Inventing the wheel once more or learning from the history of psychotherapy research methodology: Reply to Gaudiano's comments on review

Gaudiano's criticism of one part of my review of ACT outcome research (Öst, 2008) is refuted on all issues but one. It is clear that the average amount of grant support for the ACT-studies was smaller than that of CBT-studies, even if the proportion of studies having grant support was not lower. However, that fact should only influence 25% (2 out of 8) of the methodology variables on which ACT-studies had lower mean scores than CBT-studies. It is not acceptable that a relatively new treatment, such as ACT, should be evaluated by more lenient criteria than already established therapies like CBT. If proponents of a new treatment wish to claim that their therapy is empirically supported then they have to accept to be evaluated by the APA Task Force criteria. It is time that ACT researchers start using the current psychotherapy research methodology.     

Early life origins of psychological development and mental health

According to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)‐hypothesis, conditions early in life may have life‐long consequences. In a series of epidemiological birth cohort and clinical studies and natural experiments, we have had the chance to test the extent to which this hypothesis is useful in understanding individual differences in psychological development and mental health. Our findings have provided evidence that individual differences in cognitive, social and emotional development and in mental health may lie in early life circumstances, and add significantly to the literature by pointing out which periods of early growth are the most critical. These findings are also important in translating pre‐clinical evidence to humans. What remains less clear, however, is what the mechanisms of programming are. Thus, further research is needed to elucidate these mechanisms before information on the early life origins of health and disease can be used in designing prevention and intervention programs.     

The AMQ: A Four‐Factor Inventory of Absentmindedness and Memory

The Absentmindedness and Memory Questionnaire (AMQ) is a new self‐rating scale designed to evaluate everyday memory problems related to absentmindedness. It includes 24 items and is based on studies of different samples (N= 623). Its test‐retest reliability is high and it has consistently shown similar factor structure. The AMQ thus measures four weakly correlated factors: Absentmindedness, Persons, Locations and Codes/Addresses. Factor analysis further indicates that Absentmindedness may include two subfactors: momentary attention deficit and prospective forgetfulness or impaired agenda memory. Gender differences were found in Persons (Female+) and Locations (Male+) but not in Absentmindedness or Codes/Addresses. The current version of AMQ has seven interindividually comparable response alternatives for each item in the questionnaire. This makes it useful as a measure of subjective absentmindedness or forgetfulness as well as a complementary measure of subjective memory for persons, locations, and codes/addresses/stories, especially at follow‐up examinations.     

A Systematic Investigation of Gesture Kinematics in Evolving Manual Languages in the Lab

Silent gestures consist of complex multi-articulatory movements but are now primarily studied through categorical coding of the referential gesture content. The relation of categorical linguistic content with continuous kinematics is therefore poorly understood. Here, we reanalyzed the video data from a gestural evolution experiment (Motamedi, Schouwstra, Smith, Culbertson, & Kirby, 2019), which showed increases in the systematicity of gesture content over time. We applied computer vision techniques to quantify the kinematics of the original data. Our kinematic analyses demonstrated that gestures become more efficient and less complex in their kinematics over generations of learners. We further detect the systematicity of gesture form on the level of thegesture kinematic interrelations, which directly scales with the systematicity obtained on semantic coding of the gestures. Thus, from continuous kinematics alone, we can tap into linguistic aspects that were previously only approachable through categorical coding of meaning. Finally, going beyond issues of systematicity, we show how unique gesture kinematic dialects emerged over generations as isolated chains of participants gradually diverged over iterations from other chains. We, thereby, conclude that gestures can come to embody the linguistic system at the level of interrelationships between communicative tokens, which should calibrate our theories about form and linguistic content.     

Individual response patterns and the effects of different behavioral methods in the treatment of claustrophobia

The importance of individual response patterns in claustrophobic patients was examined in the present study. Thirty-four psychiatric outpatients with a phobia of enclosed spaces were assessed in a small test chamber. During the test their overt behavior was video-taped, heart-rate was measured continuously, and self-ratings of experienced anxiety were made at certain intervals. On the basis of their reactions in the test situation, the patients were divided into two groups showing different response patterns—behavioral and physiological reactors. Within each group the patients were randomly assigned to one behaviorally-focused method (exposure), one physiologically-focused method (applied relaxation) and a waiting-list control group. The patients were treated individually in eight sessions. The between-group comparisons showed that both exposure and applied relaxation were significantly better than the waiting-list condition. Furthermore, exposure yielded better results than applied relaxation for the behavioral reactors, while applied relaxation was better than exposure for the physiological reactors. The improvements were maintained at a follow-up assessment 14 months after the end of treatment. The results support the hypothesis that greater effects are achieved when the method used fits the patient's response pattern than when it does not.     

Physiological responses in blood phobics

Eighteen patients with blood phobia were shown a film of thoracic operations containing large amounts of blood. Their heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were measured continuously before, during and after the watching of the film. The group data showed a diphasic response; an increase in HR and BP from baseline to the beginning of the film, and then a sharp drop in these parameters with the lowest values 4 min after the film was turned off. Individual data from 5 patients who fainted or were on the edge of doing so, showed massive bradycardia or drop in BP or both. In all of these patients at least one (range 1–33) 5-sec period of asystole was recorded. Possible theoretical explanations for this characteristic response pattern are discussed.     

Central response selection is present during memory scanning, but hand-specific response preparation is absent

Two experiments were performed to replicate the results of Ilan and Miller that response selection but no response-hand specific preparation is present during memory scanning. Letter-case determined which hand would respond, while memory set membership status determined whether the response was to be executed (go) or withheld (nogo). In Exp. 1, the LRP was observed as an index of response-hand specific preparation. In Exp. 2, the consistency effect derived from the response priming paradigm was observed as an index of more central response selection. The results replicate those of Ilan and Miller and suggest that central response selection is present during short-term memory scanning, but hand-specific response preparation is absent. Apparently, preliminary information is transmitted to the response selection stage during memory scanning, a finding that is inconsistent with serial stage models, but memory scanning interferes with hand-specific response preparation. Received: 30 March 1998 / Accepted: 30 November 1998     

Spatial determinants of depth perception in two-dot motion patterns

The aim of the present study was to identify spatial properties of motion patterns yielding perceived depth. A model was proposed to describe the different motion patterns in terms of the common and the relative motions of the moving parts. Using motion patterns consisting of two dots moving in straight paths, it was found that there were three different types of relative motions yielding unambiguous percepts: (1) lack of relative motions was perceived as motion in a frontoparallel plane; (2) two-dimensional concurrent motions were perceived as translatory motion in depth; (3) nonconcurrent motions were perceived as rotation in depth. Only two-dimensional motion patterns yielded stable depth percepts. The utility of the proposed vector analysis was discussed, and further research suggested.     

Fluency in L2: Read and Spontaneous Speech Pausing Patterns of Turkish,Swahili, Hausa and Arabic Speakers of English

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research - Language learners’ actual speech performances constitute an essential aspect of studies on second language learning and teaching. Although there is...     

The Validity and Reliability of the Language Battery in Comprehensive Aphasia Test-Turkish (CAT-TR)

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research - Aphasia assessment is the initial step of a well-structured language therapy. Therefore, it is reasonable to underline that the assessment tools need to...