Effects of reward magnitude and training frequency on the learning rates and memory retention of the Port Jackson shark Heterodontus portusjacksoni

Animal Cognition - The development of adaptive responses to novel situations via learning has been demonstrated in a wide variety of animal taxa. However, knowledge on the learning abilities of one...     

Investigating the Relationships Between Mobility Behaviours and Indicators of Subjective Well-Being Using Smartphone-Based Experience Sampling and GPS Tracking

People interact with their physical environments every day by visiting different places and moving between them. Such mobility behaviours likely influence and are influenced by people's subjective well-being. However, past research examining the links between mobility behaviours and well-being has been inconclusive. Here, we provide a comprehensive investigation of these relationships by examining individual differences in two types of mobility behaviours (movement patterns and places visited) and their relationship to six indicators of subjective well-being (depression, loneliness, anxiety, stress, affect, and energy) at two different temporal levels of analysis (two-week tendencies and daily level). Using data from a large smartphone-based longitudinal study (N = 1765), we show that (i) movement patterns assessed via GPS data (distance travelled, entropy, and irregularity) and (ii) places visited assessed via experience sampling reports (home, work, and social places) are associated with subjective well-being at the between and within person levels. Our findings suggest that distance travelled is related to anxiety, affect, and stress, irregularity is related to depression and loneliness, and spending time in social places is negatively associated with loneliness. We discuss the implications of our work and highlight directions for future research on the generalizability to other populations as well as the characteristics of places. © 2020 European Association of Personality Psychology     

The effects of voluntary hyperventilation on patients with chest pain without coronary artery disease

The present investigation was designed to examine panic symptom experience in patients with chest pain of nonorganic etiology, using a hyperventilation provocation procedure. Given the recent focus on panic disorder in patients with nonorganic chest pain, we assessed three indices of physiological arousal, subjective anxiety, and endorsement of DSM-III-R panic symptomatology in response to 3 min of voluntary hyperventilation. Subjects included 23 patients with nonorganic chest pain (CP sample) and matched normal controls (NC sample). The results indicate that hyperventilation produced significant increases in skin conductance, heart rate, and upper trapezious EMG in both CP and NC samples. Despite equivalent levels of physiological arousal and subjective anxiety, the CP sample endorsed a greater number of DSM-III-R panic symptoms relative to the NC sample. Examination of post-hyperventilation symptoms indicated that a greater percentage of the CP sample reported palpitations, nausea, and chest pain when compared with normals. Comparison of CP patients with and without Panic Disorder revealed no significant differences on any measure. The results suggests that hyperventilation plays a role in symptom experience in patients with nonorganic chest pain, although anxiety does not appear central in moderating this effect.     

The Factor Structure of the Personality Research Form: A Cross-National Evaluation

ABSTRACT The present research examined the generalizability of the factor structure of the Personality Research Form (PRF) across various populations. A common methodology was used for factoring 18 data bases from largely differing samples (including data from one Asian and two European countries). In accordance with previous research results, five factors were rotated in every case and compared with two target factor solutions. A mean congruence coefficient of .93 as well as similar proportions of variance explained by the factors in the various populations indicated a large amount of generalizability for that structure. An alternative but similar structure, which had been interpreted in terms of the so-called "Big Five" factors of personality, proved to be only slightly less generalizable. It was concluded that the fairly abstract constructs of both PRF factor structures are useful for describing personality in the cultures under study, leaving room for the possibility of more subtle or specific differences between the populations.     

Assessing problems of cancer patients: psychometric properties of the cancer inventory of problem situations

Evaluated the psychometric properties of the Cancer Inventory of Problem Situations (CIPS), a cancer-specific survey instrument designed to assess day-to-day problems and rehabilitation needs of cancer patients. A heterogeneous group of 479 cancer patients participated in the research. The substructure of the CIPS was investigated using factor-analytic techniques. The CIPS was factored into 31 clinically useful subscales. Further analyses led to five higher order factors representing the physical, psychosocial, medical interaction, marital, and sexual problem areas characteristic of cancer and its treatment. Internal consistency of all the scales was high (mean alpha = .81). The test-retest reliability and validity of the instrument were also studied in a sample of 120 patients. Analyses of items, subscales, higher order factors, and total CIPS scores suggest excellent reliability. The pattern of correlations of the CIPS with other measures (psychological distress; physical, marital, and sexual functioning; and quality of life) provided preliminary evidence of concurrent, discriminant, and convergent validity. The CIPS appears to have sound psychometric properties and fills an important gap in the assessment of cancer patients for both clinical and research purposes.     

Children of Prenatally Depressed Mothers: Externalizing and Internalizing Symptoms are Accompanied by Reductions in Specific Social-Emotional Competencies

Studies have shown that child development is negatively affected by prenatal depression. A dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the pregnant woman, passed to the fetus, is one discussed key mechanism. Studies, investigating primary-school age children, have found effects on antisocial behavior. Effects on internalizing symptoms were not found, but the analysis did not distinguish between anxiety and depression symptoms. Additionally, until now, no objective test data operationalizing social-emotional competencies have been included. The present study examined: 1.Whether the effects on child externalizing symptoms could be replicated; 2. If there are specific effects on child internalizing symptoms, separated for anxiety and depression; and 3. Are child clinical symptoms reflected in reductions in social-emotional competencies. A sample of 61 prenatally depressed and 143 prenatally not-depressed women and their 6–9 year old children were compared, controlling for key confounders in both the perinatal period and in middle childhood. Children of prenatally depressed mothers had more antisocial behavior and depression symptoms reported by their mothers. The prediction of antisocial behavior scores tended to be more significant for boys than for girls. Child anxiety symptoms were primarily explained by current maternal depressive symptoms. Children of prenatally depressed mothers also showed a reduction in social-emotional competencies, specifically regarding the ability to interpret complex social situations. This study showed that, even in a non-clinical sample, there are distinct effects of prenatal depression on child externalizing and internalizing symptoms which are accompanied by reductions in specific social-emotional competencies. These results emphasize that treatment for depressed pregnant women and/or early support for affected families is worthwhile. Additional work is required to identify the underlying biological mechanisms.