Food cue exposure and body image satisfaction: the moderating role of BMI and dietary restraint

Effects of cue exposure to high and low-caloric food on body image satisfaction and the moderating role of body mass index (BMI) and restraint were investigated in 77 lean unrestrained, lean restrained and overweight restrained females. Body (BS) and weight satisfaction (WS) were assessed before and after the cue exposure. Lean restrained participants were significantly less satisfied with their weight after cue exposure to high-caloric foods in comparison to cue exposure to low-caloric foods, whereas no such effect was present in overweight restrained and lean unrestrained participants. Low-caloric food cues did not influence WS. Food cues had a nonsignificant trend effect on BS. Yet, only lean unrestrained participants experienced significantly more BS in response to food cue exposure.     

Parental Overprotection, Cultural Value Conflict, and Psychological Adaptation among Asian Indian Women in America

The present study related generational status, marital status, parental overprotection (control), and cultural value conflict to self-esteem and depression among first and second-generation Asian Indian immigrant women in the south-midwestern United States. Self-report data from 73 community-dwelling women supported the hypotheses that unmarried and second-generation women would report greater maternal control and cultural value conflict than would married and first-generation women. Second-generational status, high maternal control, and high cultural value conflict correlated with higher depressive symptomology; being married, low maternal control, and low cultural value conflict were related to high self-esteem. Regression analyses indicated a mediating role for cultural value conflict for depression symptom predictors, but not for self-esteem predictors. Open-ended response data provided enriched understanding of these women’s cultural and family conflicts.     

Counselling provision for staff in the National Health Service in England: A survey of patterns of provision

This paper reports the findings of a research project carried out in 2001, mapping the provision of counselling services for staff in the National Health Service in England. A postal survey was used to gather both quantitative and qualitative data in order to produce a picture of service provision in NHS Trusts throughout England. Analysis of information concerning the qualifications, experience and pay structure of counsellors, and patterns of service delivery, revealed significant variations across Health Trusts. Findings are discussed in relation to implications for policy, practice and future research.     

The effects of background noise on dichotic listening to consonant-vowel syllables

Lateralization of verbal processing is frequently studied with the dichotic listening technique, yielding a so called right ear advantage (REA) to consonant-vowel (CV) syllables. However, little is known about how background noise affects the REA. To address this issue, we presented CV-syllables either in silence or with traffic background noise vs. 'babble'. Both 'babble' and traffic noise resulted in a smaller REA compared to the silent condition. The traffic noise, moreover, had a significantly greater negative effect on the REA than the 'babble', caused both by a decreased right ear response as well as an increased left ear response. The results are discussed in terms of alertness and attentional factors.     

Evaluation of Siddha Samadhi Yoga for anxiety and depression symptoms: a preliminary study

Siddha Samadhi Yoga is a program in which meditation is associated with pranayama (breathing exercises). 22 volunteers with anxiety complaints (M age = 42.8 yr., SD = 10.3) were assigned to two groups: 14 attended the yoga group, and 8 attended a waiting-list or control group. They were evaluated before the intervention and 1 month after it on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, Tension Feelings Self-evaluation Scales, and the Well-being Self-evaluation Scales. A significant reduction in scores on anxiety, depression, and tension was found in yoga group, as well as an increase in well-being in comparison with the control group.     

Effects of Including a Graphic Warning Label in Advertisements for Reduced‐Exposure Products: Implications for Persuasion and Policy1

Considerable interest has focused on making warning labels on tobacco‐product packaging more effective in communicating risk to current and potential smokers. However, none of this work to date has involved the communication of risk information about reduced‐exposure products, or how a graphic warning label may function in advertisements. Reduced‐exposure products pose an interesting public health challenge in light of the fact that many advertisements for such products convey safety claims that may undermine the likelihood that potential consumers will process warnings about the products. The present study examines the influence of graphic warning labels on ratings of advertisements for 3 different types of tobacco products. Results showed that including a graphic picture lowered the appeal ratings for the product.     

Gabaergic mechanisms of hypothalamic nuclei in the expression of conditioned fear

The amygdala, the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG), and the medial hypothalamus have long been recognized to be a neural system responsible for the generation and elaboration of unconditioned fear in the brain. It is also well known that this neural substrate is under a tonic inhibitory control exerted by GABA mechanisms. However, whereas there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that the amygdala and dPAG are also able to integrate conditioned fear, it is still unclear, however, how the distinct hypothalamic nuclei participate in fear conditioning. In this work we aimed to examine the extent to which the gabaergic mechanisms of this brain region are involved in conditioned fear using the fear-potentiated startle (FPS). Muscimol, a GABA-A receptor agonist, and semicarbazide, an inhibitor of the GABA synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), were used as an enhancer and inhibitor of the GABA mechanisms, respectively. Muscimol and semicarbazide were injected into the anterior hypothalamus (AHN), the dorsomedial part of the ventromedial nucleus (VMHDM), the dorsomedial (DMH) or the dorsal premammillary (PMD) nuclei of male Wistar rats before test sessions of the fear conditioning paradigm. The injections into the DMH and PMD did not produce any significant effects on FPS. On the other hand, muscimol injections into the AHN and VMHDM caused significant reduction in FPS. These results indicate that injections of muscimol and semicarbazide into the DMH and PMD fail to change the FPS, whereas the enhancement of the GABA transmission in the AHN and VMHDM produces a reduction of the conditioned fear responses. On the other hand, the inhibition of this transmission led to an increase of this conditioned response in the AHN. Thus, whereas DMH and PMD are known to be part of the caudal-most region of the medial hypothalamic defensive system, which integrates unconditioned fear, systems mediating conditioned fear select the AHN and VMHDM nuclei that belong to the rostral-most portion of the hypothalamic defense area. Thus, distinct subsets of neurons in the hypothalamus could mediate different aspects of the defensive responses.     

Comparison of classical and modern methods for measuring and correcting for acquiescence

Likert-type self-report scales are frequently used in large-scale educational assessment of social-emotional skills. Self-report scales rely on the assumption that their items elicit information only about the trait they are supposed to measure. However, different response biases may threaten this assumption. Specifically, in children, the response style of acquiescence is an important source of systematic error. Balanced scales, including an equal number of positively and negatively keyed items, have been proposed as a solution to control for acquiescence, but the reasons why this design feature worked from the perspective of modern psychometric models have been underexplored. Three methods for controlling for acquiescence are compared: classical method by partialling out the mean; an item response theory method to measure differential person functioning (DPF); and multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) with random intercept. Comparative analyses are conducted on simulated ratings and on self-ratings provided by 40,649 students (aged 11–18) on a fully balanced 30-item scale assessing conscientious self-management. Acquiescence bias was explained as DPF and it was demonstrated that: the acquiescence index is highly related to DPF; balanced scales produce scores controlled for DPF; and MIRT factor scores are highly related to scores controlled for DPF and the random intercept is highly related to DPF.     

The Rights of Future Persons under Attack: Correlativity in the Non-Identity Problem

Philosophia - This paper aims at answering some of the objections to the NIP’s criticism of the idea of rights of future persons. Those objections usually adopt different perspectives...     

Global and local processing in Williams syndrome: drawing versus perceiving.

It has been hypothesized that a local processing bias underlies overall visuospatial impairments in Williams syndrome (WS). However, recent studies have challenged this hypothesis by providing evidence against a local processing bias at the perceptual level. The aim of the present study was to further examine drawing and perceptual skills in children with WS using closely matched-hierarchical stimuli. In the drawing task children with WS exhibited a local processing bias. However, no significant preferential bias was found in the perceptual task. This indicates that children with WS do not systematically present a preferential bias for local information. Taken together the findings of the present study suggest that perceptual processing deficits per se are unlikely to explain local processing biases in visuoconstructive tasks often described in people with WS.