Representational economy, not processing speed, determines preferred processing strategy of visual patterns

According to Garner, visual patterns are mentally represented as categories rather than by their physical identity. On the other hand, physical and categorical identification tasks engender their own specific processing strategies. Nevertheless, categorical strategies should be more generic than physical ones. We tested this prediction using Garner patterns in a same-different task: one version involved categorical, the other physical identification. Both tasks showed effects of categorical representation but also contrasting categorical and physical processing strategies in their response time profiles. When trials from categorical and physical identification tasks were randomly intermixed, mixing costs were additive for categorical trials but not for physical trials, indicating a shift in processing strategy for the latter. For these trials, the physical response time profile was found to be displaced by a categorical profile. We concluded that the more generic processing strategy is the one that maximizes the role of categorical representation.     

Effects of nutritional supplements on aggression,rule‐breaking,and psychopathology among young adult prisoners

Objective: In an earlier study, improvement of dietary status with food supplements led to a reduction in antisocial behavior among prisoners. Based on these earlier findings, a study of the effects of food supplements on aggression, rule‐breaking, and psychopathology was conducted among young Dutch prisoners. Methods: Two hundred and twenty‐one young adult prisoners (mean age=21.0, range 18–25 years) received nutritional supplements containing vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids or placebos, over a period of 1–3 months. Results: As in the earlier (British) study, reported incidents were significantly reduced (P=.017, one‐tailed) in the active condition (n=115), as compared with placebo (n=106). Other assessments, however, revealed no significant reductions in aggressiveness or psychiatric symptoms. Conclusion: As the incidents reported concerned aggressive and rule‐breaking behavior as observed by the prison staff, the results are considered to be promising. However, as no significant improvements were found in a number of other (self‐reported) outcome measures, the results should be interpreted with caution. Aggr. Behav. 36:117–126, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Dissociating congruence effects in letters versus shapes: Kanji and kana

In order to consolidate the dissociation in feature integration found in earlier studies between letters of the Roman alphabet and corresponding pseudo-letters, the present study used kanji and kana and corresponding pseudo-letters, presented visually, either in isolation or surrounded by congruent or incongruent shape, as targets in a choice-response task with three different response criteria. When the criterion was shape, congruence effects were obtained for both real and pseudo-letters. With the second and third response criteria this result was found for pseudo-letters, but not for letters. These criteria either involved distinguishing between letters and visually similar pseudo-letters or distinguishing between visually similar letters. The dissociation of congruence effects between letters and pseudo-letters was therefore shown to depend on visual similarity between targets, independent of their category. This effect was found to be robust for kanji but not for kana, which is related to distinctions between these two writing systems.     

Which preventive interventions effectively enhance depressed mothers' sensitivity? A meta‐analysis

Improving depressed mothers' sensitivity is assumed to be a key element in preventing adverse outcomes for children of such mothers. This meta‐analysis examines the short‐term effectiveness of preventive interventions in terms of enhancing depressed mothers' sensitivity toward their child and investigates what type of intervention is most effective. Thirteen interventions, reported in 10 controlled outcome studies, met the inclusion criteria (N = 918). Meta‐analytic results showed a small to medium, significant mean effect size (g = 0.32) with large variation in individual effect sizes (?0.56–1.76). Interventions including baby massage were highly effective in improving maternal sensitivity (g = 0.85). In contrast, individual therapy for the mother proved ineffective in terms of improving maternal sensitivity (g = ?0.00). Two other significant predictors of greater effect sizes were the inclusion of a support group and the use of a higher number of intervention methods; however, the significance of these results was largely accounted for by one single study. Our meta‐analysis confirms that depressed mothers' sensitivity can be improved by preventive intervention and suggests that baby massage may be an effective intervention method to evoke short‐term changes in maternal sensitivity. It is unclear whether these changes are maintained over time.     

Communications About Environmental Risks and Risk‐Reducing Behavior: The Impact of Fear on Information Processing1

The present experiment examined the impact of fear on attitudes and the mediating role of information processing. Fear and argument strength were manipulated according to a 3 × 2 (Fear: Control vs. Moderate Fear vs. High Fear × Arguments: Weak vs. Strong) between‐subjects design. Fear was aroused with regard to the risks associated with global warming, and the information to be processed was a persuasive message about energy‐conserving light bulbs. The results indicate that both moderate and high levels of fear had an impact on attitudes. Moderate fear resulted in more positive attitudes toward energy‐saving bulbs, but only when strong arguments in favor of these bulbs were provided. High fear had a positive effect on attitudes, regardless of argument strength. It is concluded that fear may influence attitudes both in a direct and an indirect way, mediated by information processing. Whether the direct or the indirect effect dominates appears to depend on fear intensity.     

The Bystander Dilemma and Child Abuse: Extending the Latane and Darley Model to Domestic Violence1

In this paper, the theoretical framework of the bystander paradigm, as originally developed by Latane and Darley (1968, 1970), is extended to include an example of domestic violence on the basis of empirical research. The purpose of this study is to examine which personal and situational characteristics are associated with noticing and interpretation of child abuse. Records of telephone calls (n= 696) from nonprofessional bystanders who alleged child abuse were analyzed. Results show that these bystanders of child abuse are a diverse group, and include a considerable number of children (peers). Bystanders' characteristics, such as gender and age group, and bystanders' visual and auditory perceptions, affect their interpretation of the abusive situation, i. e., their level of certainty of the abuse. These and other findings are discussed, and implications for future research and the definition of bystanders are formulated.     

Mental rotation of letters and shapes in developmental dyslexia

Extending the work of Corballis et al (1985, Cortex 21 225-236), we investigated mental rotation of letters (experiment 1), and of letters and shapes (experiment 2) in normal readers and developmental dyslexics. Whereas the overall response times were equal for shapes in both groups, for letters they were slower in dyslexics. For letters as well as for shapes, however, the same mental-rotation effects were obtained between the groups. The results are interpreted as support for the notion of developmental dyslexia as a deficit in functional coordination between graphemic and phonological letter representations.     

Goodness takes effort: perceptual organization in dual-task settings

We adopted the Psychological Refractoriness Paradigm to study whether perceptual Goodness affects the load of central processing resources. In three dual-task experiments, 2-Alternative Forced Choice auditory classification was followed by a same-different task in which Garner's classical five-dot patterns were presented. Goodness of these patterns and stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA) between the first and second task were varied between trials. These factors had additive effects on response latencies and accuracy, indicating that pattern Goodness determines central processing load in performing the same-different task. In a fourth experiment, same-different judgment with Garner patterns was the single task. SOA between the first and second pattern was varied. Over-additive effects of Goodness with decreasing SOA were obtained, indicating sharing of central resources between consolidation of the first Garner pattern and performing the same-different task. Whereas, the resources needed for the latter, again, depend on Goodness, those needed for consolidation are independent of it.     

Would we rather lose our life than lose our self? Lessons from the Dutch debate on euthanasia for patients with dementia

This article reviews the Dutch societal debate on euthanasia/assisted suicide in dementia cases, specifically Alzheimer's disease. It discusses the ethical and practical dilemmas created by euthanasia requests in advance directives and the related inconsistencies in the Dutch legal regulations regarding euthanasia/assisted suicide. After an initial focus on euthanasia in advanced dementia, the actual debate concentrates on making euthanasia/assisted suicide possible in the very early stages of dementia. A review of the few known cases of assisted suicide of people with so-called early dementia raises the question why requests for euthanasia/assisted suicide from patients in the early stage of (late onset) Alzheimer's disease are virtually non-existent. In response to this question two explanations are offered. It is concluded that, in addition to a moral discussion on the limits of anticipatory choices, there is an urgent need to develop research into the patient's perspective with regard to medical treatment and care-giving in dementia, including end-of-life care.     

Oral Health-Quality of Life Predictors Depend on Population

In the framework of the development and evaluation of oral health interventions that take into account people’s oral health-related quality of life (OH-QoL), it is important to know what determinants and effects of OH-QoL are. Because the processes involved in the experience of OH-QoL may differ for different populations, this study mapped the relations of general health perception, social factors, dental anxiety and oral hygiene behavior on the one hand with OH-QoL on the other hand, in two different samples that mainly differed on the experience they had with dental care and dental pathology: In 112 patients of the Center for Dentistry and Oral Hygiene and in 339 first year psychology students. The relations of three of the four variables with OH-QoL differed in both samples. Although not all relations could be interpreted unequivocally in this cross-sectional design, the data illustrate that the main difference between both samples (i.e., patients indicated for oral treatment versus students outside treatment) influenced the psychological processes involved in OH-QoL. This implicates that oral health interventions directed at increasing OH-QoL may have to be adapted to populations.