A case of collective responsibility: who else was to blame for the Columbine high school shootings?

Two studies examined perceptions of collective responsibility for the April 20, 1999, shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Collective responsibility refers to the perception that others, besides the wrongdoers themselves, are responsible for the event. In Study 1, the authors assessed perceptions of the shooters' parents and their peer group (the Trenchcoat Mafia), whereas Study 2 tested perceptions of collective responsibility across a range of groups. In both studies, perceptions of a target group's entitativity predicted judgments of collective responsibility. This relationship was mediated by two situational construals that justify applying collective responsibility: responsibility by commission (encouraging or facilitating the event) and responsibility by omission (failing to prevent the event). Study 2 also determined that perceptions of authority predicted judgments of collective responsibility for the Columbine shootings and was mediated by inferences of omission. Future directions in collective responsibility research are discussed.     

Differential components of reactivity and attentional control predicting externalizing behavior

The present study examined the contribution of early reactivity and regulation on externalizing behavior in preadolescence. Moreover, subcomponents of attentional control (i.e., attention shifting and attention focusing) and negative reactivity (i.e., sadness and anger) were examined individually to test whether a specific combination of factors uniquely contributed to the outcome. A subset of data were utilized from the ongoing, longitudinal RIGHT Track project (N = 404), in which parents reported on individual factors at age 4 and teachers reported on externalizing behavior at age 10. A hierarchical linear regression analysis revealed a significant interaction between anger reactivity and attention shifting when controlling for early externalizing behavior, where children with high levels of anger and low levels of attention shifting experienced the greatest increase in externalizing behavior over time. An increased focus on specificity is needed in research on the interplay between reactivity and regulation in the prediction of externalizing behavior.     

Prävention chronischer Krankheiten und Gesundheitsförderung

Zusammenfassung In den vergangenen 50 Jahren konnten große Fortschritte in der Entwicklung und der Umsetzung des verhaltensmedizinischen Wissens über die Gesundheit von Individuen und Populationen erzielt werden. Allerdings kamen Gesundheitsförderung und Krankheitsprävention nicht allen Bevölkerungsschichten in und zwischen den einzelnen Ländern in gleichem Maße zugute. Die Ungleichheit der sozialen, psychischen und körperlichen Gesundheit zwischen den wohlhabendsten und ärmsten Bevölkerungsgruppen ist im Wesentlichen gleichgeblieben oder sogar gewachsen. Das Wissen darüber, wie solche Unterschiede in der Gesundheit entstehen, ist allerdings erst dann von Bedeutung, wenn es dazu verwendet wird, geeignete, langfristige und nachhaltige Präventionsstrategien auf mehreren Ebenen zu erarbeiten. Bei solchen Strategien spielen verschiedene Aspekte der globalen natürlichen ökologischen Umwelt und das Streben nach einer sog. gesundheitserhaltenden Umwelt eine wichtige Rolle. Mit dem wachsenden Einfluss der Globalisierung auf die Gesundheit stellt sich die Frage, welche Folgen jenseits der traditionellen nationalen Grenzen für die Krankheitsprävention und für die Gesundheitsförderung zu erwarten sind. Sie sollte uns anregen, darüber nachzudenken, dass die Verbreitung von wirksamen Interventionen auf institutioneller oder politischer Ebene nicht nur innerhalb eines Landes, sondern auch zwischen verschiedenen Ländern von höchster Wichtigkeit ist. In Anbetracht der global und schnell voranschreitenden ökonomischen und sozialen Veränderungen und des gewaltigen Einflusses von globalen Umweltveränderungen auf die Gesundheit müssen die Bandbreite und die Praxis der Verhaltensmedizin erweitert werden.Aus dem Englischen übersetzt von Dipl.-Psych. Erika Nemény, Berlin und Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ehlert, Zürich     

Neuropsychological Performance in Gulf War Era Veterans: Traumatic Stress Symptomatology and Exposure to Chemical–Biological Warfare Agents

Because complaints of diminished concentration and memory are among the most common health symptoms reported by Gulf War (GW) veterans with unexplained illnesses, this study investigated neuropsychological functions among GW veterans and controls. Relationships between neuropsychological performance, severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, and exposure to chemical–biological warfare agents (CBW) were assessed. Participants were 225 veterans recruited from three cohorts: GW-deployed veterans from Ft. Devens, MA ( n = 141) and New Orleans, LA (n = 37), and Germany-deployed veterans from a Maine National Guard unit (n = 47). A comprehensive evaluation was completed. Severity of subclinical PTSD symptomatology was significantly related to scores on specific neuropsychological tests. PTSD symptom severity in GW-deployed veterans was found to be greater and associated with a broader range of neuropsychological deficits than in Germany-deployed veterans. PTSD severity was associated with lower performance on a range of neuropsychological tasks, whereas CBW exposure contributed to performance deficits on specific cognitive tasks.     

Barking up the wrong tree? Industry funding of academic research. A case study with commentaries

This case raises ethical issues involving conflicts of interest arising from industrial funding of academic research; ethical responsibilities of laboratories to funding agencies; ethical responsibilities in the management of a research lab; ethical considerations in appropriate research design; communication in a research group; communication between advisor and graduate student; responsibilities of researchers for the environment; misrepresentation or withholding of scientific results.     

Continuous attention: rationale and discriminant validation of a test designed for use in psychopharmacology

The continuous attention task (CAT) is a test designed to assess changes in attention due to a variety of factors, for example, drugs. Subjects view a series of 3x3 patterns of squares on a monitor screen, each displayed for 100 msec at intervals of 1.5–2.5 sec, and respond whenever two successive patterns are identical. For such a measure to be validr factors other than attention should be investigated, and shown not to be a factor in performance. Nineteen subjects took part in a study in which information-processing rate and recall of CAT figures was measured. The results showed that a viewing time of 50–60 msec was sufficient for 50% correct recognition of CAT figures, and that recognition with a masked presentation of 100 msec did not differ significantly from an unmaske presentation of 100 msec. Mean recall of CAT figures 2 sec after a 100-msec exposure was 98.2%. These results suggest that performance on the CAT is not limited by either information-processing speed or memory capacity, but is a valid measure of the ability to sustain attention.     

The effect of individual differences in act prototypicality judgments on trait-behaviour correlations and cross-situational consistency

Individuals differ in their perceptions of actprototypicality. This study examined whether incorporating such individual differences enhances trait-behaviour correlations and provides stronger evidence for cross-situational consistency. Three hundred and fifty-three subjects rated the dominance prototypicality of 100 acts, indicated how often they performed each of these acts, and provided trait ratings of how dominant they were in general. There were substantial and reliable individual differences in prototypicality judgements over a 4–5 month period. A variety of weighting schemes were used to incorporate these individual differences, but none dramatically increased the trait-behaviour correlation. Similarly, incorporating individual differences did not increase the magnitude of cross-situational consistency correlations. However, incorporating individual differences did enhance the pattern of trait-behaviour and consistency correlations from less prototypical to highly prototypical acts. Differences in perceptions of act prototypicality thus do not affect the magnitude of the correlations that can be obtained, but they are useful in revealing theoretically meaningful patterns of relationships.     

USING STIMULUS EQUIVALENCE PROCEDURES TO TEACH NAME-FACE MATCHING TO ADULTS WITH BRAIN INJURIES

On pretests, 3 men with brain injuries matched dictated names of three therapists to written names, but did not match dictated or written names to photos, produce correct names in response to photos, locate offices given written names, or name therapists on sight. Match-to-sample training established conditional relations between dictated names and photos. Posttests showed the emergence of untrained conditional relations involving photos and written names, indicating development of three classes of equivalent stimuli (each containing a dictated name, photo, and written name). For 1 participant, conditional relations involving photos of office nameplates were also examined, but did not emerge pre- or posttraining. Two participants produced names orally when given photos and sorted written names and faces together after training; the 3rd participant was unavailable for these posttests. After training, 1 participant located and named all three therapists in their offices.