Reactive vs. proactive antisocial behavior: differential correlates of child ADHD symptoms?

This study examines the relation between proactive and reactive antisocial behavior with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Caregivers of children aged 8 to 15 (n = 84) being evaluated at a child psychiatry outpatient clinic served as participants. Given the conceptual similarity between reactive antisocial behavior (ASB) and particular ADHD symptoms, we hypothesized that ADHD symptoms would be more closely related to reactive than to proactive ASB. Based on peer deviancy training models of ASB, we also hypothesized that the relation between ADHD symptoms and proactive ASB would increase from middle childhood to adolescence. Both hypotheses were supported. These findings suggest that reactive ASB is relatively specific to ADHD symptoms, and that intervening before early adolescence may be critical to prevent the onset of comorbid proactive ASB.     

Optimizing treatment in social phobia: a review of treatment resistance

Over the last 25 years, there has been a rapid expansion of our knowledge base of social phobia (SP). Although there are a number of well-validated treatment modalities, including pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, significant gaps remain in our ability to achieve full remission in most patients. Despite advances in the neurobiology of SP, the etiology has yet to be determined. Investigations examining potential predictors of response have provided little guidance in selecting an appropriate treatment modality. These gaps in our knowledge have pushed us to examine issues related to treatment resistance. This paper presents a review of the current literature and issues related to treatment-resistant SP, including a discussion of the functional impairment associated with SP, definitions of treatment response and remission, as well as outcome measures that have been used in clinical investigations of SP. In addition, criteria for a standard treatment trial, predictors of treatment response, a review of treatment resistance studies, and potential directions for future research are examined. The most promising strategies to attain remission, will likely involve augmenting selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors with agents such as anticonvulsants, benzodiazepines, and antipsychotics as well as combining pharmacotherapy with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Our current treatment target of simply attaining a response needs to be refocused, so that an asymptomatic state and high end state functioning become the final goal of treatment.     

Event memory and misinformation effects in a gorilla (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gorilla gorilla gorilla</Emphasis>)

Event memory and misinformation effects were examined in an adult male gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla). The gorilla witnessed a series of unique events, involving a familiar person engaging in a novel behavior (experiment 1), a novel person engaging in a novel behavior (experiment 2), or the presentation of a novel object (experiment 3). Following a 5- to 10-min retention interval, a tester gave the gorilla three photographs mounted on wooden cards: a photograph depicting the correct person or object and two distractor photographs drawn from the same class. The gorilla responded by returning a photograph. If correct, he was reinforced with food. Across three experiments, the gorilla performed significantly above chance at recognizing the target photograph. In experiment 4, the gorilla showed at-chance performance when the event was followed by misinformation (a class-consistent, but incorrect photograph), but significantly above-chance performance when no misinformation occurred (either correct photograph or no photograph). Although the familiarity can account for these data, they are also consistent with an episodic-memory interpretation.     

A stereo advantage in generalizing over changes in viewpoint on object recognition tasks

In four experiments, we examined whether generalization to unfamiliar views was better under stereo viewing or under nonstereo viewing across different tasks and stimuli. In the first three experiments, we used a sequential matching task in which observers matched the identities of shaded tube-like objects. Across Experiments 1-3, we manipulated the presentation method of the nonstereo stimuli (having observers wear an eye patch vs. showing observers the same screen image) and the magnitude of the viewpoint change (30 degrees vs. 38 degrees). In Experiment 4, observers identified "easy" and "hard" rotating wire-frame objects at the individual level under stereo and nonstereo viewing conditions. We found a stereo advantage for generalizing to unfamiliar views in all the experiments. However, in these experiments, performance remained view dependent even under stereo viewing. These results strongly argue against strictly 2-D image-based models of object recognition, at least for the stimuli and recognition tasks used, and suggest that observers used representations that contained view-specific local depth information.     

Changes in functional status among older adults in Japan: successful and usual aging

This research aimed to chart the trajectories of functional status in old age in Japan and to assess how self-rated health and cognitive functioning differentiate these trajectories and account for interpersonal differences. Data came from a 5-wave panel study of a national sample of 2,200 Japanese older adults between 1987 and 1999. The sample as a whole showed an accelerated increase in functional limitations with age. approximated by a quadratic function. More important, 3 major trajectories of functional change were identified: (a) minimal functional decrement, (b) early onset of functional impairment. and (c) late onset of functional impairment. These findings may serve as useful benchmarks for observations derived from other developed nations.     

Preference for novel flavors in adult Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus)

The authors fed rats 1 of 2 distinctively flavored, roughly equipalatable diets for 3 days then offered them an ad libitum choice between the 2 diets. For 3 days, subjects exhibited a reduced relative intake of whichever diet they had previously eaten (Experiment 1). Such reduction in relative intake was as effective as a toxicosis-induced conditioned aversion in determining subjects' food choices (Experiment 2). The strength of exposure-induced reduction in relative intake did not depend on similarity of the 2 diets offered for choice either to each other or to subjects' maintenance diet (Experiment 3) but did require continuous exposure to a diet (Experiment 4). These experiments provide the first evidence of a robust, exposure-induced decrease infood preference in rats lasting for days rather than minutes.     

Behavioural genetics: why eugenic selection is preferable to enhancement

Criminal behaviour is but one behavioural tendency for which a genetic influence has been suggested. Whilst this research certainly raises difficult ethical questions and is subject to scientific criticism, one recent research project suggests that for some families, criminal tendency might be predicted by genetics. In this paper, supposing this research is valid, we consider whether intervening in the criminal tendency of future children is ethically justifiable. We argue that, if avoidance of harm is a paramount consideration, such an intervention is acceptable when genetic selection is employed instead of genetic enhancement. Moreover, other moral problems in avoiding having children with a tendency to criminal behaviour, such as the prospect of social discrimination, can also be overcome.     

A New Definition of Genetic Counseling: National Society of Genetic Counselors’ Task Force Report

The Genetic Counseling Definition Task Force of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) developed the following definition of genetic counseling that was approved by the NSGC Board of Directors: Genetic counseling is the process of helping people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. This process integrates the following: •Interpretation of family and medical histories to assess the chance of disease occurrence or recurrence. •Education about inheritance, testing, management, prevention, resources and research. •Counseling to promote informed choices and adaptation to the risk or condition. The definition was approved after a peer review process with input from the NSGC membership, genetic professional organizations, the NSGC legal counsel, and leaders of several national genetic advocacy groups.     

Lack of interference in long-term memory for socially learned food preferences in rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Outside the laboratory, rats (Rattus norvegicus) are likely both to interact with several conspecifics that have eaten various foods and to eat a variety of foods themselves before they encounter any particular food for which they have a socially enhanced preference. Here the authors examine the stability of rats' socially learned food preferences following 6 days of potentially disruptive ingestive experiences. The authors found that 6 days of (a) eating unfamiliar foods, (b) interacting with demonstrators that had eaten unfamiliar foods, or (c) both eating unfamiliar foods and interacting with demonstrators that had eaten those foods had no measurable effect on rats' socially learned food preferences. The stability of socially enhanced food preferences over time and despite potentially disruptive experiences is consistent with the view that social learning about foods is an important determinant of the food choices of free-living Norway rats.     

Eggs of a female Japanese quail are more likely to be fertilized by a male that she prefers

Male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) that conspecific females preferred in a 10-min, forced-choice test of affiliative preference were more likely than were males not preferred in such a test to fertilize females' eggs when subsequently mated with them, although preferred and nonpreferred males mated equally often with females. Further, the probability that a nonpreferred male would fertilize a female's eggs was significantly increased if she watched while he courted and mated with another female. The results indicate that in Japanese quail (a) affiliative preference reliably predicts females' choices of fathers for their offspring and (b) females may have some degree of control over whether the males with whom they mate actually fertilize their eggs.