Global Spatial Organization by Individuals with Williams Syndrome

Williams syndrome is a genetically determined disorder with a characteristic cognitive profile. Overall IQ tends to be lower than in the normally developing population, performance on measures of linguistic ability is somewhat higher than would be expected given the levels of IQ typical for this group, and there is a particular weakness in visuospatial construction (e.g., block design tasks). A well-known hypothesis about the deficit in visuospatial construction is that people with Williams syndrome are strongly inclined to be local spatial processors. We report a test of this hypothesis that used a visual search task sensitive to spontaneous global spatial organization. A sample of adults with Williams syndrome produced a pattern of data demonstrating that they spontaneously organize spatial displays at a global level. Indeed, individuals with Williams syndrome found it more difficult to change from global to local processing than participants with normal intelligence. We suggest that the primary problem with visuospatial construction in people with Williams syndrome is not in the salience of single levels of organization but rather in the difficulty of changing between organizations.     

‘Exploding the Limits of Law’: Judgment and Freedom in Arendt and Adorno

In Eichmann in Jerusalem, Hannah Arendt struggled to defend the possibility of judgment against the obvious problems encountered in attempts to offer legally valid and morally meaningful judgments of those who had committed crimes in morally bankrupt communities. Following Norrie, this article argues that Arendt’s conclusions in Eichmann are equivocal and incoherent. Exploring her perspectival theory of judgment, the article suggests that Arendt remains trapped within certain Kantian assumptions in her philosophy of history, and as such sees the question of freedom in a binary way. The article argues that Adorno’s philosophy of freedom provides the resources to diagnose and overcome Arendt’s shortcomings. Adorno’s position provides a way of embracing the antinomical character of judgment, by emphasising the need for elements of reason and nature in the phenomenon of freedom. In Adorno’s lights, judgment becomes an attempt to express a ‘spirit of solidarity’ with the tragic status of the potentially free but actually unfree subject of modernity.

Gray, black, and blue: the state of research and intervention for intimate partner abuse among elders

Though not as common as in younger populations, intimate partner abuse (IPA) among elders is a significant and often overlooked problem. In this article, we focus on problems for research and intervention. We begin with a brief review of the phenomena of elder abuse and IPA, highlighting problems resulting from definitional issues and inconsistencies in research methodology. The balance of the paper comprises a discussion of problems for intervention. Drawing from the IPA and elder abuse literatures, risk factors unique to IPA among elders are presented, and limitations of existing screening and risk assessment instruments for use within this context are identified. The focus then shifts to legal considerations when working with elders who have experienced or perpetrated IPA. Our goals are to synthesize the elder abuse and IPA literatures, identify limitations within both, and to reflect upon the state of knowledge regarding IPA among elders. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The relationship between self-reported vividness and latency during mental size scaling of everyday items: phenomenological evidence of different types of imagery

We examined how the relationship between ratings of vividness (or image strength) and image latency might reflect the concerted action of two visual imagery pathways hypothesized by Kosslyn (1994): the ventral pathway, processing object properties, and the dorsal pathway, processing locative properties of mental images. Participants formed their images at small or large angular display sizes, varying the amount of size scaling needed. In Experiment 1, display size varied between participants, and images were trial unique. The higher the vividness, the faster the generation of small images (requiring size scaling of less than 10 degrees), which would recruit mainly the ventral pathway. This vivid-is-fast relationship changed for large images (requiring size scaling of 10 degrees or more), which would recruit mainly the dorsal pathway. The size-dependent alteration of the vivid-is-fast relationship was replicated in the first block of Experiment 2. However, when repeated over 3 consecutive blocks, image generation sped up, and gradually the vivid-is-fast relationship tended to occur for all display sizes until complete automatization of image generation occurred. The findings suggest that differential patterns of vividness-latency relationship can reflect the types of images involved, their relative ventral and dorsal contributions, and the involvement of working memory.     

The effects of torture-related injuries on long-term psychological distress in a Punjabi Sikh sample

Torture survivors often report chronic debilitating physical and psychological distress. Prior research on the relationship between physical and psychological trauma suggests that the 2 are not independent. Injury sustained during torture may increase the likelihood of subsequent distress as either a moderator or mediator. For long-term psychopathology in a sample of Punjabi Sikh survivors of human rights violations (N = 116), chronic injuries mediated the path between torture and posttraumatic stress disorder, specifically the severity of numbing symptoms. Although injuries were associated with major depression, torture was not, and injuries did not moderate the relationship between major depression and torture. Chronic injuries may represent trauma severity or persistent traumatic cues. These findings emphasize connections between physical and psychological trauma and the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to torture treatment.     

Varying cautionary instructions, monetary incentives, and comorbid diagnostic training in malingered psychopathology research

In this article, we combine two analogue experiments in which we empirically examined three malingering methodological issues in individuals trained and instructed to simulate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI; Briere, 1995). In Experiment 1, we examined TSI scale effects of the following manipulations using a 2 x 2 design with 330 college students: (a) inclusion or exclusion of cautionary instructions regarding believability of participants' simulation and (b) different financial incentive levels. In Experiment 2, we examined comorbid psychiatric diagnostic training with 180 college students who were either trained to simulate PTSD and comorbid major depressive disorder or trained to simulate only PTSD. Caution main effects were significant for all but two TSI Clinical Scales, incentive main effects and interactions were only significant for one Clinical scale each, and the comorbidity manipulation did not yield any scale differences. We discuss malingering research design implications regarding the use of cautionary instructions, financial incentive levels, and comorbid training.     

Non-lateralised deficits of drawing production in hemispatial neglect

Spatially lateralised deficits that typically define the hemispatial neglect syndrome have been shown to co-occur with other non-lateralised deficits of attention, memory, and drawing. However even a simple graphic task involves multiple planning components, including the specification of drawing start position and drawing direction. In order to investigate the influence of these factors in neglect we presented patients with a circle-copying task, and specified the drawing start point. The ability to draw from the instructed location was strongly related to tests that measure constructional abilities, but not related to start point laterality. In contrast, the direction in which patients drew the circle was affected by start point laterality: patients with neglect were less likely to draw in a typical direction when the cue was on the affected side of space and this was strongly related to severity of the neglect. Patients with neglect consistently produced circles that were smaller than the model; however, the scaling was not affected by the laterality of the start point, nor was the proportion of drawings correctly started at the cue. These findings demonstrate the complex relationship between neglect and even the simplest test for the syndrome.     

Combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder: a case report using virtual reality exposure therapy with physiological monitoring.

The current report summarizes a case study from an Office of Naval Research (ONR) funded project to compare the effects of virtual reality graded exposure therapy (VRGET) with cognitive behavioral group therapy in active-duty corpsmen. Details of the collaborative program between the Virtual Reality Medical Center (VRMC) and Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) will be discussed.