The contribution of working memory resources in the verification of simple mental arithmetic sums

The present study replicated the investigations of Lemaire, Abdi, and Fayol with some modifications: the random time interval generation (RIG) task was used and the stimuli were created in another way. The results provide additional evidence for the crucial role of the central executive in the speed of solving both true and false sums and for the role of the phonological loop in solving false sums. However, the findings concerning the role of this slave system in solving true sums were different. Possible explanations and limitations of these results are discussed. Received: 16 April 1998 / Accepted: 20 July 1998     

Fewer reasons for staying alive when you are thinking of killing yourself: The brief reasons for living inventory

The Linehan Reasons for Living Inventory is a 48-item scale on which respondents rate how important each item would be for living if suicide were contemplated. The inventory possesses good psychometric properties and can distinguish suicidal from nonsuicidal people among shoppers, psychiatric inpatients, college students, and adolescents. As its length limits its utility in many institutional and screening settings, the purpose of this study was (1) to develop a brief form of the Reasons for Living Inventory appropriate for clinical use and (2) to examine the predictive validity of this brief measure, named the Brief Reasons for Living Inventory (BRFL), to distinguish suicidal from nonsuicidal prison inmates. Results indicate that the brief form was as good as either the Beck Depression Inventory or the Beck Hopelessness Scale at predicting suicidality in this population. Further study is needed to validate the BRFL with different institutionalized and other populations as well as to assess its ability to discriminate suicide ideators from those engaging in overt suicidal behavior.Support for this project was provided in part by the New York State Office of Mental Health Bureau of Forensic Services and the New York State Department of Correctional Services.     

The relative complexity of analytic tableaux and SL-resolution

In this paper we describe an improvement of Smullyan's analytic tableau method for the propositional calculus-Improved Parent Clash Restricted (IPCR) tableau-and show that it is equivalent to SL-resolution in complexity.     

Sexuality as an Integral Part of the Church's Being and Mission

The article draws on the experience of being part of the Reference Group on Human Sexuality and other debates on sexuality in the World Council of Churches to discuss the “Message of the 11th Assembly.” It makes explicit how issues of sexuality have been avoided and how they ground the understanding of theological perspectives and the church's being and mission. Finally, it presents alternatives to reclaim sexuality and make the movement of reconciliation grounded in a transformative and queer spirituality more concrete and truthful to people's lives – a sexy movement.     

Analyzing human random time generation behavior: A methodology and a computer program

In the present article, it is argued that in addition to the traditional random generation tasks discussed by Towse and Neil (1998), random time interval generation tasks should be considered as useful alternatives, because they allow a better empirical control of the executive task component in dualtask situations. First, a framework for discussing randomness over time is presented. Then, the article goes on to present three methods for the analysis of such tasks. A first method is based on the correlation between the intervals produced. The second method calculates the approximate entropy, and the third method converts the time sequences into binary sequences and estimates the statistical properties of the sequence on the basis of these binary data. A principal components analysis on 19 different measures based on 1,381 sequences produced in a number of single-task and dual-task experiments shows that the proposed measures form two general clusters, one related to output probability, perseveration, and alternation, and one related to sequential commonalities. The article also briefly describes a computer program that implements these methodologies.     

Findings on the relationship between Internet addiction and psychological symptoms in Brazilian adults

This study evaluated the prevalence of Internet addiction (IA) and its association with negative psychological symptoms in Brazilian adults. A network analysis was conducted to estimate specific variables and their expected influence on IA. In this cross-sectional study, 15,476 adults (M_age = 37.5, SD = 9.59) completed an open web-based survey. Three questionnaires were used: the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Based on IAT scores, participants were classified as No-Risk user (NRU), Low-Risk user (LRU) or High-Risk user (HRU). We observed that 4.8% of the participants were classified in the HRU group. In addition, their risk for severe symptoms of depression was 10 times higher and, for anxiety, seven times higher than that in the NRU group (p < .001). Time spent using smartphones was also significantly higher in the HRU group (M_hours = 5.1, p < .001). The main factors associated with IA were depression, gender and anxiety, but the variable “having children” was the most influential in the IA network. These findings suggest that psychiatric symptoms are the main factors associated with IA among the adult population.     

Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms that Predict Cognitive Decline or Impairment in Cognitively Normal Middle-Aged or Older Adults: a Meta-Analysis

Neuropsychology Review - Epidemiological studies have revealed that behavioral and psychological (or non-cognitive) symptoms are risk factors for cognitive decline in older adults. This study aimed...