Compatibilism,determinism, and the identity theory

Two issues are raised with regard to Ted Honderich's A Theory of Determinism. First, regarding the relation between a token identity theory of mental and physical events and Honderich's ‘psychoneural union theory’, it is suggested that a token identity theory would serve Honderich's purposes while securing a simpler ontology. Second, it is argued that there is a substantive philosophical issue dividing compatibilists and incompatibilists on the question of whether persons possess free will, contrary to Honderich's contention that the compatibilist and incompatibilist differ only in responsive attitude.     

Emotion dysregulation as a partial mediator between reinforcement sensitivity and posttraumatic stress symptoms

The reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) asserts that three brain subsystems (i.e., the Behavioral Approach System [BAS], the Behavioral Inhibition System [BIS], and the Fight–Flight–Freeze System [FFFS]) underlie individual variations seen in personality and psychopathology. Though revised by Gray and McNaughton (2000), many researchers continue to utilize the original, and now outdated, theory of reinforcement sensitivity. Additionally, while there is an abundance of research investigating the association between reinforcement sensitivity and psychopathology, the underlying mechanisms between these constructs remain largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to test whether emotion dysregulation acted as a partial mediator between FFFS sensitivity and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) under the revised RST framework. Data was collected from 282 undergraduate students at a Midwestern university who experienced at least one potentially traumatic event. Bootstrapping was used to test the significance of the indirect effect (e.g., amount of mediation) of FFFS sensitivity on PTSS. The indirect effect was significant (2000 bootstrapped CI_95 = .11−.25), indicating that emotion dysregulation partially mediated the relationship between FFFS sensitivity and PTSS. More specifically, individuals with high FFFS sensitivity reported higher levels of emotion dysregulation, which in turn was associated with greater PTSS scores.     

THE KINNERET

At the time of the Second Aliyah, 1903–1914, the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) was perceived—and functioned—as a sacred place. A major component in the Kinneret’s sacred status was its constitution as a continuing object of desire. The religious aspect of Kinneret is a crucial element in Zionist discourse; the commonly accepted historical narrative about the relationship between religion and secularity in Zionist discourse assumes a dialectical form: the transformation to secularism while still retaining the continuity of the presence of religion. Yet in many texts of the era, instead of depoliticisation that harmonises the relationship between secular and religious, one can see the effects of the sublime, which reaffirms the nationalist agenda through mythifying and materialising the desire for territory.     

Body dissatisfaction from adolescence to young adulthood: Findings from a 10-year longitudinal study

Given mixed findings regarding the unique trajectories of female and male adolescents’ body dissatisfaction over time, comprehensive longitudinal examinations are needed. This 10-year longitudinal, population-based study, with 1902 participants from diverse ethnic/racial and socioeconomic backgrounds in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, examined changes in body dissatisfaction from adolescence to young adulthood. Results revealed that: (a) female and male participants’ body dissatisfaction increased between middle and high school, (b) body dissatisfaction increased further during the transition to young adulthood, and (c) this increase was associated with an increase in BMI over time, such that the upward trend in body dissatisfaction became nonsignificant when BMI was controlled. These results highlight a trend in which diverse female and male youth are increasingly dissatisfied with their bodies as their BMI increases from middle school to young adulthood, and emphasize the need for targeted prevention efforts to intervene in this trajectory and mitigate potential harm.     

Trichotillomania: impact on psychosocial functioning and quality of life

This study explored the impact of hair pulling on psychosocial functioning for patients diagnosed with trichotillomania (TTM; n = 28). TTM patients were compared to age and gender-matched groups of psychiatric patients without TTM (n = 28) and nonpsychiatric control volunteers (NC, n = 28) on measures of psychological distress, functioning/quality of life, and self-esteem. Results indicated that TTM patients reported more severe psychosocial impairments than did NC volunteers; however, these differences were mediated by differences in level of depression. Regression analyses indicated significant relationships between some measures of psychosocial functioning and severity of hair pulling, independent of level of depression. Finally, an interview of the impact of hair pulling on 6 domains of daily functioning (negative affect/negative self-evaluations, grooming, recreational activities, social interaction, work/housework productivity, and physical health) indicated common and wide-ranging impairments for both lifetime and current (i.e., past week) ratings. These results highlight the importance of promoting and improving resources for the clinical care of TTM patients, and provide some directions for clinicians to enhance assessment of interference caused by TTM.     

Mice (Mus musculus) learn a win-shift but not a win-stay contingency under water escape motivation

Twenty mice (Mus musculus), the second filial generation offspring from a C57BL/6 and DBA/2J cross, received spatial win-shift and win-stay water escape training within a mixed design in which all mice received both types of training. Acquisition under win-shift was superior to win-stay with respect to errorless trials and latencies regardless of the order in which the procedures were experienced. Win-stay responding did not exceed chance levels during any training phase. These data contradict the claim that win-stay training is the more easily acquired of the 2 acquisition strategies under aversive motivation.     

Parent and Primary Care Provider Priorities for Wellness in Early Childhood: A Discrete Choice Experiment

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Guidelines recommend that primary care clinicians address a broad range of wellness topics, but time constraints limit clinicians’ ability to address...     

Cognitive factors in panic disorder, agoraphobic avoidance and agoraphobia

There remains a lack of consensus regarding the possibility that especially high levels of panic-related cognitions characterise panic disorder with agoraphobia. We administered the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, the Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire and the Anxious Thoughts and Tendencies Scale as well as measures of agoraphobic avoidance to patients diagnosed with panic disorder with agoraphobia (n=75) and without agoraphobia (n=26). Patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia did not score significantly higher on any of the cognitive variables than did panic disorder patients without agoraphobia. However, most of the cognitive variables showed small to moderate-strength correlations with self-report measures of agoraphobic avoidance. Our findings suggest that anxiety sensitivity, catastrophising of the consequences of panic and a general anxiety-prone cognitive style, although to some extent associated with agoraphobic avoidance, do not discriminate panic disorder with agoraphobia from panic disorder without agoraphobia.     

Is Smoking Detrimental to Effective Supervision?

This paper examines the relationship between the smoking hehavior of supervisors and the effectiveness ratings attributed to them by their subordinates on 5 leadership eflectiveness measures. A sample of 3.422 assessments revealed that supervisors who smoke were rated lower than were nonsmoking supervisors. The findings suggest that smoking tobacco is associated with lower supervisory effectiveness, as perceived by subordinates. The causes for such lower ratings are attributed to bias against smokers in the workplace. actual performance differences, or both.