Delayed matching by fornix-transected monkeys: The sample, the push and the bait

In the acquisition event of ordinary delayed matching to sample the monkey sees a sample, displaces it, and finds a food reward underneath; subsequently the retention test consists of a choice between that sample and a distractor, and the strength of the memory laid down by the acquisition event may be assessed by the correctness of choice at the retention test. The present experiments varied the acquisition events and examined the effect of those variations on normal and fornix-transected monkeys' memory. One variation was to proceed as normally but never to bait the sample at acquisition; this variation allowed assessment of the role of the food reward in ordinary matching. Another was to present the sample, baited and to be displaced, as normally, but to present also the distractor, baited but not requiring to be displaced, in a second acquisition event; this “push-match” variation allowed assessment of memory for the displacement. The main result from normal monkeys was that matching to unbaited samples was learned much faster than matching to baited samples. Following fornix transection, final performance levels in matching to baited and to unbaited samples were unimpaired but push-match showed a permanent deficit. These results support earlier indications that fornix-transected monkeys have normal sensory memory but are deficient in the memory of instrumental responses.     

The Functions of Social Support as Protective Factors for Suicidal Ideation in a Sample of Air Force Personnel

This study examined various functions of social support (i.e., tangible, esteem, belonging, and appraisal) were examined as protective factors for suicidal ideation in a sample of 273 active duty Air Force Security Forces personnel. Generalized linear regression analyses were conducted to determine if various social support functions were differentially associated with the presence and severity of suicidal ideation, both as main effects and as moderators of emotional distress. None of the four social support functions differentiated suicidal from nonsuicidal Airmen, but esteem support (i.e., feeling respected, encouraged, and valued by others) was associated with significantly less severe suicidal ideation (B = ?.074, SE = .025, p = .003). A significant interaction of tangible support (i.e., access to material resources) with emotional distress indicated that emotional distress was associated with more severe suicidal ideation only among Airmen reporting low levels of tangible support (B = .006, SE = .003, p = .018). When considered concurrently, both tangible and self‐esteem functions of social support are differentially associated with decreased suicidal ideation among Airmen, but belonging (i.e., having someone to do things with) and appraisal (i.e., having someone to talk to about problems) functions were not. Findings suggest that different aspects of social support affect suicidal ideation in different ways.     

A Preliminary Validation Study of Two Ultra‐Brief Measures of Suicide Risk: The Suicide and Perceived Burdensomeness Visual Analog Scales

The advent of rapid‐acting suicide‐focused interventions and longitudinal research designs employing high‐frequency, repeated measurement of suicide risk has resulted in a need to quantify suicide risk during very brief windows of time (e.g., minutes, hours, days). This has rapidly outpaced traditional methods for assessing suicide risk, which often focus on measuring indicators of suicide risk during much broader intervals of time (e.g., weeks to months). Valid and practical methods for rapidly assessing suicide risk during small time intervals are therefore needed. This study reports a preliminary examination of the Suicide Visual Analog Scale (S‐VAS) and the Perceived Burdensomeness Visual Analog Scale (PB‐VAS) in a clinical sample of suicidal adults. Results support the convergent validity, predictive validity, responsiveness, and clinical utility of both scales, suggesting the S‐VAS and PB‐VAS are valid methods for rapidly quantifying two dimensions of suicide risk.     

Beyond androgyny: The emergence of sex-role transcendence as a theoretical construct

Recent trends in sex-role research are reviewed with the purpose of showing a paradigm shift in the kinds of issues and questions thought to be important for an understanding of sex-role development. Two recent advances, conceptualizations of androgyny and sex-role transcendence are described with particular emphasis on the emergence of sex-role transcendence as a new theoretical construct. It is argued that while personality, social-learning, and structural-developmental theories account for sex-role identity and androgyny, only structural-developmental theory provides an adequate conceptual framework for the construct of sex-role transcendence. Questions are raised concerning the empirical demonstration of the concept.