Facets of loneliness and depression among Chinese children and adolescents

The authors examined the relation among different facets of loneliness and depression in a sample of 6,356 Chinese children and adolescents from Grades 4-9. Loneliness and depression were closely related among the primary (Grades 4-6) and secondary (Grades 7-9) students, both boys and girls. Although the different facets of loneliness were predictive of the various facets of depression, peer-related loneliness and aloneness were more predictive of depression in both groups than was parent-related loneliness. The students in Grades 5 and 6 scored lower for loneliness but a little higher for depression than did the students in Grade 4. The students in Grades 8 and 9 scored higher than the students in Grade 7 for loneliness and depression. The primary boys scored higher than the primary girls for both loneliness and depression. Among the secondary students, there was no difference between the scores of the boys and those of the girls for loneliness, but the boys scored lower than the girls for depression.     

Lateral foot-movement times in sitting and standing postures

This study examined the effects of foot-side, sex, movement amplitude, and target width on lateral and nonvisually controlled foot-movement time with a reciprocal foot-tapping task in sitting and standing postures. 9 male and 9 female right-foot dominant undergraduates (ages 20 to 25 years) with no reported physical and health problems with their lower limbs voluntarily participated. Analysis indicated foot-movement time in a standing posture was much faster than that in a sitting posture. Target width and movement amplitude had significant effects on foot-movement time, while the effects of foot-side and sex were not significant. Multiple regression models with inclusion of the significant factors were examined which should be useful in predicting foot-movement time required for different tasks in sitting and standing postures. Possible applications of the results may be made to the design of work and foot controls in terms of the related task factors for person-machine interfaces with two or more pedals.     

Status-based rejection sensitivity among asian americans: implications for psychological distress

We examined whether anxious expectations of discrimination among Asian Americans can help explain this group's elevated levels of internalizing symptomatology, such as lower self-esteem (Twenge & Crocker, 2002) and higher depressive symptoms (Okazaki, 1997, 2002) relative to European Americans. Study 1 reports on the development and validation of a scale measuring status-based rejection sensitivity among Asian Americans (RS-A). In Study 2, scores on the RS-A were related to spontaneous discrimination attributions specifically in situations where discrimination is both applicable and possible for Asian Americans. Study 3 revealed that shame mediated the relationship between RS-A and internalizing symptomatology. Implications for well-being and intergroup interactions are discussed.     

Ordinal judgments of symbolic stimuli by capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) and rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta): the effects of differential and nondifferential reward

Ordinal learning was investigated in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) and rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). In Experiment 1, both species were presented with pairings of the Arabic numerals 0 to 9. Some monkeys were given food rewards equal to the value of the numeral selected and some were rewarded with a single pellet only for choosing the higher numeral within the pair. Both species learned to select the larger numeral, but only rhesus monkeys that were differentially rewarded performed above chance levels when presented with novel probe pairings. In Experiment 2, the monkeys were first presented with arrays of 5 familiar numerals (from the range 0 to 9) and then arrays of 5 novel letters (from the range A to J) with the same reward outcomes in place as in Experiment 1. Both species performed better with the numerals, suggesting that an ordinal sequence of all stimuli had been learned during Experiment 1, rather than a matrix of two-choice discriminations.     

The Appropriateness of Using Three Measures of Self‐Beliefs With European American,Latino/a,and Native American College Freshmen

The authors investigated the psychometric appropriateness of the Valuing/Commitment to Education scale (A. M. Gloria, 1993), the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale (M. Rosenberg, 1965), and the Educational Self‐Efficacy Scale (A. M. Gloria, 1993) for use with European American, Latina/o, and Native American college freshmen. Strong to moderate reliabilities were found, as was initial evidence of validity across groups. Los autores investigaron la idoneidad psicométrica de la Valoración/Compromiso con la Escala de Educación (A. M. Gloria, 1993), la Escala Rosenberg de Autoestima (M. Rosenberg, 1965) y la Escala de Autoeficacia Educativa (A. M. Gloria, 1993) para su uso con alumnos universitarios Euroamericanos, Latinos y Americanos Nativos de primer curso. Se hallaron datos que prueban una fiabilidad entre moderada y alta, como lo fue tambien la validez observada inicialmente entre los grupos.     

Home Environment and Classroom Climate: An Investigation of their Relation to Students’ Academic Self-Concept in a Streamed Setting

Many studies concur that students’ perceptions of their home and school environments, such as relationships with parents and teachers, are related to their academic self-concept (for example, Chang et al., Int J of Behav Dev 27(2):182–189, 2003; Ireson and Hallam, Br J Educ Psychol 75:297–311, 2005; Jang, J Kor Home Econ, 39:101–114, 2001; Lau and Leung, Br J Educ Psychol, 62:193–202, 1992; Lau and Pun, Social Behav Pers, 27(6):639–650, 1999; Masche and Barber, “Connectedness and separation in parent-adolescent relationships: Indicators of a successful identity development.” Paper presented at the SRCD Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, April 19–22, 2001; Sanders, “School–family–community partnerships and the academic achievement of African American, urban adolescents.” Report No. 7. EDRS. ED 402404, 1996). Nonetheless, little is known about whether the strength of the relationships is comparable for students of different ability streams, or if the predictors of variance of their academic self-concept are similar. To fill the empirical gap, a 3-year longitudinal study was conducted with Secondary One students (approximate age 13) from three government schools in Singapore. Pearson product–moment correlation and Fisher’s z _r transformation showed that there were significant differences in the strength of the relationships between higher- and lower-ability stream students’ academic self-concept and their perceived home environment and classroom climate. In addition, stepwise multiple linear regressions established that lower-ability stream students’ perceived teachers’ expectations had more consistent and substantial impact on their confidence level than that of their higher-ability stream counterparts. In comparison, higher-ability stream students’ perceived parental academic support had more consistent impact on their academic self-concept than that of their lower-ability stream peers.     

Relationship between nicotinic receptors and cognitive function in early Alzheimer's disease: a 2-[18F]fluoro-A-85380 PET study

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are critical for higher order cognitive processes. Post-mortem studies suggest reductions in nAChRs (particularly the alpha(4)beta(2) subtype) with ageing and in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to; (1) quantify nAChR distribution in vivo with 2-[18F]fluoro-A-85380 (2-FA) in 15 early AD patients compared to 14 age-matched, healthy controls (HC) and (2) correlate nAChR distribution with cognitive performance in both groups. All participants were non-smokers and underwent cognitive testing along with a dynamic PET scan after injection of 200 MBq of 2-FA. Brain regional 2-FA binding was assessed through a simplified estimation of Distribution Volume (DV(S)). The AD group differed significantly from HC on all cognitive measures employed, with impairments on measures of attention, working memory, language, executive function, visuospatial ability, verbal learning and verbal memory (p<.05). Contrary to post-mortem data this study found no evidence of in vivo nAChR loss in early AD despite significant cognitive impairment. Furthermore, no correlation between nAChR and cognitive performance was found for either group. The findings of the current study suggest preservation of nAChRs early in AD supporting previous studies. It is possible that while the clinical 2-FA PET method described here may be insensitive in detecting changes in early AD, such changes may be detected in more advanced stages of the illness.     

Passion and intrinsic motivation in digital gaming.

Digital gaming is fast becoming a favorite activity all over the world. Yet very few studies have examined the underlying motivational processes involved in digital gaming. One motivational force that receives little attention in psychology is passion, which could help us understand the motivation of gamers. The purpose of the present study was to identify subgroups of young people with distinctive passion profiles on self-determined regulations, flow dispositions, affect, and engagement time in gaming. One hundred fifty-five students from two secondary schools in Singapore participated in the survey. There were 134 males and 8 females (13 unspecified). The participants completed a questionnaire to measure harmonious passion (HP), obsessive passion (OP), perceived locus of causality, disposition flow, positive and negative affects, and engagement time in gaming. Cluster analysis found three clusters with distinct passion profiles. The first cluster had an average HP/OP profile, the second cluster had a low HP/OP profile, and the third cluster had a high HP/OP profile. The three clusters displayed different levels of cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. Cluster analysis, as this study shows, is useful in identifying groups of gamers with different passion profiles. It has helped us gain a deeper understanding of motivation in digital gaming.     

DISCREPANCY IN FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS RESULTS ACROSS TWO SETTINGS: IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERVENTION DESIGN

Functional analyses that were conducted in two settings (playground and classroom) indicated that problem behavior was sensitive to adult attention on the playground and tangible items in the classroom. Attention‐ and tangible‐based interventions were designed based on the results from each of the assessment environments and were compared. The attention‐based intervention was more effective on the playground, and the tangible‐based intervention was more effective in the classroom. Findings are discussed in regards to the generality of functional analysis results across environments.     

Are errors differentiable from deceptive responses when feigning memory impairment? An fMRI study

Previous neuroimaging studies have suggested that the neural activity associated with truthful recall, with false memory, and with feigned memory impairment are different from one another. Here, we report a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study that addressed an important but yet unanswered question: Is the neural activity associated with intentional faked responses and with errors differentiable? Using a word list learning recognition paradigm, the findings of this mixed event-related fMRI study clearly indicated that the brain activity associated with intentional faked responses was different to the activity associated with errors committed unintentionally. For intentional faked responses, significant activation was found in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, the posterior cingulate region, and the precuneus. However, no significant activation was observed for unintentional errors. The results suggest that deception, in terms of feigning memory impairment, is not only more cognitively demanding than making unintentional errors but also utilizes different cognitive processes.