Motivation and goal orientation in vulnerability to depression

Depression may be related to motivational systems that govern approach and avoidance behaviour such as temperament and goal orientation. Using a remitted depression design we found that previously depressed and never-depressed individuals did not differ on number of approach goals generated, degree of goal commitment or extent of planning to reach goals. However, previously depressed individuals generated more avoidance goals indicating that the tendency to set avoidance goals may be a trait-like vulnerability to depression. Previously depressed individuals also reported higher activation of the behavioural approach system (BAS) raising the possibility that this system is energising approach behaviour in the service of avoiding aversive consequences.     

Book Reviews

Abstract

Some children survive experiences of racism, urban decay and emotional rot. For those who need help there is inadequate support. Current child mental health services have to change in order to meet the needs of our most vulnerable children. The clinics of Hampstead have to face a new reality.     

Combat exposure,psychological symptoms,and marital satisfaction in National Guard soldiers who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2005 to 2006

Abstract

In current military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, US National Guard (NG) troops are serving longer deployments than ever before. Little is known, however, about how such deployments affect this population of individuals, relative to active component (AC) troops. This study investigated the extent of combat exposure, severity of post-deployment psychological symptoms, and general interpersonal functioning, as well as the interrelationships of these variables, in 50 NG soldiers who served a 12-month deployment in Iraq from 2005 to 2006. The results indicate that combat exposure and post-deployment post-traumatic stress symptoms in this sample are greater than those in NG veterans of past military operations, and similar to those of full-time soldiers in current operations. Furthermore, the patterns of interrelationships between combat exposure, psychological symptoms, and interpersonal variables were similar to those detected in prior research on AC troops. These results suggest that NG veterans of current military operations may require similar services as active duty veterans. Given that NG troops are less integrated into the military structure, specific outreach efforts may be needed to help NG veterans to receive such services.     

Development of infant reaching behaviors: Kinematic changes in touching and hitting

This longitudinal study investigated the development of reaching in typical infants, from age 4 to 8 months, and described the pattern of hand kinematics underlying changes in the characteristics of infants’ actions while reaching for a target. Thirteen infants were followed biweekly. Two reaching behaviors emerged during the infants’ free interactions with the target, touching and hitting. Changes over time were documented for the number of movement units, straightness index, distance, peak velocity and time to peak velocity of the hand for touches and hits. We observed increases in the numbers of touches and hits and changes in hand kinematics over time; the distance traveled by the hand was greater for hitting compared to touching. These kinematic changes were specific to the movement patterns that infants adopted to reach to the target.     

Picture This: The Influence of Emotionally Valenced Images,On Attention,Selection, and Sharing of Social Media News

Social media platforms have become the primary conduits to news for many consumers, yet little is known about how the content in social media posts is viewed and evaluated by consumers or how it shapes their decisions about selecting and sharing this information. A within-subjects eye-tracking experiment (N = 60), was conducted to examine the influence of image presence and valence on attention to and engagement with news stories on social media. Participants viewed a series of 29 social media posts of news stories, each of which was either paired with no image, a positively valenced image, or a negatively valenced image. Participants attention to the images was captured via eye tracking, and they answered dependent measures to gauge level of emotion and arousal, and intention to click and share. The results show that posts containing positive images elicited a higher level of visual attention than those with negative or no images, which led to higher intentions to click and share posts with positive images. The results provide a deeper understanding of the importance of images in driving news consumption, and offer practical implications for journalists, news organizations and groups using social media to spread a message.     

Talking About Past Emotions: Conversations Between Peruvian Mothers and Their Preschool Children

In this study, we examined gender and age variations in the use of emotion words during mother–child conversations about experiences. Thirty-two middle-class, Spanish-speaking, Peruvian mothers and their 3- and 5-year-old children participated in this study. Conversations were audiotaped, transcribed, and coded for number, types of emotions discussed, and conversational contexts in which the emotion word was embedded. Age differences were found only in children's use of emotion words. Gender differences were found only in mothers' use of emotion words. Findings are discussed in relation to socialization practices of emotional expression and gender in middle-class Peruvian society. Our results support and provide a developmental perspective on findings obtained in studies of adult emotional expression across various cultures.     

Performance of chronotypes on memory tests during the morning and the evening shifts

Memory consists of several phases or processes that can be influenced by many factors, including the individual's circadian rhythm and the time of day at which tests are performed. The present objective was to evaluate the performance on memory tests of different chronotypes during the morning and the evening shifts. Subjects (21 men and 26 women, between the ages of 20 and 35 yr.) were evaluated for memory and metamemory differences in the morning and in the afternoon, using a battery of neuropsychological tests composed of the Word List with Emotional Content, Visual Memory, Scale-Semantic Memory, Digit Span, Word-Pairs Associated, Verbal Fluency Test, and Metamemory questionnaire. In the evening shift, there was a statistical difference among chronotypes on the Word List with Neutral Content and on the Verbal Fluency Test. In the morning, there were no statistically significant differences; however, the morning-type subjects had higher scores on the metamemory tests (p<.01), while the evening-type subjects had higher scores in the afternoon (p<.01). In spite of their perception, on Word-Pairs Associated and Word List with Emotional Content, the subjects, independently of their chronotype, showed better performance by the evening than by the morning shift. These results highlight the importance of controlling the shift of day and chronotype in studies with the objective of exploration of human performance.