Profiling key purchase influencers: Those perceived as consumer savvy

The concept of consumer intelligence or consumer savvy is defined and the way in which this can be measured is examined with a view to determining if and how being perceived to be savvy affects decision‐making influence in a family setting in the UK. A sample of 524 matched pairs (mother and her child) drawn from the TNS postal panel responded to a questionnaire that determined the mother's perception of how savvy her child is with regard to shopping in general and with regard to two product categories (casual clothes for the child and a summer holiday). The child's reported influence on decision making in these categories as well as their money management is also explored. The children perceived to be more savvy were female and older. Mothers in lower socio‐economic groups were also more likely to perceive their children as ‘savvy’. The more savvy children were more involved in the purchase decision process. Implications and future research avenues are presented. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Opportunistic propensity hinders commitment to acts in conditions of forced compliance and compliance without pressure

The psychosocial literature contains empirical evidence of the effects of personality variables on commitment to acts. The association of economic opportunism was explored with respect to postexperimental attitude change, intentions, and intrinsic motivation of individuals (N=132) toward acts with either forced compliance or compliance without pressure. In conditions of commitment and compliance without pressure, both intention and intrinsic motivation decreased as economic opportunism increased, while in conditions of commitment and forced compliance, intention increased as economic opportunism increased. Attitude change and economic opportunism did not appear to be associated in any experimental condition. These findings suggest that tendency to noncooperativeness predisposes to reduced concern for consistency and compliance with performed acts.     

Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology Associated with Korsakoff’s Syndrome

Although the neuropathology of Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) was first described well over a century ago and the characteristic brain pathology does not pose a diagnostic challenge to pathologists, there is still controversy over the neuroanatomical substrate of the distinctive memory impairment in these patients. Cohort studies of KS suggest a central role for the mammillary bodies and mediodorsal thalamus, and quantitative studies suggest additional damage to the anterior thalamus is required. Rare cases of KS caused by pathologies other than those of nutritional origin provide support for the role of the anterior thalamus and mammillary bodies. Taken together the evidence to date shows that damage to the thalamus and hypothalamus is required, in particular the anterior thalamic nucleus and the medial mammillary nucleus of the hypothalamus. As these nuclei form part of wider memory circuits, damage to the inter-connecting white matter tracts can also result in a similar deficit as direct damage to the nuclei. Although these nuclei and their connections appear to be the primary site of damage, input from other brain regions within the circuits, such as the frontal cortex and hippocampus, or more distant regions, including the cerebellum and amygdala, may have a modulatory role on memory function. Further studies to confirm the precise site(s) and extend of brain damage necessary for the memory impairment of KS are required.     

Consolidation and translation regulation

mRNA translation, or protein synthesis, is a major component of the transformation of the genetic code into any cellular activity. This complicated, multistep process is divided into three phases: initiation, elongation, and termination. Initiation is the step at which the ribosome is recruited to the mRNA, and is regarded as the major rate-limiting step in translation, while elongation consists of the elongation of the polypeptide chain; both steps are frequent targets for regulation, which is defined as a change in the rate of translation of an mRNA per unit time. In the normal brain, control of translation is a key mechanism for regulation of memory and synaptic plasticity consolidation, i.e., the off-line processing of acquired information. These regulation processes may differ between different brain structures or neuronal populations. Moreover, dysregulation of translation leads to pathological brain function such as memory impairment. Both normal and abnormal function of the translation machinery is believed to lead to translational up-regulation or down-regulation of a subset of mRNAs. However, the identification of these newly synthesized proteins and determination of the rates of protein synthesis or degradation taking place in different neuronal types and compartments at different time points in the brain demand new proteomic methods and system biology approaches. Here, we discuss in detail the relationship between translation regulation and memory or synaptic plasticity consolidation while focusing on a model of cortical-dependent taste learning task and hippocampal-dependent plasticity. In addition, we describe a novel systems biology perspective to better describe consolidation.     

Initiation of Bilateral Responses in a Kinesthetic Reaction Time Task

Two experiments are presented in which different mechanisms controlling each limb in a bilateral arm response to a unilateral kinesthetic stimulus are postulated to occur. In Experiment 1, the limb serving as the stimulus limb was described as operating with relative invariance by using a tightly coupled input-output reflexive pathway, whereas the nonstimulus limb appeared to be controlled by higher-order processing thought to be more susceptible to influences such as hemispheric specialization and stimulus expectancy. The differential control model was further tested in Experiment 2 by retaining the intrahemispheric pathway of the unilateral kinesthetic stimulus but experimentally uncoupling the reflex mechanism from the stimulus side. Analyses of bilateral EMG premotor latencies under these conditions revealed that each response side can be controlled at separate levels —i.e., by a reflexive type mechanism or by higher-order processing when one of the response limbs is also the stimulus limb. When the stimulus is on the same side but not generated by either responding limb, both sides reflect behavior that is best described by an information processing type of voluntary control.     

Cognitive-behavioural Anger Management Training for Adults with Mild Intellectual Disability

Although people with intellectual disabilities often display anger control problems, little research has been conducted on the development and evaluation of cost-effective anger management training programs for this special population. This study evaluated the efficacy of cognitive-behavioural anger management for 11 adults with mild intellectual disabilities in a group therapy format. Improvements were evident on self-report measures of anger and self-esteem. Additionally, caregiver reports indicated general improvements in emotional and behavioural adjustment. Limitations of the study are acknowledged, including the absence of a control condition.     

Consensus Rorschachs and Related Procedures for Studying Interpersonal Patterns

A psychological "type" characterized by repetitive and compulsive action tendencies but not by obsessive thoughts was delineated. It was shown how this syndrome could be identified through differential inter-test patterning on projective techniques. The possibility of improving psychodiagnostic accuracy by stipulating expected configurations among tests in a battery was noted.     

The heat of transport of vacancies in solid argon

Abstract

Computer simulations of the motion of vacancies in a Lennard-Jones model of solid argon have been made by the molecular dynamics technique. The results have been used to evaluate and analyse the heat of transport parameter Q*v for vacancies in this substance. At a temperature of 30 K it is found to be -12 kJ mol-1. The theory of transport shows that there are three main contributions to this quantity coming from the fluxes of kinetic energy, potential energy and a virial of the forces related to the local stress tensor. The main contribution to Q*v is found to be that from the virial term. This explains why discussions that aim to relate the heat of transport to the corresponding enthalpy of activation (which is almost entirely potential energy) have not been successful.     

Short report: The impact of measurement conditions on the validity of self-assessment in a selection setting

Two experimental studies investigated the impact of format and instructions on the validity of SAs, using participants applying for junior management positions in a public sector organization. In Study 1 (607 participants) self-assessments (SAs) were valid when applicants rated overall competencies or the same competencies broken down into discrete elements, but not when providing behavioural evidence prior to rating competencies. The effect of social comparison instructions was also explored but found to have no impact on validity. Study 2 used a subset of 193 candidates from the previous study who attended the next stage of the selection process. Consistent with predictions it was found that unbalanced, positively toned scales were more valid than conventional scales, and highest validities were achieved when used with instructions requesting a realistic SA of strengths and weaknesses. Interestingly, gender differences were found in both studies. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for both research and practice.     

Dialectical behavior therapy: current status, recent developments, and future directions

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was developed as a treatment for parasuicidal women with borderline personality disorder and has been adapted for several other populations. This article describes standard DBT and several adaptations of it and reviews outcome studies with borderline patients in outpatient, inpatient, and crisis intervention settings, borderline patients with substance use disorders, suicidal adolescents, patients with eating disorders, inmates in correctional settings, depressed elders, and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This treatment outcome review is followed by discussion of predictors of change in DBT, possible mechanisms of change, and current developments in theory, practice, and research.