Substituting new details for old? Effects of delaying postevent information on infant memory

How that which we remember is selectively distorted by new information was studied in 3-monthold infants who learned to move a particular crib mobile by operant foot kicking. Infants who were passively exposed to a novel mobile 1, 2, or 3 days later subsequently treated the novel mobile as if they had actually been trained with it. Also, after the longest exposure delay, they no longer recognized the original mobile. Likewise, when the novel mobile was exposed after the longest delay, it could prime the forgotten training memory in a reactivation paradigm, but the original mobile no longer could. These data reveal that what we remember about an event is selectively distorted by what we encounter later. Moreover, the later in the retention interval we encounter new postevent information, the greater is its impact on retention.     

Managerial stress: Is work really the cause?

It is widely accepted that managerial work is stressful, but there has been little research into the events that contribute to this stress. The current study identifies the most stressful recent events for a sample of 572 managers from 41 organizations, and finds that the greater proportion of events are work-related. The breakdown of a marriage or relationship is described as most important and emotionally disturbing, and is associated with the greatest increase in symptoms. Generally, however, work events are considered of greater importance and emotional disturbance than nonwork events, and are associated with greater increases in symptoms. Organizational issues are particularly problematic, and provide opportunities for systemwide intervention.     

The broken heart phenomenon: An examination of the mortality of bereavement

Bereaved people are at greater risk of losing their lives than the non-bereaved. This paper explores the evidence on this ‘bereavement—mortality relationship’, to establish who among the bereaved are most vulnerable to such dire consequences of loss. Information is drawn from several sources, including epidemiological research on sociodemographic variables, analyses of causes of death and recent empirical studies that have identified differences between bereaved decedents and survivors. The survey shows that risk factors interact in complex ways to determine level of vulnerability. A simple explanation in terms of ‘broken heart’ cannot account for the pattern of results. Some bereaved subgroups are more vulnerable to death than others, excess risk occurs across a variety of causes of death (suggesting different underlying processes), and personal characteristics in combination with circumstantial factors lead to high vulnerability. It is concluded that two types of process underlie the bereavement–mortality relationship. These are related: (a) to the direct effects of grief (broken heart); and (b) to secondary consequences associated with the stress of bereavement.     

Fearfulness and Affective Evaluations of Pictures

Subjects high and low in temperamental fearfulness made a speeded decision regarding whether each of a series of affective pictures was unpleasant or pleasant. Fearful subjects made faster decisions on unpleasant pictures than did low fear subjects, whereas no difference was found between low and high fear participants when processing pleasant materials. Reaction time differences as a function of fearfulness were amplified when unpleasant pictures were also high in arousal, suggesting that stimulus intensity is a relevant methodological factor when assessing effects of temperament in cognitive processing. Taken together, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that an anxious or fearful temperament is associated with rapid reactions to unpleasant events.     

Informant-Based Determinants of Symptom Attenuation in Structured Child Psychiatric Interviews

Informant-related determinants of item attenuation, that is, the drop-off in symptom endorsement rates at retest, were examined in an enriched community subsample of 245 parent–child pairs drawn from the National Institute of Mental Health Methods for Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders Study. Youngsters and their parents were interviewed with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (Version 2.3; DISC-2.3) on two occasions with a mean test–retest interval of 12 days. Item attenuation rates were high for both informants, with adults failing to confirm 42% and children 58% of baseline responses at retest. Stepwise regressions revealed that item attenuation at DISC-P retest was higher for adult informants who were younger, and who reported on older and less impaired children. On the DISC-C, attenuation was higher for children who were less impaired, rated as doing worse in school, and who had a longer test–retest interval. These results are broadly consistent with past studies examining the determinants of attenuation and test–retest reliability and have implications for the design and use of structured diagnostic instruments.     

Parents: Psychotherapy's scapegoats

In this article the author reviews the assumption made popular in self-help literature that parents are to blame for most failings in life. She traces the assumption's occurrence in writings of pioneer theorists and practitioners, and then cites researchers who describe a more complex understanding of human distress. She concludes by suggesting an approach to counseling which is supportive to parents.Dr. Alter is a therapist in private practice and teaches for Pacific School of Religion and New College Berkelely. She is the author of Resurrection Psychology: an Understanding of Human Personality based on the Life and Teachings of Jesus (Loyola, 1994) and many journal articles.     

Consulting scientist and engineer liability: A survey of relevant law

This paper is a survey of the law in the United States which is applicable to consulting scientists and engineers. Based on the body of law which has developed for the construction industry and professional “advice-givers” such as attorneys, medical doctors and accountants, the paper reviews professional responsibilities in the areas of Common Law Torts. Common Law Contracts, certain U.S. Federal and State Statutes and the protection of sensitive information.     

The mental health system and older adults in the 1990s.

Trends in mental health services for older adults during the past decade were used to predict salient issues for the current decade. These include overreliance on inpatient treatment, increased use of general hospitals as treatment sites, inadequate integration with the nursing-home industry, and insufficient mental health referrals from general medical providers. In the decade ahead, the mental health needs of older adults are unlikely to be an identified focus; rather the issues will overlap with other priorities (e.g., biomedical research on brain functioning, alternative treatment programs for the chronically mentally ill, and containing health care costs). Advocates for the elderly will be successful to the extent that they cast aging services within the context of these other concerns.     

Physical Distance and AIDS: Too Close for Comfort?1

The purpose of the study was to assess attitudes toward AIDS as measured by physical distance. Fifty-two female students were told that they would be interviewing an AIDS patient, a homosexual, a cancer patient, or another student. While waiting, they arranged the two chairs for the interview. The distance between chairs was measured. Subjects placed the chairs significantly farther apart when they anticipated interviewing an AIDS patient than when they anticipated interviewing people under the other conditions. The results suggest that people are still uncomfortable with AIDS patients even under casual circumstances that require minimal physical contact. Implications for social interactions are discussed.     

Resolving the trauma organized system of sexual abuse by confronting the abuser: A focal family therapy approach with a woman who was a childhood victim of sexual abuse

The longer-term emotional and interpersonal effects of sexual abuse in childhood are reviewed and approaches to treatment discussed. The notion of a 'trauma organized system' to account for the long-standing effects of abuse is described. A major potential issue in creating therapeutic change is confronting the abuser, and a case is described where a woman brought her family for therapy when it was feared that the father, who had abused her in childhood, might abuse his grandchildren. A focal family therapy approach was used: this takes into account the traumatic nature of abusive events and their long-term organizing effects on individual and family functioning. The process of therapeutic work is described, including the resolution of traumatic effects by confronting the abusive act.