Stability in autobiographical memories

A total of 30 undergraduates recalled the same 20 autobiographical memories at two sessions separated by 2 weeks. At each session they dated their memories and rated them on 18 properties commonly studied in autobiographical memory experiments. Individuals showed moderate stability in their ratings on the 18 scales (r approximately .5), with consistency of dating being much higher (r = .96). There was more stability in the individuals' average rating on each scale (r approximately .8), even when the averages were calculated on different memories in the different sessions. The results are consistent with a constructive view of autobiographical memory, in which stable individual differences in cognitive style are important.     

A function of form: terror management and structuring the social world

Drawing on lay epistemology theory, the authors assessed a terror management analysis of the psychological function of structuring social information. Seven studies tested variations of the hypothesis that simple, benign interpretations of social information function, in part, to manage death-related anxiety. In Studies 1-4, mortality salience (MS) exaggerated primacy effects and reliance on representative information, decreased preference for a behaviorally inconsistent target among those high in personal need for structure (PNS), and increased high-PNS participants' preference for interpersonal balance. In Studies 5-7, MS increased high-PNS participants' preference for interpretations that suggest a just world and a benevolent causal order of events in the social world.     

Test-retest reliability of fMRI during nonverbal semantic decisions in moderate-severe nonfluent aphasia patients

Cortical reorganization in poststroke aphasia is not well understood. Few studies have investigated neural mechanisms underlying language recovery in severe aphasia patients, who are typically viewed as having a poor prognosis for language recovery. Although test-retest reliability is routinely demonstrated during collection of language data in single-subject aphasia research, this is rarely examined in fMRI studies investigating the underlying neural mechanisms in aphasia recovery. The purpose of this study was to acquire fMRI test-retest data examining semantic decisions both within and between two aphasia patients. Functional MRI was utilized to image individuals with chronic, moderate-severe nonfluent aphasia during nonverbal, yes/no button-box semantic judgments of iconic sentences presented in the Computer-assisted Visual Communication (C-ViC) program. We investigated the critical issue of intra-subject reliability by exploring similarities and differences in regions of activation during participants' performance of identical tasks twice on the same day. Each participant demonstrated high intra-subject reliability, with response decrements typical of task familiarity. Differences between participants included greater left hemisphere perilesional activation in the individual with better response to C-ViC training. This study provides fMRI reliability in chronic nonfluent aphasia, and adds to evidence supporting differences in individual cortical reorganization in aphasia recovery.     

Pain anxiety among chronic pain patients: specific phobia or manifestation of anxiety sensitivity?

Rather than viewing anxiety among chronic pain patients as simply a component of negative affectivity, investigators have developed a model of "pain anxiety" in which patients develop fear and avoidance of activity linked to pain. We examined whether pain anxiety can be conceptualized as a specific phobia, or whether evidence supported the notion that pain anxiety is better understood as a manifestation of anxiety sensitivity in the context of chronic pain. Chronic musculoskeletal pain patients (N=70) underwent cold pressor and mental arithmetic tasks while cardiovascular, self-report, and behavior indexes were recorded. They completed measures of pain anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, fear of negative evaluation, depression and trait anxiety. Correlation analyses showed pain anxiety was related to pain-relevant responses during cold pressor, but it was also related to evaluation-relevant responses during cold pressor, and to pain- and evaluation-relevant responses (including subtraction accuracy) during mental arithmetic. Regression analyses showed that almost all effects of pain anxiety on task responses were accounted for by anxiety sensitivity. Fear of negative evaluation, in contrast, correlated only with evaluation-relevant responses, and mostly during mental arithmetic. These effects remained significant when depression, trait anxiety, or anxiety sensitivity were statistically controlled. Pain anxiety may be an expression of anxiety sensitivity rather than a circumscribed phobia; a distinction that could profitably guide treatment strategies.     

Belief and recollection of autobiographical memories

In three experiments, undergraduates rated autobiographical memories on scales derived from existing theories of memory. In multiple regression analyses, ratings of the degree to which subjects recollected (i.e., relived) their memories were predicted by visual imagery, auditory imagery, and emotions, whereas ratings of belief in the accuracy of their memories were predicted by knowledge of the setting. Recollection was predicted equally well in between- and within-subjects analyses, but belief consistently had smaller correlations and multiple regression predictions between subjects; individual differences in the cognitive scales that we measured could not account well for individual differences in belief. In contrast, measures of mood (Beck Depression Index) and dissociation (Dissociative Experience Scale) added predictive value for belief, but not for recollection. We also found that highly relived memories almost always had strong visual images and that remember/know judgments made on autobiographical memories were more closely related to belief than to recollection.     

The analyst's participation: a new look

Over the past fifteen years or so, advocates of a relational theory of psychoanalytic process have developed a compelling challenge to the classical approach to clinical work. Their critique of a fixed "standard technique," applicable across the board to all analyzable patients, has been particularly effective. The new approach opens the possibility of tailoring technique to individual analysands, negotiating the best way of working within each unique analytic dyad. But despite the openness of relational theory, many of the most influential clinical vignettes in the recent literature emphasize the analyst's risk-taking, engaging patients in a highly personal way that breaks the traditional analytic frame. Various implications of the tendency of relational analysts to emphasize this sort of intervention are discussed, and questions raised about the way this may affect how relational thinking is received.     

Alcohol consumption, drinking patterns, and alcohol problems among managerial versus non-managerial women and men

In the present study, we examined alcohol consumption and alcohol problems between managerial and nonmanagerial men and women. We also examined alcohol problems as a function of drinking context (i.e., when they drink and with whom they drink) for each of these four groups. Survey data and data from company records were collected from a large sample of blue and white collar employees (n = 2279). Participants completed a detailed questionnaire aimed at assessing many work-related attitudes, general mental and physical health-related perceptions, motivations for alcohol use, alcohol consumption indices, and alcohol problems. We found that several of the demographic variables differentially predicted alcohol consumption and problems for the four groups. In addition, drinking alone and immediately after work were associated with alcohol problems for women managers at a significantly higher rate than for the other groups of employees. These results support the assertion that more complex models are needed to understand the linkages between work and alcohol use. The research reported in this paper was supported by Grant AA 10690-02, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health.     

Neuropsychological characteristics and test behaviors of boys with early onset conduct problems.

School-age children and adolescents with conduct problems typically exhibit deficits in verbal IQ, language abilities, and executive functions. This study examined the extent to which this pattern was evident in a clinic group of preschool boys with early onset conduct problems who met criteria for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A 2nd question focused on the strength of relation between clinic boys' uncooperative or inattentive test behaviors and their test performance. As expected, the clinic boys showed a neuropsychological profile highly similar to the one found in older conduct problem populations. Verbal tests distinguished clinic from matched comparison boys even after controlling for observers' ratings of disruptive behavior during testing. Clinic boys with ODD and ADHD had lower verbal and executive function scores than clinic boys with ODD alone. After general vocabulary knowledge and test behavior were controlled, clinic boys were found to have poorer vocabularies for describing affective states than comparison group boys.     

Understanding of Genetic Inheritance among Xhosa-Speaking Caretakers of Children with Hemophilia

Hemophilia A and B are X-linked recessive inherited bleeding disorders that have a profound impact on the family of affected individuals. Education is vital to enable women to appreciate the implications of being a carrier and the implications for a prospective child. Prior research has shown that cultural, socio-economic and linguistic issues in South Africa are major barriers to communication for first-language Xhosa-speakers. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the basic knowledge of genetic inheritance among this cultural group in order to promote culturally-sensitive, effective genetic counseling. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with Xhosa-speaking mothers or caregivers of boys with hemophilia. Results suggest that the participants had a very limited understanding of the clinical management, genetic consequences and cause of hemophilia. While treatment and care by health care service providers was fully accepted, several participants believed that traditional methods would provide them with more satisfactory explanations. These findings suggest that there is a critical need for socio-culturally tailored, language-specific education for families with hemophilia.