Using hippocampal-striatal loops for spatial navigation and goal-directed decision-making

The hippocampus plays a central role in spatial representation, declarative and episodic memory. In this area, so-called place cells possess high spatial selectivity, firing preferentially when the individual is within a small area of the environment. Interestingly, it has been found in rats that these cells can be active also when the animal is outside the location or context of their corresponding place field producing so-called "forward sweeps". These typically occur at decision points during task execution and seem to be utilized, among other things, for the evaluation of potential alternative paths. Anticipatory firing is also found in the ventral striatum, a brain area that is strongly interconnected with the hippocampus and is known to encode value and reward. In this paper, we describe a biologically based computational model of the hippocampal-ventral striatum circuit that implements a goal-directed mechanism of choice, with the hippocampus primarily involved in the mental simulation of possible navigation paths and the ventral striatum involved in the evaluation of the associated reward expectancies. The model is validated in a navigation task in which a rat is placed in a complex maze with multiple rewarding sites. We show that the rat mentally activates place cells to simulate paths, estimate their value, and make decisions, implementing two essential processes of model-based reinforcement learning algorithms of choice: look-ahead prediction and the evaluation of predicted states.     

A whole lot of misery: Adorno's negative Aristotelianism—Replies to Allen,Celikates, and O'Connor

Can one both be an Aristotelian in ethics and a negativist, whereby the latter involves subscribing to the view that the good cannot be known in our social context but that ethical guidance is nonetheless possible in virtue of a pluralist conception of the bad (of which this context and human history provide us ample knowledge)? Moreover, is it possible to combine Aristotelianism with a thoroughly historical outlook? I have argued that such combinations are, indeed, possible, and that we can find an example of them in Adorno's work. In this paper, I reply to three critics (Allen, Celikates and O'Connor) who cast doubt on this proposal. I also reply to other concerns they raise, regarding immanent critique, negativism, the role of social theory in Adorno's work, and the danger of being co‐opted. I stress the holism of Adorno's position, and, amid some more deflationary moves, insist on the distinctiveness of the Aristotelian position that results.     

Efficacy of an internet-based intervention for burnout: a randomized controlled trial in the German working population

Background and Objectives: Internet-based interventions are a viable treatment option for various mental problems. However, their effects on the burnout syndrome yielded mixed results. In this paper, we examine the efficacy of a structured and therapist-guided internet intervention, based on solution-focused and cognitive-behavioral therapy, for individuals with symptoms of burnout.

Design: Two-arm, Internet-based, randomized, wait-list controlled trial (RCT).

Methods: Participants were recruited through in-house events and online advertising. They were randomly assigned to the intervention or a wait-list. Group comparison was conducted three months after randomization. Outcomes were the burnout level according to the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-GS) and the levels of depression, anxiety and stress according to the DASS-21.

Results: Thirty-nine participants were included in the trial; 36 (92.3%) took part at the 3-months-follow-up. Intention-to-treat analyses revealed significant group differences in favor of the intervention group in depression (d?=?0.66), cynicism (d?=?0.87) and personal accomplishment (d?=?0.75).

Conclusions: The intervention helped ameliorate symptoms of work-related stress and burnout. Although limited by a small sample size, the study suggests that the program provides effective support for affected individuals. However, further studies with bigger sample sizes should be conducted to examine the effects of such programs more precisely.     

Three Types of Sufficientarian Libertarianism

Res Publica - Sufficientarian libertarianism is a theory of justice that combines libertarianism’s focus on property rights and non-interference with sufficientarianism’s concern for...     

Job apathy and work engagement: Moderating influence of perceived leader integrity and spiritual intelligence in a Nigerian mass transit company

This study explored the direct and interactive roles of job apathy, perceived leader integrity, and spiritual intelligence on work engagement among 206 Nigerian employees of a leading mass transit company (females = 33%; mean age = 35.81years, SD = 5.04; mean organisational tenure = 6.27 years, SD = 2.26). Results following moderated hierarchical multiple regression showed that work engagement was lower with job apathy and higher with perceived leader integrity and employee spiritual intelligence. Moreover, employees with a high perception of leader integrity reported being more work engaged, regardless of feeling apathetic about their job, compared to those with a low perception of leader integrity. Perceived leader integrity and spiritual intelligence are important for work engagement in Nigeria’s transportation sector setting.     

Differences in baseline and process variables between non-responders and responders in Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy for chronic tinnitus

Although Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (iCBT) is an effective treatment for chronic tinnitus, several patients do not improve. In the current study, baseline and process variables were compared between non-responders and responders. Data from patients participating in two randomized controlled trials on iCBT for chronic tinnitus were re-analyzed. Based on the literature, a pre-post difference on the “Tinnitus Handicap Inventory” (THI) of less than seven points improvement was used to operationalize non-response. Associations between non-response and baseline variables (age, gender, and questionnaire scores), patient progress (THI), the process of the therapeutic alliance (“Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised”; WAI-SR), as well as other process variables (number of logins, amount of messages sent from therapists to patients) were investigated. The results showed that non-responders had a less favorable change on the THI than responders already at mid-treatment (p < .05). The alliance (WAI-SR) during iCBT was not associated with non-response. Non-responders showed more severe sleep disturbances, logged in less in the iCBT platform, and received fewer messages from the therapists than responders, but these differences were mostly not significant anymore when correcting for multiple testing. To conclude, no symptom change in the first half of iCBT for chronic tinnitus patients is a risk factor of not benefiting from iCBT.     

Development and validation of the Physical Appearance Related Teasing Scale

The development and preliminary validation of the Physical Appearance Related Testing Scale (PARTS) is reported. The 18-item scale has good psychometric qualities (high internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities) and consists of two factors: Weight/Size Testing (W/ST) and General Appearance Teasing (GAT). The W/ST converges well with measures of eating disturbance, body image dissatisfaction, social comparison, depression, and self-esteem, whereas the GAT scale shows little relationship to these variables. The role of teasing history as an etiological component of body image and eating disturbance is discussed; the need for further validation work on the PARTS is addressed.     

Predicting Work Transition Outcomes for Students With Disabilities: Implications for Counselors

This study examined predictors of postsecondary school success by analyzing a 5-year database of 2,258 students with disabilities participating in the Marriott Foundation's “Bridges…from school to work” internship programs at 6 national sites. Discriminant analysis revealed that acceptance of a job offer was predicted by internship completion, numbers of hours worked, and days absent during the internship. Internship completion and acceptance of a job offer were predictive of follow-up employment status. The implications of these findings for future research and practice with work-bound students with disablilities are considered.