Age and active navigation effects on episodic memory: A virtual reality study

We investigated the navigation‐related age effects on learning, proactive interference semantic clustering, recognition hits, and false recognitions in a naturalistic situation using a virtual apartment‐based task. We also examined the neuropsychological correlates (executive functioning [EF] and episodic memory) of navigation‐related age effects on memory. Younger and older adults either actively navigated or passively followed the computer‐guided tour of an apartment. The results indicated that active navigation increased recognition hits compared with passive navigation, but it did not influence other memory measures (learning, proactive interference, and semantic clustering) to a similar extent in either age group. Furthermore, active navigation helped to reduce false recognitions in younger adults but increased those made by older adults. This differential effect of active navigation for younger and older adults was accounted for by EF score. Like for the subject‐performed task effects, the effects from the navigation manipulation were well accounted for by item‐specific/relational processing distinction, and they were also consistent with a source monitoring deficit in older adults.     

The Development of a Measure of Irrational/Rational Beliefs

The Attitudes and Belief Scale-2 (ABS-2) developed in the late 1980s, is a measure of Ellis’ irrational and rational beliefs. Although no publication has described the instrument and it has only appeared in conference presentations, many researchers have used the ABS-2 to test REBT. This article describes the development of the ABS-2 and the original research on its psychometric properties. The scale has three factors that represent 24 different cells in a 4 × 2 × 3 factorial model. The first factor, Cognitive Processes, reflects Ellis’ concepts of Demandingness, Awfulizing, Frustration Intolerance, and Self-Downing. The second factor covers irrationally worded items versus rationally worded items. The rationally worded items were written to counter the irrational beliefs. The third factor includes content or life themes about which the person could be concerned, and includes Achievement, Affiliation, and Comfort. The ABS-2 generates a Total Score, a Total Irrationality Score, a Total Rationality score, and Scales scores representing each of the four Cognitive Processes domains and each of the three Content domains. The ABS-2 scores demonstrate adequate to excellent internal consistency, and correlate significantly with measures of depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, selfcontrol, well-being, and measures of internalizing personality disorders. The ABS-2 did not correlate significantly with measures of anger, externalizing personality disorders, mania, and somatoform disorder. An exploratory factor analysis provided weak support for the factor structure of the scale. The ABS-2 scores distinguish between normal and clinical samples. Rationally worded items discriminated between clinical and nonclinical groups much better than did the irrationally worded scales, suggesting that instruments that only assess irrational beliefs might underestimate the support for REBT.     

The Price of a Piece of Cheese: Value from Fit Between Epistemic Needs and a Learning Versus an Outcome Focus

In decision making, people can focus on decisional outcomes (outcome focus), but they can also focus on gaining knowledge about the decisional domain (learning focus). Furthermore, people differ in the strength of their epistemic needs—their preference for developing a rich and accurate understanding of the world. We invoke the regulatory fit theory to predict that higher epistemic needs better fit a learning focus than lower epistemic needs, resulting in a greater increase in valuation of the chosen option when a learning rather than an outcome focus is induced. This general hypothesis was tested and supported in three studies, each focusing on a different proxy to epistemic needs. Thus, individuals experienced greater value when they had lower expertise (Study 1), higher need for assessment (Study 2), and higher need for cognition (Study 3) when a learning rather than an outcome focus was induced. Implications for work on epistemic needs, regulatory fit theory, and decision‐making practice are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Emotions that associate with uncertainty lead to structured ideation

This study tested the role of emotion in structured ideation, a process in which newly generated ideas and insights closely follow previously generated ideas and insights. Emotions can be differentiated on a number of underlying dimensions, including uncertainty, and uncertainty can influence information processing. On these grounds, we proposed and tested the idea that (1) emotions that associate with appraisals of uncertainty (fear, sadness) lead to more structured ideation than emotions that associate with appraisals of certainty (happiness, anger) and that (2) appraisals of uncertainty drive this effect. Findings of four experiments on idea generation in which (un)certainty was primed (Study 1) and emotions were induced through self-generated imagery (Study 2-4) supported these predictions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Family finances: The missing link in mft training

Abstract

After reviewing 25 accredited Marriage and Family Therapy programs, only one was found to require a course in family finances. This article addresses the issues associated with the absence of family finance training in most MFT programs. The omission persists in spite of ample evidence as to the influential role family finances play with regard to marital stability and satisfaction. Suggestions are made regarding course outlines and content that could be helpful in correcting this deficiency.     

Aversive Affect Versus Racism as Predictors of Racial Discrimination in Helping

We examined aversive affect and racism as predictors of differences in helping White versus Black targets. According to aversive racism theory, Whites may express egalitarian attitudes but experience discomfort in interracial interactions, producing discrimination. Participants completed racism measures and reported their likelihood of helping White or Black targets. Racism negligibly predicted discriminatory helping across studies. In Studies 2 and 3, participants experiencing aversive affect were less likely to help Black than White targets. Results demonstrate negative feelings, more so than racial biases, impacts discriminatory helping. We hope to inspire future research examining why White bystanders experience aversion in interracial helping.     

Parental Coping in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Fifty-six mothers of premature infants who participated in a study to reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) completed the Brief COPE, a self-report inventory of coping mechanisms, the Stanford Acute Stress Reaction Questionnaire to assess acute stress disorder (ASD) and the Davidson Trauma Scale to assess PTSD. 18 % of mothers had baseline ASD while 30 % of mothers met the criteria for PTSD at the 1-month follow-up. Dysfunctional coping as measured by the Brief COPE was positively associated with elevated risk of PTSD in these mothers (RR = 1.09, 95 % CI 1.02–1.15; p = .008). Maternal education was positively associated with PTSD; each year increase in education was associated with a 17 % increase in the relative risk of PTSD at 1 month follow-up (RR = 1.17, 95 % CI 1.02–1.35; p = .03). Results suggest that dysfunctional coping is an important issue to consider in the development of PTSD in parents of premature infants.