A Multi-Domain Model of Risk Factors for ODD Symptoms in a Community Sample of 4-Year-Olds

Few studies have been designed to assess the pathways by which risk factors are associated with symptoms of psychopathology across multiple domains, including contextual factors, parental depression, parenting, and child characteristics. The present study examines a cross-sectional model of risk factors for symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in a diverse community sample of 796 four-year-old children. In the best-fitting model: (a) SES had indirect effects on contextual factors of stress and conflict, parental depression, and parenting factors including hostility, support, and scaffolding; (b) stress and conflict had both direct effects on ODD symptoms, and indirect effects via parental depression and parenting; (c) parenting had direct effects on ODD symptoms and indirect effects via child effortful control (EC), negative affect (NA) and sensory regulation (SR); (c) NA, EC, and SR had direct effects on symptom frequency, and attachment had indirect effects via EC, and SR. These results highlight the importance of using a multi-domain model to examine risk factors for symptoms of ODD, and also provide information about areas to target in treatment.     

Social perspective coordination in youth with borderline personality pathology

This study investigated social perspective coordination (SPC) in youth (15-24-year-olds) with first-presentation borderline personality disorder (BPD). SPC is defined as the capacity to differentiate and integrate the perspective of the self with the perspectives of others (Selman, Beardslee, Schultz, Krupa, & Podorefsky, 1986). Two groups: patients with full or sub-syndromal BPD (n = 30) and patients with major depressive disorder (MDD; n = 30) completed measures of SPC derived from the interpersonal negotiation strategies (INS) model (Selman et al., 1986). Compared with the MDD group, the BPD group responded to all vignettes with significantly lower SPC scores and SPC was a significant predictor of BPD status over and above self-reported, personality factors (Neuroticism and Agreeableness), attachment disturbance and functional impairment. These findings suggest that disturbances in social cognition are an important characteristic of individuals with BPD pathology. These difficulties extended beyond attachment contexts and were not limited to situations involving BPD-related themes of abandonment, deprivations or mistrust/abuse.     

A Meta-Analysis of Research on Hindsight Bias

We conducted a meta-analysis of research on hindsight bias to gain an up-to-date summary of the overall strength of hindsight effects and to test hypotheses about potential moderators of hindsight distortion. A total of 95 studies (83 published and 12 unpublished) were included, and 252 independent effect sizes were coded for moderator variables in 3 broad categories involving characteristics of the study, of measurement, and of the experimental manipulation. When excluding missing effect sizes, the overall mean effect size was Md = .39 with a 95% confidence interval of .36 to .42. Five main findings emerged: (a) effect sizes calculated from objective probability estimates were larger than effect sizes calculated from subjective probability estimates; (b) effect sizes of studies that used almanac questions were larger than effect sizes of studies that used real-world events or case histories; (c) studies that included neutral outcomes resulted in larger effect sizes than studies that used positive or negative outcomes; (d) studies that included manipulations to increase hindsight bias resulted in significantly larger effect sizes than studies in which there were no manipulations to reduce or increase hindsight bias; and (e) studies that included manipulations to reduce hindsight bias did not produce lower effect sizes. These findings contribute to our understanding of hindsight bias by updating the state of knowledge, widening the range of known moderator variables, identifying factors that may activate different mediating processes, and highlighting critical gaps in the research literature.     

Recognition of complex object-centred spatial configurations in early infancy

In a series of experiments we tested 4- and 8-month-olds’ ability to represent the spatial layout of an object across changes in its orientation with respect to egocentric spatial coordinates. A fixed-trial familiarization procedure based on visual habituation behaviour shows that both age groups are able to discriminate between different object-centred spatial configurations. Furthermore, both age groups demonstrate the ability to make discriminations of object-centred spatial coordinates that require simultaneous reference to at least two spatial axes of the object. We discuss these findings in relation to theories of the early development of object recognition and spatial reference skills.     

Blocking by fixed and variable stimuli: Effects of stimulus distribution on blocking

An experiment with rats compared the ability of fixed and variable duration cues to produce blocking. Rats in group B (Blocking) were trained that both fixed- (F) and variable- (V) duration cues would be followed by food delivery. In a subsequent training stage F and V continued to be reinforced, but F was accompanied by X, and V by Y. In the test phase responding to X and Y was examined. Control group O (Overshadowing) received identical treatment, except that F and V were nonreinforced in the first training stage. In group B there was evidence for blocking, but only of X, which had been conditioned in compound with the fixed-duration F; there was no evidence for blocking of Y, which had been conditioned in compound with the variable-duration V. It is suggested that this result may occur because fixed cues reach a higher, more stable asymptote of associative strength than do their variable equivalents.