Relationship of non-verbal rigidity and creative perceptions.

The relationship of rigidity and creative perceptions of 214 Hungarian adolescent males and females was explored using a non-verbal test of rigidity (Breskin Rigidity Test) and a measure of creative perceptions (Something About Myself). Males and females were divided into Moderately Rigid and Low Rigid groups. An analysis of variance of the data showed no significant differences in creative perceptions relative to rigidity level, sex, or interaction of rigidity level and sex.     

Masculinity-femininity and perceptual style on the Circles Test

In relation to the open perceptual style characteristics a classification of responses to the Torrance's Circles Test provided a measure of psychosexual identification. To the initial stimulus inner-spaced and outer-spaced responses can be interpreted as feminine and masculine styles of information processing. The observations were validated by the Mf scale of the MMPI. Masculine women gave fewer inner-space responses than masculine men, and feminine men gave more inner-space responses than feminine women.     

Some independence results in interpretability logic

A Kripke-style semantics developed by de Jongh and Veltman is used to investigate relations between several extensions of interpretability logic, IL.     

A multi-measure,multi-ethnic investigation of anxiety

Current Psychology - The main purpose of the current research was to examine the cross-ethnic variability of various anxiety measurement frameworks, in an understudied East European culture. Three...     

Investigations in spontaneous discounting

Oppenheimer’s (2004) demonstration that causal discounting (when the presence of one cause casts doubt on the presence of another) can happen spontaneously addressed the standing concern that discounting was an artifact of experimental demands, but these results could have resulted from memory inhibition. The present studies rule out this alternative using the same surname frequency estimation paradigm. In Study 1, individuals discounted surname familiarity even when it could be attributed to semantic meaning; in Study 2, participants under cognitive load discounted less; in Study 3, participants who were promised a prize for accuracy discounted more. All three results conform to a spontaneous causal discounting account better than to the inhibition alternative.     

Saliency on a natural scene background: Effects of color and luminance contrast add linearly

In natural vision, shifts in spatial attention are associated with shifts of gaze. Computational models of such overt attention typically use the concept of a saliency map: Normalized maps of center-surround differences are computed for individual stimulus features and added linearly to obtain the saliency map. Although the predictions of such models correlate with fixated locations better than chance, their mechanistic assumptions are less well investigated. Here, we tested one key assumption: Do the effects of different features add linearly or according to a max-type of interaction? We measured the eye position of observers viewing natural stimuli whose luminance contrast and/or color contrast (saturation) increased gradually toward one side. We found that these feature gradients biased fixations toward regions of high contrasts. When two contrast gradients (color and luminance) were superimposed, linear summation of their individual effects predicted their combined effect. This demonstrated that the interaction of color and luminance contrast with respect to human overt attention is—irrespective of the precise model—consistent with the assumption of linearity, but not with a max-type interaction of these features.     

The Senses Considered as One Perceptual System

ABSTRACT

J. J. Gibson (1966) rejected many classical assumptions about perception but retained 1 that dates back to classical antiquity: the assumption of separate senses. We suggest that Gibson's retention of this assumption compromised his novel concept of perceptual systems. We argue that lawful, 1:1 specification of the animal–environment interaction, which is necessary for perception to be direct, cannot exist in individual forms of ambient energy, such as light, or sound. We argue that specification exists exclusively in emergent, higher order patterns that extend across different forms of ambient energy. These emergent, higher order patterns constitute the global array. If specification exists exclusively in the global array, then direct perception cannot be based upon detection of patterns that are confined to individual forms of ambient energy and, therefore, Gibson's argument for the existence of several distinct perceptual systems cannot be correct. We argue that the senses function as a single, irreducible perceptual system that is sensitive exclusively to patterns in the global array. That is, rather than distinct perceptual systems there exists only 1 perceptual system.     

Parental Attachment and Body Satisfaction in Adolescents

Insecure attachment can contribute to various psychological problems including body dissatisfaction. It is not clarified which attachment quality, anxiety or avoidance predict lower body satisfaction, and the relationship of maternal and paternal patterns has not been distinguished yet. Our aim was to test these aspects in adolescents. Participants of the large cross-sectional survey were Hungarian children and adolescents (N?=?5214, 51.6?% boys, mean age 14.8 years, SD?=?2.6 years). Measures included self-reported body weight and height data, body satisfaction scale, the Experience in Close Relationships Scale—Relationship Structures, and the Child Depression Inventory. Boys had significantly higher body satisfaction, and worse maternal attachment than girls, who showed worse paternal attachment and higher depression. Higher paternal anxiety and avoidance, and maternal avoidance predicted lower body satisfaction in both genders adjusted for age and BMI (R ²?=?6.1–12.5?%). Depression fully mediated the relationship between dysfunctional maternal attachment and lower body satisfaction in both genders, between dysfunctional paternal attachment and lower body satisfaction in girls, while only partially mediated between dysfunctional paternal attachment and lower body satisfaction in boys. Dysfunctional parental attachment was associated with adolescents’ lower body dissatisfaction, mediated by the level of depression. The importance of paternal attachment was highlighted in boys’ body concerns. Results suggest that handling negative moods, parental anxiety and avoidance may be useful in the case conceptualizations and treatments related to adolescents’ body dissatisfaction that requires further assessment.     

Assessing Quality of Life in an Obesity Observational Study: a Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Applied Research in Quality of Life - Quality of life (QOL) of a patient is usually computed as the (weighted) sum of items and analysed by means of multiple regressions to evaluate its...     

The effects of cystic fibrosis on couples: marital satisfaction, emotions, and coping strategies

An earlier diagnosis and better overall multidisciplinary care enable people suffering from Cystic Fibrosis (CF) to have a life expectancy of 40. Consequently, new populations and questions about the development of the life of couples have arisen. This study by questionnaires takes a first look at marital adjustment, anxiety, depression, and emotion focused, social support focused, and problem focused coping strategies in 16 CF patients and their partners. As a whole, the couples' marital adjustment level was good; it was higher for men who were patients than men who were partners, and vice versa for women. Anxiety was high for at least one partner in 10 of the couples; depression, for at least one partner in seven of them. The participants seem to use coping strategies to a lesser extent than the general population. The results are discussed in terms of how the quality of life as a couple with one partner suffering from CF is affected by the proper mutual adjustment of the partners.