Mirror self-recognition in gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla): a review and evaluation of mark test replications and variants

Animal Cognition - Mirror self-recognition (MSR), widely regarded as an indicator of self-awareness, has not been demonstrated consistently in gorillas. We aimed to examine this issue by setting...     

Social emotional ability development (SEAD): An integrated model of practical emotion-based competencies

Motivation and Emotion - Social emotional abilities (i.e., specific skills), defined as the set of cognitive abilities, emotion-based knowledge, and behavioral competencies (i.e., skill levels)...     

Couple and family therapists’ experiences with Telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic: a phenomenological analysis

In designing this study, we aimed to obtain a rich, phenomenological understanding of the experiences of couple and family therapists who transitioned their practice to telehealth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Twelve experienced therapists from the U.S., Spain and Australia were interviewed in depth about their experiences of this transition, particularly how they developed and maintained therapeutic alliances in a virtual context with couples and families suffering pandemic-related hardships. The qualitative analysis identified 40 themes reflecting participants’ initial impressions of telehealth and their positive and negative reactions and adjustments to practicing remotely. Upon overcoming some initial wariness about providing services virtually, many participants described advantages to this way of working with families. Indeed, participants were creative in adjusting to this novel therapy modality, finding new ways to connect emotionally with their clients, to work meaningfully with children, to assess in-session dynamics, and to ensure their clients’ privacy and safety. Notably, several participants commented on the relatively slower development of alliances with new cases and the challenge of repairing split alliances between family members. Many of these difficulties were described as due to having minimal access to their clients’ raw emotions and the inability to use typical systemic interventions, such as moving family members around physically. Participants also reflected on being a “participant observer” to the upheaval caused by the pandemic, a distressing experience they shared with the families in their care.

     

The role of head position and prior contraction in manual aiming

We sought to determine if the asymmetrical tonic neck reflex influences the accuracy of self-selected arm positioning without vision and to ascertain if such accuracy is influenced by a pre-contraction of the prime movers. Participants reproduced an arm position using their abductors with the head in midline, rotated towards and away from the arm. Arm movements were made with and without a pre-contraction of the abductors. Twenty participants performed eight trials in each of the six different conditions. Compared to the midline position, participants undershot the reference position with the head turned away and overshot the position with the head rotated towards the arm. A pre-contraction caused undershooting regardless of head position. Results suggest that head position and pre-contraction may have significant and independent effects on arm positioning.     

Gender Self‐Confidence and Social Influence: Impact on Working Alliance

The authors investigated the relationships between the counselor's gender self‐confidence, the counselor's use of social influence within the counseling session, and the counselor's sex in relation to the counseling relationship. These attributes were studied with regard to how deeply a therapeutic working alliance developed between the counselor and the client. Results support the importance of counselor characteristics on the counselor–client alliance. Implications for teaching, research, and practice are presented.     

Maximization and Search for Alternatives in Decision Situations With and Without Loss of Options

Maximizing tendency has been associated with greater accumulation of choice alternatives prior to selection of a preference. It is not known whether this search behavior extends to situations in which accumulation of new choice alternatives comes with the potential loss of existing ones. In Study 1, we replicate the original finding of greater accumulation of choice alternatives, using a computer‐based laboratory task. We then provide evidence, in Studies 2 and 3, that when potential loss of existing options is incorporated into the task, maximization is associated with less rather than more search for additional options. Maximization components of decision difficulty and alternative search, but not high standards or satisficing, explain this behavior. Other task measures are also collected, but few maximization‐related differences are observed. The findings support an interpretation of maximizers as decision makers who are as concerned with the potential loss of existing options as with the loss of undiscovered future ones. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Postdeployment Psychological Health and Interpersonal Problems Among Air Force Mental Health Personnel

This study is one of the first to use validated screening measures to examine the rates of self-reported mental health and interpersonal problems following deployment of military mental health personnel (MMHP). Research has examined the impact of deployment on military personnel finding 10.2% to 29.0% screen positive for at least one mental health problem. However, little is known about impacts of deployment among MMHP. Utilizing health data collected three to twelve months post-deployment from a sample of 759 Air Force MMHP, this study examined rates of positive screens for psychological health or interpersonal problems, subsequent confirmation of positive screens by a medical provider upon examination, and the demographic characteristics associated with psychological health or interpersonal problems. The study found 13.9% screened positive for “possible or probable PTSD,” 4.6% for depressive symptoms, 3.9% for alcohol problems, and 12.6% for interpersonal problems. In total, nearly 26% screened positive for one or more psychological or interpersonal problem. Of those who screened positive, 48.5% of depressive problems, 36.0% of PTSD, 20.0% of alcohol problems and 29.7% of interpersonal problems were confirmed upon subsequent examination by a medical provider. Those who screened positive were more likely to be (a) female, (b) separated, widowed, or divorced, (c) a mental health nurse or psychiatric nurse practitioner, and (d) deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. The significance, limitations, and implications of the results, along with recommendations for future research are discussed.