Recognition of temporal patterns: from engineering to psychology and back again.

An overview is presented on research conducted in our lab to quantify the underlying principles behind the recognition of temporal patterns. We have been developing a theory based upon pattern matching and time-series analysis, which allows us to model and understand how humans recognize familiar patterns evolving over time and how performance degrades with noise. While our studies are primarily scientific in nature, the work has application beyond the elucidation of psychological and physiological mechanisms. We illustrate an application of these ideas to computer-based human identification through gait analysis. This study also illustrates a novel approach to interdisciplinary research by integrating experimental psychology with that of engineering design.     

Associated factors of post-stroke depression among Hong Kong Chinese: a longitudinal study

The aim of this study was to explore associated factors of post-stroke depression (PSD) among Chinese first-time stroke patients. A 6-month prospective design was adopted with data collected by face-to-face interviews and physical assessment at two observation time points: T1, within 48 h of admission to the rehabilitation hospitals and T2, 6 months after the first interview in the subject's current place of residence. The prevalence of PSD at T1 and T2 was found to be 69% and 48% respectively. Backward linear regression showed that five variables explained 55% of the variance of PSD at T2. Participants who had a higher level of depression at T2 tended to have a higher level of functional disability, less social companionship and poorer informational support. Those who had been homemaker at pre-morbid state and those who exhibited a higher level of depressive symptoms at T1 showed a higher level of depression at T2. The results of this study suggest that PSD could be a psychological condition arising from the disabling consequences and altered family roles caused by a stroke.     

Effects of rater goals on rating patterns: evidence from an experimental field study

The goal-based perspective of performance appraisals suggests that raters who pursue different goals give different performance ratings. Yet previous studies have not provided strong empirical evidence that there are different impacts of different goals on mean rating and discriminability, nor have they provided evidence of a goal-rating causality. The authors extend the literature by manipulating rater goals in the context of peer evaluations of graded group projects with a sample of 104 undergraduate students. They find that (a) pursuing a harmony goal increased mean rating and decreased discriminability, and (b) pursuing a fairness goal increased mean rating and decreased discriminability when the group projects had not ended and increased mean rating but did not change discriminability when the group projects had ended.     

Response latency of gerbils and hamsters to nuts flavoured with bitter-tasting substances

The unconditioned reactions of Mongolian gerbils to peanuts rolled in sucrose octa-acetate (SOA) or denatomium benzoate (Bitrex) were studied in Experiment 1. Although SOA evokes as high a bitterness rating among humans as quinine salts, the gerbils' latency to ingest a nut flavoured with the former was similar to that to an unflavoured nut. Their oral latency to a nut that was flavoured with Bitrex was longer than to either an unflavoured one or one flavoured with SOA. However, the fact that they ingested a nut flavoured with the “most bitter substance known to man” within 70 sec after contact is surprising. Experiment 2 dealt with the effects of a peanut that was either unflavoured or flavoured with SOA or quinine and then paired with a LiCl injection. The oral latency of these gerbils to a nut conveying such flavours was assessed for six days after this conditioning. A nut flavoured with quinine acquired aversive properties but not ones that were flavoured with SOA or were unflavoured. Similar results were observed in Experiment 3, when hamsters were tested under comparable conditions. The theoretical implications of these results are discussed.     

Integrative Family and Systems Treatment with Parental Mental Illness: A Hong Kong Chinese Family

Integrative Family and Systems Treatment (I-FAST) is a systems-based, home-based, and strengths-oriented treatment model that has been developed and implemented within the community mental health system. Using a single case example, this paper discusses the application of I-FAST to a Chinese family in Hong Kong in which the mother was diagnosed with depression. The paper critically examines the deficit-based approach, widely used in the mental health field, which stigmatizes people with psychiatric disabilities. Treatment implications of families with parental mental illness in a Chinese context are discussed.     

A Comparison of Repetitive Negative Thinking and Post-Event Processing in the Prediction of Maladaptive Social-Evaluative Beliefs: A Short-Term Prospective Study

Theoretical models propose that transdiagnostic and disorder-specific repetitive thinking processes each interact with individual environmental conditions to predict symptoms. The current study aimed to test this hypothesis in the context of social anxiety. Specifically, we aimed to predict future maladaptive social-evaluative beliefs (high standard, conditional, and unconditional beliefs) from: (a) the transdiagnostic tendency to engage in repetitive negative thinking (RNT), (b) the social anxiety-specific tendency to engage in post-event processing (PEP), and (c) the interaction of these repetitive thinking tendencies with the frequency of recent negative social events and social anxiety levels. An initial undergraduate sample (N = 331) was recruited and 215 participants completed measures of the constructs of interest at two time points within an acceptable timeframe (average 8.44 days apart). Using hierarchical linear modelling, significant interactions were only obtained for conditional and unconditional beliefs with a specific component of PEP that focuses on thinking about the past involved in prediction. Follow-up simple slopes analyses indicated mainly no change in these beliefs or decreasing trajectories over time for different combinations of levels on the predictor variables. However, for participants with high social anxiety levels who experienced a high number of recent negative social events, those who reported low levels of thinking about the past exhibited a pattern of increasing trajectories for conditional and unconditional beliefs. These findings indicate that RNT and PEP differ in their ability to predict social-evaluative beliefs, and highlight the importance of research comparing different types of repetitive thinking to better understand these processes.     

Genetic Counselors in Startup Companies: Redefining the Genetic Counselor Role

Genetic counselors (GCs) have recently begun moving into non-clinic based roles in increasing numbers. A relatively new role for GCs is working for startup companies. Startups are newly established companies in the phase of developing and researching new scalable businesses. This article explores the experiences of four GCs working at different startup companies and aims to provide resources for GCs interested in learning more about these types of roles. The article describes startup culture, including a relatively flat organizational structure, quick product iterations, and flexibility, among other unique cultural characteristics. Financial considerations are described, including how to understand and evaluate a company’s financial status, along with a brief explanation of alternate forms of compensation including stock options and equity. Specifically, the article details the uncertainties and rewards of working in a fast-paced startup environment that affords opportunities to try new roles and use the genetic counseling skill set in new ways. This article aims to aid GCs in determining whether a startup environment would be a good fit, learning how to evaluate a specific startup, and understanding how to market themselves for positions at startups.