Group Artistic Creativity: Creative Clusters and Cinematic Success in Feature Films1

Filmmaking represents a distinctive form of group creativity in which many individuals contribute to a single creative product. This exploratory investigation examines these contributions in 1,327 English‐language, narrative feature films. Besides control variables, the measures included 2 criteria of impact (Best Picture honors, movie guide ratings) and 16 assessments of outstanding cinematic contributions (direction, male and female lead, male and female supporting, screenplay, art direction, costume design, makeup, cinematography, film editing, score, song, visual effects, sound effects editing, sound). A factor analysis showed that the contributions formed 4 creative clusters: dramatic, visual, technical, and musical. Hierarchical regression analyses indicate that a film's impact was a positive additive function of the dramatic and visual clusters, with the dramatic having the primary role.     

Openness Among Chinese in Conflict: Effects of Direct Discussion and Warmth on Integrative Decision Making1

Although not socially valued, open discussion may still be useful for integrating positions and people in conflict in China, especially when complemented with the nonverbal expression of interpersonal warmth. In an experiment with 80 participants in South China, open discussion compared to avoiding was found to develop a cooperative relationship and open‐minded understanding of the opposing view. The communication of warmth, compared to coldness, developed a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship; exploration of the opposing view; integration of opposing ideas into one's reasoning and decision making; and confidence in future joint work. These results challenge traditional theorizing that open discussion of conflict disrupts relationships and conflict management in China.     

The Suitability of an Inhibitory Learning Approach in Exposure When Habituation Fails: A Clinical Application to Misophonia

Recent findings have led to a reconceptualization of the mechanisms that account for the efficacy of exposure-based treatments. Termed the “inhibitory learning model,” this approach emphasizes new learning when confronted with previously avoided stimuli rather than merely the cessation of fear or aversive emotional responding. In this paper, we propose the applicability of the inhibitory learning model for conditions and contexts in which simple exposure does not produce habituation. We illustrate this application from an in-progress randomized controlled treatment trial for adults with misophonia. Misophonia is a condition marked by strong aversive reactions to specific sounds. It is a difficult to treat and understudied syndrome. All participants in the trial received exposure, either before or after a stress management module of treatment. Exposure treatment emphasized altered expectancies for the target sounds as well as deliberate practice in hearing sounds on the individually developed hierarchy. Inhibitory learning strategies were employed to increase treatment adherence and commitment, shape patient behavior during exposures, manufacture negative prediction errors, increase perceived control over reactions, and promote learning that generalized to functional improvements. The findings are discussed in the context of future applications of the inhibitory learning model for psychopathology associated with avoidance.     

“Phobie à deux” and other reasons why clinicians do not apply exposure with response prevention in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder

Meta-analyses suggest that exposure with response prevention (ERP) is the most efficacious treatment for obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and treatment guidelines for the disorder accordingly recommend ERP. Despite this, many therapists, including those with a cognitive-behavioral therapeutic background, do not perform ERP in patients with OCD. The present study aimed to elucidate the reasons why. German therapists (N = 216) completed an anonymous online survey, the newly developed Reasons for Not Performing Exposure in OCD Scale (REPEX), that inquired whether, to what extent, and how they perform ERP in the treatment of OCD. We also asked their reasons for not applying ERP in the past. Most therapists considered ERP an efficient treatment for OCD. Marked differences emerged between physicians and psychologists, however. The former used exposure less often and for a shorter period, preferred in sensu to in vivo exposure, and conducted exposure less often in the personal environment of the patient than did psychologists. Both groups were familiar with clinical guidelines to a similar extent. A factor analysis of the REPEX scale revealed five factors. Patient lack of motivation, preference for exposure to be self-help as well as alleged organizational difficulties were endorsed most often. The latter was correlated with the age of the therapist and was far more often affirmed by physicians. Fear of side effects was named by a subgroup of clinicians; in the context of patient ambivalence, this may foster “phobie à deux”. Unlike prior research, lack of expertise was rarely identified as a reason not to use ERP. Recommendations for improving adherence to guidelines are discussed.     

Similarity in Gender and Self‐Esteem for Supportive Peer Relationships: The Mediating Role of Cooperative Goals1

The present study investigated whether cooperative goals mediate the relationship between similarity in gender and self‐esteem and social support and relationship quality in ongoing peer dyads. Based on data collected from 209 student dyads, the findings largely support the mediating role of cooperative goals. However, the study found that gender similarity was positively related while self‐esteem similarity was negatively related to cooperative goals and relationship quality of peer dyad members.     

Clients' perceptions of how reorientation therapy and self-help can promote changes in sexual orientation

Presented is a summary of 882 homosexual people's responses to 5 open-ended questions about sexual reorientation therapy. Of the 882 participants, 726 reported that they had received reorientation therapy from a professional therapist or a pastoral counselor. As a group, 779 (89.7%) of the participants viewed themselves as "more homosexual than heterosexual," "almost exclusively homosexual," or "exclusively homosexual" in their orientation before receiving reorientation therapy or making self-help efforts to change. The majority reported they believed sexual reorientation therapy and various forms of self-help were helpful to them, psychologically, spiritually, and sexually.     

Social support group attendance is related to blood pressure, health behaviours, and quality of life in the Multicenter Lifestyle Demonstration Project

Changes in coronary risk factors, health behaviours, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) were examined by tertiles of social support group attendance in 440 patients (21% females) with coronary artery disease. All patients participated in the Multicenter Lifestyle Demonstration Project (MLDP; eight hospital sites in the USA), an insurance-covered multi-component cardiac prevention program including dietary changes, stress management, exercise and group support for 1 year. Significant improvements in coronary risk factors, health behaviours, and HRQOL were noted at 1 year. Several of these improvements (i.e. systolic blood pressure, health behaviours, HRQOL) were related to social support group attendance, favoring those who attended more sessions. The associations between support group attendance to systolic blood pressure and to four HRQOL subscales (bodily pain, social functioning, mental health, and the mental health summary score) remained significant when controlling for changes in health behaviours, but dropped to a non-significant level for the HRQOL subscales 'physical functioning', 'general health' and 'role-emotional'. These results suggest an independent relationship of social support group attendance to systolic blood pressure while improvements in quality of life may be in part due to improved health behaviours facilitated by increased social support group attendance.     

Application of a Sensemaking Approach to Ethics Training in the Physical Sciences and Engineering

Integrity is a critical determinant of the effectiveness of research organizations in terms of producing high quality research and educating the new generation of scientists. A number of responsible conduct of research (RCR) training programs have been developed to address this growing organizational concern. However, in spite of a significant body of research in ethics training, it is still unknown which approach has the highest potential to enhance researchers' integrity. One of the approaches showing some promise in improving researchers' integrity has focused on the development of ethical decision-making skills. The current effort proposes a novel curriculum that focuses on broad metacognitive reasoning strategies researchers use when making sense of day-to-day social and professional practices that have ethical implications for the physical sciences and engineering. This sensemaking training has been implemented in a professional sample of scientists conducting research in electrical engineering, atmospheric and computer sciences at a large multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary, and multi-university research center. A pre-post design was used to assess training effectiveness using scenario-based ethical decision-making measures. The training resulted in enhanced ethical decision-making of researchers in relation to four ethical conduct areas, namely data management, study conduct, professional practices, and business practices. In addition, sensemaking training led to researchers' preference for decisions involving the application of the broad metacognitive reasoning strategies. Individual trainee and training characteristics were used to explain the study findings. Broad implications of the findings for ethics training development, implementation, and evaluation in the sciences are discussed.     

Dynamic visual noise interferes with storage in visual working memory

Several studies have demonstrated that dynamic visual noise (DVN) does not interfere with memory for random matrices. This has led to suggestions that (a) visual working memory is distinct from imagery, and (b) visual working memory is not a gateway between sensory input and long-term storage. A comparison of the interference effects of DVN with memory for matrices and colored textures shows that DVN can interfere with visual working memory, probably at a level of visual detail not easily supported by long-term memory structures or the recoding of the visual pattern elements. The results support a gateway model of visuospatial working memory and raise questions about the most appropriate ways to measure and model the different levels of representation of information that can be held in visual working memory.     

Neuropsychological Contributions to the Early Identification of Alzheimer’s Disease

A wealth of evidence demonstrates that a prodromal period of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) exists for some years prior to the appearance of significant cognitive and functional declines required for the clinical diagnosis. This prodromal period of decline is characterized by a number of different neuropsychological and brain changes, and reliable identification of individuals prior to the development of significant clinical symptoms remains a top priority of research. In this review we provide an overview of those neuropsychological changes. In particular, we examine specific domains of cognition that appear to be negatively affected during the prodromal period of AD, and we review newer analytic strategies designed to examine cognitive asymmetries or discrepancies between higher-order cognitive functions versus fundamental skills. Finally, we provide a critical examination of the clinical concept of Mild Cognitive Impairment and offer suggestions for an increased focus on the impact of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and CVD risk during the prodromal period of AD.