Associations between mothers' sensitivity to their infants' internal states and children's later understanding of mind and emotion

This study investigated associations between mother–infant interactions and children's subsequent understanding of mind and emotion. Mothers' tendency to comment on their infants' internal world and their general sensitivity to their infants' internal states were measured through coded play interactions at 10 months. The latter measurement included ratings on four aspects of maternal behaviour: mindful facilitation, joint attention commenting, pacing, and affect catching. In contrast to mothers' internal state language, these behaviours did not tap mothers' explicit linguistic representation of their infants' mental states. At 54 months, children's understanding of mind and emotion was measured through a range of false‐belief tasks and an emotion‐understanding task. Multivariate analysis revealed direct positive links between mothers' sensitivity to their infants' internal states and children's later understanding of mind. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

STOP-IT: Windows executable software for the stop-signal paradigm

The stop-signal paradigm is a useful tool for the investigation of response inhibition. In this paradigm, subjects are instructed to respond as fast as possible to a stimulus unless a stop signal is presented after a variable delay. However, programming the stop-signal task is typically considered to be difficult. To overcome this issue, we present software called STOP-IT, for running the stop-signal task, as well as an additional analyzing program called ANALYZE-IT. The main advantage of both programs is that they are a precompiled executable, and for basic use there is no need for additional programming. STOP-IT and ANALYZE-IT are completely based on free software, are distributed under the GNU General Public License, and are available at the personal Web sites of the first two authors or at expsy.ugent.be/tscope/stop.html.     

Why Freud and Jung Can’t Speak: A Neurological Proposal

This article provides a modern neurological explanation for the theoretical differences in psychoanalytic concepts and techniques between Freud and Jung. Specifically, the article contrasts their analytic skills as arising in the left and right brain, respectively. Modern neurological techniques reveal unique brain functions that explain many of the visionary and so-called mystic phenomena discussed by Jung. Many of his psychoanalytic concepts can be traced to right brain function. Modern research and philosophic analyses also provide light on Freud’s research method and its limitations.Barbara Stevens Barnum, RN, PhD, FAAN, former editor of Nursing Leadership Forum and Nursing & Health Care, is presently a writer/consultant. Before retiring, her positions at Columbia University included holding the directorship, Division of Health Services, Sciences and Education at Teachers College, where she also held the Stewart Chair in the Department of Nursing Education. Dr. Barnum has written in areas of nursing management, theory, education, and aspects of spirtuality/holistic nursing. Her books include: Nursing theory: Analysis, application, evaluation, Spirituality in nursing: From traditional to New Age, and The New Healers: Minds and Hands in Complementary Medicine.     

Sequential dependencies in the Eriksen flanker task: A direct comparison of two competing accounts

In the conflict/control loop theory proposed by Botvinick, Braver, Barch, Carter, and Cohen (2001), conflict monitored in a trial leads to an increase in cognitive control on the subsequent trial. The critical data pattern supporting this assertion is the so-called Gratton effect—the decrease in flanker interference following incongruent trials—which was initially observed in the Eriksen flanker task. Recently, however, the validity of the idea that this pattern supports a general conflict/control mechanism has been questioned on the grounds that the Gratton effect is only observed with stimulus repetition. We present an experiment testing whether the Gratton effect reflects a stimulus-independent increase in cognitive control or stimulus-specific repetition priming. Although our results support the latter hypothesis, the priming effect is modulated by the congruency of the previous trial. We discuss a new mechanism through which monitored conflict is used to exert executive control by modulating stimulus-response associations.     

Mule cognition: a case of hybrid vigour?

This study compares the behaviour of the mule (Equus asinus × Equus caballus) with that of its parent species to assess the effects of hybridization on cognition. Six mules, six ponies (E. caballus) and six donkeys (E. asinus) were given a two choice visual discrimination learning task. Each session consisted of 12 trials and pass level was reached when subjects chose the correct stimulus for at least 9 out of the 12 trials in three consecutive sessions. A record was made of how many pairs each subject learnt over 25 sessions. The mules’ performance was significantly better than that of either of the parent species (Kruskal-Wallis: H_x = 8.11, P = 0.017). They were also the only group to learn enough pairs to be able to show a successive reduction in the number of sessions required to reach criterion level. This study provides the first empirical evidence that the improved characteristics of mules may be extended from physical attributes to cognitive function.     

Does self-efficacy moderate intensity of pain?

75 subjects were randomly assigned to five self-efficacy conditions (High-High, High-Low, Low-High, Low-Low, and Control) in a 5 x 3 (condition x trial) design. Pressure was applied three times to an exposed finger. After baseline, subjects received false biofeedback (i.e., independent of ratings of pain) that their ability to regulate intensity of pain was either good (High-High and High-Low) or poor (Low-High and Low-Low), or there was no biofeedback (Control). After a second trial, subjects were told that their biofeedback indicated either good (High-High and Low-High) or poor (High-Low and Low-Low) regulatory ability, or they were not given biofeedback (Control). They then received a final trial. Before each trial, subjects recorded self-efficacy expectations for regulating intensity of pain. Mixed multivariate analyses of variance on ratings of intensity and self-efficacy expectations did not yield hypothesized interactions for condition x trial.     

LISTENING TO NICOTINE:

Abstract— In recent years, theoretical models of drug motivation and drug dependence have downplayed the role of withdrawal symptoms in the maintenance of addiction. During this same period, strong links between drug use and measures of negative affect have been uncovered in empirical research. In this article we examine these trends in the context of research on smoking. Evidence is presented from two recent studies on smoking relapse that highlight the intimate connection between withdrawal symptomatology and negative affect Specifically, these studies reveal that (a) single-occasion measures of withdrawal symptoms or other markers of physical dependence do not contribute incremental validity in preceding relapse relative to measures of negative affect (b) the trajectory of withdrawal symptoms is highly idiosyncratic, (c) exacerbations cannot be tightly coupled with pharmacological events. (d) the temporal dynamics of withdrawal reflect fluctuations in negative affect, and (e) differences in the trajectory of withdrawal symptoms index relapse vulnerability. We conclude that a broadened view of withdrawal recognizing its probable affective bases will enhance its explanatory power and suggest new treatment strategies.     

Factor analyses of two 'attitude toward gender role' questionnaire

Two questionnaires which purport to assess attitudes toward gender role, the Maferr Inventory of Feminine Values and the Sex Stereotype Questionnaire, were submitted to a factor analysis. While each analysis of the five response set items yielded interpretable factors with unequivocal item scores, the obtained factors are not consistent with the a priori assignment of items to "groupings" suggested by the manuals for these instruments. The implications of using questionnaires with questionable psychometric properties is discussed.     

Expectation and burnout in the developmental disabilities field

Psychological burnout was assessed in staff members at workshops and community residences for the developmentally disabled. Participants also rated expectations for client progress and for their own contribution to clients. They reported on change in expectation since they entered the field. High expectations were related to low burnout; workers who reported experiencing large negative expectation change were most burned out. Burnout seemed to be prevented when staff members made an expectation shift from reliance on client progress to a sense of personal efficacy. This finding is discussed in terms of personal causation, internal control of reinforcement, and adaptation-level theory. There was little evidence of client depersonalization, a usual component of burnout. Such a burnout pattern may be a function of the ethic of community care for the developmentally disabled.     

Spatial localization of warmth

This study explored the ability to localize warmth sensations produced by radiant stimulation of the forearm. The subject’s task was to state on which side of a tactile reference line warmth was perceived. Percentage correct improved with increasing intensity of the radiation, as well as with increasing distance from the reference line. There appears to be an inverse relation between the ability to make spatial judgments and the degree of spatial summation. At low levels of stimulation, intensity and area both contribute heavily to the magnitude of a warmth sensation and spatial localization is poor; but with increasing level, area contributes less and less to sensation and localization is better.