Maternal attachment disturbances in failure to thrive

Psychological characteristics pertaining to attachment relationships were measured in mothers of 25 hospitalized failure-to-thrive (FTT) infants and mothers of 25 hospitalized, normally growing infants. The groups were matched for race, socioeconomic status, maternal education, and infant's age and sex. Results showed that 96% of mothers of FTT infants were classified as insecure with respect to attachment, as assessed by the Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan, & Main, 1985), compared to 60% of control group mothers. Lack of resolution of mourning over the loss of a loved one was found in 52% of the mothers in the FTT group and in 32% of mothers in the control group. Mothers of FTT infants reported receiving less support from their families and rated their current relationship with their partner as less satisfying. These findings provide empirical support for the widely held clinical notion that FTT in infants is often a relationship disorder between infant and caregiver.     

Presidential Debate Watching,Issue Knowledge,Character Evaluation,and Vote Choice

This study employs NES (National Election Survey) data from several presidential elections to investigate the effects of presidential debate watching on voters' issue knowledge, character evaluation, and vote choice. Debates can instill issue knowledge; however, voters are less likely to learn about incumbent presidents seeking re‐election after a four‐year term in office than about other candidates. Debates are also capable of changing voters' impressions of the candidates' character. Finally, at times debates help viewers make a vote choice; they are more likely to strengthen existing preferences (increasing confidence in their vote choice) than alter vote preferences.     

视觉显示技术的新视角：交互显示

交互显示技术是近年人机界面显示技术中形成的一种新型显示技术。这种技术能根据用户的即时输入或操作特点改变初始界面中的显示内容或方式。交互显示技术可分为简单交互显示技术，如鱼眼技术及其应用，和智能交互显示技术，如速率耦合平滑技术，目标气泡技术等。目前的交互显示技术具有动态性、即时性和智能性等特点，但仍存在如交互方式单一，智能性不高等问题，未来研究需强调显示内容变化、交互形式的多样性及其高级智能交互技术等方面的研究。     

Serum β-Amyloid Correlates with Neuropsychological Impairment

ABSTRACT

Aims: Evidence suggests a relationship between peripheral Aβ and AD. We hypothesized that higher levels of serum Aβ_1–42 would be associated with memory impairment, thought to occur early in the disease, and rises in serum Aβ_1–40, which occur later, would be associated with impairment in non-memory measures. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, we examined the relationship of serum Aβ_1–40, Aβ_1–42, and the ratio of Aβ_{1–42/1–40} to neuropsychological measures in 40 cognitively normal controls, 13 MCI subjects, and 25 AD patients. Results: Serum Aβ_1–42 and the ratio of Aβ_{1–42/1–40} were significantly higher in the MCI group compared to the controls. A significant relationship in the hypothesized direction (poorer scores associated with higher Aβ_1–40 serum levels) was found between Aβ_1–40 and measures of executive functions across the entire cohort of individuals tested and with measures of language and processing speed in the AD group. Regression analysis found that neuropsychological measures accounted for 26% of the variance in serum Aβ_1–40, in the MCI/AD but not the controls. Furthermore that language and executive measures were significant predictors. Conclusions: Results provide preliminary data to partially support our hypotheses and suggest that changes in serum Aβ levels may be attributed to pathological changes within the brain.     

表达性写作应用于社会灾难时期心理救援的理论探讨

疫情等社会灾难时期, 创伤经历者急剧增加, 加之交通阻断, 传统的心理救援很难及时应对大范围的灾民心理危机; 而表达性写作便于心理学工作者大规模实施, 且可通过电话、网络等远程通讯工具进行指导, 治疗PTSD等心理创伤, 改善生理、心理健康。社会灾难时期表达性写作的机制复杂, 涉及暴露脱敏、意义重建、自我抽离—自我调节、工作记忆优化和认知神经机制正常化; 其疗效受到作者特质、干预时间和写作形式等潜在因素的影响。相应地, 未来应结合本土社会文化因素, 重视在线干预研究, 探索表达性写作相关的认知神经机制, 综合不同的生理、心理健康指标评估表达性写作的疗效。     

成人依恋与心理理论的关系:认知融合与经验性回避的中介作用

为探究成人依恋、认知融合、经验性回避与心理理论的关系及其作用机制,研究者采用实验法和问卷法对312名成年人进行了测量。研究结果表明：（1）不安全的成人依恋负向预测心理理论;（2）经验性回避在成人依恋与心理理论之间起中介作用;（3）认知融合在成人依恋与心理理论之间不存在中介作用;（4）成人依恋的两种类型（依恋回避、依恋焦虑）呈现出不同的链式中介作用：认知融合与经验性回避在依恋回避与心理理论之间起部分中介作用,而在依恋焦虑与心理理论之间起完全中介作用。研究从心理灵活性的角度考察成人依恋与心理理论的关系及其作用机制,并探究接纳承诺训练在提升社会认知能力上的实践意义。     

The tripartite model of fear in children with specific phobias: assessing concordance and discordance using the behavioral approach test

Lang’s tripartite model posits that three main components characterize a fear response: physiological arousal, cognitive (subjective) distress, and behavioral avoidance. These components may occur in tandem with one another (concordance) or they may vary independently (discordance). The behavioral approach test (BAT) has been used to simultaneously examine the three components of the fear response. In the present study, 73 clinic-referred children and adolescents with a specific phobia participated in a phobia-specific BAT. Results revealed an overall pattern of concordance: correlation analyses revealed the three indices were significantly related to one another in the predicted directions. However, considerable variation was noted such that some children were concordant across the response components while others were not. More specifically, based on levels of physiological arousal and subjective distress, two concordant groups (high arousal–high distress, low arousal–low distress) and one discordant (high arousal–low distress or low arousal–high distress) group of youth were identified. These concordant and discordant groups were then compared on the percentage of behavioral steps completed on the BAT. Analyses revealed that the low arousal–low distress group completed a significantly greater percentage of steps than the high arousal–high distress group, and a marginally greater percentage of steps than the discordant group. Potential group differences associated with age, gender, phobia severity, and phobia type were also explored and no significant differences were detected. Implications for theory and treatment are discussed.     

Event-related potentials to overlapping shapes: Effects of saliency and interference

Visual perception is often challenged by various difficulties that act concomitantly and whose respective impacts may therefore be hard to distinguish. We used event-related potentials to dissociate the impact of target saliency, generated by occlusion, from that of interference produced by incongruent nontargets. In one block, the target (a square) partially occluded another square tilted by 45°. This nontarget square interfered only to a small extent with target perception. In another block, the target was the occluded stimulus, and interference from the nontarget was substantial. Blocks including two kinds of overlapping shapes (a cross and a square) were added to control for the interference effect. Block comparisons revealed that occlusion modulated an occipital N250 and reaction times. In contrast, interference modulated a parietal N380 but not reaction times.