Karlis Osis

Pastoral Psychology -     

The natural,the mystical,and the paranormal

Pastoral Psychology -     

With a little help from my friends: Understanding how social networks influence the pursuit of the ideal self

The present investigation examined how people utilize their social networks when pursuing the ideal self. Participants who spent time with social partners who possessed their desired ideal self characteristic experienced movement toward their ideal self when the partner provided behavioral affirmation (eliciting behaviors consistent with the ideal self), but experienced movement away from their ideal self when the partner provided perceptual affirmation (perceiving them as if they already possessed the desired characteristic). High self-esteem participants were especially likely to seek out social partners of the latter type, who saw them as their ideal selves, but did not offer behavioral assistance. This research highlights the importance of social networks for understanding the conditions in which social partners promote vs. hinder ideal self progress.     

A study of the antecedents and consequences of psychological ownership in organizational settings

Psychological ownership is a feeling of possession in the absence of any formal or legal claims of ownership. In this study, the authors aimed to extend previous empirical testing of psychological ownership in work settings to encompass both job-based and organization-based psychological ownership as well as related work attitudes and behavioral outcomes. Questionnaire data from 68 employees and their managers revealed that job-based psychological ownership and organization-based psychological ownership are distinct work attitudes that are distinguishable from job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Psychological ownership predicted job satisfaction and organizational commitment and mediated the relationship between autonomy and these work attitudes. There was no support for a relationship between psychological ownership and behavioral outcomes. The authors discuss the limitations of the study and the implications of psychological ownership.     

Effects of antecedent variables on disruptive behavior and accurate responding in young children in outpatient settings

The effects of manipulations of task variables on inaccurate responding and disruption were investigated with 3 children who engaged in noncompliance. With 2 children in an outpatient clinic, task directives were first manipulated to identify directives that guided accurate responding; then, additional dimensions of the task were manipulated to evaluate their influence on disruptive behavior. With a 3rd child, similar procedures were employed at school. Results showed one-step directives set the occasion for accurate responding and that other dimensions of the task (e.g., preference) functioned as motivating operations for negative reinforcement.     

Hyperperfusion syndromes: insight into the pathophysiology and treatment of hypertensive encephalopathy

Hypertensive encephalopathy is one of the manifestations of a hypertensive crisis. It is not the absolute value of the blood pressure that causes the encephalopathy, rather the presence of an abrupt rise in pressure. In terms of clinical and radiographic findings, there are many similarities among a group of entities, including hypertensive encephalopathy, eclampsia, and immunosuppressant neurotoxicity. Hyperperfusion syndromes may represent these clinical disease states that may share the same pathophysiology. Magnetic resonance imaging fluid attenuated inversion recovery sequences have recognized the prominent cortical involvement of the disease that had been previously missed on computed tomography. Studies have found cortical involvement in 94% of their patients, particularly in mild cases. Animal models demonstrate endothelial damage and enhanced pinocytosis in the cortex as reasons why edema may begin in that region of the brain. Patients diagnosed with hypertensive encephalopathy should be diagnosed and treated promptly in order to avoid further neurological complications. The mean arterial pressure should be lowered by 20% to 25% within the first hour of patient presentation, followed by further gradual reduction in blood pressure over the following 24 hours. Hypertensive emergency in acute ischemic stroke should be managed with more caution. According to the 2003 American Stroke Association treatment guidelines, for patients with ischemic stroke not eligible for thrombolytic therapy, target blood pressures are a diastolic blood pressure <120 mmHg and systolic blood pressure <220 mmHg. The systolic pressure must be <185 mmHg and diastolic pressure <110 mmHg at all times if eligible for thrombolytic therapy.     

Progressive age-related changes in the attentional blink paradigm

Previous studies on aging and attention typically examine group differences between younger and older adults, rather than seeing aging as a continuous process. Using correlational analyses, this study examined progressive changes in the magnitude of the attentional blink (AB) associated with aging. Increased age was found to be significantly associated with the ability to detect the second target (T2), whereby older age was correlated with the production of a longer and more pronounced AB; this supports the proposition that aging is associated with reduced inhibitory processes and selective attention. It was also found that AB performance somewhat improves between ages 18-39 years, but tends to decline from 40 years of age onward, providing an interesting and novel finding that AB effects may become more sensitive at this point in time. The AB task may prove useful in the assessment of selective attention in normal healthy adults, as well as changes associated with pathological aging.