Neuropsychological profiles of children with depressive and anxiety disorders

The neuropsychological functioning of 56 children and young adolescents with diagnoses of unipolar depression (n = 17), anxiety disorder (n = 19), or comorbid anxiety/depressive disorder (n = 20) was examined. The neuropsychological profiles of the three groups were parallel, but not equal in level of performance. The three groups displayed similar patterns of performance with profiles suggesting diminished attention abilities. The groups, however, were not equal in level of performance. While subjects with an anxiety or a depressive disorder were similar in level of performance, subjects with a comorbid anxiety/depressive disorder generally performed worse than those with either an anxiety or depressive disorder alone. There was no significant evidence of asymmetrical cerebral dysfunction in any of the diagnostic groups. Results are discussed in relation to adult models of psychopathology with an emphasis on the importance of considering developmental factors when formulating models of childhood psychopathology.     

Modeling the Neurological Control of Human Movements

Although computer models have been extensively used in recent years to understand the way physical systems operate and interact, the enormous power of mathematical modeling and computer simulations has been difficult to implement for the benefit of neuroscientists studying the human motor control system. Nevertheless, homeomorphic models are now being used to explain and predict the neural and biomechanical aspects of different human movements. This paper argues for the importance of regarding model simulations as a supplementary approach to traditional methods of experimental investigation by drawing examples from both the experimental and the modeling literature. The discussion focuses on studies of the triphasic control signal for fast, goal-directed movements and on aspects of sampled data control for slow, tracking movements. The aim of this viewpoint article is to promote a more widespread use of modeling and simulation in the field of motor control.     

Optimizing Prediction of Attrition With the U.S. Army's Assessment of Individual Motivation (AIM)

The regression framework is often the method of choice used by psychologists for predicting organizationally relevant outcomes from test scores. However, alternatives to regression exist, and these techniques may provide better prediction of outcomes and a more effective means of classifying examinees for selection and placement. This research describes two of these alternatives—decision tree methodology and optimal appropriateness measurement (OAM)—and how they were used to optimize the prediction of attrition among a sample of first-term enlisted soldiers (N?=?22,537) using a temperament inventory called the Assessment of Individual Motivation (AIM). Results demonstrated that the OAM approach provided better differentiation between “stayers” and “leavers” after 12 months than either the traditional logistic regression or the decision tree methods.     

The QCAE: A Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy

Empathy has been inconsistently defined and inadequately measured. This research aimed to produce a new and rigorously developed questionnaire. Exploratory (n ₁= 640) and confirmatory (n ₂= 318) factor analyses were employed to develop the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE). Principal components analysis revealed 5 factors (31 items). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed this structure in an independent sample. The hypothesized 2-factor structure (cognitive and affective empathy) was tested and provided the best and most parsimonious fit to the data. Gender differences, convergent validity, and construct validity were examined. The QCAE is a valid tool for assessing cognitive and affective empathy.     

Mom told me scary things about this animal: Parents installing fear beliefs in their children via the verbal information pathway

This study investigated whether fear beliefs can be installed in children after parents had received negatively tinted information about a novel stimulus. Parents of children aged 8-13 years (N = 88) were presented with negative, positive, or ambiguous information about an unknown animal and then given a number of open-ended vignettes describing confrontations with the animal with the instruction to tell their children what would happen in these situations. Results indicated that children's fear beliefs were influenced by the information that was provided to the parent. That is, parents who had received negative information provided more threatening narratives about the animal and hence installed higher levels of fear beliefs in their children than parents who had received positive information. In the case of ambiguous information, the transmission of fear was dependent on parents' trait anxiety levels. More precisely, high trait anxious parents told more negative stories about the unknown animal, which produced higher fear levels in children.     

Effect of pre- and postcompetition emotional state on salivary cortisol in top-ranking wrestlers

The purpose was three-fold: (1) to investigate the effect of baseline, precompetition, and postcompetition stress on salivary cortisol levels in top-ranking Brazilian wrestlers (N = 17) participating in a national competition; (2) to estimate correlations among three stress measures (perceived stress, salivary cortisol, and physiological stress reaction); and (3) to compare cortisol concentrations between losers and winners. Salivary cortisol was collected at baseline, pre-, and postcompetition. Physiological stress reaction and perceived stress scores were measured just before warm-up for the competition. Analysis showed a significant main effect for testing time. Correlations among the stress measures were not significant. Analysis of covariance between the winners (n = 10) and the losers (n = 7) was also not significant. Salivary cortisol concentrations increased after the intense exercise of competition. The wrestlers did not perceive any physiological effects.     

Student Perceptions of Sandtray in Solution-Focused Supervision

Sandtray supervision and solution-focused supervision (SFS) are both strengths-based approaches that may be effective in helping counselor trainees reduce their anxiety and develop clinical self-confidence. The purpose of this collective case study was to explore how a group of practicum students with a school counseling emphasis experienced a blending of sandtray and solution-focused supervision (SFS) approaches. Participants described how the blended approach fostered group cohesiveness in their supervision and promoted both personal and professional development. Participants indicated more awareness of the impact of sandtray than the influence of the solution-focused approach in their supervision.