The effect of workplace byllying on insomnia: the role of psychological detachment and rumination

A recent number of studies have focused on the relations between psychosocial factors and sleep disturbances. Like other work-related stressors, workplace byllying is associated with several negative consequences. However, few studies have investigated the influence of workplace byllying on disturbed sleep. Insomnia is the most frequent sleep complaint. Several models have highlighted the importance of cognitive factors in the development and maintenance of insomnia. Cognitive styles such as psychological detachment and rumination may be relevant in this process. The aim of the present study is to examine the moderating role of psychological detachment and rumination on the relationship between workplace byllying and insomnia. To minimize the effect of common method variance, we tested our hypothesis using a research design in which we collected data at two points in time separated by 1 month. A total of 523 individuals responded to both phases, with 511 useable surveys. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression analysis provide evidence for the moderating role of psychological detachment and rumination in the workplace byllying process. Thus, these findings are in line with the cognitive models of insomnia.     

Evaluation of three sensitivity measures in magnitude estimation tasks

Taking into account the studies about the measure of sensitivity in magnitude estimation tasks, we analyze the three most common measures used in this topic: Pearson's product-moment correlation between the logarithm of the stimulus and the logarithm of the response (R), the exponent of Stevens' power function (K), and the measure "M" proposed by Garriga-Trillo. Using a sample of participants greater than usual in psychophysical studies (180 participants), we designed an experiment with two sets of stimuli with different stimulus ranges. In each of these sets, we used two kinds of stimuli (line segments and squares). Our conclusions were: (1) we rejected the use of K as a sensitivity measure because the results provided by this index were the opposite of those expected when we compared the two stimulus ranges. (2) We also rejected the use of M because this measure is a linear transformation of Kendall's coefficient of concordance. (3) Lastly, we suggest the mathematical transformation proposed by Fisher to achieve a normal distribution, and recommend this transformation as the best sensitivity measure.     

Differential effects of beta-adrenergic receptor blockade in basolateral amygdala or insular cortex on incidental and associative taste learning

The importance of central β-adrenergic system has been essentially investigated in aversive/emotional learning tasks. However, recent data suggest that the β-adrenergic system is also required for incidental taste learning. In the present study we evaluated in rats whether β-adrenergic receptor activity is required for taste habituation, an incidental taste learning, and also for conditioned taste aversion (CTA) learning, an associative learning. To address this issue, a low dose of the β-adrenergic antagonist propranolol was infused before learning in either the basolateral amygdala (BLA) or the insular cortex (IC), two forebrain areas reported to play a key role in taste memory formation. Incidental taste learning was assessed using a single presentation of the sweet taste saccharin 0.1%, which is sufficient to increase saccharin consumption (relative to water baseline) during a second presentation. CTA was assessed by pairing the first saccharin 0.1% presentation with a delayed gastric malaise, thus causing a decrease in saccharin consumption (relative to water baseline) during a second presentation. Propranolol infusion in BLA (1 μg/0.2μl) or IC (2.5 μg/0.5 μl) before the first taste exposure impaired incidental taste learning but did not affect CTA. These results highlight the important role played by the β-adrenergic receptor activation in cortical and amygdaloid structures during taste learning. Moreover, they are the first to suggest that incidental learning is more sensitive to blockade of noradrenergic system than associative learning.     

Systemic administration of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor impairs fear sensitization in the plus-maze

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of fear sensitization in rats previously treated with an inhibitor of the NO syntheses and submitted to Trial1/Trial2 plus-maze (PM) procedure. Male Wistar rats received a systemic treatment with N(omega)-nitro-L-Arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME; 5, 10 or 50 mg kg(-1)) and were submitted to PM Trial1. In the following day the animals were re-exposed to the PM with no drug administration (Trial2). Some standards spatial-temporal measures, such as the percentage of entries (% Open arm entries) and time spent (% Open arm time) in the open arms and risk assessment frequency were recorded and used to estimate the animal level of fear sensitization in PM Trial2. The results showed that animals receiving L-NAME (50 mg kg(-1)) displayed increased % Open arm entries and % Open arm time in Trial2 in relation to the group receiving 0.9% saline, which is compatible with impaired fear/anxiety acquisition during Trial1/Trial2 PM procedure. In addition, rats treated with L-NAME (50 mg kg(-1)) exhibited low level of risk assessment in Trial2 in relation to the group treated with 0.9% saline, which indicates low level of fear/anxiety during PM re-exposure. The number of entries into the enclosed arms was not changed by any L-NAME treatment, which suggests no bias of the drug treatments on animal locomotor activity. The data suggest that NO synthesis may mediate the fear sensitization process in the PM.     

Measuring Latinos' perceptions of depression: a confirmatory factor analysis of the Illness Perception Questionnaire

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire adapted for a clinical sample of low-income Latinos suffering from depression. Participants (N = 339) were recruited from public primary care centers. Their average age was 49.73 years and the majority was foreign born females of either Mexican or Central American descent. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the factor structure of this measure. Construct and discriminant validity and internal consistency were evaluated. After the elimination of three items because of low factor loadings (< .40) and the specification of seven error covariances, a revised model composed of 24 items had adequate goodness-of-fit indices and factor loadings, supporting construct validity. Each of the subscales reported satisfactory internal consistency. Intercorrelations between the 5 illness perception factors provided initial support for the discriminant validity of these factors in the context of depression. The establishment of the psychometric properties of this adapted measure will pave the way for future studies examining the role illness perceptions play in the help seeking and management of depression among Latinos.     

Should we reject the expertise hypothesis?

On the basis of a review of the literature and the results of three experiments with dog experts, Robbins and McKone [Robbins, R. A., & McKone, E. (2006). No face-like processing for objects-of-expertise in three behavioural tasks, Cognition] argue that there is little or no evidence supporting an expertise account of the differences in configural processing that are typically observed between faces and non-face objects. In the spirit of a debate that has become overly polarized, we believe that R&M often emphasized relatively unimportant controversial issues at the expense of bigger, more important questions. We also feel that some of R&M's arguments are rooted in methodological confusions that should be clarified because they have implications beyond this specific debate. In this commentary, we first clarify issues surrounding the proper statistical analysis of the composite paradigm, a methodology that is commonly used to assess configural and holistic effects in both face and non-face objects. We then discuss several theoretical issues that we feel are central to the debate regarding accounts of face-specificity. We also briefly review positive evidence for the correlation between measures of behavioral expertise and neural markers of face-selectivity. Unlike R&M, we believe the positive evidence for expertise effects, both behavioral and neural, greatly outweighs evidence stemming from null results and that it clearly motivates the importance of future work on the role of experience in the specialization of visual cortex.     

Genetic and environmental bases of childhood antisocial behavior: a multi-informant twin study

Genetic and environmental influences on childhood antisocial and aggressive behavior (ASB) during childhood were examined in 9- to 10-year-old twins, using a multi-informant approach. The sample (605 families of twins or triplets) was socioeconomically and ethnically diverse, representative of the culturally diverse urban population in Southern California. Measures of ASB included symptom counts for conduct disorder, ratings of aggression, delinquency, and psychopathic traits obtained through child self-reports, teacher, and caregiver ratings. Multivariate analysis revealed a common ASB factor across informants that was strongly heritable (heritability was .96), highlighting the importance of a broad, general measure obtained from multiple sources as a plausible construct for future investigations of specific genetic mechanisms in ASB. The best fitting multivariate model required informant-specific genetic, environmental, and rater effects for variation in observed ASB measures. The results suggest that parents, children, and teachers have only a partly "shared view" and that the additional factors that influence the "rater-specific" view of the child's antisocial behavior vary for different informants. This is the first study to demonstrate strong heritable effects on ASB in ethnically and economically diverse samples.     

Lupus Symptoms Inventory (LSI): Development and Validation of a Self-evaluation Inventory of the Subjective Symptoms of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

The goal of this study was to develop a simple, easy, and quick self-report measure, the Lupus Symptom Inventory (LSI), designed to evaluate subjective symptoms of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). The internal consistency of the LSI was tested, as well as its concordance with physician reports and serological indicators of disease activity by evaluating the self-reports of 46 patients with SLE who completed the LSI daily for a one-month period. Throughout this one-month period, parameters of serological activity and routine medical check-up were obtained. The results showed a high internal consistency of the LSI, with a Cronbach alpha of .86. Additionally, a contingency analysis showed agreement between medical report and patient self-report on the same day for six of seven lupus symptoms (difficulty breathing (p < .004), joint pain (p < .001), loss of appetite (p < .003), general malaise (p < .005), fatigue (p < .005), and skin rash (p < .018)) but not for abdominal symptoms. Finally, differences were found between LSI scores of patients with high versus low serological activity (χ²(1) = 5.302; p < .021), with the former presenting higher LSI scores than the latter. These results show that the LSI may be a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating the subjective symptoms of the disease as well as its fluctuations.     

A visual short-term memory advantage for faces

What determines how much can be stored in visual short-term memory (VSTM)? Studies of VSTM have focused largely on stimulus-based properties such as the number or complexity of the items stored. Recent work also suggests that capacity is severely reduced for items within the same category. However, the importance for VSTM capacity of more qualitative differences in processing for different categories has not been investigated. For example, faces are processed more holistically than other objects. In Experiments 1 and 2, we show that the processing of faces, objects that are crucial socially and for which we possess considerable expertise, overcomes these limitations. More faces can be stored in VSTM than objects from other complex nonface categories. As in prior studies, at short encoding durations we found that capacity for faces was less than that for other categories. However, at longer encoding durations, capacity for faces exceeded that for nonface objects, and this advantage was specific to upright faces. Because inversion reduces holistic processing, the interaction of orientation with VSTM capacity—which occurred for faces but not objects in Experiment 3—suggests that it is holistic processing that confers an advantage for face VSTM when sufficient encoding time is allowed.     

Cholinergic activity in the insular cortex is necessary for acquisition and consolidation of contextual memory

Experiences with a high emotional content (aversive) tend to be stored as long-term memories; however, there are also contextual recollections, which form a significant part of our memories. Different research has shown that the insular cortex (IC) plays an important role during aversive memory formation, yet its role during incidental/non-aversive learning like pre-exposure contextual memory formation has received little attention. The objective of this research was to establish the role of cholinergic activity in the IC through its muscarinic receptors during the formation of inhibitory avoidance (IA) memory, as well as during pre-exposure contextual memory, using a paradigm such as latent inhibition (LI). Rats with bilateral cannulae directed into the IC were trained in the LI paradigm of IA or IA task alone. The muscarinic antagonist receptor scopolamine was infused bilaterally into the IC 5 min before the pre-exposure into the dark chamber of the IA cage, one day before the conventional IA training or during the IA training day. During the IA test, the entrance latency into the dark chamber of the IA cage was measured as an index of contextual memory. The results showed that scopolamine infused before and after IA training disrupts inhibitory avoidance memory. Also, it showed that the pre-exposed saline-infused animals (LI) had a lower entrance latency compared to the group not pre-exposed (IA). However, the group that received scopolamine into the IC before, but not after, the pre-exposure to the dark chamber, presented a similar latency to the IA group, showing a blockade of the latent inhibition of the IA. These results suggest that cholinergic activity in the insular cortex is necessary during the acquisition and consolidation of avoidance memory, but appears necessary only during the acquisition of pre-exposure non-aversive contextual memory.