Exploratory behaviour in elevated and enclosed mazes

Rats given daily exploratory trials in a simple enclosed maze showed a decline in activity from day to day, while animals exploring an elevated maze showed no decline between days. In a further experiment exploration of either an elevated or an enclosed maze was found to cease after about 15 min. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Pornography use and sexual aggression: the impact of frequency and type of pornography use on recidivism among sexual offenders

In this study, we examined the unique contribution of pornography consumption to the longitudinal prediction of criminal recidivism in a sample of 341 child molesters. We specifically tested the hypothesis, based on predictions informed by the confluence model of sexual aggression that pornography will be a risk factor for recidivism only for those individuals classified as relatively high risk for re-offending. Pornography use (frequency and type) was assessed through self-report and recidivism was measured using data from a national database from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Indices of recidivism, which were assessed up to 15 years after release, included an overall criminal recidivism index, as well as subcategories focusing on violent (including sexual) recidivism and sexual recidivism alone. Results for both frequency and type of pornography use were generally consistent with our predictions. Most importantly, after controlling for general and specific risk factors for sexual aggression, pornography added significantly to the prediction of recidivism. Statistical interactions indicated that frequency of pornography use was primarily a risk factor for higher-risk offenders, when compared with lower-risk offenders, and that content of pornography (i.e., pornography containing deviant content) was a risk factor for all groups. The importance of conceptualizing particular risk factors (e.g., pornography), within the context of other individual characteristics is discussed.     

A Pilot Study of a Functional Contextual Treatment for Bulimia Nervosa

This paper describes the initial development of a treatment for bulimia nervosa using a functional contextual treatment approach. Seven women (6 with a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa and 1 with a diagnosis of eating disorder not otherwise specified) completed 12 sessions of functional contextual treatment. Participants were assessed with the Eating Disorders Examination at baseline and following treatment. The intervention produced significant reductions in binge eating, purgative behavior, dietary restraint, and eating concerns. A functional contextual treatment holds promise for the treatment of bulimia nervosa. However, the treatment needs to be refined further and will need to be tested in controlled clinical trials with long-term follow-up.     

Migrant Distress: The Role of Perceived Racial Discrimination and Coping Resources1

This paper examines the relationships among perceived racial discrimination, coping resources, and psychological distress experienced by 372 ethnic Chinese migrants in 3 Australian cities, within the social context of ongoing debates on Asian immigration. Based on the stress‐coping‐strain framework, it was expected that migrants’ recent increases in psychological distress would be associated with greater perceived racial discrimination, and lower levels of coping resources. Possible moderating effects of coping resources were examined. Hierarchical regression analyses provided broad support for the stress‐coping‐strain framework, and indicated direct effects of low personal and ethnic self‐esteem and having a small number of Anglo‐Australian friends on increased psychological distress. The findings are discussed with regard to implications for migrants’ wellbeing in the context of sociopolitical debates.     

First-grade predictors of mathematical learning disability: A latent class trajectory analysis

Kindergarten to third grade mathematics achievement scores from a prospective study of mathematical development (n = 306) were subjected to latent growth trajectory analyses. The four corresponding classes included children with mathematical learning disability (MLD, 6% of sample), and low (LA, 50%), typically (TA, 39%) and high (HA, 5%) achieving children. The groups were administered a battery of intelligence (IQ), working memory, and mathematical-cognition measures in first grade. The children with MLD had general deficits in working memory and IQ and potentially more specific deficits on measures of number sense. The LA children did not have working memory or IQ deficits but showed moderate deficits on these number sense measures and for addition fact retrieval. The distinguishing features of the HA children were a strong visuospatial working memory, a strong number sense, and frequent use of memory-based processes to solve addition problems. Implications for the early identification of children at risk for poor mathematics achievement are considered.     

Attentional enhancement during multiple-object tracking

What is the role of attention in multiple-object tracking? Does attention enhance target representations, suppress distractor representations, or both? It is difficult to ask this question in a purely behavioral paradigm without altering the very attentional allocation one is trying to measure. In the present study, we used event-related potentials to examine the early visual evoked responses to task-irrelevant probes without requiring an additional detection task. Subjects tracked two targets among four moving distractors and four stationary distractors. Brief probes were flashed on targets, moving distractors, stationary distractors, or empty space. We obtained a significant enhancement of the visually evoked P1 and N1 components (～100–150 msec) for probes on targets, relative to distractors. Furthermore, good trackers showed larger differences between target and distractor probes than did poor trackers. These results provide evidence of early attentional enhancement of tracked target items and also provide a novel approach to measuring attentional allocation during tracking.     

Personality diagnosis with the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP): integrating clinical and statistical measurement and prediction

This article describes the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP), a personality assessment instrument intended for use by clinically experienced interviewers, designed to maximize both psychometric precision and clinical relevance. The article focuses on the latest edition of the instrument, the SWAP-II; its use in 2 recently completed large-sample projects; and the ways in which data from these projects are being used to revise and refine concepts of personality pathology and taxonomy. The article first details the development of the SWAP and its psychometric rationale. It then examines the use of SWAP data for purposes of (a) improving diagnostic criteria within the framework of the existing Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders taxonomy, (b) developing a new classification of personality pathology based on empirically identified diagnostic groupings, and (c) identifying trait dimensions relevant to understanding personality syndromes and disorders. Finally, the article discusses future research directions and challenges.