EDUCATING ABOUT WOMEN AND GENDER

This study assesses the multiple effects of planned exposure to gender and women's issues on graduate student development. Students in a gender-aware Counseling Psychology program (n = 63) were compared to those in two other graduate psychology programs (total n = 38) on five scales that measured exposure to gender issues, social constructivist views, feminist identity development, performance self-esteem, and endorsement of feminist therapy goals and strategies. Results supported the hypotheses that all outcome measures were significantly correlated with the extent of academic experiences related to women and gender. Program of concentration and level of graduate training were differentially related to social construction views and stages of feminist identity development. We discuss these findings in terms of their implications for gender-aware education in the development of student identity, attitudes, and professional practice.     

Angiotensin-(1-7)-induced plasticity changes in the lateral amygdala are mediated by COX-2 and NO

It is known from studies outside the brain that upon binding to its receptor, angiotensin-(1-7) elicits the release of prostanoids and nitric oxide (NO). Cyclooxygenase (COX) is a key enzyme that converts arachidonic acid to prostaglandins. Since there are no data available so far on the role of COX-2 in the amygdala, in a first step we demonstrated that the selective COX-2 inhibitor NS-398 significantly reduced the probability of long-term potentiation (LTP) induction in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala. Similarly, in COX-2^−/− mice, LTP induced by external capsule (EC) stimulation was impaired. Second, we evaluated the action of angiotensin-(1-7) in the amygdala. In wild-type mice, angiotensin-(1-7) increased LTP. This LTP-enhancing effect of Ang-(1-7) was not observed in COX-2^+/− mice. However, in COX-2^−/− mice, Ang-(1-7) caused an enhancement of LTP similar to that in wild-type mice. The NO synthetase inhibitor L-NAME blocked this angiotensin-(1-7)-induced increase in LTP in COX-2^−/− mice. Low-frequency stimulation of external capsule fibers did not cause long-term depression (LTD) in drug-free and angiotensin-(1-7)-treated brain slices in wild-type mice. In contrast, in COX-2^−/− mice, angiotensin-(1-7) caused stable LTD. Increasing NO concentration by the NO-donor SNAP also caused LTD in wild-type mice. Our study shows for the first time that LTP in the amygdala is dependent on COX-2 activity. Moreover, COX-2 is involved in the mediation of angiotensin-(1-7) effects on LTP. Finally, it is recognized that there is a molecular cross-talk between COX-2 and NO that may regulate synaptic plasticity.     

Computer use by the visually impaired

Several recent developments have made computers accessible to the blind and partially sighted: hard-copy (paper) and softcopy (raised-pin) braille output, magnified high-resolution characters, and synthetic speech. We report survey data on these users’ computer education, tasks, and goals; their hardware uses and preferences, particularly for special-purpose I/O devices; and seven classes of human-factors problems that affect the use of these I/O devices by the visually impaired.     

Attachment,perceptions of care and caregiving to romantic partners and friends

Across two studies, we examined the extent to which adults' caregiving responses reflect the quality of care received from their attachment figures. Study 1 showed that romantic caregiving reflected the quality of perceived parental and partner care. Moreover, perceived partner care mediated the link between parental care and romantic caregiving, suggesting that one's parental care affects the type of care one seeks or receives from partners, which in turn affects one's romantic caregiving. This describes a possible process for the intergenerational transmission of caregiving styles. Romantic attachment anxiety was associated with compulsive caregiving to partners. Study 2 examined causal mechanisms by priming a representation of perceived peer care and examining its effect on caregiving responses. As hypothesized, caregiving responses reflected the quality of primed peer care and were associated with attachment orientation. Findings provide evidence that individuals mentally represent the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of the care‐seeker and the caregiver during interactions and both influence one's caregiving to partners and friends. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Warmth,spatial proximity,and social attachment: The embodied perception of a social metaphor

Recent experiments in embodied social cognition suggest a fundamental link between physical warmth and social affiliation. Findings from two experiments support the hypothesis that physical warmth serves as a symbolic cue signaling the close proximity of a source of affiliation. In Experiment 1, participants perceived a warm object as being physically closer than a cold object. In Experiment 2, being primed with warmth led participants to display higher levels of self-reported social affiliative motivation. In both studies, effects were moderated by individual differences in attachment style; priming effects were pronounced among those low in attachment avoidance and those high in attachment anxiety. These findings contribute to a growing literature suggesting deep connections between perception, physical experience, and social cognition.