Exploring evaluative conditioning using a working memory task

Johnsrude, Owen, Zhao, and White (1999) demonstrated that evaluative conditioning (EC) can occur even while participants conduct a working memory task. This is consistent with claims that EC can occur outside awareness, and hence is an automatic process. In their study, three abstract patterns were paired differentially with a candy reinforcer: 90, 50, or 10%. On reinforced trials a red ball was presented in one of three locations on a computer screen. Participants were instructed to keep a tally for each location. We argue that if EC is automatic, then it will not consume cognitive/attentional resources, and hence co-occurrence of red ball and reinforcer should be irrelevant. Results from four experiments indicate that learning is only evident when the red ball and reinforcer co-occur or when the complexity of the working memory task is reduced. Together, the results suggest that EC is governed by specific attentional constraints on working memory. This interpretation questions the automatic nature of EC.     

Kuczynski on Partial Knowledge and the Paradox of Analysis

John–Michael Kuczynski says the "paradox of analysis" can be resolved with the proper definition of "partial knowledge." He says that this definition will not do: (K) S has partial knowledge of x = _df S knows some, but not all, of x 's parts. He offers an alternative account of incomplete or partial knowledge. I argue here that: (a) Kuczynski's chief criticisms of (K) are defective; (b) his proposed solution to the paradox of analysis has no clear application to the paradox in its familiar forms; and (c) his solution may not avoid the puzzle about partial knowledge it was designed to resolve.     

Homotopic callosal inhibition in hemispheric priming: A test of cook’s topographical inhibitory model

This study set out to evaluate Cook’s (1986) topographical inhibitory model of language processing in the hemispheres. The model employs the neurophysiological mechanism of homotopic callosal inhibition to explain recent findings which suggest that the left hemisphere processes denotative meaning, while the right hemisphere specializes in connotative meaning. Specific predictions in relation to lateralized priming phenomena were derived from the model. The first experiment tested the prediction that word repetition and denotative priming would facilitate responses to right visual field targets, while connotative priming would favour the left visual field. None of these predictions were confirmed. A second experiment modified in a number of ways, provided a more extensive test of the predictions but produced essentially the same result. It was concluded that no evidence could be obtained to support the topographical inhibitory model. Instead, the results extend previous findings by suggesting that associative priming has more or less equivalent effects in each hemisphere, provided the interval between prime and target is sufficiently long.     

Innovative Retention Methods in Longitudinal Research: A Case Study of the Developmental Trends Study

Minimizing participant attrition is vital to the success of longitudinal research. The Developmental Trends Study (DTS), a longitudinal study of the development of disruptive behavior disorders, has achieved a low attrition rate throughout the study. The development of early retention strategies, managing contact and scheduling history through the use of electronic databases, interviewer persistence, and the emergence of new electronic search methods have contributed to the success of our study. A literature review of retention methodology and practical solutions to maintain participant cooperation is described. A case study of the DTS is presented to inform researchers in longitudinal research on new methods used to maintain high retention rates.     

Toward an Analysis of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Event from the Holistic, Developmental, Systems-Oriented Perspective

The holistic, developmental, systems-oriented perspective, an extension of some aspects of the theoretical perspective of Heinz Werner and his associates, is briefly characterized with respect to its assumptions, methodological approach, and its analysis of a variety of research on critical person-in-environment transitions. The theoretical perspective is applied in an analysis of the far-reaching critical person-in-environment transition that began with the catastrophic events of September 11, 2001.     

An Anthropologist at Ground Zero, or How I Applied My Group Perspective to the 9/11 Organizational Relief Effort

This paper, originally presented November, 2001 at the Plenary Session of the Annual Conference of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society in New York, describes the application of group psychodynamics to organizations under stress. The presentation illustrates the system sensitivity required of consultants assisting organizations traumatized by the 9/11 terror attacks. The author's comments and recommendations were shaped by his experience overseeing the consulting work provided by EGPS Members to Wall Street in the aftermath of the attacks.     

Assessing Threats of School Violence: Implications for Counselors

The author describes important considerations when assessing students' threats made at schools. In a recent article, M. Reddy et al. (2001) presented 4 approaches to assessing the risk of school violence. They submitted important issues and problems with 3 commonly used approaches and suggested a 4th approach as an alternative. Implications for school counselors are explored.     

Film Review

The American Journal of Psychoanalysis -     

Validity of the Short Form of the Parenting Stress Index for Fathers of Toddlers

We examined the psychometric properties of two scales of the parenting stress index-short form (PSI-SF) in a low-income sample of fathers of toddlers. The factor structure, reliability, and validity of the parental distress and parent–child dysfunctional interaction subscales were assessed for 696 fathers in a multi-site study of Early Head Start. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) compared the fit of the developer recommended two-factor scales with five-factor scales theoretically derived and supported with mothers. Our results suggested that two subscales from the PSI-SF were reliable and valid for this sample of racially diverse, low-income fathers of toddlers. However, these subscales capture multiple dimensions of parenting stress and results also supported the use of more narrowly defined aspects of parenting stress that included general distress, distress specifically related to parenting demands, problematic interactions of the father–toddler dyad, perceptions of the child, and parental perceptions of self as a parent. These unidimensional scales may prove useful in research and clinical activities by allowing researchers to elucidate the mechanisms through which stress impacts parenting and permitting clinicians information to develop more targeted interventions for young children and their families.