Continuities and Changes in the Friendships of Children with and Without ADHD: A Longitudinal, Observational Study

We examined how the real-life dyadic friendships of 87 children with ADHD and 46 comparison children (76 % boys) aged 7–13 years evolved during a 6-month follow-up period. The methods included friendship quality self-report measures and direct observation of friends’ dyadic behaviors in three structured analogue tasks. At Time 2, the friends of the participants with ADHD reported less positive friendship quality and more conflict with their friends than at Time 1. They were also considerably less satisfied with their friendship than 6 months prior. In contrast, the friends of comparison children reported fewer negative friendship features, more positive friendship features and a slightly greater friendship satisfaction than at Time 1. In sharp contrast with the invited friends’ reports, referred children with ADHD did not report deterioration in their friendship quality over time. Unlike comparison children who significantly reduced violations of game rules between Time 1 and Time 2, children with ADHD broke more game rules during the same period. In negotiating with friends, comparison children, but not children with ADHD, reduced the number of self-centered and insensitive proposals at Time 2. Controlling for Time 1 variance, violations of game rules and a self-centered, insensitive negotiation approach predicted deterioration in friendship quality for children with and without ADHD over time.     

Trait dissociation and the subjective affective, motivational, and phenomenological experience of self-defining memories

The present research reports 2 studies that examine the relation between nonpathological trait dissociation and the subjective affect, motivation, and phenomenology of self-defining memories. In Study 1 (N=293), participants retrieved and rated the emotional and motivational experience of a general and a positive and negative achievement-related memory. Study 2 (N=449) extended these ratings to relationship-related memories and the phenomenological experience of the memory. Dissociation was associated with incongruent affect in valenced memories (e.g., positive affect in a negative memory) and memories that were visually incoherent and saturated with power motivation, hubristic pride, and shame, regardless of valence or domain. The present findings demonstrate that autobiographical memories, which integrate emotional, motivational, and phenomenological components, reflect the emotional and motivational processes inherent to dissociation.     

Food hoarding behaviour in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus): Effects of body weight loss and hoard-size discrimination

Two experiments investigated some of the factors that influence food hoarding behaviour in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus). In Experiment 1, hamsters given limited access to food failed to increase the amount of food they consumed at each meal. Instead, they exhibited a significant increase in the amount of food taken to hoard during the limited access period, and this permitted hamsters who were allowed to retain their hoard to maintain body weight at levels comparable to free-feeding controls. Hamsters that were not allowed to retain hoarded food rapidly lost body weight. There was also an inverse correlation between body weight and amount of food taken to hoard in all hamsters given limited access to food, suggesting that body weight loss was one factor directly related to increased hoarding during periods of limited food accessibility. Experiment 2 investigated the effect of hoard-size discrimination on food hoarding in hamsters by artificially manipulating hoard size. The results suggested that hoarding behaviour could be influenced by artificially depleting and repleting the hoard, and this factor appears to influence hoarding in the absence of any significant changes in body weight. These results are discussed in relation to the kinds of adaptive feeding strategies that hamsters may utilize in their natural environment.     

Quantitative evidence for distinct cognitive impairment in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

It is generally agreed that at least some aspects of abnormal eating behaviour is indeed due in part to disordered cognition. The accumulated literature illustrates cognitive impairment in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Yet beyond being inconsistent, these independent studies also do not reveal the magnitude of impairment within and across studies and fail to give due consideration to the magnitude of impairment so as to understand the severity and breadth of impairment and/or differences in cognitive profiles between patients with AN and BN. Hence, the present review on the subject sought to articulate the magnitude of cognitive impairment in patients with AN and BN by quantitatively synthesizing the existing literature using meta-analytic methodology. The results demonstrate modest evidence of cognitive impairment specific to AN and BN that is related to body mass index in AN in terms of its severity, and is differentially impaired between disorders. Together, these results suggest that disturbed cognition is figural in the presentation of eating disorders and may serve to play an integral role in its cause and maintenance. Implications of these findings with respects to future research are discussed.