Community Psychology in Ghana: Challenges,Successes and Prospects

Community psychology gained formal recognition in Ghana when a few students were admitted to Wilfrid Laurier University, in Canada, to pursue master's degree in the early 1990s. In Ghana, community psychology is enacted through the operations of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and professionals. The university classroom is also being used as the main context for introducing people to the field of community psychology. In comparison with the work of community psychologists in countries such as the United States of America and Canada, the field is still underdeveloped in Ghana. “Small wins” which refers to the process of achieving an intervention objective through gradual and incremental successes, are considered as examples of “best practice” in Ghana, where religion and superstition are at the heart of almost every activity. Despite the current challenges, community psychology has a promising future in Ghana.     

Paradox lost: Understanding vague predicates

Abstract

The paper is concerned with the status of vague predicates. It is argued that they are for the most part ‘classifiers’, which are covertly comparatives and name not monadic properties but relations. The Sorites Paradox, it is claimed, is thus defused and a verdict theory of vague predicates is presented. Our practice in using vague words is described and it is contended that in our use of these predicates we always have a permanent possibility of independent demarcation. Wittgenstein's picture of the wall and the swamp is deployed to avoid the Transition Problem and it is argued against Fregeans that we need vague language for the advancement of knowledge and understanding.     

An investigation of psychosocial factors related to changes in physical activity and fitness among female adolescents

Research examined the effects of a supervised physical activity program on potential psychosocial mediators and determined whether changes in these psychosocial variables predicted changes in physical activity and fitness. Sedentary adolescent females were assigned to an intervention (n?=?79) or comparison (n?=?67) group. Cardiovascular fitness (cycle ergometer), physical activity (3-Day Physical Activity Recall), and psychosocial variables related to physical activity (i.e., self-efficacy, perceived barriers, social support, enjoyment) were assessed at three time points over the 9-month study. An intention-to-treat analysis showed that the intervention did not impact any of the psychosocial variables, with the exception of perceived barriers, which increased in the intervention group. Longitudinal analyses showed that improvements in fitness were associated with positive changes in global self-efficacy and exercise enjoyment. Psychosocial variables did not mediate the program's effects on fitness or activity. However, individual level changes in psychosocial variables were related to changes in cardiovascular fitness.     

The Development of Transitivity of Length in Young Children

This research examined whether developmental changes occur in young children's abilities to learn transitive information. Children 4 years 6 months to 5 years 6 months and 6 to 7 years were asked to learn a series, A > B > C, or a nonseries, A > B, C > D. Younger children took longer to learn the series than the nonseries. Children learning the series correctly answered the inference question, but could not distinguish between situations in which it was possible or impossible to make inferences. The results suggest that there are developmental changes in transitivity abilities and that transitivity is a concept that emerges gradually.     

Helpful processes in psychological therapy for patients with primary cancers: A qualitative interview study

Aims: The purpose of this study was to identify what patients with primary cancers found helpful in therapy. Method: In‐depth qualitative interviews were conducted with eight patients who had completed a course of psychological therapy within an NHS psychology service for cancer patients. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: The participants identified a range of helpful processes in therapy: talking and expressing their feelings to someone outside of the family; forming a relationship with their therapist; normalisation through the therapists' expert knowledge; problem‐solving and CBT. Limitations: As with all qualitative studies, the small sample and size and dependence on participant recall limits generalisability of the findings. Implications: The findings of this study are consistent with a pluralistic perspective: that multiple therapeutic processes ‐ aligned to a range of different orientations ‐ can be of value to patients with primary cancers. This supports the provision of a range of therapeutic interventions and strategies for this patient group.     

Philosophy's Tragedy

Is tragedy, as Nietzsche declared, dead? In recent years many philosophers have reconsidered tragedy's relation to philosophy. While tragedy is deemed to contain important lessons for philosophy, there is a consensus that it remains a thing of the past. This article calls this consensus into question, arguing that it reifies tragedy, keeping tragedy at arm's length. With the interest of identifying the necessity of tragedy to philosophy, it draws from Quentin Skinner to put forward an alternative approach to genre as living form. This approach alters our understanding of the philosopher at the heart of philosophy's dialogue with tragedy, Immanuel Kant. Moreover, it shows that tragedy is closer to contemporary philosophy than we might think.     

Insulin receptor substrate 2 is a negative regulator of memory formation

Insulin has been shown to impact on learning and memory in both humans and animals, but the downstream signaling mechanisms involved are poorly characterized. Insulin receptor substrate-2 (Irs2) is an adaptor protein that couples activation of insulin- and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptors to downstream signaling pathways. Here, we have deleted Irs2, either in the whole brain or selectively in the forebrain, using the nestin Cre- or D6 Cre-deleter mouse lines, respectively. We show that brain- and forebrain-specific Irs2 knockout mice have enhanced hippocampal spatial reference memory. Furthermore, NesCreIrs2KO mice have enhanced spatial working memory and contextual- and cued-fear memory. Deletion of Irs2 in the brain also increases PSD-95 expression and the density of dendritic spines in hippocampal area CA1, possibly reflecting an increase in the number of excitatory synapses per neuron in the hippocampus that can become activated during memory formation. This increase in activated excitatory synapses might underlie the improved hippocampal memory formation observed in NesCreIrs2KO mice. Overall, these results suggest that Irs2 acts as a negative regulator on memory formation by restricting dendritic spine generation.