In defense of a pragmatic picture of belief

Philosophical Studies - In Belief: A Pragmatic Picture, I define “belief” as information poised to guide relatively attentive, controlled action. Though I admit that this is one of...     

A Multi-Method,Multi-Informant Test of Maternal Emotion Socialization in Relation to Adolescent Fears of Social Evaluation

Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology - Fears of negative and positive social evaluation are considered potential transdiagnostic mechanisms underpinning multiple internalizing disorders...     

Reaction time distribution analysis of neuropsychological performance in an ADHD sample.

Differences in reaction time (RT) variability have been documented between children with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Most previous research has utilized estimates of normal distributions to examine variability. Using a nontraditional approach, the present study evaluated RT distributions on the Conners' Continuous Performance Test in children and adolescents from the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD sample compared to a matched sample of normal controls (n = 65 pairs). The ex-Gaussian curve was used to model RT and RT variability. Children with ADHD demonstrated faster RT associated with the normal portion of the curve and a greater proportion of abnormally slow responses associated with the exponential portion of the curve. These results contradict previous interpretation that children with ADHD have slower than normal responding and demonstrate why slower RT is found when estimates of variability assume normal Gaussian distributions. Further, results of this study suggest that the greater number of abnormally long RTs of children with ADHD reflect attentional lapses on some but not all trials.     

Interpersonal analysis of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism

This article examines the validity of grandiose and vulnerable subtypes of narcissistic character styles through an analysis of personality disorder criteria, interpersonal problems, and adult attachment styles in a nonclinical population. The grandiose personalities in this sample were rated high in the dramatic traits associated with narcissistic, antisocial, and histrionic personality disorders based on a diagnostic interview, and they reported domineering and vindictive interpersonal problems. However, despite the observation of narcissistic personality pathology, they denied interpersonal distress related to their interpersonal problems and the majority reported adult attachment styles reflective of positive self-representations (Secure, Dismissive). Vulnerable narcissistic individuals were represented by high ratings on avoidant personality disorder based on a diagnostic interview. They reported high interpersonal distress and greater domineering, vindictive, cold, and socially avoidant interpersonal problems. The majority reported adult attachment styles reflective of negative self-representations (Fearful, Preoccupied). The validity of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism based upon the results of this study was discussed in terms of clinical theory and with reference to the implications of two subtypes of narcissism for diagnosis and treatment.     

Biased predecision processing

Decision makers conduct biased predecision processing when they restructure their mental representation of the decision environment to favor one alternative before making their choice. The question of whether biased predecision processing occurs has been controversial since L. Festinger (1957) maintained that it does not occur. The author reviews relevant research in sections on theories of cognitive dissonance, decision conflict, choice certainty, action control, action phases, dominance structuring, differentiation and consolidation, constructive processing, motivated reasoning, and groupthink. Some studies did not find evidence of biased predecision processing, but many did. In the Discussion section, the moderators are summarized and used to assess the theories.     

Backward conditioning: mediation by the context

The information acquired in backward conditioning (i.e., outcome-->cue) was assessed in 3 Pavlovian lick-suppression experiments with water-deprived rats as subjects. Experiment 1 confirmed previous research that few outcome-->cue pairings made the cue into a conditioned excitor and additionally showed that massive posttraining extinction of the training context attenuated a backward-trained cue's excitatory value. Experiment 2 found that many outcome-->cue pairings made the cue into a conditioned inhibitor and that the same context manipulation attenuated this inhibitory value. Experiment 3 confirmed the observations of Experiments 1 and 2 and demonstrated that these effects of context extinction were specific to backward-trained cues conditioned in the extinguished context. These results are interpreted in terms of cue-->context and context-->outcome associations.     

Context effects: the proportional difference model and the reflection of preference

The reflection effect (D. Kahneman & A. Tversky, 1979) was investigated using the stochastic model of choice developed by C. Gonzalez-Vallejo (2002). The model assumes that individuals make trade-offs among attribute values by relying on a difference variable. The model also specifies a threshold representing individual proclivities to reach to attribute differences. Two experiments demonstrated that changes in risk attitudes, from a gain to a loss situation, depended on the stimuli as well as on individuals' thresholds. Thresholds were generally lower in losses than in gains, indicating a risk-taking tendency. Thresholds were also lower when participants were endowed with greater savings. Model testing revealed better fits for the stochastic model than cumulative prospect theory (A. Tversky &. D. Kahneman, 1992).     

The Daily Grind: A Rhizomatic Approach to Narratives of Managing Commuter Stress During Traffic Congestion in Metro Manila

Robust literature on commuter stress has shown the multiple impact of daily commuting in people's lives. Framed within a rhizomatic approach to narratives, we analyzed stories of 11 working and 9 student Filipino commuters by looking at the ways they act on or reconstruct themselves to manage stress. In urban Metro Manila, our findings showed three narrative “stress entryways”: getting caught by the wave, seating privileges, and stuck in transit. Theoretical and practical implications of findings on commuter well-being (e.g., keeping emotions in, releasing tensions), technologies of the “fit” commuter, and enriching conversations in traffic psychology and urban living are discussed.     

Dysfunctional Attitudes and Suicidal Ideation in Psychiatric Outpatients

To determine if specific sets of dysfunctional attitudes were related to suicidal ideation, the 100-item Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS) was administered to 908 psychiatric outpatients along with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Self-Concept Test (BST), and Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI). The SSI was used to classify the outpatients into 97 (10.7%) suicide ideators and 811 (89.3%) nonideators, and the DAS was scored for nine subscales described by Beck, Brown, Steer, and Weissman (1991) . None of the DAS subscales discriminated the ideators and nonideators or was significantly related to SSI total scores of the suicide ideators after controlling for sex, age, diagnosis of a mood or panic disorder, comorbidity, presence of a personality disorder, a history of a past suicide attempt, the BDI, the BHS, and the BST. The contributions of sets of dysfunctional attitudes for identifying and explaining suicidal ideation were overshadowed by a history of a past suicide attempt and hopelessness.