Morphemes in their place: Evidence for position-specific identification of suffixes

Previous research strongly suggests that morphologically complex words are recognized in terms of their constituent morphemes. A question thus arises as to how the recognition system codes for morpheme position within words, given that it needs to distinguish morphological anagrams like overhang and hangover. The present study focused specifically on whether the recognition of suffixes occurs in a position-specific fashion. Experiments 1 and 2 revealed that morphologically complex nonwords (gasful ) are rejected more slowly than orthographic controls (gasfil ) but that the same interference effect is not present when the morphemic constituents are reversed ( fulgas vs. filgas). Experiment 3 went further in demonstrating that reversing the morphemes within words (e.g., nesskind) does not yield morpheme interference effects against orthographic controls (e.g., nusskind). These results strongly suggest that suffix identification is position specific, which imposes important constraints on the further development of models of morphological processing.     

Remembered study mode: Support for the distinctiveness account of the production effect

The production effect is the finding that words spoken aloud at study are subsequently remembered better than are words read silently at study. According to the distinctiveness account, aloud words are remembered better because the act of speaking those words aloud is encoded and later recovery of this information can be used to infer that those words were studied. An alternative account (the strength-based account) is that memory strength is simply greater for words read aloud. To discriminate these two accounts, we investigated study mode judgements (i.e., “aloud”/”silent”/”new” ratings): The strength-based account predicts that “aloud” responses should positively correlate with memory strength, whereas the distinctiveness account predicts that accuracy of study mode judgements will be independent of memory strength. Across three experiments, where the strength of some silent words was increased by repetition, study mode was discriminable regardless of strength—even when the strength of aloud and repeated silent items was equivalent. Consistent with the distinctiveness account, we conclude that memory for “aloudness” is independent of memory strength and a likely candidate to explain the production effect.     

A Cybernetic Theory of Psychopathology

Abstract

Cybernetics, the study of principles governing goal-directed, self-regulating systems, offers a useful approach to understanding psychopathology or psychological dysfunction, overcoming limitations of other naturalistic approaches. Whereas influential theories of psychopathology have relied on definitions of dysfunction rooted in evolution and fitness, we define psychopathology in terms of cybernetic dysfunction, failure to make progress toward important goals. Cybernetic function in organisms is not identical to evolutionary function, despite their causal phylogenetic relationship. We define psychopathology as persistent failure to move toward one’s goals, due to failure to generate effective new goals, interpretations, or strategies when existing ones prove unsuccessful. This definition allows a thorough integration of dimensional approaches to psychopathology and personality and provides a new perspective on the nosology of mental disorder. We review evidence that the major dimensions of psychopathology correspond to major trait dimensions of personality, but we assert that extremity on these dimensions is neither necessary nor sufficient for psychopathology, which requires cybernetic dysfunction. Drawing from psychological and neurobiological research on personality and psychopathology, we present a theory of the mechanisms underlying the five major dimensions of psychopathology, some of their subdimensions, and the general risk factor for psychopathology. We conclude by discussing implications of our theory for research, diagnosis, and mental health interventions.     

The Effectiveness of Group Metacognitive Therapy for Generalised Anxiety Disorder: A Pilot Study

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) responds well to individually delivered metacognitive therapy (MCT). The current study investigated the effectiveness of MCT administered to groups of patients with GAD in a general outpatient treatment centre. Thirty-three consecutively referred adult patients with GAD were assessed before treatment (pretreatment), after the last treatment session (posttreatment), and six months after treatment had ended (follow-up). Analyses of treatment effects were conducted for all patients entering the study (i.e., intent-to-treat analysis, using the last-observation-carried-forward procedure), and repeated for the patients who completed treatment (completers analysis), using paired samples t-tests. Further, effect sizes (ESs) and indices of clinical significance were calculated, and compared with those reported in studies into the efficacy and effectiveness of individually delivered MCT for GAD. Among both the intent-to-treat and the completers sample, large pre- to posttreatment reductions in symptoms of worry, trait-anxiety, and general psychopathology. The magnitude of change and the degree of clinical significance were smaller than those reported in studies into the effectiveness of individually delivered MCT for GAD, whereas the attrition rate (27 %) was higher. It is tentatively concluded that MCT for GAD can be effectively delivered in a group format in a heterogenous clinical practice setting. Further evaluation is clearly indicated.     

Detection and recognition of emotional expressions: Effects of traits of personality disorder and gender

A problem in the processing of emotions has long been thought to be strongly associated with the aetiology and maintenance of personality disorders. Previous research has demonstrated a hyposensitivity to the faces expressing fear in those high on the traits of psychopathy, while patients with BPD have been shown to be hypersensitive to expressions in general. However, many previous studies could be explained by a bias in reporting particular expressions rather than a change in sensitivity to these expressions. Using two tasks, the present study examined both the detection and the recognition of four emotional expressions (anger, happy, sad, and fear) in a community sample of males and females. Measures of self-reported psychopathy and Borderline Personality traits were administered. The results showed marked gender differences. Psychopathy was negatively related to performance in both the detection and recognition of fear, but only for males. Borderline Personality traits were positively related to overall performance in the recognitions task, but only for females. The results suggest strong differences in the role that emotional processing might play between the genders.     

Measuring Responsiveness in the Therapeutic Relationship: A Patient Perspective

This article reports results from a three-country study of patient perceptions of physician responsiveness. Based on existing research in the medical and social-psychological literatures, we theorized that patients' perceptions of physician responsiveness to their needs would be an important component of the patient–physician relationship and that this construct could be distinguished reliably from more global assessments of patient satisfaction. We then developed a new measure designed to assess these perceptions from the patients' point of view. This measure was administered to large samples of patients in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Results supported our hypotheses. Patient perception of physician responsiveness significantly predicted both patient satisfaction and subjective health-related problems, over and above effects attributable to general satisfaction. We also noted the absence of significant differences across the three cultures or sex, suggesting that the process we identify has considerable generality. We also describe a short version of our measure that researchers may find useful in a variety of research or clinical settings.     

Haloperidol-induced Mood and Retrieval of Happy and Unhappy Memories

The present study investigated the effect of haloperidol-induced mood in normal healthy male volunteers on the retrieval of memories of real-life personal experiences using a between-subjects double-blind design. Forty subjects were required to retrieve past real life experiences associated with a series of stimulus words following administration of a single oral dose of 5mg haloperidol or placebo. The experiences were subsequently rated by subjects for their happiness felt at the time of the original experience. A significant decline in self-reported hedonic tone was observed in subjects given haloperidol. In addition, subjects on placebo recalled a significantly greater percentage of happy memories than subjects who were on haloperidol; a trend for a reverse pattern was observed for unhappy memories. The effects of the drug on the retrieval of memories were only in part mediated by the decline in hedonic tone scores. The effects of haloperidol are interpreted in terms of drug-induced dysphoria.     

Differences in selective processing of nonemotional information between agoraphobic and normal subjects

Abstract

The performance of agoraphobic and normal subjects is compared across three different types of task (Kamin blocking effect, incidental learning, and choice reaction time) all designed to tap processing of neutral stimuli. Agoraphobics differed from normals on the Kamin blocking task and on one of the two incidental learning measures employed. Choice reaction time performance was the same in both groups. The relevance of these findings for future studies of emotional processing in such subjects is discussed.