Contribution of NIRS to the study of prefrontal cortex for verbal fluency in aging

Healthy aging is characterized by a number of changes on brain structure and function. Several neuroimaging studies have shown an age-related reduction in hemispheric asymmetry on various cognitive tasks, a phenomenon captured by Cabeza (2002) in the Hemispheric Asymmetry Reduction in Older Adults (HAROLD) model. Although this phenomenon is supported by a range of neuroimaging data on memory and inhibitory processes, there is little evidence concerning changes in hemispheric asymmetry for language processing, and particularly word retrieval, which is assessed with verbal fluency task (VFT). This study aimed to investigate the age-related changes in cerebral oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex for both letter and category VFT, varying the complexity of the criteria (i.e., degree of productivity) and using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Sixteen younger and 16 older adults participated in this study. For both VF conditions, participants were instructed to pronounce as many nouns as possible as a function of high-productivity (e.g., “animals” or “L”) or low-productivity (e.g., “flowers” or “V”) criteria. Behavioral data (i.e., accuracy responses) showed comparable performance in younger and older adults for both VF conditions. However, NIRS data showed more reduced activation (i.e., significantly reduced increase in [O₂Hb] and reduced decrease in [HHb]) in older than younger adults for both VFT. In addition, a bilateral effect was found for both groups, suggesting that VFT requires both executive and language functions. The results are discussed in the context of the current theories of aging.     

Enhanced corticospinal response to observed pain in pain synesthetes

Observing noxious injury to another’s hand is known to induce corticospinal inhibition that can be measured in the observer’s corresponding muscle. Here, we investigated whether acquired pain synesthetes, individuals who experience actual pain when observing injury to another, demonstrate less corticospinal inhibition than do controls during pain observation, as a potential mechanism for the experience of vicarious pain. We recorded motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) induced at two time points through transcranial magnetic stimulation while participants observed videos of a hand at rest, a hypodermic needle penetrating the skin, a Q-tip touching the skin, and a hypodermic needle penetrating an apple. We compared MEPs in three groups: 7 amputees who experience pain synesthesia, 11 nonsynesthete amputees who experience phantom limb pain, and 10 healthy controls. Results indicated that the pain synesthete group demonstrated significantly enhanced MEP response to the needle penetrating the hand, relative to the needle not having yet penetrated the hand, as compared with controls. This effect was not observed exclusively in the same muscle where noxious stimulation was applied. We speculate that our findings reflect a generalized response to pain observation arising from hyperactivity of motor mirror neurons not involved in direct one-to-one simulation but, rather, in the representation of another’s experience.     

Indonesian leadership styles: A mixed‐methods approach

Indonesian leadership characteristics were examined in three studies, using mixed methods. In the first, qualitative study 127 indigenous characteristics of Indonesian leadership were identified from interviews and focus group discussions with Indonesian managers and staff. In the second study, a questionnaire based on the characteristics found in the first study was administered to Indonesian managers to identify Indonesian leadership styles. Using factor analysis, two highly correlated dimensions were extracted, labelled benevolent paternalism and transformational leadership. In the third study, a questionnaire consisting of leadership characteristics from the GLOBE study, supplemented with a selection of 49 items from the Indonesian questionnaire, was administered to another sample of Indonesian managers. We found that Indonesian leadership has two components; the first involves a more local modernization dimension that ranges from (traditional) benevolent paternalism to (modern) transformational leadership, the second is a more universal person‐ versus team‐oriented leadership dimension. We conclude that Indonesian leadership has both emic and etic aspects.     

Cost–Benefit Associations and Financial Behavior

Financial behavior involves costs and benefits. How strongly costs and benefits are perceived as being related to each other is hypothesised to influence affect, cognition, and behavior. Thus, the subject of cost–benefit associations is relevant in several domains of applied psychology. Illustrated by examples from applied areas like consumption, work, and citizenship, the current paper underlines the importance of cost–benefit associations by presenting theoretical approaches to their analysis and discussing major antecedents and consequences.
Le comportement financier implique des coûts et des bénéfices. Nous testons la façon dont la perception des liens entre coûts et bénéfices influence l'affect, la cognition et les comportements. L'analyse des liens coûts-bénéfices est pertinente pour différents domaines de la psychologie appliquée. Illustrés par des exemples pris dans des domaines d'application comme la consommation, le travail et la citoyenneté, cet article souligne l'importance des liens coûts-bénéfices en présentant les approches théoriques qui ont servis à leur analyse et en discutant de leurs antécédents et leurs conséquences majeurs.