Magnitude of cerebral asymmetry at rest: covariation with baseline cardiovascular activity

The cerebral regulation of cardiovascular functioning varies along both a lateral and a longitudinal axis. The parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems are lateralized to the left and right cerebral hemispheres, respectively. Further, the frontal lobes are known to be inhibitory in nature, whereas the temporal lobes are excitatory. However, no systematic investigation has been conducted to determine the nature and strength of the relationship between the left and right frontal and temporal lobes in regulating cardiovascular activity. The present investigation sought to examine these relationships by testing the hypothesis that negative correlations would be found between baseline heart rate and blood pressure and asymmetry of alpha magnitude across the frontal lobes. Further, positive correlations were hypothesized to exist across the temporal lobes. A total of 20 women were asked to relax with their eyes closed while heart rate and blood pressure as well as quantitative electroencephalography data were obtained. The results indicated that, as hypothesized, significant negative correlations existed across the frontal lobes and significant positive correlations existed across the temporal lobes. The results provide further support for a division of responsibility between the left and right frontal and temporal lobes in the regulation of heart rate and blood pressure.     

Oppositional defiant disorder toward adults and oppositional defiant disorder toward peers: initial evidence for two separate constructs

Confirmatory factor analysis of 25 items on the Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory (CADBI, Version 2.3; G. L. Burns, T. K. Taylor, & J. C. Rusby, 2001) was conducted on teacher ratings of 824 kindergarten children and replicated on 534 children. Model fit was improved when correcting for 2 method effects: (a) adjacent items and (b) identical behaviors (e.g., argues with adults, argues with peers). The results show that the 25 items loaded on 3 distinct but correlated factors: Hyperactivity, Oppositional to Adults, and Oppositional to Peers. These more refined constructs from the CADBI may be useful for practitioners in identifying children who are at risk and for helping define appropriate contexts in which to intervene. The CADBI and analytic procedures also may contribute to future psychoeducational research on the development of problem behavior.     

False reports of childhood events in appropriate interviews

The present study employed the “parental misinformation & CloseCurly ” paradigm to examine whether individuals report false events from their childhood even when they are interviewed in an appropriate manner by a trained interviewer. Each participant was interviewed on three occasions. By the final interview, one participant produced a “full & Close Curly ” report, and six participants produced “partial & Close Curly ” reports, of childhood events that did not occur. Although participants reported perceiving greater pressure to report the false events than the real events, independent judges' ratings of social pressure in the interviews did not differ as a function of what type of event participants were being asked about. Participants also reported higher confidence in their parents', compared to their own, recall of events from their childhood. False reports were also positively correlated with scores on both the full and the revised versions of the Dissociative Experiences Scale, and negatively correlated with score on the Self-Monitoring scale. These results indicate that, despite being interviewed in an appropriate manner by a trained interviewer, some participants will falsely report events from their childhoods.     

The Effect of Removing Superstitious Behavior and Introducing a Pre-Performance Routine on Basketball Free-Throw Performance

Abstract

A meta-analysis was conducted on 40 studies (76 effects) in order to examine exercise training as a method of stress-management treatment for adults. It offered evidence of a low-to-moderate positive effect in anxiety reduction. Exercise training studies that examined change from pre to post-treatment and studies that examined both change over time and between group differences were examined separately. The unbiased weighted average effect sizes were .45 and .36, respectively. Thus, exercise training improved anxiety levels an average of .36 standard deviations over alternative or control conditions. Adults who were more likely to have a stressful lifestyle benefited more from the exercise training than those who did not. Recommendations are made for both practice and research.     

Toward Training Transformation

This article briefly discusses common themes concerning training transformation shared by articles in this special issue. Themes include: the continuing combat training center revolution, the interplay between theory and practice in military training programs, training as an engineering discipline, the role of training as a contributor to human performance in military operations, the use of training simulations to assess human performance, and data standards. The article emphasizes the need for researchers to better explain and articulate the value and return on investment of training in general and training transformation in particular. Meeting this need will better inform decisions and decision makers in allocating resources to training across the full range of defense requirements.     

Child Sexual Abuse in India: Current Issues and Research

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a serious and widespread problem in India as it is in many parts of the world today. The trauma associated with sexual abuse can contribute to arrested development, as well as a host of psychological and emotional disorders, that some children and adolescents may never overcome. When sexual abuse goes unreported and children are not given the protective and therapeutic assistance they need, they are left to suffer in silence. This article discusses the nature and incidence of the sexual abuse of minors in India and presents an overview of research findings to date. Socio-cultural and familial risk factors involved in CSA are discussed. Common symptoms and disorders associated with sexual abuse are outlined. Finally, some implications for counselors working with children in India who have been sexually abused are highlighted.     

Cosmetic Surgery: Feminist Perspectives

Cosmetic surgery is gaining popularity not only in the U.S., but worldwide. The sheer number of procedures being performed makes it seem “normal,” and in the statistical sense it is. Feminist therapists are likely to have clients who are contemplating undergoing one or more of these procedures. Therapists ought to help their clients to understand the motivations underlying a decision to undergo surgery for the sake of improving on nature. In the final analysis, the decision belongs to the woman who may be placing her life at risk to achieve some desired end. The therapist can play a role in helping her to weigh the risks and what will be accomplished in the end.     

Juggling roles and expectations: dilemmas faced by women talking to relatives about cancer and genetic testing

Health professionals do not inform their patients’ kin about BRCA1/2 test results or genetic testing without their written consent. Thus, the onus is on women attending genetic counselling to talk to relatives about the family history and their potential increased risk. This communication process within the family is largely unexplored and provides the focus of the present study. Fifteen healthy women attending a genetics clinic for predictive testing were interviewed prior to receiving their test result and again 6 months later. A grounded theory approach was used. Findings illustrate the dilemmas women faced in juggling social roles and expectations, which had an impact on communication within the family in the context of predictive genetic testing. Tensions between responsibilities towards themselves and others and their fulfilment of social roles had an impact on who women informed and on how they did so. These factors should be considered when assigning patients the role of information provider.     

The Scholarship of Teaching in Theology and Religion: A Wabash Center Advisory Committee Conversation

The article is a reflection on what I perceive to be a confusion about the relation between theoretical judgments and judgments of pedagogical efficacy. My interest in the issue originated with my own confusion over persistent student resistance to certain assigned texts that I had initially felt confident would prove valuable in the classroom. The essay unfolds in three segments. In the first, I recount how this concern about the relation between theoretical judgments and judgments of pedagogical efficacy evolved out of my own teaching. I next list three tentative conclusions about the correlation or lack of correlation between theoretical judgments and judgments of pedagogical efficacy. In the concluding segment, I call for concerted resistance to the tendency of pure rationality to colonize the aesthetic and dramatic components of experience so essential to transformative teaching and learning.