Emotional processing in people with obsessive-compulsive symptomatology

The present study was aimed at assessing obsessive-compulsive symptomatology based on visualization of affective pictures, elaborated following Peter Lang's dimensional model of emotion. Participants were 370 psychology students at Malaga University, selecting those with high and low scores in obsessive-compulsive symptomatology. All participants assessed a set of pictures containing obsessive-compulsive cues using the three scales of the Self-Assessment Manikin: affective valence, arousal, and control/dominance. The results show that participants with high scores in obsessive-compulsive symptomatology experience reduced control over the affective pictures and rate as more unpleasant the neutral and obsessive-compulsive pictures.     

The Spanish version of the Wisconsin Personality Disorders Inventory-IV (WISPI-IV): tests of validity and reliability

Personality disorders (PD) are a prevalent class of mental disorders that interfere with functioning and cause subjective distress while increasing the intensity and duration of Axis I clinical syndromes, and therefore assessing PD is important even when PDs are not the focus of treatment. The purpose of these studies was to develop and test a new Spanish version of a self-report measure of PD, the Wisconsin Personality Inventory-IV (WISPI-IV) that would be psychometrically equivalent to the English version while also maintaining the same interpersonal content, which is based on Benjamin's analysis of the PD criteria using her Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) model (1974). Study 1 participants completed the WISPI-IV twice over a two-week interval. For Study 2, participants from two sites in Spain and one site in Argentina completed Spanish versions of the WISPI-IV and other personality measures. SASB-analysis of the translated items showed high correspondence between the interpersonal content of the English version and the Spanish version demonstrating theoretical validation in relation to other PD measures. The Spanish WISPI-IV showed satisfactory reliability based on test-retest correlations and alphas for internal consistency. Study 2 showed the Spanish WISPI-IV had good convergent validity with the Spanish versions of the IIP and SCID-II and performed similarly to the English versions of these measures. Our goal in translating the WISPI-IV was to extend this measure to Spanish-speakers in language that would be understood by different Hispanic sub-groups, however research team members and subjects had a variety of suggestions for changes in item wording. This reflects the difficulty with creating a "neutral" Spanish version of any assessment given regional differences.     

Objective and subjective measures indicate that orthographically similar words produce a blocking experience

Memory blocks are a common experience characterised by inappropriate retrieval of information that impairs memory search processes. In five studies, memory blocks were induced via exposure to orthographically similar words (Smith & Tindell, 1997) while participants reported their subjective experiences to determine whether the memory block effect (MBE) paradigm produces a feeling of being blocked. Experiments 1 and 3 provided evidence that the MBE is associated with more blocked experiences. In Experiments 2 and 4 increased blocking experiences correlated with blocked fragments when the experimental manipulation was disguised, which demonstrates that ratings were not contaminated by demand characteristics. Experiment 5 demonstrated that blocking happens even when there is no study list. Collectively, the subjective retrieval ratings and the objective response data provide converging evidence that exposure to orthographically similar words induces a memory block characterised by an ineffective memory search that perseverates on interfering information.     

Confidence and accuracy of lineup selections and rejections: Postdicting rejection accuracy with confidence

Correlation and calibration approaches show meaningful, positive confidence-accuracy relations for witnesses making selections from lineups, but rarely for rejections (Brewer and Wells, 2006, Sauerland and Sporer, 2009). This disparity may reflect the difference between selecting a single photo versus rejecting a set of photos. Participants (N = 101) in two experiments made selections from and rejections of lineups in situations requiring either a single confidence rating about a single face (typical of “choosers”) or a single confidence rating about multiple faces (typical of “nonchoosers”). Mean confidence ratings were significantly higher for accurate versus inaccurate decisions for both selections and rejections when decisions were based on single faces. Single decisions about multiple faces produced no significant difference in confidence between correct and incorrect rejections but a significant difference for selections.     

The Ethics of Ethics Reviews in Global Health Research: Case Studies Applying a New Paradigm

With increasing calls for global health research there is growing concern regarding the ethical challenges encountered by researchers from high-income countries (HICs) working in low or middle-income countries (LMICs). There is a dearth of literature on how to address these challenges in practice. In this article, we conduct a critical analysis of three case studies of research conducted in LMICs. We apply emerging ethical guidelines and principles specific to global health research and offer practical strategies that researchers ought to consider. We present case studies in which Canadian health professional students conducted a health promotion project in a community in Honduras; a research capacity-building program in South Africa, in which Canadian students also worked alongside LMIC partners; and a community-university partnered research capacity-building program in which Ecuadorean graduate students, some working alongside Canadian students, conducted community-based health research projects in Ecuadorean communities. We examine each case, identifying ethical issues that emerged and how new ethical paradigms being promoted could be concretely applied. We conclude that research ethics boards should focus not only on protecting individual integrity and human dignity in health studies but also on beneficence and non-maleficence at the community level, explicitly considering social justice issues and local capacity-building imperatives. We conclude that researchers from HICs interested in global health research must work with LMIC partners to implement collaborative processes for assuring ethical research that respects local knowledge, cultural factors, the social determination of health, community participation and partnership, and making social accountability a paramount concern.     

Discriminative game-related statistics between basketball starters and nonstarters when related to team quality and game outcome

The aim of the present paper was to examine the differences in game-related statistics between basketball players who are selected for the starting five of the team (starters) and those who are not (nonstarters) when related to game outcome (winning and losing) and team quality (best teams, teams classified for the playoffs; and worst teams, teams who miss playoff classification). Archival data were gathered for all 2002-2003 regular season games from the Portuguese Professional League (N = 156). Discriminant analysis was used to identify the game-related statistics that differentiate between starters and nonstarters and interpreted by the examination of the structure coefficients (SC). When the best teams won the games, results described differences between starters and nonstarters with an emphasis on defensive rebounds (SC = .32), assists (SC = .32) and committed fouls (SC = -.68). When the worst teams won the games, results described differences between starters and nonstarters with an emphasis on 2-point field goals successful (SC = .47) and unsuccessful (SC = .48), defensive rebounds (SC =.39), successful free throws (SC =.32), and committed fouls (SC = -.55). An also important finding was that, in best teams, the nonstarters' performance was worse in the games that the team lost, whereas in worst teams, it was the starters' performance that was worse in the games that the team lost.     

The effects of trichotillomania disclosure on peer perceptions and social acceptability

Many individuals with trichotillomania (TTM) do not disclose their condition to others. Although disclosure may have beneficial effects, little is known about the consequences of it. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of a brief, simplified preventative disclosure of TTM. Young adults (N = 225) read one of four vignettes, which varied in a 2 (male versus female character) × 2 (preventative disclosure of TTM versus nondisclosure) design, and answered several questions regarding the character in the vignette. Although some potential positive effects of disclosure were found (e.g., reduced likelihood of misattribution), some areas of concerns also surfaced. The findings suggest that a brief, simplified preventative disclosure of TTM led to an increase in negative social perceptions compared to non-disclosure. More specifically, those characters that disclosed TTM were evaluated more negatively and more socially rejected than those that did not disclose. However, the overall perceptions of persons with noticeable hair loss, regardless of disclosure status, were not necessarily negative. Implications of the findings, limitations to the study, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Study Preregistration: An Evaluation of a Method for Transparent Reporting

Study preregistration promotes transparency in scientific research by making a clear distinction between a priori and post hoc procedures or analyses. Management and applied psychology have not embraced preregistration in the way other closely related social science fields have. There may be concerns that preregistration does not add value and prevents exploratory data analyses. Using a mixed-method approach, in Study 1, we compared published preregistered samples against published non-preregistered samples. We found that preregistration effectively facilitated more transparent reporting based on criteria (i.e., confirmed hypotheses and a priori analysis plans). Moreover, consistent with concerns that the published literature contains elevated type I error rates, preregistered samples had fewer statistically significant results (48%) than non-preregistered samples (66%). To learn about the perceived advantages, disadvantages, and misconceptions of study preregistration, in Study 2, we surveyed authors of preregistered studies and authors who had never preregistered a study. Participants in both samples had positive inclinations towards preregistration yet expressed concerns about the process. We conclude with a review of best practices for management and applied psychology stakeholders.

     

The Transformation of Girls to Women: Finding Voice and Developing Strategies for Liberation

The theme of silence is one of the most pervasive themes in the study of girls and women across cultures. The authors examine emotional, physical, educational, and behavioral losses that occur for adolescent girls. Results of landmark research studies and the implications for practitioners also are discussed. El tema del silencio es uno de los temas más penetrantes en el estudio de jovencitas y mujeres a través de las culturas. Los autores examinan las pérdidas emocionales, físicas, educativas y de comportamiento que ocurren para las jovencitas adolescentes. Los resultados de estudios culminantes y las implicaciones para consejeros se discuten.