Aplicación de la psicología al estudio de los procedimientos policiales de recuerdo de personas

RESUMEN

En este artículo los autores aportan una visión de lo que se entiende por psicología del testimonio. Condensan los estudios sobre los procedimientos policiales de recuerdo de personas que se desarrollaron simulando las condiciones reales lo más exactamente posible, resaltando la capacidad de la ciencia psicológica en un campo “relativamente” nuevo y, a todas luces, aplicado. Comienzan por delimitar el área y describir los procedimientos policiales más difundidos en los diferentes países, comentando a continuación los resultados de las investigaciones psicológicas sobre los instrumentos genéricamente llamados “retratos-robot” y que, principalmente, han sido realizados en las universidades de Aberdeen (Escocia) y Houston (USA). En el último apartado sintetizan los datos más relevantes y finalizan subrayando la utilidad de la Psicología en este ámbito y la importancia de diseños experimentales cercanos a la realidad.     

Predictors of healthcare resource use in fibromyalgia

This work identifies which psychosocial, clinical and perceived health status factors predict health-resource use in Fibromyalgia (FM), considering the patients' assistance level. Participants were 315 FM patients from Primary Care (PC: n=101) and Rheumatology Services (RS: n=214). Stepwise regression analysis showed that self-efficacy variables were significant predictors of medication intake in PC, and, along with Illness-focused coping, of the health service use. In RS, perceived health status was the best predictor of medication intake. In any case, Pain intensity significantly predicted the use of health resources. These data offer a new perspective for intervention in these patients, taking into account the level of assistance.     

Communalism, familism, and filial piety: are they birds of a collectivist feather?

The present studies examined the extent to which (a) communalism, familism, and filial piety would pattern onto a single family/relationship primacy construct; (b) this construct would be closely related to indices of collectivism; and (c) this construct would be related to positive psychosocial functioning and psychological distress. In Study 1, 1,773 students from nine colleges and universities around the United States completed measures of communalism, familism, and filial piety, as well as of individualistic and collectivistic values. Results indicated that communalism, familism, and filial piety clustered onto a single factor. This factor, to which we refer as family/relationship primacy, was closely and positively related to collectivism but only weakly and positively related to individualism and independence. In Study 2, 10,491 students from 30 colleges and universities in 20 U.S. states completed measures of communalism, familism, and filial piety, as well as of positive psychosocial functioning and psychological distress. The family/relationship primacy factor again emerged and was positively associated with both positive psychosocial functioning and psychological distress. Clinical implications and future directions for the study of cultural values are discussed.     

Elaboration and validation of the athletes Idiocentric and Allocentric Profile Inventory (I-A Profile)

The athlete's psychological profile is one of the most studied areas in sport psychology, but there is no consensus in this area. The purpose of this study was to elaborate and validate a scale to measure and classify athletes into a Idiocentric-Alocentric profile. The method was split in two phases: a) Items elaboration and theoretical model and b) Validation. Qualitative analyses were performed during the first phase and factorial analysis and Cronbach's Alpha were used to validate the instrument. The final instrument was composed by 27 items and the factorial structure showed three factors for Idiocentrism (Self-Realization & Competitiveness, Hedonism, Team Emotional Distance and a second order factor - Idiocentrism Level) and one factor for the Alocentrism (Alocentrism Level). It was concluded that the pattern and consistency of the results indicate that this inventory could be used as a reliable research tool in Brazilian sports context.     

Positioning theory as a discursive approach to understanding same‐sex intimate violence

This study focuses on same‐sex intimate violence, recognizing that violence in gay and lesbian relationships is as severe and prevalent as in heterosexual relationships. Positioning theory as a relational approach is used as an alternative to the dominant individual and structural accounts. Intimate violence is seen as produced through the assignment of rights and duties or positioning in couples' conversations. Two gay and two lesbian couples were interviewed. A basic discursive pattern was found from 25 accounts of episodes involving physical violence. Violence ensued only after the initiator of violence had claimed innocence or blamelessness and attributed guilt or blame on the receiver of violence. The findings are discussed in relation to the discursive production of power and violence.     

Gestures and Phases: The Dynamics of Speech-Hand Communication

We investigated how a listener's perceived meaning of a spoken sentence is influenced by the relative timing between a speaker's speech and accompanying hand gestures. Participants viewed a computer-animated character who uttered the phrase, “Put the book there now.” while executing a simple right-handed beat gesture whose location relative to the utterance was precisely controlled in a frame-by-frame fashion. The participant's task consisted of making a judgment about two related aspects of the actor's perceived speech: (a) Which word was emphasized? and (b) How clear was the emphasis? That is, did it make sense? The results revealed that the perceived emphasis was determined by the timing (phasing) of the speaker's hand gesture. Furthermore, the clarity of the perceived emphasis (i.e., meaningfulness) was influenced by the affordances in the immediate environment of the speaker. Discussion addresses the primacy of ostensive specification and gesture in communicative events, the dynamics of speech-hand coordination during both actual and virtual dialogue, and the role of environmental affordances in grounding informative communicative acts in the ecology of organism-environment dynamics.     

Pointing following in dogs: are simple or complex cognitive mechanisms involved?

Animal Cognition - Domestic dogs have proved to be extremely successful in finding hidden food following a series of human social cues such as pointing (an extended hand and index finger indicating...     

Volcanic Risk Exposure,Feelings of Insecurity,Stress, and Coping Strategies in México1

The present study investigates stress levels, feelings of insecurity, and coping strategies used by people living near an active volcano in México (Popocatépetl). The sample was composed of 198 adults, who were divided into 4 groups according to the risk zones in which they live. They answered a questionnaire addressing feelings of insecurity regarding volcanic risk, a coping strategies scale, and a stress scale. A significant interaction between active and passive coping strategies and risk zone was found. Higher levels of insecurity feelings regarding volcanic risk were associated with the highest stress levels evoked by facing a volcanic risk. A possible application of this study is at the community‐service level concerning risk prevention.     

Influence of Church Attendance and Spirituality in a Randomized Controlled Trial to Increase Mammography Use Among a Low-Income, Tri-Racial, Rural Community

Background The influence of church attendance and spirituality on mammography use was studied among Native American, White, and African American women living in a rural county. Methods A randomized trial was conducted to increase mammography use. Women (n = 851) were randomly assigned to receive either an educational program delivered by a lay health advisor or a physician letter and brochure about cervical cancer screening (control group). Church attendance and spirituality were measured at baseline and mammography use was evaluated 12 months after enrollment using medical record review. Results Almost two-thirds of the women reported that they attended church at least once a week, and less than 4% were classified as having low spirituality. Church attendance (P = 0.299) or spirituality (P = 0.401) did not have a significant impact on mammography use. Conclusions Church attendance and spirituality did not impact mammography use.