Value-Congruent Information Processing: The Role of Issue Involvement and Argument Strength

Two experimental studies were carried out to investigate the influence of value-congruent information on information processing. We hypothesized that recipients would engage in systematic processing in value-congruent conditions, whereas heuristic processing would be used in value-incongruent conditions. One hundred participants in each experiment received a message that was framed in either environmental/altruistic or economical/egoistic terms, containing either strong or weak arguments. Results showed that value-congruent messages resulted in discrimination between strong and weak arguments, whereas for value-incongruent messages argument strength had either weak or no effects. Implications and future research are discussed.     

Individually-tailored, Internet-based treatment for anxiety disorders: A randomized controlled trial

Previous studies on Internet-based treatment with minimal to moderate therapist guidance have shown promising results for a number of specific diagnoses. The aim of this study was to test a new approach to Internet treatment that involves tailoring the treatment according to the patient’s unique characteristics and comorbidities.A total of 54 participants, regardless of specific anxiety diagnosis, were included after an in-person, semi-structured diagnostic interview and randomized to a 10 week treatment program or to a control group. Treatment consisted of a number of individually-prescribed modules in conjunction with online therapist guidance. Significant results were found for all dependent measures both immediately following treatment and at 1 and 2 year intervals. Mean between-group effect size including measures of anxiety, depression and quality of life was Cohen’s d = 0.69 at post-treatment, while the mean within-group effect size was d = 1.15 at post-treatment and d = 1.13 and d = 1.04 at 1 and 2 year follow-up respectively.The tentative conclusion drawn from these results is that tailoring the Internet-based therapy can be a feasible approach in the treatment of anxiety in a homogeneous population.     

All at once or one at a time? A randomized controlled trial comparing two ways to deliver bibliotherapy for panic disorder

Bibliotherapy is potentially effective in the treatment of panic disorder (PD). A still unanswered question is whether pacing is important. This study was designed to test whether there is a difference between being assigned a full book as therapy and receiving one individual chapter every week (i.e. pacing). A total of 28 participants were randomized to either 10 paced chapters or one book with 10 chapters. To maximize compliance, short weekly telephone calls were added in both conditions (M = 17.8 min, SD = 4.2). Both treatments showed promising results, with effects maintained up to 2 years and with within-group effect sizes (Cohen's d) between 0.95 and 1.11. Pretreatment ratings of credibility were positively correlated with the change scores at both posttest and 2-year follow-up for three panic measures. Pacing of text material in bibliotherapy for PD is not needed, and all material can be provided at once when the treatment is guided by a therapist.     

Dialogical mindfulness in supervision role-play

Aims: This exploratory pilot study investigated Mindfulness-based Role-play (MBRP) supervision to find out how therapists would experience the approach, and to what extent they would find it useful, particularly in relation to empathy toward clients. Method: Thirteen therapists participated in a workshop, introducing mindfulness and MBRP supervision, and subsequently had one individual MBRP supervision session. Data collection and analysis: Qualitative data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and analysed with regard to participants' supervision experiences by means of a modified version of the Consensual Qualitative Research method. Findings: Participants predominantly had positive emotional and cognitive responses to their supervision experiences. The main supervision outcomes were empathy with the client's emotional experience, enhanced awareness of functioning as a therapist, and thoughts about how to proceed in therapy. A subset of participants also reported observed effects in therapy with clients. Conclusions: Even taking into account the methodological limitations of the study, these findings are promising and suggest that further research into the MBRP supervision approach is warranted.     

Effectiveness and cost offset analysis of group CBT for hypochondriasis delivered in a psychiatric setting: an open trial

Hypochondriasis is highly prevalent in medical settings, has detrimental effects for affected individuals, and is associated with high societal costs. Although cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of hypochondriasis, it is not widely available because of a lack of properly trained therapists. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate therapy forms that require less therapist time. The authors investigated the effect and economic impact of group CBT delivered in a psychiatric setting among 24 people with hypochondriasis. A within-group design with prolonged baseline was used, and all participants received 10 weeks of group-based treatment. The primary outcome measures were the Health Anxiety Inventory and the Illness Attitude Scales. Results indicate significant improvement on both measures at posttreatment and 6-month follow-up (Cohen's d = 1.03-1.72). Medical and nonmedical costs were substantially lowered. The authors conclude that group-based CBT delivered in a psychiatric setting is an effective and potentially highly cost-effective treatment for hypochondriasis.     

Identity work in sports. Ethnic minority youth, Norwegian macro-debates and the role model aspect

An analysis of the form of belonging constructed among young members of one urban sports club in Oslo shows that the influence of members’ experiences of interethnic interaction outside the club as well as the wider public debates on immigration and integration issues are crucial for their interpretation of sports and identity. In this sports club belonging is characterized by a liberal multiculturalist ideology. The article ends by questioning whether this ideology, when propagated by minority athletes at the top national level, can challenge the existence of broadly shared stereotypes of ethnic minority groups in present-day Norwegian society.     

Net effect of memory collaboration: How is collaboration affected by factors such as friendship,gender and age?

The purpose of the study was to investigate explicit spatial and verbal collaborative memory performance. Factors such as friendship, age and gender were chosen for ecological and theoretical reasons. In Experiment 1 friendship and age were studied. The task was to retrieve the location of 25 pictures, which were presented in a 5 x 5-matrix grid. All participants retrieved once individually and once dyadically. Dyads were compared to the predicted base line, i.e., the pooled score from two participants working on their own (the same participants as in the dyad). Based on cognitive development aspects and collaboration data, it was predicted that the young collaborating dyads would not be able to reduce the net negative effects of collaboration to the same extent as older dyads. The findings revealed that, (1) dyadic collaboration affected spatial memory performance negatively, i.e., net negative effects of collaboration; (2) older (15-years-old), as opposed to young (7-years-old) dyads, reduced the net negative effects of collaboration and; (3) friend dyads, regardless of age, were able to reduce the net negative effect. In experiment 2, gender differences were studied in two explicit memory tasks. The purpose was to investigate if earlier findings of collaboration can be generalised to another ecological aspect of group composition, i.e., gender. Gender differences were studied at individual and group level. The results suggest that gender related memory differences exist on an individual and dyadic level in terms of absolute scores. Women remember explicit memory tasks to a greater degree than men. No main effect was found for gender in collaboration, i.e., both genders suffered compared to predicted potential.     

Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) fail to show understanding of means-end connections in a string-pulling task

Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) were tested in four experiments for their understanding of means-end connections. In each of the experiments, the dogs attempted to retrieve a food treat that could be seen behind a barrier and which was connected, via string, to a within-reach wooden block. In the experiments, either one or two strings were present, but the treat was attached only to one string. Successful retrieval of the treat required the animals to pull the appropriate string (either by pawing or by grasping the wooden block in their jaws) until the treat emerged from under the barrier. The results showed that the dogs were successful if the treat was in a perpendicular line to the barrier, i.e. straight ahead, but not when the string was at an angle: in the latter condition, the typical response was a proximity error in that the dogs pawed or mouthed at a location closest in line to the treat. When two strings that crossed were present, the dogs tended to pull on the wrong string. The combined results from the experiments show that, although dogs can learn to pull on a string to obtain food, they do not spontaneously understand means-end connections involving strings.     

Biased reasoning: adaptive responses to health risk feedback

The present study examined reactions toward repeated self-relevant feedback. Participants in a community health screening received feedback about their cholesterol level on two separate occasions. Reactions to the first feedback were examined with regard to feedback valence and expectedness. The findings showed that negative feedback was devalued, but only when it was unexpected. Feedback consistency was incorporated into analyses of the second feedback. Again, results showed that negative feedback was not always devalued-only when it was inconsistent with the first feedback. Furthermore, positive feedback was not unconditionally accepted. When receiving unexpected positive feedback of low consistency, recipients were doubtful about its accuracy. Conversely, expected positive feedback was accepted regardless of its consistency. These results suggest that negative or unexpected positive feedbacks evoke greater sensitivity to feedback consistency, indicating elaborate cognitive processing. Theoretical accounts of these findings are discussed.     

Rorschach personality predictors of weight loss with behavior modification in obesity treatment

Weight loss outcome for 49 obese patients after 6 months treatment in a behavior modification program was related to Rorschach personality characteristics according to the Comprehensive System (Exner, 2003), also including the Rorschach Oral Dependency Scale (Bornstein, 1996; Masling & Rabie, 1967). Less weight loss was predicted by signs of perceptual and cognitive distortions indicated by the Schizophrenia Index. More weight loss was predicted by Food Contents, suggesting a food preoccupation and possibly a benign dependency orientation. Patients with a focus on food and dependent needs could benefit above all from the treatment program implying learning how to handle food and eating in a supportive setting, as evidenced by more weight loss. Distortions in perception and cognition could constitute more profound difficulties in weight reduction important to recognize in obesity treatment.