Congenital heart disease: A primer for the pediatric neuropsychologist

Congenital heart disease (CHD) affects millions of people worldwide, including over one million children in the United States. Approximately 25% of children born with CHD require intensive surgical intervention within the first year of life. Despite improved rates of survival into adulthood – rates that exceed 90% in the modern era – children and adolescents with CHD remain at risk for neurological injury and a range of neurobehavioral and psychosocial challenges that pose a threat to quality of life across the lifespan. Consequently, as experts in both clinical psychology and brain development, neuropsychologists are becoming increasingly involved in cardiac follow-up and monitoring to promote optimal developmental outcomes. The primary objective of this paper is to provide an evidence-based, clinically-oriented primer on CHD for pediatric neuropsychologists working with this growing population of survivors. Following an introduction to current standard-of-care guidelines for managing children and adolescents with CHD, we present an overview of brain development within the context of CHD, review neuropsychological outcomes, examine factors influencing variability in outcomes, and discuss implications and strategies for clinical assessment.     

Interpersonal Transgressions and Interest in Spiritual Activities: The Role of Narcissism

As levels of narcissism rise among Americans, it is important to understand how being narcissistic affects individuals’ day-to-day lives. One domain in which narcissism may have particularly interesting effects is individuals’ spirituality. When interpersonal expectations have been violated, individuals experience a variety of emotions. Chief among these emotions is guilt, which is linked both thematically and empirically to many aspects of Western religion. Given narcissism’s complex relationship with guilt, it is important to investigate how narcissists may react to failings in the interpersonal domain, particularly in a spiritual context. The current study investigated the effects of a simulated interpersonal failing on narcissists’ interest in a variety of spiritual behaviors, including prayer, seeking spiritual guidance, and participating in spiritual activities aimed at self-enhancement. After reading a scenario designed to induce feelings associated with interpersonal failings, participants reported their interest in a variety of religious activities, including prayer. Results indicated that the manipulation tended to decrease interest in a variety of spiritual activities across the sample, but that these effects were only robust among participants high in narcissism.     

Is there a role of depressive symptoms in the fear-avoidance model? A structural equation approach

The fear-avoidance (FA) model has gained widespread acceptance as a conceptual framework for investigating psychological factors such as FA beliefs and avoidance behavior, which contribute to chronic back pain and reduced functioning. Depressive symptoms are supposed to be related to FA beliefs and to foster avoidance behavior. This study aims to investigate the multivariate assumptions of the FA model with a focus on the role of depressive symptoms. A total of N = 360 patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain at admission of inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation participated in the survey. Measures included a numeric pain rating scale, Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale, Hannover Functional Ability Questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we construed a basic FA model and subsequently extended it by adding symptoms of depression as a covariate. The results of SEM indicated a good model fit for a basic FA model (χ²(263) = 431.069, p < .001, RMSEA = .042, CFI = .964, WRMR = .986). They confirmed the hypothesized relations and supported single mediations of the relationship between pain and functioning by FA beliefs and avoidance behavior. A second model including symptoms of depression as additional covariate (χ²(511) = 722.761, p < .001, RMSEA = .034, CFI = .956, WRMR = .949) showed a high impact of depressive symptoms on all FA model variables leading to a decrease of the FA mediations. The findings provide empirical support for the multivariate FA model and underline the importance of considering depressive symptoms in a multiple-target approach to understand the mechanisms of chronic pain.     

Does Past Condom Use Moderate the Future Condom Use Intention-Behavior Relationship? Results from a Ghanaian Sample

Behavioral intention is an important predictor of actual behavior. Yet, people often fail to act on their intentions. This study used panel data to examine whether intention interacts with past behavior in determining future behavior. Young people in the Eastern Region of Ghana (N = 956, 495 = female, 461 = male) completed a structured self-administered questionnaire, assessing intentions to use condoms and past condom use behavior at Time 1, and future condom use behavior at Time 2. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that intentions to use condoms and past condom use behavior accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in future condom use behavior. In addition, past condom use moderated the future condom use intention–behavior relationship. These results demonstrate the usefulness of considering young people's past experiences with condoms in informing the design of condom use skills training. In other words, a condom use skills training intervention that uses the pedagogical approach of starting from the “known” to the “unknown” might benefit young Ghanaians.     

是联合世界还是分裂世界？——科学和宗教：哪种观点具有真正普遍意义，哪种观点又是狭隘之极？

关于科学调查研究成果和宗教叙述之间所谓的冲突已经有很多的论述。我更愿意把精力集中在科学与宗教的方法论和观点的对比上。一、科学的普遍性或许科学最显著的特性就在于它的普遍性。科学是一项最基础和最首要的社会任务。除非一个科学家的成果能够被其他科学家理解和接受(无论是去检验它,批评它,驳倒它,还是以它为研究的基础),否则他的成果就没有任何意义。最独特的是在这项公共事业之中没有国籍、种族、宗教或者意识形态的障碍。这种以经验为依据的衡量标准为所     

Cognitive Progression in Epilepsy

The issue of cognitive progression in people with epilepsy is of considerable interest and has important clinical and theoretical implications. In this paper, we review recent studies in both the adult and childhood epilepsy literature which have included a longitudinal test–retest design to examine this question. Several important methodological issues of this literature are highlighted and areas which require more investigation are identified.     

The contrasting impact of global and local object attributes on Kanizsa figure detection

Studies on the involvement of object completions in search for illusory figures have so far reported equivocal results. We have addressed this issue by investigating at which level object attributes in Kanizsa figures influence search. Employing a paradigm that investigated global and local attributes in the composition of distractors with relation to target composition, we report a selective involvement of multilevel processing upon detection. Four experiments demonstrate that global surface information, but not the surrounding global contour, determines the speed of Kanizsa figure detection. By contrast, local inducer information is encoded far less efficiently in search than processes computing the global object. Our conclusions are that surface filling-in acts as a major determinant of search, but depends on the relevance of the particular hierarchical level (local or global) coding the target.     

A Note on Negation in Categorial Grammar

A version of strong negation is introduced into Categorial Grammar.The resulting syntactic calculi turn out to be systems of connexivelogic.     

Justice and Long-Term Care: A Theological Ethical Perspective

The relevance of justice for the current debate on long-termcare is explored on the basis of demographic and economic data,especially in the U.S. and Germany. There is a justice questionconcerning the quality and availability of long-term care fordifferent groups within society. Mapping the justice debateby discussing the two main opponents, John Rawls and RobertNozick, the article identifies fundamental assumptions in boththeories. An exploration of the biblical concept of the "optionfor the poor" and its influence on a new "ecumenical socialteaching from below" leads to the conclusion that a Christianethical account of long-term care will argue for a system thatguarantees decent care to every citizen. The German model ofSoziale Pflegeversicherung is presented as one possible optionfor putting this ethical guideline into political practice.In a final reflection, the role of religious affiliation forlong-term care is discussed by looking at empirical data andby naming seven dimensions of faith-driven long-term care.