Control of responding by location of auditory stimuli: rapid acquisition in monkey and rat

Monkeys require a considerably larger number of trials to bring responding under the control of the location of an auditory stimulus than cats, rats, and bats with the same experimental procedures. The present experiment sought to determine the conditions necessary for rapid acquisition of control of responding by location of noise and tone bursts in the monkey. Monkeys were run in an enclosure that contained four loudspeakers and four manipulanda. Two conditions were used in training. In the adjacent condition, a stimulus (noise or tone burst) was presented through one or other of two speakers and a response on the manipulandum adjacent to the speaker was reinforced with food. In the nonadjacent condition, a stimulus was presented through one of two speakers and a response on a manipulandum remote from the speaker was reinforced with food. Acquisition of control was measured by change in the percentage of reinforced responses during training. In the adjacent condition, responding came under control of location within zero to three sessions. In nonadjacent conditions, the animals required 14 to 20 sessions to come under control of location. These latter numbers are comparable to those reported in the literature for localization discrimination in monkeys.     

Object-substitution masking degrades the quality of conscious object representations

Object-substitution masking (OSM) is a unique paradigm for the examination of object updating processes. However, existing models of OSM are underspecified with respect to the impact of object updating on the quality of target representations. Using two paradigms of OSM combined with a mixture model analysis we examine the impact of post-perceptual processes on a target’s representational quality within conscious awareness. We conclude that object updating processes responsible for OSM cause degradation in the precision of object representations. These findings contribute to a growing body of research advocating for the application of mixture model analysis to the study of how cognitive processes impact the quality (i.e., precision) of object representations.     

Exploring the associations shared by mood,pain-related attention and pain outcomes related to sleep disturbance in a chronic pain sample

Objective: Sleep disturbance in chronic pain is common, occurring in two-thirds of patients. There is a complex relationship between chronic pain and sleep; pain can disrupt sleep and poor sleep can exaggerate pain intensity. This may have an impact on both depressive symptoms and attention to pain. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between chronic pain and sleep, and the role of mood and attention.

Methods: Chronic pain patients, recruited from a secondary care outpatient clinic, completed self-report measures of pain, sleep, depressive symptoms and attention to pain. Hierarchical regression and structural equation modelling were used to explore the relationships between these measures. Participants (n = 221) were aged between 20 and 84 (mean = 52) years.

Results: The majority of participants were found to be ‘poor sleepers’ (86%) with increased pain severity, depressive symptoms and attention to pain. Both analytical approaches indicated that sleep disturbance is indirectly associated with increased pain severity Instead the relationship shared by sleep disturbance and pain severity was further associated with depressive symptoms and attention to pain.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that sleep disturbance may contribute to clinical pain severity indirectly though changes in mood and attention. Prospective studies exploring lagged associations between these constructs could have critical information relevant to the treatment of chronic pain.     

The feasibility,acceptability and possible benefit of a positive psychology intervention group in an adolescent inpatient eating disorder service

Positive affect focused therapies could increase subjective happiness and life satisfaction for patients with eating disorders (EDs), illnesses known to significantly impact quality of life. This longitudinal pilot study aimed to develop and implement a five session ‘Positivity Group’ using positive psychology interventions (PPIs) in an adolescent ED inpatient service. Eight female inpatients aged 11–18 years attended the group and subjective happiness and life satisfaction were assessed before, after and at 6-month follow-up. Patients provided feedback on acceptability and feasibility was assessed via patient engagement, facilitator and team feedback and the data support the feasibility and acceptability of the group. A possible benefit was derived from the group, with 75% of patients reporting meaningful improvement in subjective happiness and 87.5% in life satisfaction. Involving the wider team and supporting homework were identified as considerations for future replication alongside the assessment of implementation, acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness in other clinical contexts.     

The variability of the delinquent self: Anti-authority attitudes and endorsement of neutralization techniques among incarcerated delinquents in Singapore

This study presents research findings showing that the delinquent social identity is not a fixed entity but varies according to situational factors. Participants were incarcerated Singapore delinquents of both genders, who responded to a vignette of a rule-breaking situation when either their family or their gang social identities are made salient. Another manipulation involves confrontation by authority either in public or in private. Results demonstrate that delinquents' attitude toward authority and their endorsement of the techniques of neutralization vary depending on the salience of their identities and confrontation by authority. This lends support to self-categorization theory's concept of the variable self.