Robustness of the cognitive gains in 7-month-old bilingual infants: A close multi-center replication of Kovács and Mehler (2009)

We present an exact replication of Experiment 2 from Kovács and Mehler's 2009 study, which showed that 7-month-old infants who are raised bilingually exhibit a cognitive advantage. In the experiment, a sound cue, following an AAB or ABB pattern, predicted the appearance of a visual stimulus on the screen. The stimulus appeared on one side of the screen for nine trials and then switched to the other side. In the original experiment, both mono- and bilingual infants anticipated where the visual stimulus would appear during pre-switch trials. However, during post-switch trials, only bilingual children anticipated that the stimulus would appear on the other side of the screen. The authors took this as evidence of a cognitive advantage. Using the exact same materials in combination with novel analysis techniques (Bayesian analyses, mixed effects modeling and cluster based permutation analyses), we assessed the robustness of these findings in four babylabs (N = 98). Our results did not replicate the original findings: although anticipatory looks increased slightly during post-switch trials for both groups, bilingual infants were not better switchers than monolingual infants. After the original experiment, we presented additional trials to examine whether infants associated sound patterns with cued locations, for which we did not find any evidence either. The results highlight the importance of multicenter replications and more fine-grained statistical analyses to better understand child development.

Highlights

• We carried out an exact replication across four baby labs of the high-impact study by Kovács and Mehler (2009).
• We did not replicate the findings of the original study, calling into question the robustness of the claim that bilingual infants have enhanced cognitive abilities.
• After the original experiment, we presented additional trials to examine whether infants correctly associated sound patterns with cued locations, for which we did not find any evidence.
• The use of novel analysis techniques (Bayesian analyses, mixed effects modeling and cluster based permutation analyses) allowed us to draw better-informed conclusions.

     

Chapter 2: To the Lighthouse and the Oedipal Triangle: Impotence,Erotic Degradation,and the Oedipus Complex from Freudian and Self-Psychological Perspectives

ABSTRACT

This article seeks to understand the Ramsay family in To the Lighthouse (Woolf, 1927) from both Freudian and Kohutian self-psychological models. I specifically address the Oedipus conflict and erotic degradation dynamics as a means to explore the broader phenomena of psychical impotence and disintegration. Ultimately, this article reveals that Freud’s understanding of psychical impotence and Kohut’s notion of disintegration are 2 sides of the same coin. Accordingly, a broader, intermediary theoretical understanding of the Oedipal Triangle and its effects is needed.     

A daily diary study of internalised weight bias and its psychological,eating and exercise correlates

Objective: The current investigation extends ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and daily diary weight stigma research in internalised weight bias (IWB). This investigation used daily diaries to examine the relationship between IWB, mood, coping, body appreciation, exercise behaviours and eating behaviours. Design: The study sample consisted of individuals who were overweight or obese (85% female) with M_BMI?=?36.0, SD_BMI?=?6.2. Participants completed a daily diary each evening and wore a Fitbit for 30 days. Main Outcome Measures: Participants reported on IWB, mood, coping, body appreciation, exercise behaviours and eating behaviours.

Results: Both within- and between-subjects IWB were significantly related to positive affect, negative affect, several coping responses, body appreciation, eating behaviours and the urge to avoid exercise. Exploratory analyses indicated that positive and negative affect mediated many of the associations between IWB and coping responses, body appreciation, and eating and exercise behaviours.

Conclusion: This investigation provides evidence that IWB experiences have daily impacts on psychological well-being, body appreciation, coping, eating and exercise behaviours. Also, this study raises awareness about IWB and its potential impact on psychological well-being and health behaviours.     

Grief and Attitudes Toward Suicide in Peers Affected by a Cluster of Suicides as Adolescents

Eighty‐five young adults exposed to a cluster of peer suicides as adolescents completed measures of attitudes toward suicide, grief, and social support. Closeness to the peers lost to suicide was positively correlated with grief and the belief that suicide is not preventable, with grief further elevated in close individuals with high social support from friends. Overall, social support was related to healthy attitudes about suicide including preventability, yet it was also related to some stigmatizing beliefs. Compared with 67 young adults who had not been exposed to a suicide cluster, the exposed sample was more likely to think that suicide is normal but more likely to think of it as incomprehensible.     

How well do various types of support buffer psychological distress among transgender and gender nonconforming students?

Background: Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals experience an increased prevalence of many psychological disorders, leading many to reach out for support from family, friends, mental health professionals, and religious or community networks. Nonetheless, experiences seeking support are often negative, and many psychotherapists report feeling underprepared to work with TGNC clients. To better understand the experiences of TGNC individuals and better equip psychotherapists in their work with TGNC clients, we investigate which sources of support most successfully buffer psychological distress among TGNC individuals.

Aims: This study aims to identify differences in levels of various types of support (social, family, religious, and living-situation) between cisgender and TGNC individuals and examine how these types of support may or may not buffer psychological distress among TGNC individuals.

Method: We used a United States national sample of 3,090 students (1,030 cisgender men; 1,030 cisgender women; 349 transgender; 681 endorsing another gender identity) from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health 2012–2015 database which provided basic demographic information through the Standardized Data Set. Psychological distress was measured through the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms 34-item questionnaire.

Results: TGNC individuals reported more distress, less family support, more social support, and less frequent religious affiliation than cisgender men and women. Family and social support emerged as the strongest predictors of distress for both TGNC and cisgender individuals. Though religious affiliation and living on-campus buffered distress among cisgender students, they did not buffer distress among TGNC students.

Conclusion: Our study highlights disparities in distress and support between TGNC and cisgender individuals. We found that although religious affiliation and on-campus living are beneficial for cisgender students, neither systematically buffers distress for TGNC students. These findings illustrate the impact minority stress and systemic discrimination may have on TGNC individuals and provide suggestions for therapeutic intervention in work with TGNC individuals.     

Memory for proper names in old age: A disproportionate impairment?

A common complaint of older adults is that they have trouble remembering names, even the names of people they know well. Two experiments examining this problem are reported in the present article. Experiment 1 tested episodic memory for surnames and occupations; older adults and younger adults under divided attention performed less well than did full attention younger adults, but showed no disproportionate loss of name information. Experiment 2 examined the ability to name photographs of public figures and of uncommon objects; this experiment therefore tested retrieval from semantic memory. In this case adults in their 70s did show an impairment in recall of names of known people, but not of known objects. Further analyses revealed systematic relations between naming, recognition, and rated familiarity of the categories used. Familiarity largely determined the proportions of recognizable items that were named in a prior phase. Overall, little evidence was found for a disproportionate age-related impairment in naming in either episodic or semantic memory.