The influence of perceptual and motor factors on bimanual coordination in a polyrhythmic tapping task

Summary In this study the role of perceptual and motor factors on the motor organization (integrated versus parallel) adopted by musically skilled and unskilled subjects in a polyrhythmic tapping task was investigated. Subjects tapped a 3:2 polyrhythm to match the timing of two isochronous tone trains, one tone train for each hand. Perceptual factors were examined by the manipulation of the frequency difference between the tone trains to produce either an integrated or a streamed percept. Motor factors were examined by comparison of performance on two versions of the 3:2 polyrhythm. In one (simultaneous) version, each cycle of the polyrhythm began with a simultaneous left- and right-hand tap. In the other (shifted) version a 100-ms interval was introduced between the initial left and right taps in each cycle. Examination of the pattern of variances and covariances among intertap intervals suggested that most of the subjects in this study adopted an integrated motor organization that involved interleaving the timing of the two hands. Further analysis revealed that a serial chained model described the pattern of covariances best for the simultaneous pattern, whereas a hierarchical organization described the pattern of covariances for the shifted pattern best. The finding that performance was more accurate with integrated tones than with streamed tones provides some support for a perceptual-motor facilitation hypothesis.     

A comparison of health disparities among transgender adults in Colorado (USA) by race and income

Transgender individuals face heightened risks for discrimination, harassment, and violence that impact their psychosocial well-being and physical health. However, few studies have thoroughly examined the general physical and mental health of transgender adults or within-group health differences by race/ethnicity and income. To that end, after controlling for health insurance status, age, and engagement in exercise, this study asks: (a) Are transgender people of color more likely than White transgender individuals to experience poor health outcomes? and (b) Is lower annual household income among transgender adults associated with poorer health outcomes? The study analyzes secondary data from a survey of transgender adults (N = 417) in one state in the western United States using multiple linear regression and logistic regression models. Results showed that transgender people of color had significantly greater odds than their White counterparts of having arthritis/rheumatoid arthritis/gout/lupus/fibromyalgia, or asthma but lower odds of being told by a provider that they had depression. Having a lower income was significantly associated with worse general health as well as multiple indicators of poor physical and mental health, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. We discuss implications for health care delivery for transgender people and for future research.     

Religious studies as a modern academic discipline in Korea

This article offers a historical and institutional overview of the discipline of religious studies in Korea. It first reviews four early sources of comparative studies: work by Christian missionaries; by Japanese scholars during the period of colonization by that nation; by nationalist Korean scholars who reacted against colonization; and by Korean Christian theologians. The founding of the Korean Association for the History of Religions (KAHR) in 1969 was a key point in the professionalization of the discipline. The field became more firmly established in the late 1980s and early 1990s and has diversified in recent years with a new generation of often foreign-trained scholars. The article ends with a brief discussion of potential contributions that the discipline could make to current debates of national significance.     

The effect of the order in which episodic autobiographical memories versus autobiographical knowledge are shared on feelings of closeness

Autobiographical memories (AMs) can be used to create and maintain closeness with others [Alea, N., &; Bluck, S. (2003). Why are you telling me that? A conceptual model of the social function of autobiographical memory. Memory, 11(2), 165–178]. However, the differential effects of memory specificity are not well established. Two studies with 148 participants tested whether the order in which autobiographical knowledge (AK) and specific episodic AM (EAM) are shared affects feelings of closeness. Participants read two memories hypothetically shared by each of four strangers. The strangers first shared either AK or an EAM, and then shared either AK or an EAM. Participants were randomly assigned to read either positive or negative AMs from the strangers. Findings suggest that people feel closer to those who share positive AMs in the same way they construct memories: starting with general and moving to specific.     

Reviews of current books

Pastoral Psychology -     

The impact of communal-mastery versus self-mastery on emotional outcomes during stressful conditions: a prospective study of Native American women

Past research has examined the stress resiliency of individuals high in sense of personal-mastery. However, it has been theorized that within more collectivist cultures, a sense of shared efficacy, which we call communal-mastery, may be more central to people's resiliency in the face of challenging life circumstances. We compared the impact of sense of self-mastery (i.e., I am the key to my success) to that of communal-mastery (i.e., I am successful by virtue of my social attachments) in a prospective study among a group of rural 103 Native American women residing on Indian Reservations in Montana. We found that women high in communal-mastery experienced less increase in depressive mood and anger, especially when faced with high stress circumstances, than women who were low in communal-mastery. In addition, the beneficial impact of communal-mastery was found to be more effective than self-mastery for these women.     

Self-perceived competence and the relation between life events and depressive symptoms in adolescence: mediator or moderator?

In a 2-wave longitudinal study, 9th-grade students (N = 468) completed self-report measures of stressful life events, depressive symptoms, and 5 domains of self-perceived competence (i.e., academic competence, social acceptance, physical appearance, behavioral conduct, and athletic competence). Teachers and peers also reported about the participants' depressive symptoms. In longitudinal analyses, negative (but not positive) events related to depressive symptoms. Results suggested that self-perceived competence served as a mediator (but not a moderator) of this relation. Negative events predicted changes in self-perceived competence. Self-perceived competence predicted changes in depressive symptoms. Also, the direct effect of negative events on depressive symptoms diminished after controlling for self-perceived competence.