Aspects of Code-Specific Memory Development

We investigated the development of code specific representations of different kinds of information in long term memory. Forty second graders, 40 sixth graders and 40 adults learned the associations between 12 pictures and one position each in a 4 × 3 grid of squares, 12 pictures and 1 of 12 monosyllabic words each or 12 pictures and 1 of 12 faces. After a 3 min distractor task, a picture was presented in the retrieval phase, and the associated position, word or face had to be selected. Performance in the verbal condition improved as a function of age, while performance in the spatial condition turned out to be independent of age, and the performance in the facial condition showed a difference between both child groups and the adults. The results revealed a developmental difference of code specific representation of different kinds of information.     

Antecedents of mothers' emotional and cognitive responses to infant distress: The role of family,mother, and infant characteristics

The antecedents of mothers' emotional and cognitive responses to infant distress were examined. Participants were 67 mothers and their infants. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing their experiences in the family of origin and current marital relationships both pre‐ and postnatally and their coping strategies prenatally. Infant temperament was observed at 6 months, and mothers were interviewed about their emotional and cognitive responses to infant distress 2 years later to assess their emotional competencies (i.e., accurate identification of negative emotions, emotion efficacy, emotional responses to infant distress, and emotion goals). A childhood history of emotional rejection was negatively associated with empathy and efficacy and positively associated with negative emotions. The association between childhood history and some emotional competencies was moderated by current marital dysfunction, engaged coping, and positive intervening relationships. Maternal marital styles and coping strategies and infant temperament correlated with emotional competencies. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed from an attachment theory perspective.     

World without End: Christian Eschatology from a Process Perspective – Edited by Joseph A. Bracken (ed.)

Book reviewed:
World without End: Christian Eschatology from a Process Perspective , Joseph A. Bracken (ed.), Eerdmans 2005 (0-8028-2811-6), ix + 232 pp., hb $30.00/£18.95     

The Centrality of Guilt: Working with Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Patients in Israel

The ultra-orthodox Jewish (Haredi) community in Israel is characterized by strict observance of the requirements of orthodox Jewish life. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy within this community brings us into contact with guilt as a central emotion throughout the therapeutic process. The exposure to new concepts, ways of thought and a previously unknown space, together with increased awareness of internal wishes and drives, are experienced as forbidden areas that arouse an awakening of conscience and a sense of guilt. The author’s cases illustrate these conflicts.     

God and me,God is me: dialogue with religion as a mechanism for coping with emotional stress

The American Journal of Psychoanalysis - In this article I seek to clarify the different ways in which religious ultra-Orthodox Jewish patients, accustomed to the continuous presence of God in...     

Towards better computational models of the balance scale task: a reply to Shultz and Takane

In contrast to Shultz and Takane [Shultz, T.R., & Takane, Y. (2007). Rule following and rule use in the balance-scale task. Cognition, in press, doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2006.12.004.] we do not accept that the traditional Rule Assessment Method (RAM) of scoring responses on the balance scale task has advantages over latent class analysis (LCA): RAM is similar to a very restricted form of LCA. The apparent shortcomings of LCA are also less severe than they suggest. Via new simulations we show that LCA detects small classes reliably. We also counter their concerns regarding the torque difference effect and we underline the problems connectionist models have with correctly responding to balance items. Despite these differences in opinion we agree with Shultz and Takane on the possible avenues for future research.     

Belief in an unjust world: when beliefs in a just world fail

Belief in a just world, where people get what they deserve, has been hypothesized to underlie a variety of psychological phenomena (Lerner, 1965). Close inspection of individual difference measures of this belief, however, has indicated repeatedly that just world beliefs are not a unidimensional construct. The purpose of this investigation was to elaborate upon the conceptualization of unjust world beliefs as a related but separate construct from just world beliefs. In two studies, the Unjust World Views scale (UJVS) was developed and its reliability and validity examined. The UJVS demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity and accounted for more variability in related outcomes than just world beliefs. Further, belief in an unjust world was related to defensive coping, anger, and perceived future risk. These findings contribute to theory development and suggest that a belief in an unjust world may serve a self-protective function. Clinical implications are discussed as unjust world views also were found to be potentially maladaptive.