Internet addiction disorder: an Italian study.

The Italian version of the Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was administered online to a sample of Italian chatters (n = 236) who were different in terms of gender, age, and occupation. Results revealed that young users are more at-risk subjects for Internet addiction than adults, perceiving a compromised social and individual quality of their life that led them to make a compensatory usage of the Internet. Similarly, employed users perceive their social and individual quality of life as more compromised by the Internet than students. Moreover, subjects who declared spending much time online obtained IAT scores higher than others in all the IAT subscales. Finally, nightly users are more at-risk subjects for developing an Internet addiction disorder, diminishing their individual quality of life and disabling their time control.     

Promoting foot–leg movements in children with multiple disabilities through the use of support devices and technology for regulating contingent stimulation

The present study assessed the possibility of promoting pre-ambulatory foot–leg movements in children with multiple disabilities by motivating their action through contingent stimulation combined with a support device. Two children aged 10 and 8 years participated. Microswitch technology (i.e., pressure sensors under the shoes or optic sensors at the front–inner side of the shoes) served for detecting the foot–leg movements and providing contingent stimulation on their occurrence. Sensor activation produced 5 s of stimulation during intervention. Data showed that both children had significant increases in foot–leg movements during the intervention phases. Implications of the data in terms of skill acquisition and further intervention prospects are discussed.     

A cross-national comparison of Mexican and Mexican American couples using the Marital Satisfaction Inventory-Revised (Spanish)

This study examined psychometric properties of the Spanish translation of the Marital Satisfaction Inventory-Revised (MSI-R) in a sample of 71 Spanish-speaking couples in Mexico. Results from this sample were compared to findings obtained from 65 Mexican American couples who completed the MSI-R in Spanish. Both the internal consistency and factor structure of the Spanish MSI-R with Mexican couples were found to be comparable to findings on the Spanish MSI-R for Mexican American couples. Moreover, multivariate analysis indicated no significant mean profile differences between these two groups as a function of nationality, gender, or nationality-by-gender interaction. These findings offer initial evidence toward establishing the appropriateness of the Spanish MSI-R for use with Spanish-dominant Mexican couples.     

Attentional blink and attentional capture: endogenous versus exogenous control over paying attention to two important events in close succession

Identification of the second of two targets is impaired if it is presented less than about 500 msec after the first This attentional blink (AB) occurs under dual-task conditions in which observers are required to report both targets. AB magnitude has been estimated by subtracting the accuracy scores in the dual task from the corresponding scores in a single task in which observers are instructed to ignore the first target. Experiment 1 showed this procedure to be inappropriate, because the first target cannot be ignored. The remaining three experiments elaborated on this finding andrevealed separate endogenous and exogenous sources of the second-target deficit. A parallel was drawn between the AB deficit and the deficit observed in attentional capture. Both types of deficit can be explained on the basis of a hybrid input-filtering model in which endogenous and exogenous factors are subserved by different pathways.     

Italian developmental dyslexic and proficient readers: where are the differences?

Italian dyslexic children are characterized by a pervasive reading speed deficit, with relatively preserved accuracy. This pattern has been associated with predominant use of the nonlexical reading procedure. However, there is no evidence of a deficit in the lexical route of Italian dyslexics. We investigated both lexical and nonlexical reading procedures in dyslexic children through two marker effects, namely, the word frequency effect and the effect of contextual grapheme-to-phoneme conversion rules. Although dyslexics were slower and less accurate than controls, they were affected by word frequency, grapheme contextuality, and their interaction in a similar manner as average readers. These results show the use of lexical reading in Italian dyslexics, and refute the claim of a deficit in whole-word processing with consequent over-reliance on the nonlexical route.     

Saccade-stepping interactions revise the motor plan for obstacle avoidance

The authors used a stimulus-response compatibility paradigm to assess the effect of changing the estimated time to obstacle contact. A limb-selection cue was presented in different phases of gait to young (n = 5) and to older (n = 4) adults while they were moving toward a foam obstacle in the walking path. A downward saccade was initiated after the cue; the saccade typically occurred during the stance phase of the target limb (the foot cued to lead the step over the obstacle). The mean saccade-step latency after the cue was on the order of -500 ms in both young and elderly participants. On reaching the obstacle, both groups generated an upward saccade approximately -300 ms before target footlift in both groups. Saccades following the limb-selection cue appeared to direct the gaze toward footfall targets just beyond the obstacle, whereas saccades generated just before obstacle footlift moved the gaze to the forward-looking direction. The elderly had significantly longer saccade-trailing-footlift latencies and prolonged gaze-fixation times than did the younger adults. Transient disruptions in optical flow appeared to be necessary for successful obstacle-avoidance behavior when there was an unexpected change in the estimated time to obstacle contact.     

Word length effect in early reading and in developmental dyslexia

Vocal reaction times were measured in Italian dyslexics and in proficient readers while they read single words. Three groups of control participants (for a total of 79) were tested. All were in the first, second or third grade of elementary school. Nine third graders with a low level of reading ability when assessed by standard reading procedures were also tested. Results indicated that vocal RTs of control participants were faster and less sensitive to word length as a function of age; also, there was a particularly marked change between first and second graders. Dyslexics' vocal RTs and errors were much worse than those of peer control participants and resembled those of first grade controls. It is suggested that normal readers in an orthographically transparent language (Italian) adopt a lexical strategy quite early in their learning. On the contrary, dyslexics seem unable to learn this mode of processing and continue to use a sub-lexical reading procedure.     

Inhibition of return to an occluded object depends on expectation

Inhibition of return (IOR) is indexed by slower reaction times to targets presented at previously attended locations or objects. If a moving object is occluded, some studies find IOR, others do not. Four experiments examined whether this inconsistency hinges on the observer's expectation as to whether the object continues to exist at the end of its motion sequence. Results showed that observer expectation is a powerful determining factor: IOR occurs only if the observer expects the object to continue to exist. In contrast, if the object is not occluded, IOR occurs only if the object remains on view immediately before the target is presented. It was concluded that 2 factors, object continuity and observer expectation, mediate both location- and object-based IOR.     

Reliability of DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders: implications for the classification of emotional disorders

The reliability of current and lifetime Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) anxiety and mood disorders was examined in 362 outpatients who underwent 2 independent administrations of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV: Lifetime version (ADIS-IV-L). Good to excellent reliability was obtained for the majority of DSM-IV categories. For many disorders, a common source of unreliability was disagreements on whether constituent symptoms were sufficient in number, severity, or duration to meet. DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. These analyses also highlighted potential boundary problems for some disorders (e.g., generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder). Analyses of ADIS-IV-L clinical ratings (0-8 scales) indicated favorable interrater agreement for the dimensional features of DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders. The findings are discussed in regard to their implications for the classification of emotional disorders.