A cognitive-based model of tool use in normal aging

While several cognitive domains have been widely investigated in the field of aging, the age-related effects on tool use are still an open issue and hardly any studies on tool use and aging is available. A significant body of literature has indicated that tool use skills might be supported by at least two different types of knowledge, namely, mechanical knowledge and semantic knowledge. However, neither the contribution of these kinds of knowledge to familiar tool use, nor the effects of aging on mechanical and semantic knowledge have been explored in normal aging. The aim of the present study was to fill this gap. To do so, 98 healthy elderly adults were presented with three tasks: a classical, familiar tool use task, a novel tool use task assessing mechanical knowledge, and a picture matching task assessing semantic knowledge. The results showed that aging has a negative impact on tool use tasks and on knowledge supporting tool use skills. We also found that aging did not impact mechanical and semantic knowledge in the same way, confirming the distinct nature of those forms of knowledge. Finally, our results stressed that mechanical and semantic knowledge are both involved in the ability to use familiar tools.     

Conflicting but close: Readers’ integration of information sources as a function of their disagreement

According to the documents model framework (Britt, Perfetti, Sandak, & Rouet, 1999), readers’ detection of contradictions within texts increases their integration of source–content links (i.e., who says what). This study examines whether conflict may also strengthen the relationship between the respective sources. In two experiments, participants read brief news reports containing two critical statements attributed to different sources. In half of the reports, the statements were consistent with each other, whereas in the other half they were discrepant. Participants were tested for source memory and source integration in an immediate item-recognition task (Experiment 1) and a cued recall task (Experiments 1 and 2). In both experiments, discrepancies increased readers’ memory for sources. We found that discrepant sources enhanced retrieval of the other source compared to consistent sources (using a delayed recall measure; Experiments 1 and 2). However, discrepant sources failed to prime the other source as evidenced in an online recognition measure (Experiment 1). We argue that discrepancies promoted the construction of links between sources, but that integration did not take place during reading.     

Exploring possible mechanisms of change in family‐based treatment for adolescent bulimia nervosa

Objective: Mediators of treatment for family‐based treatment are explored for outcomes among adolescents with bulimia nervosa (BN). Method: Using data from a recently completed randomized clinical trial (RCT) comparing family‐based treatment (FBT) to supportive psychotherapy (SPT) we examined possible mediators of treatment outcome. Results: Results suggest that FBT‐BN was more effective than SPT in producing remission by virtue of achieving greater reductions in eating disorder psychopathology by mid‐treatment. Specifically, reductions in cognitions related to BN as assessed by the EDE appeared to be the differentiating mechanism. Conclusion: It is reasonable to hypothesize that change in the EDE subscales mediates outcome for FBT‐BN. Future studies with sufficient power to examine this possibility as an a priori hypothesis would help to better understand how FBT‐BN works and may also help to guide future treatment refinement and development.     

Location, Location, Location: Where Do Immigrants Reside in Australia?

Concentration of immigrants in a particular area has important implications for the provision of social services and the local labor market. This paper examines the location choice of immigrants in five major statistical regions in Australia using the 2001 Census of Population and Housing. The paper focuses on differences in location choice across birthplace groups and cohort arrivals. The results show that immigrants from the UK are less likely to reside in larger cities (e.g., Sydney, Melbourne) compared to immigrants from other birthplace groups, particularly those from non-English-speaking countries. Ethnic concentration has a positive effect on immigrants’ location choice, and this is consistent across arrival cohorts. Furthermore, all immigrants are attracted to a particular location with high concentration of poor English-speaking immigrants or concentration of young individuals. However, immigrants are not attracted to a particular location with concentration of individuals who have not completed high school.     

The role of the noradrenergic system in emotional memory

This contribution is an overview on the role of noradrenaline as neurotransmitter and stress hormone in emotional memory processing. The role of stress hormones in memory formation of healthy subjects can bear significance for the derailment of memory processes, for example, in post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Increased noradrenaline levels lead to better memory performance, whereas blocking the noradrenergic receptors with a betablocker attenuates this enhanced memory for emotional information. Noradrenaline appears to interact with cortisol in emotional memory processes, varying from encoding to consolidation and retrieval. Imaging studies show that confronting human subjects with emotional stimuli results in increased amygdala activation and that this activation is noradrenergic dependent. The role of noradrenaline in other brain areas, such as hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, is shortly summarized. Finally, the pros and cons of a therapeutic application of betablockers in the (secondary) prevention of PTSD will be discussed.     

Psychological profiles and emotional regulation characteristics of women engaged in risk-taking sports

We investigated the psychological profiles and emotional regulation characteristics of women involved in risk-taking sports. The research sample (N=180) consisted of three groups of women engaged in: (1) non-risk sports (N=90); (2) risk-taking sports for leisure purposes (N=53); or (3) risk-taking sports as professionals (N=37). Each participant completed five questionnaires, the Sensation Seeking Scale, the Bem Sex Role Inventory, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, Risk & Excitement Inventory, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. The results revealed significant differences between the groups' profiles. Of particular interest are the differences that exist between the profiles of Group 2 (escape profile, masculine gender identity, and high scores on sensation seeking, impulsivity, alexithymia) and Group 3 (compensation profile, androgynous gender identity, average score on sensation seeking, and low scores on impulsivity, alexithymia). We propose that the professional woman might be considered a model for preventing destructive risk-taking behaviors.