Autobiographical memory functions and posttraumatic stress symptoms across adulthood

Previous research has documented robust individual differences in the functions served by autobiographical memories, and shown that different autobiographical memory functions are related to both positive and negative indicators of psychological well-being, and that their frequency varies with age. In this study, we examined the unique relationship between autobiographical memory functions and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and whether such relationships varied with age across adulthood. A representative sample of 1040 adult Danes (20–70 years old) reported the frequency with which they recall autobiographical memories for different purposes as well as their level of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Higher reflective and ruminative functions, as well as lower social function, predicted higher levels of PTSS. There were no moderating effects of age. The results suggest that although the frequency of various autobiographical functions varies throughout the adult years, their association with PTSS is similar across adulthood.     

Defect analysis of Fe3(Al1– x Si x ) alloys by positron-lifetime spectroscopy

The recovery behaviour of vacancy-type defects created at 1000°C in Fe₃(Al_{1– x} Si _x ) alloys has been investigated by positron-lifetime measurements in samples cooled to room temperature by water quenching, air quenching and furnace cooling. In addition, a set of samples was aged for one week at 520°C. After water quenching, measurements reveal a high concentration of thermal vacancies, and from the decrease of the average positron lifetime it is inferred that vacancy recovery is strongly composition-dependent. Greater decreases of the positron lifetime were found for Si-rich samples, suggesting diffusion enhancement as the Si concentration increases. For the Fe₃Al alloy, the retained vacancy concentration depends strongly on the cooling rate. This is related to atomic ordering and a rebuilding of the D0₃ structure.     

La adquisición del lenguaje: un análisis interaccional

Resumen

El principal objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar functionalmente las interacciones verbales niño-adulto, en seis sujetos, de edades comprendidas entre los 18 y los 30 meses, y sus familias, observados en ambiente natural. Un segundo objetivo fue definir y poner a prueba un sistema de Categorías funcionales para el análisis del lenguaje infantil. También se realizó un estudio del lenguaje adulto («input parental») en cuanto a una pluralidad de características, incluyendo las similitudes y diferencias entre el lenguaje de los padres y las madres.

Los resultados ponen de relieve que el lenguaje de los niños, a pesar de las limitaciones formales de estas primeras etapas, es altamente funcional e interaccional. También se ha puesto de manifiesto que el lenguaje que el adulto dirige al niño reviste unas características (en cuanto a claridad, corrección, simplicidad, etc.) en sí mismo facilitadoras de los procesos de transmisión-adquisición del lenguaje. Al mismo tiempo se ha evidenciado la existencia de estrategias educativas no intencionales en las interacciones verbales niño-adulto. Estas estrategias poseen cierto valor explicativo respecto a los procesos de desarrollo del lenguaje.

Los niños del estudio y sus familias eran catalano-parlantes, por tanto este trabajo es asimismo un estudio longitudinal sobre la adquisición del catalán como primera lengua.     

Preschool Children’s Beliefs about Gender Differences in Academic Skills

Evidence from different Latin American countries shows a gap in the academic achievement of girls and boys. Chilean children’s achievement is a case in point, with the gender gap being especially large for mathematics achievement. These differences can be explained partly from the viewpoint of beliefs and implicit theories. Research in this field has focused mainly on elementary and secondary students, and there is no relevant data on preschool children. This study examines Chilean kindergarten children’s beliefs about differences in the academicals skills of girls and boys. Eighty-one preschool children (34 girls, mean age 5 years and 11 months) were recruited from schools serving a middle SES population from downtown Santiago. An instrument to test children’s implicit beliefs about gender differences in academic ability was adapted from previous research. Results support the hypothesis that boys and girls at the age of 5 already hold stereotypical expectations about boys’ and girls’ academic achievement. When asked about which school subject a character liked more, was better at, and found easier, participants showed no preference between math and language when reasoning about a male character, but they indicated that a female character would find math harder, perform worse at it, and like it less than language. These responses did not differ according to the gender of the participating children. Implications of these findings are addressed and limitations and future research are discussed.     

Entrevista con Julián de Ajuriaguerra

RESUMEN

En esta entrevista Julián de Ajuriaguerra describe su historia científica desde que era interno en hospitales psiquiátricos y alumno de Thomas y Lhermitte, comentando los trabajos que realizó con adultos, ancianos y dementes aunque su interés estuviese desde un principio en los niños. Responde, entre otras, a cuestiones tales como si lo biológico se complementa con lo social en el desarrollo, cómo son los vínculos de los padres con el niño, cuál es su posición respecto al psicoanálisis, si es necesaria la interdisciplinariedad para hacer psicología o qué opina del problema de los estadios. También realiza un balance del estado actual de la psicomotricidad, ejemplifica qué entiende por “diálogo tónico” y explica las diferencias entre los juegos de niños y niñas de siete, ocho y nueve años, admitiendo la distinta organización tónica de los sexos. Por último el autor se centra en el trabajo clínico, ofreciendo sugerencias para aquéllos que empiezan a llevarlo a cabo en España. Los comentarios que Ana María Pardo y Ángel Rivière realizan del autor y su obra introducen esta entrevista.     

Psychometric properties of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index in Spanish child and adolescent population

This article analyses the dimensions of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1980). The sample comprised 721 Spanish participants between 9 and 16 years old. Diverse exploratory factor analyses were conducted as the basis for the final confirmatory factor analysis, through self-report. The results supported a structure with 5 first-order main factors (Intellectual empathy, Positive emotional empathy, Disorganized emotional empathy, Virtual empathy, and Impassiveness), where the two first factors are nested in a second-order dimension: "Considerate Social Style". The psychometric characteristics of the instrument were adequate. The proposed model is a new alternative to conceptualize the factor structure of empathy.     

The Short Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (NDSS-S) in Spanish smokers

We present a brief scale derived from the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (NDSS). We used a sample of 1.061 daily smokers, which was obtained from five Primary Care Health Centers, a Unit of Alcoholism, and a Smoking Cessation Unit. All smokers were evaluated with the NDSS and the SCID to assess nicotine dependence according to DSM-IV criteria. The results indicate the existence of a general factor of nicotine dependence according to the NDSS. We selected the items with a higher factor loading (>.50), obtaining a short scale of 6 items. With this brief scale, we obtained results similar to those of the total scale in the diverse variables (sociodemographic and smoking) of the study. Scale reliability is satisfactory (a= .79), the correlation between the short and the total scale is very high (r=.95, p<.001) and the short scale discriminates the smokers in terms of cigarette consumption and nicotine dependence, as assessed with the SCID. The operation under the ROC curve is excellent (area under the curve .84). The data indicate the usefulness of this brief scale (NDSS-S) to assess nicotine dependence in smokers.     

Causality, criticality, and reading words: distinct sources of fractal scaling in behavioral sequences

The finding of fractal scaling (FS) in behavioral sequences has raised a debate on whether FS is a pervasive property of the cognitive system or is the result of specific processes. Inferences about the origins of properties in time sequences are causal. That is, as opposed to correlational inferences reflecting instantaneous symmetrical relations, causal inferences concern asymmetric relations lagged in time. Here, I integrate Granger-causality with inferences about FS. Four simulations illustrate that causal analyses can isolate distinct FS sources, whereas correlational techniques cannot. I then analyze three simultaneous sequences of responses from a database of word-naming trials. I find that two, or perhaps three, distinct sources account for the presence of FS in these sequences, but FS is not a general property of the system. This suggests that FS arises due to the properties of a limited number of identifiable psychological and/or neural processes. Finally, I reanalyze a previously published dataset of acoustic frequency spectra using the new tools. The causality/criticality combination introduced here offers a new important perspective in the study of cognition.     

宗教资本:从布迪厄到斯达克

"宗教资本"概念对理性选择理论的发展至关重要,然而,"宗教资本"的诸多定义却常常模糊不清,或脱离于其所源出的知识构架。关于"宗教资本"概念,有两种相互独立发展的理论:其一大致属于欧洲,源自韦伯和布迪厄的研究;其二大致属于美国,源自艾纳孔和斯达克的研究。泰瑞·雷对通过对两种理论的比较研究,进而厘清其理论谱系,仔细考察了宗教资本概念及其衍生概念"灵性资本"的应用和批评,并提出了两个具有独创性的修正概念("制度宗教资本"和"民间宗教资本"),以此解决宗教资本概念在学术著作和文章中所出现的问题。     

Spanish adaptation of the NDSS (Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale) and assessment of nicotine-dependent individuals at primary care health centers in Spain

The availability of adequate instruments for the assessment of nicotine dependence is an important factor that is relevant in the area of tobacco addiction. In this study, we present a Spanish validation of the Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (NDSS) (Shiffman, Waters, & Hickcox, 2004). The sample was composed ofpatients, all daily smokers, who visited their General Practitioner (GP) at five Primary Health Care Centers in different cities of Spain (N = 637). The results indicated adequate reliability for the general factor that assesses nicotine dependence (NDSS-Total) (Cronbach's alpha = .76). Factor analysis confirms the five factors of the original validation: Drive, Continuity, Stereotypy, Priority, and Tolerance. It must be noted that reliability is adequate for the first, and moderate or low for the rest. The NDSS-T and its scales correlate significantly with the Fagerstr?m Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), with the nicotine dependence criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV) as assessed through the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID), with carbon monoxide levels in expired air (CO), and with the number of cigarettes smoked. The ROC curve indicates that the NDSS-T has a score of .79 which is under the curve (.69 for the FTND), thus the prediction of nicotine dependence is adequate. We conclude that this instrument is useful (in terms of its total score NDSS-T) for assessing nicotine dependence for Spanish smokers (in Spain), as has been found in other countries, language groups, and cultures.