Attention to local form information can prevent access to semantic information.

Humphreys and Boucart (1997) have shown that when processing of local form is required for response, surrounding global information is automatically processed to a semantic level. The generality of this effect was investigated in two experiments in which the perceptual load of the relevant local form information was manipulated, as was uncertainty about perceptual load. Participants attended to a single line segment inside a picture of an animal or a vehicle and then decided which of two pictures in the target/distractor display that followed contained a line segment that matched the first in orientation. The perceptual load of the relevant local form information was either low (the matching line segment was one of the solitary line segments presented in the centre ofthe target and distractor pictures), or high (the matching line segment was part of one of the solitary letters presented in the centre of the target and distractor pictures). The semantic relations among the pictures were manipulated, and when perceptual load remained constant across trials, semantic relations affected performance in the low-load but not in the high-load condition. When perceptual load varied from trial to trial, there was no evidence of any semantic processing on either low- or high-load trials. The results suggest that in form-matching tasks, attentional priority can be given to local information, thus preventing access to semantic information derived from global shape. They further suggest that the distribution of attention is not dictated entirely by the actual perceptual demands of the relevant stimulus, indicating an important role for top-down processing.     

Cardiovascular reactivity during social and nonsocial stressors: do children's personal goals and expressive skills matter?

The relationships between social competence and cardiovascular reactivity were evaluated in 180 children (ages 8-17; 52% female; 53% Caucasian). Participants performed a social task (Social Competence Interview [SCI]) and 2 nonsocial tasks while reactivity measures were obtained. Social competence was coded from SCI audiotapes. Among adolescents, higher scores on the Acceptance-Affiliation subscale were associated with increased heart rate (HR) and blood pressures and with decreased HR variability during the SCI. Among boys, greater Acceptance-Affiliation scores were associated with increased vascular reactivity during the SCI. During the nonsocial tasks, higher Self-Defensiveness and Expressiveness scores were associated with increased cardiac output and stroke volume among African American children. Personal strivings and expressive skills do matter for understanding cardiovascular responses in children.     

Spiritual Bypass: A Preliminary Investigation

The phenomenon of spiritual bypass has received limited attention in the transpersonal psychology and counseling literature and has not been subjected to empirical inquiry. This study examines the phenomenon of spiritual bypass by considering how spirituality, mindfulness, alexithymia (emotional restrictiveness), and narcissism work together to influence depression and anxiety among college students. Results suggested that mindfulness and alexithymia accounted for variance in depression beyond what is accounted for by spirituality and that all 3 factors (mindfulness, alexithymia, and narcissism) accounted for variance in anxiety beyond what is accounted for by spirituality. Implications for counselors are provided.     

Reconsidering Empathy: An Interpersonal Approach and Participatory Arts in the Medical Humanities

Journal of Medical Humanities - The decline of empathy among health professional students, highlighted in the literature on health education, is a concern for medical educators. The evidence...     

Parent‐conducted rapid assessment of attention types for the treatment of attention‐maintained problem behavior

When praise is not a reinforcer for alternative behavior in the treatment of attention‐maintained problem behavior, further pretreatment assessments are warranted to develop an effective treatment. The current study reports a replication of the pretreatment rapid assessment of attention types (RAAT) procedures, implemented by the parents of a 19‐year‐old female with attention‐maintained problem behavior. After administering staff and parent‐conducted RAATs, a parent‐implemented treatment, (a) produced clinically significant decreases in problem behavior, and (b) confirmed that the RAAT identified an attention‐type that served as a reinforcer for appropriate alternative behavior. This study extends the findings of Strohmeier et al. by reporting results of a parent‐conducted RAAT and treatment evaluation. The findings highlight the practical importance of pretreatment assessment of attention‐types, with emphasis on caregiver involvement, to develop effective treatments for attention‐maintained problem behavior.