Thai Buddhism and well-being: an application of stress process theory

The purpose of this study was to explore how Buddhism is associated with well-being among Thai Buddhists via an application of stress process theory. Survey data were collected in 2012 from 314 Thai citizens and analysed with structural equation modelling to assess how the association between socio-economic status (SES) and well-being is mediated by stressors and resources, in particular, religious resources. The results reveal that low SES is associated with greater financial hardship and household crowding and lower sense of control, which in turn are associated with worse well-being. Furthermore, income is associated with happiness via belief in Dharma control, whereas education is associated with unhappiness via its negative association with public religiosity. Lastly, the positive influence of religious beliefs on well-being is contingent upon having a relatively high sense of control, whereas the positive influence of religious behaviours is contingent upon having a relatively low sense of control.     

One-year longitudinal investigation of eyeblink classical conditioning and cognitive and behavioral tests in adults with down's syndrome

Thirty-three adults with Down's syndrome (DS) originally tested by Woodruff-Pak, Papka, and Simon (1994) were retested approximately one year after initial testing as part of an ongoing longitudinal study. Subjects were tested in eyeblink classical conditioning (EBCC) and other neuropsychological tests. Adults with DS improved in EBCC over a 13-month period, but showed stability on other cognitive and behavioral tests. Age differences were found in EBCC but not other measures. Adults with DS aged 19-30 years performed significantly better in EBCC than adults with DS aged 46-65 years. Adults with DS aged 31-45 years did not show significantly different EBCC performance than subjects in older and younger age groups. the impaired EBCC performance of older adults with DS may be due to the presumed disruption of the hippocampal cholinergic system, which is an aspect of the Alzheimer-like neuropathology developing in adults with DS after the age of 35. the results further support the sensitivity of EBCC to Alzheimer-like neuropathology in older adults with DS.     

Errors in Creative Problem-Solving: Identify,Deliberate, and Remediate

It is often assumed creative performance is error free. Even a cursory inspection of eminent, creative, individuals indicates errors permeate creative efforts. In the present effort, the impact of error management on creative problem-solving is examined. Undergraduates, 136 in all, were asked to work through 10 potential problem solutions where half the solutions evidenced errors and half did not. Participants were asked to identify potential errors, deliberate on these errors, and remediate, or fix, errors prior to providing solutions to a problem calling for creative thought. It was found the number of errors correctly identified, and the quality of error remediation was positively related to the quality, originality, and elegance of problem solutions. More extensive deliberation, however, was found to be especially important for the production of original problem solutions. The implications of these observations for understanding the importance of error management in creative problem-solving are discussed.     

Using a group game increases preschoolers' step count

Children should engage in at least 60 min of physical activity daily to develop or maintain healthy habits (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021a). Previous research suggests that contingent attention is a powerful tool for increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity. In this study, the researchers examined the effects of a group game on steps per minute at recess in an inclusive classroom with preschoolers. The researcher taught the game called the T-Rex game in which the game rules (chasing students who were moving) involved contingencies for natural attention to follow moderate to vigorous physical activity. The results showed a functional relation between step count and the group game in which students engaged in higher step counts when the group game was in place than during baseline. These findings extend other work by demonstrating that contingent attention embedded in group games can increase step count.     

Evaluation of a Clinical Genetics Service – A Quality Initiative

Paper-based surveys are an effective means of evaluating the quality of a clinical service. As part of ongoing quality improvement initiatives within our Genetics Program, new patients were invited to participate in a paper-based survey. Issues related to the quality of counseling based on educational/informational aspects (e.g. whether testing was explained fully, testing options, the meaning of normal/abnormal testing), competency, respect and nondirectiveness of counseling in addition to clinical environment/setting were evaluated. Data related to demographics, discipline seen within the program and whether the patient was seen by a physician or genetic counselor were also captured. Five hundred questionnaires were distributed. One hundred and forty-seven questionnaires were returned, with a response rate of 29.4 %. The majority of patients seen were prenatal (pregnant) patients and comprised a heterogeneous group including those seen for advanced maternal age and abnormal maternal serum screening. Overall, 98.6 % of respondents felt their appointment in genetics was a positive experience. Issues related to confidentiality, pros and cons of testing, meaning of an abnormal test result and time allotted for decision making were significantly different in some disciplines between genetic counselor and geneticist. However, when controlling for referral indication, these differences lost significance with the exception of issues relating to confidentiality and perceived time allotted to organize thoughts and questions. This survey provided valuable information to allow for improvement in the quality of the provision of service.     

Low-level temporal coding impairments in psychosis: preliminary findings and recommendations for further studies

The authors investigated whether difficulties with temporal event coding, previously reported in patients with schizophrenia, are already present during first-episode psychosis (FEP). In this experiment, the subjective judgments of the simultaneity of visually presented stimuli were compared between 11 healthy controls, 9 patients with chronic schizophrenia (CSZ), and a sample of 11 FEP patients. Participants were asked to indicate whether 2 vertical bars appeared at the same time or at different times on a computer monitor. CSZ patients' thresholds were elevated, and the FEP sample showed higher thresholds relative to controls. Although preliminary, these findings indicate a generalized disturbance in event-structure coding at early stages of psychosis and question the specificity of its disturbance. Considering the proposed relationship between event-structure coding and the experience of time in general, this study recommends that future studies refocus on psychosis in general, rather than on schizophrenia as a particular case of abnormal temporal processing. In addition, it is suggested that the relevant psychopathology will be best determined by means of a comprehensive analysis of low-level temporal coding performance in different types of psychosis.     

Pharmacological cognitive enhancers: comment on Smith and Farah (2011)

Smith and Farah (2011) provided a thought-provoking and perhaps deliberately provocative literature review of the use of stimulants to improve cognitive functioning in humans. They addressed the apparently increasing willingness of individuals mostly in the United States to use stimulants for this purpose and then summarized published literature that explores whether stimulants actually improve specific aspects of neurocognitive function. Although calling for more research, they tentatively concluded that stimulants indeed may be "smart pills" for some people under certain circumstances. This comment emphasizes that they never actually defined the desired qualities of a smart pill, seemed to accept the unproven axiom that slight improvements in specific tests constitute meaningful enhancement of intelligence, and failed to consider the possible costs to individuals and to society of promoting the use of this class of medications for such a purpose.     

The impact of real and illusory perturbations on the early trajectory adjustments of goal-directed movements

Examinations of goal-directed movements reveal a process of control that operates to make adjustments on the basis of the expected visual afference associated with the limb's movement. This experiment examined the impact of perturbations to the perceived and actual velocity of aiming movements when each was presented alone or in tandem with the other. Perturbations to perceived velocity were achieved by translating the background over which aiming movements were performed. An aiming stylus that discharged air either in the direction of the movement or in the direction opposite the movement generated the actual velocity perturbations. Kinematic analyses of the aiming movements revealed that only the actual perturbation influenced the control of early movement trajectories. The results are discussed with respect to the influence that visual information has on the control exerted against physical perturbations. Speculations are raised regarding how potential for perturbations influences the strategies adopted for minimizing their impact.