Precipitation anxiety

Therapy with autistic and psychotic children led the author to introduce the concept of precipitation anxiety. Freud's first theory of the instincts was expressed in the dynamics of conflict, but his subsequent development of life and death instincts is better understood in terms of a gradient of energy between two extremities of the same axis. Object relations result from a caesura (Bion) which creates a gradient of psychic energy experienced initially as a precipice which, if left unregulated, generates intolerable anxiety. Satisfactory emotional encounters with the mind of the object bring about the necessary adjustments to the slope of the gradient. Autistic mechanisms may block off precipitation anxiety, but they also prevent mental growth. Both the dynamics of conflict and the dynamics of the gradient are vital for psychic development, but the very existence of the former is contingent on successful negotiation of the energy gradient (working through). After illustrating his thesis with clinical material drawn from a group therapeutic setting, the author discusses points of convergence and divergence with two other fundamental notions: the aesthetic conflict (Meltzer) and premature psychic birth (Tustin). The proposed model furthers our understanding of the therapeutic process and stresses the importance of the containing object in the transference situation.     

Le burnout chez les infirmières en cancérologie : Une approche contextuelle du modèle exigences-contrôle-soutien

The current investigation, studying the burnout among oncology nurses, was guided by the Demand Control Support model (Karasek & Theorell, 1990). However, in accordance with scholars claiming for a context-specificity in occupational stress research, we first conducted 3 semi-structured focus groups to identify the specific sources of demands, control and support experienced by oncology nurses. The scale established from this analysis, (as well the other study variables), had been answered by 144 oncology nurses. Factorial analyses revealed 4 latent factors: “job demands”, “patient demands”, “support” and “control”. Then, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that job demands, control and support predicted significant proportions of burnout, in particular emotional exhaustion. We also observed a moderator effect of social support. Furthermore, the situation-specific stressors, that is, those relating to difficult relationships with patients, made significant contributions to burnout, supporting the claim of augmenting the components of the Demand Control Support model with stressors that are more situation- specific.     

Odor enrichment increases interneurons responsiveness in spatially defined regions of the olfactory bulb correlated with perception

Odor enrichment enhances rats’ ability to discriminate between chemically similar odorants. We show here that this modulation of olfactory perception is accompanied by increases in the density of local inhibitory interneuron expressing Zif268 in response to olfactory stimuli. These changes depend on the overlap of the olfactory bulb activation patterns induced by the enrichment odorants with those induced by the testing odorants, in a manner similar to changes in perception. Moreover, we show that enrichment leads to an alteration of the pattern of Zif268 expression, dependent on the odors used for the enrichment indicating a restructuring of odor representation in the olfactory bulb.     

Fractal models for event-based and dynamical timers

Some recent papers proposed to distinguish between event-based and emergent timing. Event-based timing is conceived as prescribed by events produced by a central clock, and seems to be used in discrete tasks (e.g., finger tapping). Emergent or dynamical timing refers to the exploitation of the dynamical properties of effectors, and is typically used in continuous tasks (e.g., circle drawing). The analysis of period series suggested that both timing control processes possess fractal properties, characterized by self-similarity and long-range dependence. The aim of this article is to present two models that produce period series presenting the statistical properties previously evidenced in discrete and continuous rhythmic tasks. The first one is an adaptation of the classical activation/threshold models, including a plateau-like evolution of the threshold over time. The second one is a hybrid limit-cycle model, including a time-dependent linear stiffness parameter. Both models reproduced satisfactorily the spectral signatures of event-based and dynamical timing processes, respectively. The models also produced auto-correlation functions similar to those experimentally observed. Using ARFIMA modeling we show that these simulated series possess fractal properties. We suggest in conclusion some possible extensions of this modeling approach, to account for the effects of metronomic pacing, or to analyze bimanual coordination.     

Pour une approche contextuelle et clinique de la demande de recrutement : la transformation d’une demande initiale dans une entreprise familiale

Studies of psychology in the work place usually analyse job offers from an explicit and functional point of view, forgetting the more implicit and strategic dimensions associated with them. This activity of recruitment takes into account the understanding of the specific context of the job offer and of the structure of the organisation which is looking to recruit. The clinical case study described here takes into consideration these contextual elements of very small company and proposes recruitment methods which include a third party, emphasising the particular role of psychologists or consultancies as recruitment advisers.     

Detrended windowed (lag one) autocorrelation: a new method for distinguishing between event-based and emergent timing

The aim of this study was to test different methods for distinguishing between two known timing processes involved in human rhythmic behaviours. We examined the implementation of two approaches used in the literature: the high-frequency slope of the power spectrum and the lag one value of the autocorrelation function, ACF(1). We developed another method based on the Wing and Kristofferson (1973a) model and the predicted negative ACF(1) for event-based series: the detrended windowed (lag one) autocorrelation (DWA). We compared the reliability and performance of these three methods on simulation and experimental series. DWA gave the best results, and guidelines are given for its appropriate use for identifying underlying timing processes.     

A cognitive-based model of tool use in normal aging

While several cognitive domains have been widely investigated in the field of aging, the age-related effects on tool use are still an open issue and hardly any studies on tool use and aging is available. A significant body of literature has indicated that tool use skills might be supported by at least two different types of knowledge, namely, mechanical knowledge and semantic knowledge. However, neither the contribution of these kinds of knowledge to familiar tool use, nor the effects of aging on mechanical and semantic knowledge have been explored in normal aging. The aim of the present study was to fill this gap. To do so, 98 healthy elderly adults were presented with three tasks: a classical, familiar tool use task, a novel tool use task assessing mechanical knowledge, and a picture matching task assessing semantic knowledge. The results showed that aging has a negative impact on tool use tasks and on knowledge supporting tool use skills. We also found that aging did not impact mechanical and semantic knowledge in the same way, confirming the distinct nature of those forms of knowledge. Finally, our results stressed that mechanical and semantic knowledge are both involved in the ability to use familiar tools.     

Coordination of rapid stepping with arm pointing: anticipatory changes and step adaptation

The present study explored whether rapid stepping is influenced by the coordination of an arm pointing task. Nine participants were instructed to (a) point the index finger of the dominant arm towards a target from the standing posture, (b) initiate a rapid forward step with the contralateral leg, and (c) synchronize stepping and pointing (combined task). Force plate and ankle muscle electromyography (EMG) recordings were contrasted between (b) and (c). In the combined task, the arm acceleration trace most often peaked around foot-off, coinciding with a 15% increase in the forward acceleration of the center of gravity (CoG). Backward displacement of the center of foot pressure at foot-off, duration of anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) and ankle muscle EMG activity remained unchanged. In contrast, durations of swing phase and whole step were reduced and step length was smaller in the combined task. A reduction in the swing phase was correlated with an increased CoG forward acceleration at foot-off. Changes in the biomechanics of step initiation during the combined task might be ascribed to the postural dynamics elicited by arm pointing, and not to a modulation of the step APAs programming.