The role of action effects in infants’ action control

In adults, the selection and the planning of actions are influenced by the anticipation of desired action effects. However, the role of action effects for action control in infants is still an unresolved issue. One important prerequisite for infants action control is that infants are able to relate certain movements to certain effects. To test this assumption, it was investigated how infants action control is affected by action effects. By applying an imitation paradigm, we studied 12- and 18-month-old infants who first observed an adult experimenter demonstrating a three-step action sequence on a toy bear. In three experimental groups, the second action step, the third action step, or no action step elicited an arbitrary sound as an additional acoustic action effect. It was coded how often each of the target actions was performed by the infant in a subsequent 90-s test phase. As predicted, the frequency of the infants target action varied depending on which action step elicited the action effect. In both age groups, the target action that was combined with an acoustical effect was not only produced more often but also occurred with lower latency and was in most cases the first target action shown by the infants. These results are interpreted as evidence of the important role of action effects in infants action control.     

Temporal experience in recovery from psychosis

Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences - During recovery from psychosis (diagnosed as schizophrenia) things must often be done slower than normally expected. The tempo of the socially shared...     

Standard posture,postural mirroring and client-perceived rapport

The relationship between client-perceived rapport (as measured from a standardized client) and physical mirroring and the standard counsellor posture was investigated with interviews performed by 59 post-graduate students in counselling psychology. Videotaped recordings were used to code counsellor posture in the categories of: total postural mirroring, mirroring of the hands and arms, mirroring of the legs, mirroring of the torso, and the frequency of the standard counsellor posture across each minute of the interviews. These minutes were classified as 'high' in rapport or 'low' in rapport as measured by the standardized client. Results indicated that there was significantly more postural mirroring of the torso during high versus low minutes, but that the counsellor standard posture occurred significantly more frequently during low rapport minutes than in high rapport minutes. However, when examined over the entire length of the interviews, these data were able to be understood in terms of counsellor 'flexibility' of response rather than simply whether these postural behaviours were present or not. Implications for counsellor training are discussed.     

Imitating step by step: a detailed analysis of 9- to 15-month-olds' reproduction of a three-step action sequence

To investigate what infants around their first birthday learn from observing an action sequence, 9- to 15-month-olds' imitative behavior was compared in three conditions: a demonstration group watched three target action steps and a final outcome, a control group observed only the third step and final outcome, and a baseline group received no demonstration. After a short delay, the demonstration infants of all ages produced more target actions than the control and baseline infants. Moreover, the latency to the first step was shortest in the demonstration condition. Data about the performance of the single steps in each age sample revealed which target actions were novel to the infants, and which steps were learned by observation. Infants in the control condition did not generate the unseen target action steps. It is concluded that infants' memory capacity and their ability to encode action-effect relations contribute to their imitation of an action sequence.     

Evidence for universality in phenomenological emotion response system coherence

The authors reanalyzed data from Scherer and Wallbott's (Scherer, 1997b; Scherer & Wallbott, 1994) International Study of Emotion Antecedents and Reactions to examine how phenomenological reports of emotional experience, expression, and physiological sensations were related to each other within cultures and to determine if these relationships were moderated by cultural differences, which were operationally defined using Hofstede's (2001) typology. Multilevel random coefficient modeling analyses produced several findings of note. First, the vast majority of the variance in ratings was within countries (i.e., at the individual level); a much smaller proportion of the total variance was between countries. Second, there were negative relationships between country-level means and long- versus short-term orientation for numerous measures. Greater long-term orientation was associated with lowered emotional expressivity and fewer physiological sensations. Third, at the individual (within-culture) level, across the 7 emotions, there were consistent and reliable positive relationships among the response systems, indicating coherence among them. Fourth, such relationships were not moderated by cultural differences, as measured by the Hofstede dimensions.     

Spider fear and covariation bias in children and adolescents

Covariation bias can be defined as phobic people's tendency to overestimate the association between fear-relevant stimuli and negative outcomes. The current article presents two studies that examined this type of cognitive bias in children and adolescents aged 8-16 years. Study 1 was concerned with a thought experiment during which youths (N=150) were asked to imagine that they participated in an experiment during which they had to view a series of pictures showing spiders, guns, and flowers, that were occasionally followed by a negative outcome (i.e., a mild electric shock). Participants were asked to estimate the relation between each type of picture and the negative outcome. The results indicated that youths with higher levels of spider fear displayed a specific tendency to relate spider pictures to a negative outcome. In Study 2, youths (N=220) actually participated in a computer game during which they were confronted with pictures of spiders, guns, and flowers, each of which was equally often followed by a negative (i.e., losing candy), positive (i.e., winning candy), or neutral outcome. After the game, participants had to estimate the relation between each type of picture and various outcomes. It was found that youths with higher levels of spider fear estimated more negative and less positive outcomes in relation to spider pictures. Taken together, these findings provide support for a fear-related covariation bias in youths. Further developmental analyses indicated that this type of cognitive bias seems to be more consistently present among adolescents than among children.     

Paternal involvement elevates trajectories of life satisfaction during transition to parenthood

This study explored the role of fathers' involvement for life satisfaction changes among 598 cohabitating couples before and after childbirth using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP). We included longitudinal data and reports from both parents on their time spent on housework and childcare and their life satisfaction. Piecewise latent growth models showed that fathers' relative involvement trajectories for housework and childcare (amount of time men spent compared to their partners) were positively correlated. Fathers' relative involvement was perceived as supportive for mothers' childcare. In families where fathers were more involved, life satisfaction trajectories were much steeper; both parents had elevated levels around birth and returned to their baseline levels compared to families with less-involved fathers. Fathers who were less involved did not increase in life satisfaction at birth and decreased below their baseline levels within the third year post-birth.     

Explaining Social Disparities in Mathematical Achievement: The Role of Motivation

This study examined the role of motivation as a mediator of the relationship between parents' socio‐economic status (SES) and children's standardized test achievement in math. We employed a one‐year longitudinal approach using Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 and a follow‐up exam in 2004. The sample consisted of N = 6020 German students (mean age 15.5 years, SD = .55) who continued school after Grade 9 (PISA 2003) and were in Grade 10 at the time of PISA 2004. Children completed measures related to their parents' SES, math‐specific self‐concept, task‐specific and global self‐efficacy, and interest, intelligence and mathematical competence. We found a small to moderate correlation between parents' SES and children's achievement. All motivational constructs partially mediated the relationship between father's SES as well as a family index for SES (economic, social, and cultural status) and children's mathematical competence, but only math‐specific self‐concept and self‐efficacy were significant mediators for mother's SES. Even when simultaneously considering the mediating effect of children's intelligence and prior achievement, the mediation effects of motivation remained significant. These results are important for our understanding of educational equality. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology     

Personality,Personal Values and Growth in Military Special Unit Patrol Teams Operating in a Polar Environment

This longitudinal study assessed personality traits, personal values and personal growth of six two-man Danish military Sirius Patrol teams. The NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) findings indicated a psychologically adapted group, consistent with the elevation on the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) Boldness factor. Self-direction, Universalism, and Stimulation were the highest rated and stable values on the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ); the Power value showed a significant linear increase over time. The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) findings indicated perceptions of considerable growth through participating in the Sirius Patrol. Assessment of the combination of personality traits and value hierarchies of other military groups in relation to types of operations engaged in is considered.