Does a Positive Bias Relate to Social Behavior in Children With ADHD?

This study examines whether positively biased self-perceptions relate to social behaviors in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as compared to control children. The social behaviors of children with ADHD (n = 87) were examined relative to control children (CTL; n = 38) during a laboratory-based dyadic social interaction task. Children with ADHD were subgrouped into those with a positive illusory bias (PIB) in their self-perceptions (ADHD + PIB) versus those without such a bias (ADHD – PIB). Using a behavioral coding system adapted for this study, ADHD + PIB, ADHD – PIB, and CTL participants were compared on objectively coded social behaviors occurring within the context of the social interaction task. Whereas both ADHD groups displayed more disruptive behavior than controls, only the ADHD + PIB group displayed less prosocial behavior and less effortful behavior. This study breaks new ground by examining positively biased self-perceptions as they relate to social behavior in children with ADHD and provides promising new insight into the social problems experienced by these children.     

Pregnancy, thirdness, and the aesthetics of catastrophe in Heinrich von Kleist

In documenting his own personal crisis of faith in Enlightenment rationalism through letters and essays, Kleist exposes the epistemological fissures in its edifice. This paper explores in psychoanalytic terms the dilemmas associated with knowing and not knowing, and the relationship between self and other, revealed by these texts. Kleist's literary work goes beyond expressing this crisis of knowledge to enact a kind of solution to it, not resolving the contradictions that are central in his world but presenting them aesthetically, intact and precariously balanced. More specifically, a pregnancy conceived without the knowledge of the mother-to-be--in his novella "The Marquise of O" (1807a)--suggests a modification of the psychoanalytic third to include within it the catastrophe that it also mitigates.     

Construct validity and case validity in assessment

Clinical assessment relies on both construct validity, which focuses on the accuracy of conclusions about a psychological phenomenon drawn from responses to a measure, and case validity, which focuses on the synthesis of the full range of psychological phenomena pertaining to the concern or question at hand. Whereas construct validity is grounded in understanding causal influences of a distinct phenomenon on responses to various measures and life contexts, case validity encompasses the joint influences of multiple phenomena on individuals' responses. Two sets of distinctions essential to understanding psychological phenomena, hence to understanding construct validity, are (a) implicit and explicit versions of personality constructs and (b) ability and personality as versions of constructs measured by performance tests presenting maximal and typical conditions, respectively. Since both implicit and explicit versions of constructs interface with maximal or typical performance conditions, case validity requires systematic inclusion of these distinctions in assessment protocols.     

Depression is associated with the escalation of adolescents' dysphoric behavior during interactions with parents

Though much is known about the stable mood patterns that characterize depressive disorder, less attention has been directed to identifying and understanding the temporal dynamics of emotions. In the present study, we examined how depression affects the trajectory of dysphoric and angry adolescent emotional behavior during adolescent-parent interactions. Adolescents (72 depressed; 69 nondepressed) engaged in video recorded positive and negative interactions with their parents. Depressed adolescents showed a linear increase in dysphoric behaviors throughout the negative interactions, while the incidence of these behaviors remained relatively stable across the interactions among nondepressed adolescents. A similar linear increase was not found in angry behavior. These findings show that depression in adolescence is associated with greater escalation of dysphoria during conflictual interactions between adolescents and their parents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

How Therapists Discuss Causality with Families in an Integrated Family Management and Therapy Service, a Qualitative Study with Focus Groups

Family therapy (FT) and family management (FM) approaches to psychosis have been distinguished by their understanding of causality. FM holds a biological understanding which could have negative consequences for the person with psychosis. FT, with its focus on interactions, has been criticised for its potential for implying that families are to blame for their relative’s psychosis. Although these two approaches have been integrated, the manner in which causality is discussed in family sessions within an integrated approach has not been researched. Qualitative research was conducted with clinicians working in an established integrated family intervention service to explore how they discuss causality. Four focus groups were conducted and a framework approach to thematic analysis used. Four themes developed from the analysis: how a shared understanding of causality is constructed; the use of an ‘explorative conversational’ therapeutic style to discuss causality; factors that limited the exploration of causality; and the challenges of working with issues of blame. The stress-vulnerability model, genograms, interactional-cycles and formulation were identified as useful tools to develop a shared understanding of causality. The therapeutic style of ‘explorative conversation’–based in FT, integrated with the stress-vulnerability model–based in FM, was identified as key to the integrated model and clinicians felt these two aspects addressed the criticisms that have been levelled at each approach. Complex family problems, abuse and illicit drug use were factors that challenged causality discussions. Families feeling blamed/blaming themselves and attempts to transform blame made up a dominant theme of the research.     

Developmental trends in auditory processing can provide early predictions of language acquisition in young infants

Auditory processing capabilities at the subcortical level have been hypothesized to impact an individual's development of both language and reading abilities. The present study examined whether auditory processing capabilities relate to language development in healthy 9‐month‐old infants. Participants were 71 infants (31 boys and 40 girls) with both Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) and language assessments. At 6 weeks and/or 9 months of age, the infants underwent ABR testing using both a standard hearing screening protocol with 30 dB clicks and a second protocol using click pairs separated by 8, 16, and 64‐ms intervals presented at 80 dB. We evaluated the effects of interval duration on ABR latency and amplitude elicited by the second click. At 9 months, language development was assessed via parent report on the Chinese Communicative Development Inventory ‐ Putonghua version (CCDI‐P). Wave V latency z‐scores of the 64‐ms condition at 6 weeks showed strong direct relationships with Wave V latency in the same condition at 9 months. More importantly, shorter Wave V latencies at 9 months showed strong relationships with the CCDI‐P composite consisting of phrases understood, gestures, and words produced. Likewise, infants who had greater decreases in Wave V latencies from 6 weeks to 9 months had higher CCDI‐P composite scores. Females had higher language development scores and shorter Wave V latencies at both ages than males. Interestingly, when the ABR Wave V latencies at both ages were taken into account, the direct effects of gender on language disappeared. In conclusion, these results support the importance of low‐level auditory processing capabilities for early language acquisition in a population of typically developing young infants. Moreover, the auditory brainstem response in this paradigm shows promise as an electrophysiological marker to predict individual differences in language development in young children.     

Collegiate Coaches' Perceptions of Their Goal-Setting Practices: A Qualitative Investigation

The purpose of the present investigation was to assess the perceptions of coaches regarding the process of goal setting using a qualitative methodology. Participants were 14 NCAA collegiate coaches from the American Midwest representing both team and individual sports. All participants were head coaches and were asked to respond to the interview questions in relation to their current head coaching position. Results revealed that coaches employed goal setting extensively for both individual and team goals in practice and competition. In addition, many interesting findings regarding the process of goal setting emerged including (a) coaches tended to set short-term goals although there were some nebulous longterm goals; (b) coaches only inconsistently wrote down their goals; (c) goals were both dictated by coaches and set in collaboration with players with a focus on collaboration; (d) the primary function of goals was to provide direction and focus; (e) goal commitment was related to enjoyment/fun; (f) process, performance, and outcome goals were set but coaches focused on performance and outcome goals; and (g) physical, psychological, and time barriers impeded goal attainment. These findings are discussed in relation to the current empirical/theoretical goal-setting literature and suggestions for best practice by sport psychology researchers are offered.