Family Functioning and Self-Differentiation: A Cross-Cultural Examination

This study examined the degree to which self-differentiation as related to family functioning is valued differently by Korean and European-American university students. The main findings confirm that the level of family functioning reported by European Americans is greater than for their Korean counterpart; family functioning is associated with differentiation measures (total score, emotional reactivity, and emotional cutoff) to a different extent across the two groups; and controlling for the effect of family functioning, the added contribution of a country variable explained further variance in self-differentiation. The importance of addressing the issue of similarities and differences between cultures in the assessment and treatment of individuals with problems related to their families of origin is discussed.     

Emergent patterns of feedback strategies in performing a closed motor skill.

This sturdy identified self-chosen patterns of feedback usage and how they influenced accuracy and consistency in performing a closed motor skill. Learners completed 100 practice trials with 25 opportunities to receive knowledge of results (KR), the timing of which was self-chosen, followed by 25 no KR retention trials. The study identified two patterns of self-chosen KR, namely, a faded frequency pattern and a reversed faded frequency pattern. Analyses of variance indicated a significant trial block effect for accuracy in acquisition and no significant main effects or interactions associated with self-chosen patterns of KR. Quantification of regularity of KR patterns yielded correlations indicating that less regularity was associated with greater accuracy in performing the task. These results were congruent with previous research on self chosen feedback.     

小学生的智力因素,非智力因素与学业成绩

许多跨文化研究指出.中国学生学业成绩优异的主要原因,是由于中国学生的非智力因素方面更有利于学习。本项研究主要采用层系回归分析,以智力及一般非智力因素预测学业成绩,其中一般非智力因素再细分为学业性及非学业性部分;受试者为中国153名小学生。结果表明：智力及非智力因素均能预测学业成绩,但以后者的预测力较大,而非智力因素中,学业性部分较非学业性部分更能准确预测学生的学业成绩。     

Effects of delayed reinforcement in a concurrent situation

Pigeons were trained to peck either of two response keys for food reinforcement on equated aperiodic schedules. Delays of reinforcement for pecks at one key reduced the relative frequency of pecking exponentially as a function of the delay interval. Similar functions were obtained when other dependent variables were plotted against the delay interval.     

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Group CBT for Parents of ADHD Children

Improvements in parenting skills do not necessarily lead to improvements in child and parent outcomes for children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Cognitive factors such as parental cognitions and parenting self-efficacy may influence such outcomes. Clinical research on the effects of cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) on parental cognitions, parenting self-efficacy and mental health in Chinese parents of children with ADHD is lacking. This quasi-experimental study intended to assess the effects of a culturally attuned group CBT treatment on the mental health and quality of life of Chinese parents aged 26–58 years, with children with ADHD in Hong Kong. Participants in the experimental group received group CBT and standard treatment and their counterparts in the control group received standard treatment. Primary outcome variables of mental health and quality of life and process variables including parenting stress, parenting efficacy and dysfunctional attitudes were measured at baseline, post-treatment and 3-month follow-up. Data were analysed using 2?×?3 ANCOVAs, Cohen’s d statistics and multiple mediation analyses. Group by time interactions were found for most outcome variables. Effect size statistics indicated that group CBT had small to moderate effects on most outcome variables at post-treatment and follow-up assessments. The effect of CBT on mental health was mediated by the reduction in parenting stress and the effect of CBT on quality of life was mediated by the reductions in parenting stress and dysfunctional attitudes. Given its potential benefit, it is worth considering incorporating this group CBT programme into interventions for Chinese parents with ADHD children.     

Gami-Chunghyuldan ameliorates memory impairment and neurodegeneration induced by intrahippocampal Aβ 1-42 oligomer injection

Soluble oligomeric forms of amyloid beta (AβO) are regarded as a main cause of synaptic and cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and have been a primary target in the development of drug treatments for AD. The present study utilized a mouse model of AD induced by intrahippocampal injection of AβO (10 μM) to investigate the effects of Gami-Chunghyuldan (GCD), a standardized multi-herbal medicinal formula, on the presentation of memory deficits and neurohistological pathogenesis. GCD (10 and 50 mg/kg/day, 5 days, p.o.) improved AβO-induced memory impairment as well as reduced neuronal cell death, astrogliosis, and microgliosis in the hippocampus. In addition, GCD prevented AβO-triggered synaptic disruption and cholinergic fiber loss. These results suggest that GCD may be useful in the prevention and treatment of AD.     

Upgrading the science and technology of assessment and diagnosis: laboratory and clinic-based assessment of children with ADHD

Reviews the usefulness of clinic-based and laboratory-based instruments and paradigms for diagnosing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and monitoring treatment effects. Extant literature examining the performance of normal children and those with ADHD on an extensive range of neurocognitive tests, tasks, and experimental paradigms indicates that particular types of instruments may be more reliable than others with respect to detecting between-group differences. We review task parameters that may distinguish the more reliable from less reliable instruments. The value of clinic-based and laboratory-based instruments for monitoring treatment response in children with ADHD is questionable when evaluated in the context of ecologically relevant variables such as classroom behavior and academic functioning. We present a general conceptual model to highlight conceptual issues relevant to designing clinic-based and laboratory-based instruments for the purposes of diagnosing and monitoring treatment effects in children with ADHD. Application of the model to currently conceptualized core variables indicates that attention and impulsivity-hyperactivity may represent correlative rather than core features of the disorder. We discuss implications of these findings for designing the next generation of clinic-based and laboratory-based instruments.