Learning at any rate: action–effect learning for stimulus-based actions

Recent studies reported converging evidence for action–effect associations if participants adopted an intention-based action control mode in free choice conditions, whereas no evidence for action–effect associations was found when participants adopted a stimulus-based mode in forced choice conditions. However, it is not yet clear whether action control modes moderate acquisition or usage of action–effect associations. In the present experiment, two groups of participants underwent an acquisition phase consisting of either free or forced choice key presses that produced irrelevant, but contingent effect tones. In a subsequent test phase, participants freely chose the key to press after former effect tones were presented. A reliable consistency effect resulted for both the groups, i.e. participants preferred the key that produced the irrelevant tone in the preceding acquisition phase. In combination with prior findings, this consistency effect suggests that usage, but not acquisition of action–effect associations depends on an intention-based action control mode.     

Grasping of extrafoveal targets: A robotic model

We present a computational model of grasping of non-fixated (extrafoveal) target objects which is implemented on a robot setup, consisting of a robot arm with cameras and gripper. This model is based on the premotor theory of attention (Rizzolatti et al., 1994) which states that spatial attention is a consequence of the preparation of goal-directed, spatially coded movements (especially saccadic eye movements). In our model, we add the hypothesis that saccade planning is accompanied by the prediction of the retinal images after the saccade. The foveal region of these predicted images can be used to determine the orientation and shape of objects at the target location of the attention shift. This information is necessary for precise grasping. Our model consists of a saccade controller for target fixation, a visual forward model for the prediction of retinal images, and an arm controller which generates arm postures for grasping. We compare the precision of the robotic model in different task conditions, among them grasping (1) towards fixated target objects using the actual retinal images, (2) towards non-fixated target objects using visual prediction, and (3) towards non-fixated target objects without visual prediction. The first and second setting result in good grasping performance, while the third setting causes considerable errors of the gripper orientation, demonstrating that visual prediction might be an important component of eye–hand coordination. Finally, based on the present study we argue that the use of robots is a valuable research methodology within psychology.     

Attacks on German public figures, 1968-2004: warning behaviors, potentially lethal and non-lethal acts, psychiatric status, and motivations

Fourteen non-terrorist attackers of public figures in Germany between 1968 and 2004 were intensively studied, with a particular focus on warning behaviors, attack behaviors, and the relationship between psychiatric diagnosis, symptoms, and motivations for the assault. A large proportion of the attackers were severely mentally ill, and most likely to be in the potentially lethal rather than the non-lethal group. A new typology of seven warning behaviors was applied to the data, and all were present, most frequently fixation and pathway warning behavior, and least frequently a direct threat. Psychiatric diagnosis could be closely linked to motivation when analyzed at the level of symptom and content of thought, often delusional. Most of the attacks were directed at political figures, and the majority occurred after 1995.     

Pr?diktoren tumorassoziierter Fatigue

Fatigue is a serious cancer-related syndrome reported by cancer patients during and after treatment. Especially the impact of chronic fatigue on quality of life is substantial. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of fatigue after finishing treatment from an early stage of the cancer treatment. A sample of 551 cancer patients with heterogeneous diagnoses completed questionnaires assessing fatigue, psychological and psychosomatic data plus treatment data. The patients were recruited from an acute care hospital (t1) and the participants completed the questionnaire 2?C2.5 years after treatment (t2). Regression analysis showed that the strongest predictor of later fatigue was fatigue during the therapy. Other impact factors are radiotherapy and pain. The results suggest that the diagnosis and treatment of acute fatigue should be carried out at an early stage of cancer treatment to prevent chronic fatigue. Suitable diagnostic methods and treatment options will be presented.     

English adaptation versus mother tongue: reliability of the English version of MODDI-F administered to Hong Kong Chinese college students

Two samples of Hong Kong college students completed the English and the Chinese version of the Multidimensional Orientation Toward Dying and Death Inventory (MODDI-F), respectively. Results show substantially lower coefficients of internal consistency in the English version when compared with its Chinese counterpart. The construct validity of the instrument, i.e., the statistical relationships between its subtests, was confirmed. Whenever available, the use of a questionnaire that is worded in the participants' mother tongue is recommended.     

Psychoanalytische Psychotherapie mit niedriger Sitzungsfrequenz

Compared to Freud??s use of six sessions a week, the frequency of therapy has now decreased to a maximum of three or four sessions. The current field of applied psychoanalysis using only one or two sessions a week is of much higher relevance for the worldwide supply of the population with psychotherapy. Not only frequency and duration have decreased over the years but also the sum of applied sessions per patient. This is especially the case in psychodynamic short term psychotherapy. With the change in frequency a change in therapy technique took place resulting in a more active and attentive therapist, an interactive pattern with more dialogue and an avoidance of regressive movements of the patient. The crucial role concerning the work with transference and resistance was maintained in tendency but the specific techniques also underwent modifications. The empirical state of psychodynamic psychotherapy is better than it used to be but further studies are urgently needed.     

Quantitative and qualitative assessment of university students' definitions of binge drinking

This study was designed to assess undergraduates' (N = 424) definitions of binge drinking and to evaluate whether the number of drinks they said comprise a binge varied as a function of beverage type, respondent gender, and respondent binge drinking status. When asked to designate the specific number of drinks that comprise a binge for each of four beverage types, students reported that the number of beers constituting a binge was significantly larger than the number of glasses of wine, shots of hard liquor, and servings of any combination of alcoholic beverage types; men reported that a larger number of drinks constitute a binge than did women; and those who had engaged in 3 or more binges in the past 2 weeks reported that more drinks comprise a binge than those who had binged less often. Responses to an open-ended question asking their definition of a binge revealed that students sometimes characterize a binge in terms of motivations for and unhealthy consequences of drinking, in addition to defining a binge as comprising consumption of a large amount of alcohol in a limited (though often unspecified) time period. Furthermore, students attributed their open-ended definitions of binge drinking to informal sources of information and observation of others' drinking almost as often as they did to school-based or media-based sources. This suggests that educators might look for innovative ways to use both formal and informal social networking, and video illustrations of restrained drinking, as ways to influence young people's views of binge drinking.     

Psychoedukation bei Personen mit erh?htem Psychoserisiko

Background

So far only few studies are available which have evaluated the effectiveness of psychoeducation for individuals at risk of psychosis in the early initial prodromal state (EIPS) whereas the benefit of psychoeducation in psychotic patients has been repeatedly confirmed. Thus the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of psychoeducation in individuals with increased risk of psychosis in the EIPS.

Method

A total of 128 help-seeking outpatients in the EIPS participated in a randomized controlled multicentre trial of 12 months of either psychoeducation as part of an integrated psychological intervention (IPI) or supportive counseling (SC). The time to transition to psychosis at 12-month and 24-month follow-up as well as the social adjustment at baseline, time of transition or post-treatment by means of the social adjustment scale (SAS?II) were assessed.

Results

The IPI was superior to SC in preventing progression to psychosis at 12-month (3.2% versus 16.9%, p?=0.008) and 24-month follow-up (6.3% versus 20.0%, p?=0.019). Both treatments resulted in significant pre-post improvements in SAS?II with no significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusions

Psychoeducation as part of an integrated intervention is effective for preventing the onset of psychosis over a 24-month time period in people in an EIPS. Moreover patients at risk of developing first episode psychosis seem to benefit from a specific psychoeducational intervention in the context of other treatments as well as from SC.     

Chinese consumer ethnocentrism: A field experiment

Consumer ethnocentrism presents barriers for internationalising organisations. In China, evidence of a resurgent nationalism partly fuelled by rapid economic growth portends a shift in consumption away from foreign towards domestic products. On the other hand, rising consumer demand for branded and luxury products cannot be fully met domestically. However, much of the available evidence on Chinese consumer ethnocentrism is anecdotal and is based on attitudinal surveys that, as accurate measures of actual purchasing behaviour, suffer from certain methodological issues. In response, we report an experiment that measures the ethnocentrism of 447 Chinese consumers as their incentive‐compatible choices between foreign and domestic products in a field setting. Our findings show little effect of foreign origin on subjects' choices that were only weakly related with attitudinal measures including the commonly used consumer ethnocentric tendencies scale (CETSCALE). Our results question the existence of ethnocentric consumer behaviour in China and the use of CETSCALE to gauge it generally. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.