satisfaction, high conflict, and high avoidance). In contrast, fear‐based emotion was strongly, positively, and uniquely associated with relationship anxiety.     

Negative life events and depressive symptoms in late life: Buffering effects of parental and partner bonding?

The buffering function of parental and partner bonding in the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms at old age was examined. A community sample of 194 people aged 65 years and older was interviewed. In particular, the control dimension of both parental and partner bonding seems to be of importance in relation to elderly depression: More psychological control is related to higher depression scores, and low partner control seems to work as a protective mechanism when negative life events are faced. Developing prevention and intervention programs aimed at optimizing bonding relationships throughout life seems advisable.     

Marked for life? A prospective study of tattoos on appearance anxiety and dissatisfaction, perceptions of uniqueness, and self-esteem

Previous studies on psychosocial aspects of tattooing have not examined prospective changes in self- and body-related attitudes as a result of obtaining a tattoo. In the present study, 82 British residents obtaining their first tattoo completed measures of state appearance anxiety and dissatisfaction prior to, and immediately after, obtaining a tattoo. They also completed measures of trait body appreciation, distinctive appearance investment, self-ascribed uniqueness, social physique anxiety, and self-esteem before obtaining a tattoo and three weeks later. Results showed that both women and men had significantly lower appearance anxiety and dissatisfaction immediately after obtaining their tattoo, and significantly higher body appreciation, distinctive appearance investment, self-ascribed uniqueness, and self-esteem after three weeks. Women reported greater social physique anxiety after three weeks, whereas men reported lower anxiety. These results are discussed in relation to the positive impacts of obtaining body art and the mainstreaming of tattooing in Western societies.     

When and how is job embeddedness predictive of turnover? A meta-analytic investigation

The present meta-analytic study introduces an overall model of the relationships between job embeddedness and turnover outcomes. Drawing on 65 independent samples (N = 42,907), we found that on-the-job and off-the-job embeddedness negatively related to turnover intentions and actual turnover, after controlling for job satisfaction, affective commitment, and job alternatives. In addition, the negative relationships between on-the-job embeddedness (off-the-job embeddedness) and turnover criteria were stronger in female-dominated samples and public organizations (collectivistic countries). Finally, turnover intentions, job search behavior, and job performance fully (partially) mediated the effect of on-the-job embeddedness (off-the-job embeddedness) on actual turnover. The research and practical implications of our findings are noted, in light of study limitations and future research needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Acquisition of a unique cue in positive and negative patterning?

Forty college students received a classical differential conditioning procedure involving both positive and negative patterning, each of these being associated with a different pair of stimuli. In positive patterning, elemental stimuli, A and B, were presented without an unconditioned stimulus while their compound, AB, was paired with electric shock. In negative patterning, elemental stimuli, C and D, were paired with shock while their compound, CD, remained unpaired. Thirty of these subjects then received a negative patterning transfer test on new stimuli, while ten subjects received a positive patterning transfer test. First interval response (FIR) and second interval response (SIR) were measured. During initial acquisition, positive patterning occurred in both dependent measures, but negative patterning was present only in the SIR. The transfer tests showed almost significant transfer of positive patterning in FIR and SIR. Negative patterning showed significant transfer neither in FIR nor SIR. It was concluded that, although elementary models of conditioning can explain positive patterning on the basis of summation of excitation from the elements to the compound, the occurrence of negative patterning in the SIR and the almost significant transfer of positive patterning in FIR and SIR appear to require the additional assumption of a unique cue.     

Social skill in third and sixth grade children: A moderator of lifetime stressful life events and behavior problems?

We investigated relationships among stressful lifetime life events, social skill, and behavior problems in children. Participants were 159 third graders, 138 sixth graders, and their mothers. Mothers reported on their children's life events, social skill, and behavior problems. Children self-reported on their social skill and behavior problems. Increased numbers of stressful life events significantly predicted increased behavior problems in third and sixth graders. Increased social skill significantly predicted decreased behavior problems in third and sixth graders. Social skill served a stress-protective role for third but not sixth graders; third graders with increased life events and better social skill had fewer behavior problems than their less socially skilled peers. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed, and suggestions for future resilience research are presented.     

What are the combined effects of negative emotions and illness cognitions on self-care in people with type 2 diabetes? A longitudinal structural equation model

Objective: To explore whether negative emotions mediate the effect of diabetes cognitions on diabetes self-care and conversely whether diabetes cognitions mediate the effect of negative emotions on diabetes self-care.

Design: Longitudinal observational study in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Main outcome measures: Self-reported depression and anxiety (Diabetes Wellbeing Questionnaire), cognitions (Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised; Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire), and diabetes self-care (Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Scale) were completed at baseline and six months. Analyses used structural equation modelling.

Results: Baseline medication concerns were associated with elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety at follow-up, but emotions did not mediate medication concern’s effect on diabetes self-care. Baseline depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with specific diabetes cognitions over time, but these cognition domains did not mediate emotion’s effect on diabetes self-care. Personal control remained independent of emotions and was associated with diabetes self-care over time.

Conclusions: Negative emotions did not act directly or alongside cognitions to influence diabetes self-care. The reciprocal relationship between diabetes cognitions and emotions suggests cognitive restructuring, in addition to other mood management intervention techniques would likely improve the emotional wellbeing of adults with type 2 diabetes. Likewise, personal control beliefs are likely important intervention targets for improving self-care.     

When are we better than them and they worse than us? A closer look at social discrimination in positive and negative domains

This article argues that in-group favoritism occurs on positive and negative dimensions only when the dimensions of comparison provide an appropriate and meaningful basis for self-other definition, that is, when traits comparatively and normatively fit in-group-out-group categorizations. Three studies are reported in which groups were evaluated on positive or negative traits that varied in their degree of normative fit to in-group and out-group identity. In line with predictions, fit rather than stimulus valence was the crucial determinant of (a) in-group favoritism and (b) absolute level of differentiation between groups. Implications of the findings for explanations of positive-negative asymmetry and broader understandings of intergroup discrimination are discussed.     

When are workload and workplace learning opportunities related in a curvilinear manner? The moderating role of autonomy

Building on theoretical frameworks like the Job Demands Control model and Action Theory we tested whether the relationship between workload and employees' experiences of opportunities for workplace learning is of an inverted u-shaped nature and whether autonomy moderates this relationship. We predicted that – at moderate levels of autonomy – workload was positively associated with learning opportunities at low levels of workload, but negatively at high levels of workload. Also, we predicted that low autonomy prevents positive effects of moderate workload from materializing whereas high autonomy makes high workload less destructive to the learning process. Furthermore, we examined whether learning opportunities increase particularly as a function of higher matched levels of workload and autonomy and whether mismatch between workload and autonomy is particularly detrimental to the learning process. We found support for these ideas in two large and heterogeneous samples of working adults using moderated and polynomial regression analyses and subsequent response surface methodology. These results integrate conflicting prior findings and extend Karasek's (1979) active learning hypothesis. They also have clear implications for job redesign practices aiming to promote workplace learning opportunities.     

Are novice drivers overconfident? A comparison of self-assessed and examiner-assessed driver competences in a Finnish and Swedish sample

Studies of subjective driving skill have usually assessed perceived driving skill in relation to the skills of the average driver. In order to examine whether novice drivers are overconfident with respect to their actual skills, a different method was used in the present study, where specific aspects of perceived driver competence were compared with assessments made by a driver examiner. A Finnish (n = 2847) and a Swedish (n = 805) sample of driving test candidates completed self-assessments and took a practical driving test; the instruments differed between the countries. The results indicated that about 50 percent of the Finnish and between 25 and 35 percent of the Swedish candidates made realistic assessments of their competence in the areas Vehicle manoeuvring, Economical driving and Traffic safety. The proportion of those who overestimated their competence was greater among the Swedish candidates than the Finnish candidates. This might be explained by greater possibilities of practicing self-assessment in the Finnish driver education. Furthermore, the results indicate that males are not overconfident to a greater extent than females. In conclusion, when perceived competence is related to actual competence instead of the skills of the average driver, the majority of drivers are no longer found to overestimate their skills.     

A longitudinal investigation of stress spillover in marriage: does spousal support adequacy buffer the effects?

Stress spillover in marriage was examined within a stress-buffering conceptual framework in a multiwave, longitudinal sample of newlywed husbands and wives (N = 101 couples). Spousal support, chronic role strain, and marital satisfaction were assessed 4 times over 3 years and analyzed via actor-partner interdependence model and growth curve analytic techniques. Greater escalation in husbands' role strain over the first 3 years of marriage was associated with steeper declines in their marital satisfaction regardless of the adequacy of spousal support provided by their wives. In contrast, greater escalation in husbands' and wives' role strain was associated with significantly less marital decline for wives, and these links were bolstered when husbands provided wives with more adequate support. The present study is one of the first to explicate the underlying processes through which role strain and spousal support facilitate and mitigate the developmental course of marital satisfaction.     

Do living and nonliving categories need further fractionation? A study of picture naming in a pathological sample

A group of 51 patients affected by possible semantic memory deficit were given a picture naming task for the purposes of a comparison between six categories, three of Nonliving nature (tools, furniture, vehicles) and three of a Living nature (animals, fruits, and vegetables). A logistic regression analysis was used for a multiple single case study, where also the items' basic difficulty was included in the model. Besides some patients showing a dissociation between Living and Nonliving categories, other patients showed a finer selectivity on naming, differentiating animals from fruits and vegetables, tools from nonmanipulable objects, and even vehicles from furniture. These results are examined in the light of current theories of semantic category specificity.     

Memory for positive,negative and neutral events in younger and older adults: Does emotion influence binding in event memory?

When remembering an event, it is important to remember both the features of the event (e.g., a person and an action) and the connections among features (e.g., who performed which action). Emotion often enhances memory for stimulus features, but the relationship between emotion and the binding of features in memory is unclear. Younger and older adults attempted to remember events in which a person performed a negative, positive or neutral action. Memory for the action was enhanced by emotion, but emotion did not enhance the ability of participants to remember which person performed which action. Older adults were more likely than younger adults to make binding errors in which they incorrectly remembered a familiar actor performing a familiar action that had actually been performed by someone else, and this age-related associative deficit was found for both neutral and emotional actions. Emotion not only increased correct recognition of old events for older and younger adults but also increased false recognition of events in which a familiar actor performed a familiar action that had been performed by someone else. Thus, although emotion may enhance memory for the features of an event, it does not increase the accuracy of remembering who performed which action.     

An event in medical life,or the advent of a belief?

Freud's ambivalent relations with medicine are well known. Based on his relatively unknown text, A religious experience, published in 1928, the authors present an analysis of the internal reasons for this conflict. Responding to a letter from an American doctor, who tells him about his reactions to an autopsy and the influence it had on his religious faith, Freud suggests an analysis that leads him to make a surprising slip. This slip reveals the conflicts inherent in the practice of autopsy, considered as a peculiar event in medical training that puts a strain on the future medical practitioner's subjectivity. Based on the analysis of unconscious impulses and fantasmatic activity, the authors demonstrate that Freud's theory is still surprisingly relevant today in the light of testimonies from contemporary doctors confronted with autopsy during their training or daily practice.     

Personality,religiousness and spirituality – interrelations and structure – in a sample of religious Jewish women

The relations between measures of personality, mystical prayer experience, religious behaviour and multidimensional spirituality were examined on a sample of 121 young religious Jewish Israeli women. Bivariate correlations indicated that while all dimensions of personality were significantly related to some aspects of religiousness and spirituality, conscientiousness and agreeableness were related to most measures. Openness to experience was related to all experiential measures and extroversion was related only to Spiritual Well-being. These results provide support for the generalisability of past research with predominantly Christian samples of varied levels of religiousness and indicate the importance of using multidimensional measures for researching complex constructs such as religiousness and spiritually. In addition, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses did not provide conclusive support for the notion that religiousness and spirituality constitute a sixth dimension of personality.     

Who's really in charge of my life,anyway? Locus of control and cognitive substance abuse treatment in a Federal prison

External locus of control has been identified as problematic among prison inmates across a number of dimensions, related both directly to substance abuse as well as to more general adjustment. Graduates of a nine month residential, cognitive substance abuse treatment program, housed within a Federal prison, were compared with a waiting-list control group for changes in locus of control. Both global locus of control, as measured by the Rotter Internal-External Scale (RIE) and vocational locus of control, as measured by the Spector Work Locus of Control Scale (WLCS) were examined. Treatment groups displayed significantly more internal loci or control across the two dimensions. Results are discussed in terms of prior findings of benefits of more internal locus of control related to aspects of personal and vocational adjustment, interpersonal violence, recidivism, and reductions in depression and suicidality, as well as substance abuse and relapse. This article is based on research initially presented August 14, 1994 at the 102nd Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, California.