Effects of normal and perturbed social play on the duration and amplitude of different types of infant smiles

Different types of smiling varying in amplitude of lip corner retraction were investigated during 2 mother-infant games--peekaboo and tickle--at 6 and 12 months and during normally occurring and perturbed games. Using Facial Action Coding System (FACS), infant smiles were coded as simple (lip corner retraction only), Duchenne (simple plus cheek raising), play (simple plus jaw drop), and duplay (Duchenne plus jaw drop). In addition, again using FACS, the amplitude of lip corner retraction was coded on a 5-point scale. Rather than a single smile expression that differs only in amplitude, the authors found a complex family of different smile expressions differing in their duration and amplitude as a function of game, setup versus climax of the game, and perturbation. Both type of smiling and amplitude of smiling appear to be controlled independently by the infant in relation to the context. These findings reveal systematic and context-specific nuances in infant smiles in the 2nd half of the first year.     

Cultural Differences in Physical Contact Between Hispanic and Anglo Mother–Infant Dyads Living in the United States

This is a study of differences in physical contact and tactile interpersonal behaviours between Hispanic and Anglo mothers and infants living in the United States. Infants were 9 months old and 52 mother–infant dyads, 26 Hispanic and 26 Anglo, were videotaped during free play without toys in a university laboratory playroom. Coders judged the interpersonal distance, physical contact and affectionate touch from the videotapes and mothers responded to a questionnaire about the importance of physical contact and affectionate touch in their relationship with their infant. From questionnaire data we found that Hispanic and Anglo mothers both touch their infants on a daily basis, although Hispanic mothers report touching more frequently, being more affectionate with their infants and having more skin-to-skin contact. From videotaped observations we found that there were no overall differences in mother–infant touch between the two cultures; however, the Hispanic mothers showed more close touch and more close and affectionate touch compared to Anglo mothers, who showed more distal touch. The results are discussed in terms of the role of touch in infant development and cultural differences in the evaluation of close physical contact and touch.     

Ten Year Research Update (2001–2010): Evaluations for Competence to Stand Trial (Adjudicative Competence)

This article reviews and evaluates publications during 2001–2010 with relevance for assessments of competence to stand trial, referred to in this article as adjudicative competence. The review focuses specifically on articles that provide new concepts or data supported by research or case analyses. The studies are reviewed under the following headings: (i) systemic issues, (ii) conceptual guidelines for AC evaluations, (iii) AC assessment methods, (iv) empirical correlates of AC judgments and psycholegal abilities, (v) quality of AC evaluations and reports, (vi) interpretive issues, (vii) special populations (defendants who are elderly, defendants with intellectual disabilities), (viii) AC evaluations of juveniles, and (ix) treatment of incompetent defendants. Suggestions are offered for further research to advance the quality of clinical evaluations of adjudicative competence. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chicago Urban Resiliency Building (CURB): An Internet-Based Depression-Prevention Intervention for Urban African-American and Latino Adolescents

Early preventive interventions for depressive disorders in racial/ethnic minorities may help to reduce lifetime depression outcome disparities by improving developmental trajectories and social outcomes. We describe the development process, intervention and evaluation plan for a culturally adapted, low-cost, primary care/Internet-based depression-prevention intervention (CURB, Chicago Urban Resiliency Building). CURB is culturally adapted for socio-economically disadvantaged African-American and Latino adolescents according to the PEN-3 model of health promotion programs (Airhihenbuwa in Health and culture: beyond the Western paradigm, Sage Publishers, Thousand Oaks, 1995). Based on the idea that health behavior is rooted in culture, the PEN-3 model contains three interdependent dimensions that influence health beliefs and behaviors. Within each dimension are factors (using the acronym PEN) that must be considered about the target culture. Application of the PEN-3 model occurred in 3 phases. In each phase, a dimension of the model was explored and subsequent changes were made to the intervention so as to be more culturally suitable. In the CURB clinical trial, adolescents ages 13–17 will be recruited from wait-lists for mental health services at community health care provider organizations and screened for risk of future depressive disorder in the primary care sites. Adolescents screening positive for persistent depressed mood will be randomly assigned to either the CURB intervention group or the wait-list control group. The study aims are to determine if participants in the CURB intervention group will have lower levels of depressive symptoms and/or a lower cumulative incidence of depressive episodes.     

A simple method for evaluation of Rorschach Imagery Reactivity.

A general scoring system, previously developed for the analysis of pictorial associations within the paradigm of Visual Imagery Sequences, was applied in the evaluation of visual associations to memory images of Rorschach inkblots (Imagery condition) in a comparison with standard Rorschach responses (Conventional condition). The participants, 80 consecutively selected psychiatric outpatients, were divided into Clinical Reactor and Nonreactor groups, according to how productive they were of psychodynamically revealing material during insight-oriented therapy using imagery. For this simple scoring method (which does not include the customary Rorschach scores), conclusions concerning Imagery Reactivity in the Rorschach agreed with those of previous studies using a scoring system more unique to the Rorschach. The inferences drawn from statistical analysis by groups and conditions also contribute additional refinements to the understanding of the subtle interplay between defensiveness and sensitivity to imagery in determining the patterns of scorable components within the response complex. This general scoring method correctly identified 95.6% of Imagery Reactors and 100% of Imagery Nonreactors, an improvement over the 87% efficiency of the previously described, Rorschach-based method for assessing Imagery Reactivity in the Rorschach.     

Posture and gaze in early mother–infant communication: synchronization of developmental trajectories

Weekly laboratory observations of free play for 13 middle-income mother–infant dyads, from 1 to 6 months of age, were used to study the synchronization of developmental trajectories between infant postural position and gaze direction. Mothers sat in a straight-backed chair while holding infants on their laps and were free to adjust the infant’s posture. Postural position was coded as upright (supported sitting or standing on the mother’s lap) or other (lying, cradling, or being held close to mother). Gaze was coded as either at mother’s face or away. The age of onset of visually guided reaching was also assessed. Results show that there were longer durations of gazing away when the infant was in an upright position. Over the 5 month period of observation, the dyads began with a pattern of non-upright positions accompanied by gaze at mother. Contrary to previous predictions, the developmental shift in the first 6 months from exclusive gazing at mother’s face to gazing away from mother was not synchronized with the development of reaching, but rather with changes in the infant’s posture to more upright positions. The possible role of postural position in fostering positive emotional communication is discussed.