An examination of the relationship between visual capture and prism adaptation

The phenomena of prismatically induced “visual capture” and adaptation of the hand were compared. In Experiment 1, it was demonstrated that when the subject’s hand was transported for him by the experimenter (passive movement) immediately preceding the measure of visual capture, the magnitude of the immediate shift in felt limb position (visual capture) was enhanced relative to when the subject moved the hand himself (active movement). In Experiment 2, where the dependent measure was adaptation of the prism-exposed hand, the opposite effect was produced by the active/passive manipulation. It appears, then, that different processes operate to produce visual capture and adaptation. It was speculated that visual capture represents an immediate weighting of visual over proprioceptive input as a result of the greater precision of vision and/or the subject’s tendency to direct his attention more heavily to this modality. In contrast, prism adaptation is probably a recalibration of felt limb position in the direction of vision, induced by the presence of a registered discordance between visual and proprioceptive inputs.     

Counselling and the social construction of self

The specific and Comparatively narrow nature of selfhood which counselling suggests is examined. It is argued that the discourse of counselling is directly and powerfully related to the social construction of self. The social consequences of two central notions of this constructed self—authenticity and autonomy—are debated. It is proposed that, far from being necessarily socially desirable, the propagation of these notions within selfhood may have some derogative consequences to social relations, within communities and within society. It is suggested that counsellors need to develop much more awareness of the sociological perspective of their profession before enthusiastically propagating the authentic, autonomous self.     

Gender-Emotion Stereotypes Are Context Specific

Previous research has documented that specificemotions are differentially associated with women andmen. For example, sadness and happiness arestereotypically associated with girls and women, whereas anger and pride are stereotypically associatedwith men. The present research qualifies these previousfindings by establishing that gender-emotion stereotypesare context specific. Twenty-four scenarios were developed that depicted a target personover-or underreacting to happy, sad, or angry events ineither an interpersonal or an achievement context.Thirty-three female and 44 male Caucasian undergraduates judged how characteristic these reactions werefor women and men. The results demonstrated thatoverreactions to happyand sad events were morecharacteristic of women in the interpersonal context,but were more characteristic of men in the achievementcontext. Overreactions to angry scenarios, however, weremore characteristic of men, regardless of context. Theimplications of the context-dependent nature of gender-emotion stereotypes for men and womenare discussed.     

Supervision for Counselors Working With Eating Disorders Groups: Countertransference Issues Related to Body Image,Food, and Weight

Because of similarities in age, education, and background, group counselors and members of eating disorders groups may easily identify and connect with each other. Although it can be positive, such overidentification may also create countertransference issues and demand attention in supervision. A model of supervision based on parallel process is presented to address these issues. The article describes (a) societal values related to eating disorders and countertransference; (b) specific themes in eating disorder groups and their impact on group process; (c) examples of countertransference related to body image, food, and weight; and (d) guidelines for supervision of female counselors working with eating disorders groups.     

Molecular carrier testing for the fragile X syndrome: Issues for genetic counselors

Molecular analysis of the fragile X (FMR-1) gene identifies female fragile X carriers, but appropriate genetic counseling can only be provided if the limitations of the testing methods are understood. Molecular analysis of this gene is achieved with both the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blot techniques. PCR is faster and can determine the actual number of CGG repeats, which modifies genetic counseling substantially. However, for a sizeable percentage of women, PCR alone is not conclusive, and Southern analysis is necessary to complete the study. While this procedure takes longer, it is usually conclusive. Women who present for genetic counseling and carrier testing in the second trimester of pregnancy need this information quickly, and for them the turn-around time is paramount. It is critical that genetic counselors understand these methods so that they can educate their clients and facilitate appropriate follow-up.     

Developmental differences in visual processing: strategy versus structure

The present study was an examination of two contrasting explanations for the finding that young children tend to classify objects according to similarity relations whereas adults emphasize dimensional structure. Subjects from three different age groups were given tasks that tapped different aspects of the visual process: Feature search, Conjunction search, and Restricted Classification tasks. In addition, three different stimulus objects (a highly separable, a highly integral, and an intermediate dimensional combination) were studied to explore the contribution of stimulus structure in dictating the nature of the processing mode. The results provided evidence against the view that children perceive objects according to a more primitive holistic structure. Rather, the results can be taken with past research to suggest that less efficient visual processing may lead the younger subjects to adopt a classification strategy that emphasizes similarity relations. In addition, the current research supported Garner's (1974, The processing of information and structure, Potomac, MD: Erlbaum) suggestion that the nature of the processing mode is stimulus-driven.     

Mediational use of internal representations of food and no-food events by pigeons

Two experiments were conducted with pigeons to determine whether internal representations of food and no-food events can act as mediators in the formation of new associations. Specifically we asked if the representation of an anticipated event can replace the event itself in an established conditional discrimination. In Phase 1 of both experiments pigeons were differentially autoshaped to peck hue stimuli, only one of which was followed by access to food. In Phase 2 they were trained on a symbolic 0-delay matching-to-sample (DMTS) task with food and no-food samples and line-orientation comparisons. In Phase 3 the birds were tested on a symbolic DMTS task in which the hue stimuli from Phase 1 were substituted for the Phase 2 food-event samples. For the Pos group, the hue followed by food in Phase 1 was substituted for the food sample and the hue associated with no-food was substituted for the no-food sample so that the resulting sample/comparison pairings were consistent with the food-event mediator. For the Neg group the pairings were reversed so that the sample/comparison pairings were inconsistent with the food-event mediators. In Experiment 1, when the no-food event was the absence of an event, acquisition of the transfer task was significantly more rapid in the Pos than in the Neg condition. In Experiment 2, when the no-food event was the presentation of an empty food hopper, the Pos group transferred at a significantly higher level than the Neg group. The two experiments provide evidence that in pigeons, representations involving event anticipations can be substituted for, and are thus similar to, the events themselves.     

“Operant” and “respondent” measures of dispositions: Sex differences in the degree of independence between needs, values, and traits

This study examined McClelland's (1981) hypothesis that operant and respondent personality measures generally assess independent domains of psychological thought. The conceptual basis for the measurement of needs and values is explored, through reference to unconscious and conscious levels of thought. It is questioned as to whether the relationship between needs, values, and traits is generally an independent one, and reference is made to the contribution of development and to different learning environments. An operant measure of needs and respondent measures of values and traits were administered to 203 male and female undergraduate students. Findings for males, but not females, supported McClelland's hypothesis. Results showed that for women, there was a significant relationship between needs and values, and between needs and traits, and that the relationship varied for particular personality variables and for particular age groups of women. Findings are discussed generally in terms of cognitive, affect, and information processing theories.     

Integral Psychology: My Spiritually Based Guiding Metatheory of Counseling

This article explains the author's guiding theory of counseling based on her understanding and adaptation of K. Wilber's (2000b) integral psychology (IT). She discusses, from an IT perspective, how the psyche develops and changes and the role of counseling in change. She explains her particular resonance to IT, which she considers an inherently developmental, multicultural, systemic, and spiritual metatheory that brings order to the multiplicity of other counseling theories. The author hopes that readers will find in this article both a useful contribution to their own counseling perspectives and practices and a stimulus for further discourse regarding the infusion of spirituality into counseling.