Preferences for ‘Gender‐typed’ Toys in Boys and Girls Aged 9 to 32 Months

Many studies have found that a majority of boys and girls prefer to play with toys that are typed to their own gender but there is still uncertainty about the age at which such sex differences first appear, and under what conditions. Applying a standardized research protocol and using a selection of gender‐typed toys, we observed the toy preferences of boys and girls engaged in independent play in UK nurseries, without the presence of a parent. The 101 boys and girls fell into three age groups: 9 to 17 months, when infants can first demonstrate toy preferences in independent play (N = 40); 18 to 23 months, when critical advances in gender knowledge occur (N = 29); and 24 to 32 months, when knowledge becomes further established (N = 32). Stereotypical toy preferences were found for boys and girls in each of the age groups, demonstrating that sex differences in toy preference appear early in development. Both boys and girls showed a trend for an increasing preference with age for toys stereotyped for boys. Theoretical implications of the findings are discussed with regard to biological predispositions, cognitive development and environmental influences on toy preference. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integrating Sex Therapy Interventions with Couple Therapy

This conceptual/clinical paper presents a couple, integrative, psychobiosocial model of assessment, treatment, and relapse prevention for common sexual dysfunctions. The goal is to encourage couple therapists to integrate sexual permission-giving, scientifically and clinically relevant sexual information and guidelines, and specific sexual suggestions/interventions into their couple work. The artificial barriers between couple and sex therapy is to the detriment of couples who need to address intimacy and sexuality problems.     

The effect of a self-monitored relaxation breathing exercise on male adolescent aggressive behavior

This study sought to contribute to the identification of effective interventions in the area of male adolescent aggressive behavior. Existing research includes both group- and single-case studies implementing treatments which typically include an anger-management component and its attendant relaxation and stress-reduction techniques. The design of this study was single-subject with multiple baselines across 6 subjects on 2 behavioral measures. The setting was a residential juvenile justice program for male adolescents, and the treatment was a relaxation breathing exercise. The results of the study were mixed, with improvement on both behavioral measures in 2 of the 6 participants.     

Safety in Occupational Driving: Development of a Driver Behavior Scale for the Workplace Context

International statistics indicate that occupational, or work‐related driving, crashes are the most common cause of workplace injury, death, and absence from work. The majority of research examining unsafe driver behavior in the workplace has relied on general road safety questionnaires. However, past research has failed to consider the organisational context in the use of these questionnaires, and thus, there is ambiguity in the dimensions constituting occupational driving. Using a theoretical model developed by Hockey (1993, 1997 ), this article proposes and validates a new scale of occupational driver behavior. This scale incorporates four dimensions of driver behavior that are influenced by demanding workplace conditions: speeding, rule violation, inattention, and driving while tired. Following a content validation process, three samples of occupational drivers in Australia were used to assess the scale. Data from the first sample (n= 145) were used to reduce the number of scale items and provide an assessment of the factorial validity of the scale. Data from the second sample (n= 645) were then used to confirm the factor structure and psychometric properties of the scale including reliability and construct validity. Finally, data from the third sample (n= 248) were used to establish criterion validity. The results indicated that the scale is a reliable and valid measure of occupational driver behavior.     

Infant colic and maternal depression

The combined impact of infant colic and maternal depression on infant, parent, and family difficulties was examined. The sample included 93 consecutive patients seen at an outpatient Colic Clinic. Most mothers had private insurance and completed high school. Infants were approximately 2 months of age. Questionnaires completed by the mother prior to treatment onset were used to measure depressive symptoms in the mothers, infant cry, sleep and temperament, characteristics, parenting stress, maternal self‐esteem, social support, and family function. Moderate to severe depressive symptoms were reported by 45.2% of the mothers. More severe depressive symptoms in the mothers were related to fussy/difficult infant temperament, more parenting stress, lower parental self‐esteem, and more family‐functioning problems. Pediatric health care providers need to be aware that the combined effects of colic and maternal depression can be problematic for the family. ©2005 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.     

Reconsolidation of appetitive memories for both natural and drug reinforcement is dependent on {beta}-adrenergic receptors

We have investigated the neurochemical mechanisms of memory reconsolidation and, in particular, the functional requirement for intracellular mechanisms initiated by beta-adrenergic signaling. We show that propranolol, given in conjunction with a memory reactivation session, can specifically disrupt the conditioned reinforcing properties of a previously appetitively reinforced conditioned stimulus (CS), whether the stimulus had been associated with self-administered cocaine or with sucrose. These data show that memories for both drug and nondrug CS-US associations are dependent on beta-adrenergic receptor-mediated signaling for their reconsolidation, with implications for the potential development of a novel treatment for drug addiction and some forms of obesity.     

How children describe their shy/withdrawn peers

In individual interviews, 227 children from the first, third, fifth, and seventh grades described the behaviours that characterize shyness in their peers. The categories of behaviour most frequently described included the following: doesn't talk, stays by self, doesn't play, walks/runs away from others, hides, looks away/avoids eye contact, physical signs of anxiety, stays near familiar people, cries, blushes, and gets mixed up when talking/stutters. The number of children mentioning hides, stays near familiar people, and cries decreased significantly across grade level, whereas the number mentioning doesn't talk, stays by self, blushes, and gets mixed up when talking/stutters increased across grade level. The situations in which children described the shy behaviours as occurring were classified as entailing either fearful shyness or self‐conscious shyness. The number of children who mentioned contexts involving fearful shyness declined across grade level grade, whereas the number mentioning contexts involving self‐conscious shyness increased with increasing grade level. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relational risk‐taking,men and affairs

This paper is about clinical work with heterosexual men who have had affairs which have ended and who wish to resume the relationship with their partners. An approach is proposed which emphasizes the exploration and development of relational risk‐taking by the men concerned. A rationale and ideas for involvement of the partners of the men is also addressed.     

Depression

Abstract— The theory of clinical depression presented here integrates etiological factors, changes in specific structural and cellular substrates, ensuing symptomatology, and treatment and prevention. According to this theory, important etiological factors, such as stress, can suppress the production of new neurons in the adult human brain, thereby precipitating or maintaining a depressive episode. Most current treatments for depression are known to elevate brain serotonin neurotransmission, and such increases in serotonin have been shown to significantly augment the ongoing rate of neurogenesis, providing the neural substrate for new cognitions to be formed, and thereby facilitating recovery from the depressive episode. This theory also points to treatments that augment neurogenesis as new therapeutic opportunities.     

Daoism and Chinese Martial Arts

The now-global phenomenon of Asian martial arts traces back to something that began in China. The idea the Chinese communicated was the dual cultivation of the spiritual and the martial, each perfected in the other, with the proof of perfection being an effortless mastery of violence. I look at one phase of the interaction between Asian martial arts and Chinese thought, with a reading of the Zhuangzi 莊子 and the Daodejing 道德經 from a martial arts perspective. I do not claim that the authors knew about martial arts. It was not Daoist masters who took up martial arts, but martial arts masters who, at a specific time, turned to Daoism to explain the significance of their art. Today, though, Daoist concepts are ubiquitous in martial arts literature, and a reading of these classics from a martial arts perspective shows how they lend themselves to philosophical thinking about this practice.