Physical Activity and Increases in M Response

An attempt was made to demonstrate that in spite of the clinically documented characteristic inverse relationship between fantasy activity and physical activity, there also exists a direct, associative relationship between the two. M and other inkblot scores were the measures of fantasy, and inkblot responses were obtained before and during exercise (not after exercise, as previous studies). A significant increase was observed in the inkblot measures during exercise, and this associative bond between fantasy and physical activity was seen in the light of: 1) interference with the organism-environment interaction; 2) the dual meaning of M; and 3) the development of ego delay capacity.     

A Psychometric Analysis of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form (TEIQue–SF) Using Item Response Theory

Trait emotional intelligence refers to a constellation of emotional self-perceptions located at the lower levels of personality hierarchies. In 2 studies, we sought to examine the psychometric properties of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form (TEIQue–SF; Petrides, 2009) using item response theory (IRT). Study 1 (N= 1,119, 455 men) showed that most items had good discrimination and threshold parameters and high item information values. At the global level, the TEIQue–SF showed very good precision across most of the latent trait range. Study 2 (N= 866, 432 men) used similar IRT techniques in a new sample based on the latest version of the TEIQue–SF (version 1.50). Results replicated Study 1, with the instrument showing good psychometric properties at the item and global level. Overall, the 2 studies suggest the TEIQue-SF can be recommended when a rapid assessment of trait emotional intelligence is required.     

Effects of 7.5% CO2 inhalation on allocation of spatial attention to facial cues of emotional expression

Increased vigilance to threat-related stimuli is thought to be a core cognitive feature of anxiety. We sought to investigate the cognitive impact of experimentally induced anxiety, by means of a 7.5% CO₂ challenge, which acts as an unconditioned anxiogenic stimulus, on attentional bias for positive and negative facial cues of emotional expression in the dot-probe task. In two experiments we found robust physiological and subjective effects of the CO₂ inhalation consistent with the claim that the procedure reliably induces anxiety. Data from the dot-probe task demonstrated an attentional bias to emotional facial expressions compared with neutral faces regardless of valence (happy, angry, and fearful). These attentional effects, however, were entirely inconsistent in terms of their relationship with induced anxiety. We conclude that the previously reported poor reliability of this task is the most parsimonious explanation for our conflicting findings and that future research should develop a more reliable paradigm for measuring attentional bias in this field.     

Therapeutic outcomes in the Welsh Government's school‐based counselling strategy: An evaluation

Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of school‐based counselling, as delivered in the Welsh Government's School‐based Counselling Strategy, for reducing psychological distress in young people aged 11–18. Method: The study used a quantitative cohort design, comparing levels of distress on either the Young Person's CORE (YP‐CORE) or the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) from baseline to endpoint. Data were available on 3613 episodes of counselling, across 42 datasets. Meta‐analytical procedures were used to identify the mean effect size and predictors of outcomes. Results: Within each dataset, counselling was associated with significant reductions in psychological distress, with a mean effect size (d) of 0.93(95% CI = 0.89–0.97) using a fixed effects model and 1.09 (95% CI = 0.97–1.22) using a random effects model. Datasets using the YP‐CORE had larger effect sizes than those using the SDQ, and datasets with more complete response rates had lower outcomes than those with poorer response rates. Conclusion: The results confirm that school‐based counselling, as delivered in the UK, is associated with significant reductions in psychological distress, comparable to adult counselling and psychotherapy services.     

Visual mental representations supporting object drawing: How naming a novel object with a novel count noun impacts on young children's object drawing

Object drawing can be supported by a number of cognitive resources, each making available visual information about the object being drawn. These resources include perceptual input, short-term visual memory, and long-term visual memory. Each of these resources has the potential to make available distinct forms of visual representation, including viewpoint-specific and viewpoint-independent representations, object-specific and category representations, and separate representations of object colour. We review neuropsychological and developmental evidence supporting these claims, including evidence that the same drawing can reflect the influence of multiple forms of visual representation. Seven experiments are then reported, investigating object drawing by 4- to 6-year-old children, to confirm the support for drawing provided by different forms of visual representation. Young children are selected for investigation because their drawing is relatively unconstrained by culturally determined norms which, in our culture, dictate that objects should be drawn just as they appear from the vantage point of the drawer. To distinguish the support provided by object and category representations, the experiments exploit the privileged links between count nouns as object labels, and representations of object categories. In addition, pre-established representations, visual or otherwise, are precluded from influencing drawing by asking the children to draw novel objects, and by creating novel count nouns with which to label the objects. The results reveal how viewpoint-specific perceptual representations, object-specific representations of shape and of colour, and category representations of shape can each impact on object drawing, and in some circumstances on the same drawing. It appears that simple drawing tasks have the potential to reveal some of the distinct types of representation able to support visual cognition.     

Aging and automaticity: Evaluation of instance-based and strength-based mechanisms

Abstract

Experiments evaluated instance-based learning as a possible sole mechanism underlying development of automaticity. Age differences in extended practice lexical decision and factors that could effect age-related performance on lexical decision tasks were also examined. the first experiment was conducted to evaluate the role of stimulus-specific and strategic, task-specific learning underlying performance improvement in a trained lexical decision task. the first experiment consisted of a training and a transfer phase. the training phase assessed age-related differences on a lexical decision task where an attention response could, in principle, be developed (Search condition) and where an attention response could not develop (Nonsearch condition). the transfer phase was conducted to evaluate the role of strategic, task-specific factors on performance improvement observed in the training phase. Age-related differences in word-nonword response time differences were eliminated with practice in the nonsearch, but not the search, version of the task. Transfer tests also implicate strategic differences as a partial source of age differences in lexical decision performance. Experiment 2 was a 10-session (two-week) extended practice study which was conducted to provide a strong test of instance-based learning as a sole mechanism for automaticity. Contrary to predictions of instance theory, the Search and Nonsearch conditions converged for the young adults. Consistent with a strength-based theory of automaticity applied to cognitive aging, the conditions did not converge for older adults. the results provide further support for age differences in automaticity-as-attention training. Based on these and other results, the importance of considering varieties of automaticity in theories of cognitive aging is discussed.     

Managerial Stress in Greater China: The Direct and Moderator Effects of Coping Strategies and Work Locus of Control

La présente étude examine les effets directs et modérateurs des stratégies de défense (contrôle et support) et de la perception de contrôle au travail (extérieure) sur des relations stresseur-tension entre des gestionnaires de la grande Chine (la République populaire de Chine, Hong Kong, et Taiwan). Les données ont été recueillies, via un questionnaire autoadministré, auprès de 876 gestionnaires soit 249 (164 hommes, 85 femmes) en République populaire de Chine, 280 à Hong Kong (159 hommes, 120 femmes, 1 non classifié), et 347 (191 hommes, 151 femmes, 5 non classifiés) au Taiwan. Des effets directs et modérateurs pour les stratégies de défense et pour la perception de contrôle ont été démontrés pour quelques relations stresseur-tension dans les divers échantillons étudiés.
The present study aims at examining the direct and moderator effects of coping strategies (control and support coping) and work locus of control (externality) on the stressor-strain relationships among managers in Greater China (the People's Republic of China [PRC], Hong Kong, and Taiwan). A self-administered survey method was employed to collect data from 249 (164 male, 85 female) managers in the PRC, 280 (159 male, 120 female, 1 unclassified) managers in Hong Kong, and 347 (191 male, 151 female, 5 unclassified) managers in Taiwan. The direct and moderator effects of control coping, support coping, and work locus of control on some stressor-strain relationships were demonstrated in the studied samples.