Behavioral consistency in a changed social context in Carolina chickadees

Stable personality-like influences on behavior have been documented in nonhuman animals (S. D. Gosling, 2001), but little is known about such influences within explicitly social contexts. The authors tested whether individuals of a socially complex avian species, Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis), show consistent behavioral profiles when their social context changes. Consistency was tested using 7 groups of chickadees, each group comprising 2 female-male pairs. The 2 pairs from each group were isolated from one another until the male birds were switched between the pairs. The authors made several measures before and after the male switch, including measures of affiliative and agonistic behavior, self-maintenance behavior, and vocalizations. The authors observed strong behavioral consistency despite the major change in social context, suggesting that personality can influence this fundamental social relationship.     

Pharmacological Cognitive Enhancement in Schizophrenia

Cognitive impairments in schizophrenia are common and severe. These impairments are also related to functional disability in schizophrenia. As a result, efforts are underway to enhance cognition in schizophrenia through a variety of pharmacological mechanisms. As part of this effort, a designated research design has been developed for this process, through an extensive consensus and validation effort. This paper reviews the methods for pharmacological cognitive enhancement, as well as previous results of efforts in the pharmacological domains. These domains include cholinergic, noradrenergic, serotonergic, glutamatergic, and GABA-ergic mechanisms. While previous results have not been particularly encouraging, there are many challenges that need to be overcome and many of the reasons for past failures may be due to resolvable issues. It is likely that this will be an area of research that will be developing extensively over the next decade and expanding to other conditions as well.     

Examining Subtypes of Behavior Problems Among 3-Year-Old Children,Part III: Investigating Differences in Parenting Practices and Parenting Stress

This study examined parenting of mothers and fathers of 3-year-old children who were classified as hyperactive (HYP), hyperactive and oppositional defiant (HYP/OD), and non-problem based on mothers' reports of behavior. Parents of children with HYP/OD were less warm, showed more negative affect, and more laxness than parents of non-problem children; however, contrary to prediction, they did not differ significantly from parents of children in the HYP group. Compared to mothers of non-problem children, mothers of children in the HYP/OD group reported significantly more parenting stress across all domains, whereas mothers of children in the HYP group only reported elevated levels of stress associated with having a difficult child. Theoretical and treatment implications are discussed.     

Examining Subtypes of Behavior Problems Among 3-Year-Old Children,Part I: Investigating Validity of Subtypes and Biological Risk-Factors

This study examined 3-year-old children who were classified as hyperactive (HYP), oppositional-defiant (OD), hyperactive and oppositional defiant (HYP/OD), and non-problem based on mothers' reports of behavior. Using fathers,' teachers,' and observers' ratings of children's behavior, concurrent validity was excellent for the HYP/OD group, moderate for the HYP group, and poor for the OD group. As predicted, both the HYP/OD and HYP groups reported more prenatal/perinatal birth complications and a greater family history of hyperactivity than did non-problem children. Furthermore, the HYP/OD group showed a greater family history of conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms than did non-problem children; however, the HYP group also showed a greater family history of ODD than did non-problem children. Results suggest that as early as age 3, these behavior subtypes appear to be linked to biologically-based risk-factors in ways that are consistent with theories of the development of ADHD.