Domestic violence, separation, and suicide in young men with early onset alcoholism: reanalyses of Murphy's data

Partner violence and partner separation at the time of completed suicide were investigated in 42 male alcoholics originally described by Murphy (1992). Half of the men had domestic violence histories. Partner-violent men were younger, had an earlier age of onset of alcoholism, and were more likely to be separated from their partner at the time of death than partner-nonviolent men. Loss of a close personal relationship, often a domestic partner, is common during the last year of life among alcoholic men completing suicide. Domestic violence appears to typify many of their domestic relationships, particularly among younger men and men with early onset alcoholism.     

Method choice, intent, and gender in completed suicide

Women who commit suicide use less violent methods, such as drugs and carbon monoxide poisoning, than do men, who more often use violent methods such as guns and hanging. Theories that attempt to explain this finding focus on gender differences in suicidal intent, socialization, emotions, interpersonal relationships, orientation and access to methods, and neurobiological factors. Data from a psychological autopsy study were used to test the theory that women who commit suicide use less violent means because they are less intent on dying. Although women were significantly less likely to use a violent method than men, there was no difference in the lethality of their suicidal intent.     

A developmental trajectory in implicit memory is revealed by picture fragment completion

Dissociations between performance on implicit and explicit tasks have often been taken as evidence that different neural structures subserve the two types of memory. One such dissociation involves developmental differences that emerge in explicit tasks, but which appear to be absent in implicit tasks. Such findings are consistent with the idea that implicit memory is subserved by a more primitive system that evolves earlier at both phylogenetic and ontogenetic levels. The present paper reviews previous studies that claimed to find evidence that implicit memory is fully developed in very young children. Issues of measurement error, ceiling effects, and insufficient power brought up questions about those studies with respect to the developmental issue. The present study compares performance on implicit (picture fragment completion) and explicit (free recall and recognition) memory tasks with groups ranging in age from 5-28 years. We find a reliable developmental trend in both implicit and explicit performance in which the former cannot be attributed to the operation of explicit memory processes. Thus, we conclude that implicit memory, like explicit memory, develops with age.     

Psychometric properties of the Hawaiian Culture Scale--Adolescent Version

This article reports on the psychometric properties of a newly constructed Hawaiian Culture Scale--Adolescent Version. A total of 2,272 Native Hawaiian and 1,170 non-Hawaiian adolescents were administered this 50-item inventory that measures the source of learning the Hawaiian way of life, how much Hawaiian beliefs are valued and important to maintain, how much non-Hawaiian beliefs are valued, Hawaiian blood quantum, and specific cultural traditions (seven subscales = Lifestyles, Customs. Activities, Folklore, Causes-Locations, Causes-Access, and Language Proficiency). The results strongly supported the internal consistency and validity of the measures for both the Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian groups. On the basis of the demographic data, partial support was offered for cross-cultural theories of ethnic identity. More consistent support was found for multiculturalism in Hawai'i's adolescents. Further research is needed to link these measures with indicators of psychological adjustment (e.g., depression, anxiety, substance use).     

The impact of sleep deprivation on decision making: a review

Few sleep deprivation (SD) studies involve realism or high-level decision making, factors relevant to managers, military commanders, and so forth, who are undergoing prolonged work during crises. Instead, research has favored simple tasks sensitive to SD mostly because of their dull monotony. In contrast, complex rule-based, convergent, and logical tasks are unaffected by short-term SD, seemingly because of heightened participant interest and compensatory effort. However, recent findings show that despite this effort, SD still impairs decision making involving the unexpected, innovation, revising plans, competing distraction, and effective communication. Decision-making models developed outside SD provide useful perspectives on these latter effects, as does a neuropsychological explanation of sleep function. SD presents particular difficulties for sleep-deprived decision makers who require these latter skills during emergency situations.     

Impairment of spatial learning and hippocampal synaptic potentiation in c-kit mutant rats

The c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase encoded by the white-spotting (W) gene is highly expressed in rat hippocampal CA1–CA4 regions. We found an impaired spatial learning and memory in homozygous c-kit (Ws/Ws) mutant rats that have a 12-base deletion in the tyrosine kinase domain of the c-kit gene and a very low kinase activity. Electrophysiological studies in hippocampal slices revealed that the long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by the tetanic stimulation (100 Hz, 1 sec) in the mossy fiber (MF)–CA3 pathway, but not in the Schaffer collaterals/commissural–CA1 pathway, was significantly reduced in c-kit mutants compared with wild-type (+/+) rats. The paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) was measured before the tetanus and after the establishment of the LTP in each slice. The initial PPF in the MF–CA3 pathway positively correlated with the amplitude of the LTP in the wild-type rats but not in the c-kit mutant rats. Furthermore, they failed to show the normal characteristics observed in the MF–CA3 pathway of +/+ rats; that is, the negative correlation between the initial PPF and the changes in PPF measured after the LTP. These findings suggest an involvement of SCF/c-kit signaling in hippocampal synaptic potentiation and spatial learning and memory.     

The conception of depression in Chinese American college students

The conception of depression in Chinese American college students was examined with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies--Depression Scale (CES-D). It was hypothesized that, because of their significant engagement with mainstream American culture, these students' conception of depression would better approximate White Americans' differentiated view (L. Radloff, 1977) than the general Chinese American community's integrated view (Y. Ying, 1988). A total of 353 bicultural Chinese American college students participated in the study. Consistent with the hypothesis, principal-components factor analysis with varimax rotation revealed a factor structure and loading similar to that found in White American adults. Confirmatory factor analysis also showed Chinese American college students to better approximate Radloff's differentiated model based on her White American samples than Ying's integrated model based on her Chinese American community sample. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Making the audience a key participant in the science communication process

The public communication of science and technology has become increasingly important over the last several decades. However, understanding the audience that receives this information remains the weak link in the science communication process. This essay provides a brief review of some of the issues involved, discusses results from an audience-based study, and suggests some strategies that both scientists and journalists can use to modify media coverage in ways that can help audiences better understand major public issues that involve science and technology. Carol L. Rogers is editor of the interdisciplinary journal Science Communication.     

The differential effects of thalamus and basal ganglia on facial emotion recognition

This study examined if subcortical stroke was associated with impaired facial emotion recognition. Furthermore, the lateralization of the impairment and the differential profiles of facial emotion recognition deficits with localized thalamic or basal ganglia damage were also studied. Thirty-eight patients with subcortical strokes and 19 matched normal controls volunteered to participate. The participants were individually presented with morphed photographs of facial emotion expressions over multiple trials. They were requested to classify each of these morphed photographs according to Ekman's six basic emotion categories. The findings indicated that the clinical participants had impaired facial emotion recognition, though no clear lateralization pattern of impairment was observed. The patients with localized thalamic damage performed significantly worse in recognizing sadness than the controls. Longitudinal studies on patients with subcortical brain damage should be conducted to examine how cognitive reorganization post-stroke would affect emotion recognition.