Family income and its relation to preschool children's adjustment for families in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care

The current study examines relations of mean-level estimates, linear changes, and instability in income and family processes to child outcomes and addresses whether income, through its impact on family functioning, matters more for children living in poverty. Temporal changes and instability in family processes, but not income, predicted children's adjustment. Cross-sectional mediational analyses indicated that for families living at the poverty threshold, family processes fully mediated the effect of average income over the study period on social behavior but only partially mediated its effect on cognitive-linguistic development. The strength of these associations diminished as average income exceeded the poverty threshold. That is, income had a greater impact on the family functioning and development of poor children than of nonpoor children.     

Likelihood ratio, optimal decision rules, and correct response probabilities in a signal detection theoretic, equal-variance Gaussian model of the observer in the 4IAX paradigm

This article provides a synthetic account of the likelihood ratio, optimal decision rules, and correct response probabilities in a signal detection theoretic model of the observer in the dual-pair comparison, or four-interval AX (4IAX), paradigm. The model assumes a static sampling process, resulting in four, equal-variance normally distributed (i.e., Gaussian) observations on each trial First, a likelihood ratio equation allowing for an arbitrary degree of correlation between observations is provided. Specific solutions for the cases of independent and highly correlated observations are then derived. It is shown that these solutions, and the associated decision rules, correspond to those provided independently in earlier publications. A modified 4IAX paradigm involving, as a standard, an additional stimulus (C) located medially between the A and the B stimuli is also considered. It is shown that the optimal (static, equal-variance, Gaussian) decision model for this paradigm is unaffected by correlation between observations and is equivalent to the standard 4IAX with highly correlated observations. Finally, we consider how, under the considered (static, equal-variance, Gaussian) model, the proportion of correct responses in the different versions of the 4IAX paradigm is related to d', and a solution for the case of independent observations is provided.     

The addiction-stroop test: Theoretical considerations and procedural recommendations

Decisions about using addictive substances are influenced by distractions by addiction-related stimuli, of which the user might be unaware. The addiction-Stroop task is a paradigm used to assess this distraction. The empirical evidence for the addiction-Stroop effect is critically reviewed, and meta-analyses of alcohol-related and smoking-related studies are presented. Studies finding the strongest effects were those in which participants had strong current concerns about an addictive substance or such concerns were highlighted through experimental manipulations, especially those depriving participants of the substance. Theories to account for addiction-related attentional bias are discussed, of which the motivational theory of current concerns appears to provide the most complete account of the phenomenon. Recommendations are made for maximizing the precision of the addiction-Stroop test in future research.     

Anger expression: parental and cognitive factors

The associations of parental moral disengagement, guilt, prosocial behavior, and anger, with their children's maladaptive anger was examined. 98 college undergraduate students and their parents participated. Both students and parents completed the Anger Response Inventory, the Mechanism of Moral Disengagement Scale, the Texas Social Behavior Inventory, the Fear of Punishment Scale, and the Need for Reparation Scale. A multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the students' variables which predicted maladaptive anger. Only moral disengagement was a predictor of the students' maladaptive anger. Subsequent multiple regression analyses were used to examine whether parental variables predict students' anger. Fathers' maladaptive anger, and prosocial skills were significantly related to students' maladaptive anger. Maternal variables produced an increase in the multiple R similar to the fathers', but none of the individual measures were significantly associated with the students' maladaptive anger.     

Goodman and Putnam on the Making of Worlds

Hilary Putnam and Nelson Goodman are two of the twentieth century's most persuasive critics of metaphysical realism, however they disagree about the consequences of rejecting metaphysical realism. Goodman defended a view he called irrealism in which minds literally make worlds, and Putnam has sought to find a middle path between metaphysical realism and irrealism. I argue that Putnam's middle path turns out to be very elusive and defend a dichotomy between metaphysical realism and irrealism.     

On feeling in control: a biological theory for individual differences in control perception

This review aims to create a cross-disciplinary framework for understanding the perception of control. Although, the personality trait locus of control, the most common measure of control perception, has traditionally been regarded as a product of social learning, it may have biological antecedents as well. It is suggested that control perception follows from the brain's capacity for self regulation, leading to flexible and goal directed behaviours. To this account, a model is presented which spans several levels of analyses. On a behavioural level, control perception may be a corollary of emotion regulation, executive functions, and social cognition. On a neural level, these self-regulatory functions are substantiated in part by the dorsolateral and ventral prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex. In addition, a possible role of subcortical-cortical dopamine pathways underlying control perception is discussed.     

Early boost and slow consolidation in motor skill learning

Motorskill learning is a dynamic process that continues covertly after training has ended and eventually leads to delayed increments in performance. Current theories suggest that this off-line improvement takes time and appears only after several hours. Here we show an early transient and short-lived boost in performance, emerging as early as 5-30 min after training but no longer observed 4 h later. This early boost is predictive of the performance achieved 48 h later, suggesting its functional relevance for memory processes.     

Memory on the beach: an Australian memory (and hypnosis) laboratory

The memory (and hypnosis) lab at the University of New South Wales investigates a broad range of memory topics. We try to find innovative methods from cognitive and clinical psychology to address theoretical and empirical questions about memory. We aso use hypnosis as one major methodological tool in our investigations of memory (as well as other cognitive processes). In this paper, we review the projects currently underway in our memory (and hypnosis) lab.