THE STABILITY OF PATHOLOGIC SIGNS IN THE PERCEPTUAL PROCESS AS REVEALED BY A SERIAL TACHISTOSCOPIC EXPERIMENT

S mith , G. J. W., and J ohnson , G. The stability of pathologic signs in the perceptual process as revealed by a serial tachistoscopic experiment. Scand. J. Psychol ., 1961, 2, 142–148.—The study demonstrates high inter-rater and inter-set consistency in a serial tachistoscopic experiment utilizing pairwise presentations of stimuli A and B, B being presented at constant time levels, A at gradually increasing ones. Two parallel sets contain two series each. In one series A is incongruent with B, in another a threat directed against B. Fifty psychiatric patients are given the two sets with a one-day interval. Reports of change in A and B during the micro-genesis of A are scored in the dimensions of repression, isolation, projection, and depression.     

BINOCULAR INTERACTION IN MOTION PERCEPTION

An earlier experiment has shown a high degree of overestimation of small motion tracks as compared with static space perception. In the present paper this is hypothesized as the visual outcome of a central nerve process specific for motion stimulation. The hypothesis is submitted to a test in an attempt to show a possible binocular intereaction of the effect. The experiment demonstrated a significant binocular summation and thus supported the hypothesis.     

Daytime functioning in older patients suffering from chronic insomnia: treatment outcome in a randomized controlled trial comparing CBT with Zopiclone

The paper presents data from a randomized controlled trial comparing treatment effects of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), hypnotic treatment (Zopiclone), and placebo in a sample of insomnia patients. Data from the same trial have already demonstrated that CBT was more efficient in improving sleep than Zopiclone. The novel outcomes that are reported here concern daytime functioning.

Forty-six older patients (age55) qualifying for a diagnosis of primary insomnia were recruited to participate. Assessments were completed at baseline, post-treatment, and at a 6-months follow-up, and measures of worry, anxiety, depression, interpersonal relationships, subjective alertness, vigilance, and quality of life were used.

The participants in both treatment conditions scored within the normal range on the outcome measures at baseline with the exception of reporting less alertness, relative to a group of good sleepers. One interaction effect indicated that subjective alertness improved more in the Zopiclone group than the CBT group from baseline to post-treatment, and another that CBT was more effective than Zopiclone in reducing trait anxiety from baseline to follow-up.

It was concluded that the treatments yielded only minor effects on the measures of daytime functioning, and that none of them was clearly superior to the other.     

Spatial cognition and motor development: a study of children with spina bifida

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between motor development and spatial cognition. The sample was 20 children with Spina bifida (M age: 11.4 yr., SD = 1.7) and 20 healthy children as controls (M age: 11.8, SD = 1.8 yr.). An experimental assessment of motor development in spatial cognition in a simulated virtual maze by school-age children is lacking. In this study children with Spina bifida, who were impaired in walking since birth, completed four visuospatial tasks in a small-scale space (Mental Rotation, Water-Level Task, Embedded Figures Test, Visual Short-term Memory Test), and a spatial behaviour and knowledge task in a virtual maze. These children showed poorer performance than children in the control group on most measures. The results are discussed with respect to theoretical implications and further research.     

Fixation identification in centroid versus start-point modes using eye-tracking data

Fixation-identification algorithms, needed for analyses of eye movements, may typically be separated into three categories, viz. (i) velocity-based algorithms, (ii) area-based algorithms, and (iii) dispersion-based algorithms. Dispersion-based algorithms are commonly used but this application introduces some difficulties, one being optimization. Basically, there are two modes to reach this goal of optimization, viz., the start-point mode and the centroid mode. The aim of the present study was to compare and evaluate these two dispersion-based algorithms. Manual inspections were made of 1,400 fixations in each mode. Odds ratios showed that by using the centroid mode for fixation detection, a valid fixation is 2.86 times more likely to be identified than by using the start-point mode. Moreover, the algorithm based on centroid mode dispersion showed a good interpretation speed, accuracy, robustness, and ease of implementation, as well as adequate parameter settings.     

Correlation between maternal stress and children's stress

Mothers (N = 168, M age = 37.0 yr., SD = 4.6) responded to a questionnaire of scales measuring sources of stress and symptoms of stress within themselves, and symptoms of stress in their 5-8-yr.-old children (61 girls, 98 boys; M age = 7.3 yr., SD = 1.0). Scores on all scales intercorrelated significantly, indicating a relationship between maternal stress and stress of the child. Both types of stress also correlated with the frequency of punishment of the child. Both maternal stress and frequency of punishment predicted stress symptoms in the children, maternal stress being a somewhat stronger predictor.     

Patient experiences with treatment in private practice compared with public mental health services

The study compared patient experiences with psychiatric treatment provided by private practitioners and public outpatient clinics. Questionnaires were completed by 642 outpatients in private practice and 6,677 outpatients in public clinics. The questionnaire included a measure of patient experiences comprising six items: treatment outcome, enough time for contact and dialogue with clinician, clinicians' understanding of patient's situation, suitability of therapy and treatment, clinician follow-up of planned actions, and influence on treatment. Patients in private practice had generally better experiences than patients in public outpatient treatment. The difference between private and public patients was largest for patients with poor self-evaluated mental health or those who had just one consultation in the previous three months. Private practitioners appear to have an important role in mental health services delivery, and patients have relatively good experiences with services. Further studies that assess the patient - clinician interaction in different mental health services may give further insights into potential service improvements.