Attentional biases for faces and body parts

In four experiments, we examined whether faces and body parts are processed faster and engage attention more than other objects. Participants searched for a green among blue frames and were asked to make speeded categorical decisions on an object presented within the target frame (e.g., was it food?). On half of the trials a colour singleton (a red frame) was also present and reaction times to targets were measured as a function of the object category within the singleton. The results show that categorical judgements of faces (Experiments 1–3) and body parts (Experiment 4) in the target frame were significantly faster as compared to other object categories. Furthermore, the cost associated with presenting a face or body part in the singleton frame was greater than the cost when another type of object was in the singleton. These results suggest an attentional bias towards stimuli of sociobiological significance such as faces and body parts.     

The Spiritual,the Cultural and the Religious: What can we learn from a study of boy choristers?

This article reports on a study of the boys in a major city centre church choir. It is treated as a case study of the potential confusion between the spiritual, the cultural and the religious. The study shows that the performance of religious rituals might, for many of the boys, be more accurately described as a cultural phenomenon. A deep appreciation of music, with evidence of 'peak experiences', describes a reality which has been called 'spiritual' in humanistic phenomenological writings. All the boys in the study were found to be 'spiritual' in that they loved and were moved by the music they sang in church, but few perceived their singing as a form of religious ministry. Religious commitment and faith development was found to range from piety to atheism, with an increasing tendency towards Enlightenment scepticism amongst the older boys. The boys could be identified as a social group by their shared love for music, but not by a shared religious faith. Discussion is developed about the reality of the spiritual with and without a religious commitment, in which credal literalism is seen as cultural rather than spiritual. A call for greater recognition of the significance of the cultural and social is made.     

Emotion regulation difficulties in anorexia nervosa: Relationship to self-perceived sensory sensitivity

Changes in sensation (e.g., prickly skin) are crucial constituents of emotional experience, and the intensity of perceived changes has been linked to emotional intensity and dysregulation. The current study examined the relationship between sensory sensitivity and emotion regulation among adults with anorexia nervosa (AN), a disorder characterised by disturbance in the experience of the body. Twenty-one individuals with AN, 20 individuals with AN who were weight–restored, and 23 typical controls completed self-report measures of sensory sensitivity and emotion regulation. AN participants reported heightened sensory sensitivity and greater difficulty regulating emotions relative to controls. Self-perceived sensory sensitivity was associated with greater emotion dysregulation. Weight-restored AN participants reported greater ability to regulate emotions than their currently underweight counterparts, despite heightened sensitivity. Findings suggest that hypersensitivity may be a persisting feature in AN, and that weight restoration may involve improved ability to cope with sensation.     

Long-term effects of intensive treatment for a client with both a cluttering and stuttering disorder

This study presents data on the effects of an intensive smooth speech treatment program for stuttering on the speech and psychological status of a man, aged 21 years who stuttered and who was also diagnosed as a clutterer (S 29). Stuttering was mild to moderate (7% syllables stuttered) (%SS) and consisted mostly of rapid repetitions with an occasional block. The client had stuttered since the age of 5 years. Initial rate could not be determined with accuracy due to its irregularity and speed, but was estimated to be between 260 to 300 syllables per minute (SPM). Speech was also characterized by irregular quick bursts that were often unintelligible. There was no evidence of abnormal psychological traits. However, a higher than normal level of negative communication attitudes was evidenced. An intensive 3-week smooth speech program designed to reduce and control stuttering was initiated. It was believed the training, which involved rate control, would control the cluttering symptoms as well. After successful completion of the program, stuttering was greatly reduced, and the gains were maintained after 10 months. Speech rate was reduced to normal levels and was also maintained at the 10-month follow-up. Negative attitudes to communication, furthermore, were greatly reduced both in the short- and long-term. Consequently the cluttering symptoms after treatment were minimal. This case study suggests that an intensive treatment for stuttering, which contains rate control, can also be a successful treatment for cluttering, at least for those who also stutter.     

Misalignment and Misperception in Preferences to Utilize Family‐Friendly Benefits: Implications for Benefit Utilization and Work–Family Conflict

Despite their increasing popularity, family‐friendly benefits are frequently underutilized. Drawing on literatures concerning social norms and pluralistic ignorance, this study examines the role of personal preference, group norm misalignment, and misperception of group norms on employees’ utilization of family‐friendly benefits. In 2 samples (154 firefighters and 440 nurses) across 3 data collection periods, we found that when employees’ preferences for benefit utilization were misaligned with the perceived group norm, they adjusted their family‐friendly benefit utilization in a manner congruent with the norm, even when that norm was misperceived. Further, we found that family‐friendly benefit utilization was negatively associated with work–family conflict. Together, our findings suggest that misperceived social norms regarding family‐friendly benefit utilization can lead to situations whereby employees do not utilize family‐friendly benefits because they mistakenly perceive utilization is not socially accepted and, as a result, experience higher work–family conflict.     

Maternal Depression and Parent Management Training Outcomes

This study examines the impact of maternal depression on reductions in children’s behavior problems severity following implementation of the Brief Behavioral Intervention—a brief, manualized parent management training treatment. The parents of 87 children aged 2–6 years of age received parent management training at a metropolitan hospital. Parents of participants completed measures of externalizing behavior and maternal depression. The association between pre-post treatment change in externalizing behavior and maternal depression was examined using an autoregressive cross-lagged model. Results showed that self-reported maternal depressive symptoms at pre-treatment negatively influenced the overall magnitude of reduction of reported externalizing behaviors in children following treatment. Results indicate that aspects of family functioning not specifically targeted by parent management training, such as maternal depression, significantly affect treatment outcomes. Clinicians providing parent management training may benefit from assessing for maternal depression and modifying treatment as indicated.     

Mentoring and Peer-led Interventions to Improve Quality of Life Outcomes among Adolescents with Chronic Illnesses

Advancing adolescent medicine has resulted in increased survival rates for life-limiting health conditions that are now considered chronic conditions. Due to the increased rates of chronic illnesses, the broad outcomes of community-based programs for adolescents with these illnesses need to be examined. Therefore, the present study seeks to examine community-based, mentoring and peer-led programs that have a social support component to increase quality of life outcomes for adolescents with chronic illnesses. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify articles that included a social support component to increase quality of life outcomes for adolescents with chronic illnesses. Six articles were included in the narrative analysis. Programs were divided into two types of interventions: mentoring/coaching (n?=?3) and peer-led interventions (n?=?3). A summary of each study was developed and main themes from each intervention were identified by the research team. This review found six community-based peer-led and mentoring interventions that incorporated a social support component to improve the quality of life of adolescents with chronic illnesses. Critical components for a peer-led or mentoring intervention should include social support components such as health coaching and mentoring by peers or adults. Since the nature of chronic illnesses is lengthy in duration, social support research translated into practice may offer adolescents who have any of these illnesses a means to improve their psychosocial outcomes. The interventions outlined in this present review have yielded promising results. Recommendations for future studies are included.