Imaging the developing brain with fMRI

Advancements in magnetic imaging techniques have revolutionized our ability to study the developing human brain in vivo. The ability to noninvasively image both anatomy and function in healthy volunteers, including young children, has already enhanced our understanding of brain and behavior relations. The application of these techniques to developmental research offers the opportunity to further explore these relationships and allows us to ask questions about where, when and how cognitive abilities develop in relation to changes in underlying brain systems. It is also possible to explore the contributions of maturation versus learning in the development of these abilities through cross-sectional and longitudinal research involving training and intervention procedures. Current imaging methodologies, in conjunction with new and rapidly evolving techniques, hold the promise of even greater insights into developmental issues in the near future. These methodologies and their application to development and learning are discussed in the current paper.     

Examining College Counselors' Integration of Religion and Spirituality Into Substance Abuse Counseling

The authors explored college counselors' (N = 77) integration of religion and spirituality into substance abuse counseling. Results indicated a discrepancy between the importance ratings of religion and spirituality and the frequency of using such elements in counseling practice.     

Assessing the Development of Inflated Responsibility Beliefs: The Pathways to Inflated Responsibility Beliefs Scale

Inflated responsibility beliefs are hypothesized to be a central feature of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; Rachman, 1998, 2002; Salkovskis, 1985), but the etiology of these beliefs remains untested. Salkovskis and colleagues (1999) proposed 5 primary pathways to the development of inflated responsibility beliefs (e.g., heightened responsibility as a child, exposure to rigid and extreme codes of conduct as a child). The current paper presents 2 studies developing a self-report measure—the Pathways to Inflated Responsibility Beliefs Scale (PIRBS)—of these hypothesized pathways. In the first study, an initial version of the scale is developed and the number of items are reduced. In the second study, the revised scale is shown to provide a reasonable match to the proposed structure and to have good internal consistency, retest reliability, and convergent and divergent validity. These initial data suggest that the PIRBS may be useful for studying the etiology of inflated responsibility beliefs that are hypothesized to be central to the development of OCD. Limitations and future directions are discussed.     

Boundary effects of vague risk information on taxpayer decisions

In compliance decisions, the decision maker usually has only vague or ambiguous knowledge of the probability of being caught and the outcome (amount of penalty). An experiment is reported which extends work on effects of probability ambiguity by manipulating outcome ambiguity as well. When outcomes were limited to a bounded range and probabilities ranged between their natural boundaries [0, 1] in experimental tax decisions, symmetrical boundary effects were found in which vague estimates for both the probability and outcome dimensions caused vagueness aversion (and higher compliance) when the vague estimate was near the more favorable lower boundary of either dimension and vagueness seeking (and lower compliance) when the vague estimate was near the less favorable upper boundary. Probability and outcome vagueness effects were found to be independent of the vagueness of the other dimension, and vagueness effects were not systematically related to the level of the other dimension.The results suggest that a common cognitive process mediates the impact of vagueness on both dimensions. This may be a vagueness-adjustment process in which vague estimates are adjusted toward the middle of the bounded range, or a vagueness-preference process in which vague outcomes, and vague probabilities as well, are evaluated based on utility considerations, as though probability were a tangible commodity. For increasing compliance, the results suggest that risk information should be disseminated only when risks of punishment are relatively high. When risks are low, random enforcement techniques that enhance vagueness become more effective.     

The use of publicly-posted performance feedback in an inpatient psychiatric treatment setting

This study examined the effects of publicly-posted performance feedback on the in-hospital behavior of patients residing on a self-management unit at a large, state operated, psychiatric treatment facility. When contrasted to a baseline phase in which staff received weekly information regarding patients' performance, scores in six of the eight assessment areas improved when this information was provided directly to patients. The authors' conclude that performance feedback may be a useful adjunct to inpatient treatment programs because it clarifies programmatic expectations, helps focus attention on developing strategies or interventions to meet those expectations, and encourages active treatment participation from patients and staff.     

Intimate partner aggression reporting concordance and correlates of agreement among men with alcohol use disorders and their female partners

This study examined relationship aggression reporting concordance among 303 men with alcohol use disorders and their female partners enrolled in couples-based alcohol abuse treatment. Agreement for physical and psychological aggression was generally consistent with, or higher than, concordance rates reported among other populations. Men's antisocial personality disorder characteristics were the strongest predictor of higher concordance for male- and female-perpetrated aggression. Higher alcohol problem severity, poorer relationship adjustment, and higher psychopathic personality features were associated with better concordance in some analyses. Women reported experiencing more physical aggression than men reported perpetrating, and women reported perpetrating more psychological aggression than men reported experiencing. Findings highlight the importance of obtaining aggression reports from both partners and the need for research investigating methods for improving concordance.     

Predicting cognitive control from preschool to late adolescence and young adulthood

In this longitudinal study, the proportion of time preschoolers directed their attention away from rewarding stimuli during a delay-of-gratification task was positively associated with efficiency (greater speed without reduced accuracy) at responding to targets in a go/no-go task more than 10 years later. The overall findings suggest that preschoolers' ability to effectively direct their attention away from tempting aspects of the rewards in a delay-of-gratification task may be a developmental precursor for the ability to perform inhibitory tasks such as the go/no-go task years later. Because performance on the go/no-go task has previously been characterized as involving activation of fronto-striatal regions, the present findings also suggest that performance in the delay-of-gratification task may serve as an early marker of individual differences in the functional integrity of this circuitry.