Effect of socioeconomic status (SES) disparity on neural development in female African‐American infants at age 1 month

There is increasing interest in both the cumulative and long‐term impact of early life adversity on brain structure and function, especially as the brain is both highly vulnerable and highly adaptive during childhood. Relationships between SES and neural development have been shown in children older than age 2 years. Less is known regarding the impact of SES on neural development in children before age 2. This paper examines the effect of SES, indexed by income‐to‐needs (ITN) and maternal education, on cortical gray, deep gray, and white matter volumes in term, healthy, appropriate for gestational age, African‐American, female infants. At 5 weeks postnatal age, unsedated infants underwent MRI (3.0T Siemens Verio scanner, 32‐channel head coil). Images were segmented based on a locally constructed template. Utilizing hierarchical linear regression, SES effects on MRI volumes were examined. In this cohort of healthy African‐American female infants of varying SES, lower SES was associated with smaller cortical gray and deep gray matter volumes. These SES effects on neural outcome at such a young age build on similar studies of older children, suggesting that the biological embedding of adversity may occur very early in development.     

An Examination of the Stability of the MMPI Personality Disorder Scales

Recently, a set of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality inventory (MMPI) scales for the diagnosis of personality disorders have attracted research attention. As personality disorders are thought to represent long-standing trait disturbances, any measure of these disorders should be stable over time and relatively free from state influences, This study investigated the stability of the MMPI scales in 67 subjects across a brief inpatient treatment for substance abuse, The results indicated high levels of stability across the 3-week treatment period.     

Cognitive Deficits and Positively Biased Self-Perceptions in Children with ADHD

This study examined the relation between cognitive deficits and positive bias in a sample of 272 children with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; 7–12 years old). Results indicated that children with ADHD with and without biased self-perceptions exhibit differences in specific cognitive deficits (executive processes, working memory, broad attention, and cognitive fluency) compared to each other and to control children. Further, specific cognitive deficits emerged as partial mediators of the relation between ADHD diagnostic status and positive bias. Interestingly, some differences in results emerged based on the domain considered (academic, social, behavioral competence). Results lend initial support to the role of cognitive deficits in the positive bias of some children with ADHD. Implications for future research and intervention are discussed.     

The effects of haloperidol on thought disorder and IQ in schizophrenia

The impact of haloperidol treatment on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Thought Disorder Index was investigated in a group of 19 patients with schizophrenia tested both before and after 26 days of treatment with haloperidol. Thought disorder scores declined significantly over the course of treatment and fewer patients demonstrated severe forms of thought disorder at the end of the trial. WAIS performance improved significantly but the magnitude of change was consistent with the literature on expected practice effects. Thought disorder scores were negatively correlated with IQ at baseline, but not at Day 26. The results suggest a partial dissociation of thought disorder and other cognitive functions in schizophrenia.     

An examination of the stability of the MMPI Personality Disorder Scales

Recently, a set of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scales for the diagnosis of personality disorders have attracted research attention. As personality disorders are thought to represent long-standing trait disturbances, any measure of these disorders should be stable over time and relatively free from state influences. This study investigated the stability of the MMPI scales in 67 subjects across a brief inpatient treatment for substance abuse. The results indicated high levels of stability across the 3-week treatment period.     

The Effects of Haloperidol on Thought Disorder and IQ in Schizophrenia

The impact of haloperidol treatment on the Wechsler Adult intelligence Scale (WAIS) and the Thought Disorder Index was investigated in a group of 19 patients with schizophrenia tested both before and after 26 days of treatment with haloperidol. Thought disorder scores declined significantly over the course of treatment and fewer patients demonstrated severe forms of thought disorder at the end of the trial. WAIS performance improved significantly but the magnitude of change was consistent with the literature on expected practice effects. Thought disorder scores were negatively correlated with IQ at baseline, but not at Day 26. The results suggest a partial dissociation of thought disorder and other cognitive functions in schizophrenia.     

Environmental stimulation, parental nurturance and cognitive development in humans

The effects of environmental stimulation and parental nurturance on brain development have been studied extensively in animals. Much less is known about the relations between childhood experience and cognitive development in humans. Using a longitudinally collected data set with ecologically valid in-home measures of childhood experience and later in-laboratory behavioral measures of cognitive ability, we were able to test hypotheses concerning the effects of environmental stimulation and parental nurturance. A double dissociation was found: On the one hand, there was a selective relation between parental nurturance and memory development, consistent with the animal literature on maternal buffering of stress hormone effects on hippocampal development. On the other hand, there was a selective relation between environmental stimulation and language development. The relevance of these findings to socioeconomic gradients in cognitive ability is discussed.     

Feminism: What is it Good For? Feminine Norms and Objectification as the Link between Feminist Identity and Clinically Relevant Outcomes

The goal of this study was to explore the relationships between feminism and clinical outcomes, such as eating attitudes, depression, and self-esteem, employing structural equation modeling to look at indirect relationships. This study examined female participants’ (N = 282) responses to an online survey measuring feminist self-identification, conformity to feminine norms, objectified body consciousness, eating attitudes, depression, and self-esteem. Participants were recruited on two college campuses and through online listservs. Feminist self-identification was related to rejecting the feminine norms of thinness, appearance, and the importance of romantic relationships. Endorsing these norms was related to increased body surveillance and shame. Objectification variables were related to negative clinical outcomes. Thus, feminism is a distal, rather than proximal, influence on clinical variables.