Glaubhaftigkeitsbegutachtung bei Persönlichkeitsstörungen

Credibility assessment of incriminating declarations by witnesses with a personality disorder have become an increasingly important topic of statement psychology over the past years. Relevant problems along the assessment process and arising questions as well as consequences for jurisdiction are discussed.     

Mood state-dependent memory: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Published research (from 1975 to 1985) on mood state-dependent memory is examined with meta-analytical techniques. Research on mood-congruent memory is also examined when relevant to a mood state-dependent hypothesis. Effect sizes are shown to vary systematically as a function of several variables. Mood state-dependent memory is more often observed with positive rather then negative moods. Also, the strongest effects were found in studies that: (a) used real-life events as the material to be retrieved; (b) selected contrasting moods, i.e. positive vs. negative rather than simply positive or negative vs. neutral moods; (c) used mood states that were specific to the items; (d) lasted longer; (e) had smaller sample size; (f) selected subjects according to direct mood criteria; (g) paid subjects for their participation in the experiment; and (h) used adults rather than students or children. Present findings are consistent with other reviews and with common theories of mood state-dependent memory. However, the findings also highlight the importance of methodological variables, more particularly variables related to the degree of commitment of subjects to the experiment, and variables related to the nature and complexity of the experimental environment. Two dimensions, realism of the experiment and demand sensitivity, compete to account for the methodological results and for some of the theoretical results.     

Effectiveness of Computerized Cognitive Training Programs (CCTP) with Game-like Features in Children with or without Neuropsychological Disorders: a Meta-Analytic Investigation

Neuropsychology Review - Computerized cognitive training programs (CCTP) are based on the assumption that cognitive abilities may be boosted by repetitively performing challenging tasks. The...     

Blind to Bias? Young Children Do Not Anticipate that Sunk Costs Lead to Irrational Choices

Young children anticipate that others act rationally in light of their beliefs and desires, and environmental constraints. However, little is known about whether children anticipate others’ irrational choices. We investigated young children's ability to predict that sunk costs can lead to irrational choices. Across four experiments, 5- to 6-year-olds (total N = 185) and adults (total N = 117) judged which of two identical objects an agent would keep, one obtained at a high cost or one obtained at a low cost. In Experiment 1, adults predicted that the agent would choose the high-cost object over the low-cost one, whereas children responded at chance. Experiment 2 replicated these findings in children, but also included another condition which showed they were sensitive to future costs. They predicted that an agent would be more likely to seek out a low-cost item than a high-cost item. Experiments 3 and 4 then found that children do not anticipate the sunk cost bias in first person scenarios, or in interpersonal sunk cost scenarios, where costs are sunk by others. Taken together, our findings suggest that young children may struggle to understand and predict irrational behavior. The findings also reveal an asymmetry between how they consider sunk costs and future costs in understanding actions. We propose that this asymmetry might arise because children do not consider sunk costs as wasted.