Theory of Mind experience sampling in typical adults

We explored the frequency with which typical adults make Theory of Mind (ToM) attributions, and under what circumstances these attributions occur. We used an experience sampling method to query 30 typical adults about their everyday thoughts. Participants carried a Personal Data Assistant (PDA) that prompted them to categorize their thoughts as Action, Mental State, or Miscellaneous at approximately 30 pseudo-random times during a continuous 10-h period. Additionally, participants noted the direction of their thought (self versus other) and degree of socializing (with people versus alone) at the time of inquiry. We were interested in the relative frequency of ToM (mental state attributions) and how prominent they were in immediate social exchanges. Analyses of multiple choice answers suggest that typical adults: (1) spend more time thinking about actions than mental states and miscellaneous things, (2) exhibit a higher degree of own- versus other-directed thought when alone, and (3) make mental state attributions more frequently when not interacting (offline) than while interacting with others (online). A significant 3-way interaction between thought type, direction of thought, and socializing emerged because action but not mental state thoughts about others occurred more frequently when participants were interacting with people versus when alone; whereas there was an increase in the frequency of both action and mental state attributions about the self when participants were alone as opposed to socializing. A secondary analysis of coded free text responses supports findings 1–3. The results of this study help to create a more naturalistic picture of ToM use in everyday life and the method shows promise for future study of typical and atypical thought processes.     

African American and White Women’s Experience of Sexual Assault and Services for Sexual Assault

This article presents the results of a study assessing the needs and experiences of African American and White female survivors of sexual assault in the state of Maryland. Eight specific hypotheses regarding differences in the needs and experiences of African American as compared to White women receiving partial or no support through analyses of interview data drawn from 213 survivors (African American survivors, n = 133; White survivors, n = 80) were explored. No differences were reported in medical care received; however, in comparison to their White counterparts, African American women reported decreased use of sexual assault crisis centers and mental health services, and postassault help-seeking through use of sexual assault hotlines. Barriers and facilitators associated with treatment experiences differed by ethnicity. Findings are discussed in relation to future directions for research, and service and policy improvement for survivors of sexual assault.     

Tending Hestia's Flame: Circumambulating the Sacred Feminine

Hestia was the ancient goddess of the hearth, the one who presided over the religious center of the household. It was here that offerings were made at the beginning and end of the family meal, and where the other household divinities were honored. She sanctified the interior of the home and the purity of the lineage of the patriarchal clan. As the circle of Greek identity grew, eternal fires sacred to Hestia burned at the center of ancient cities, including Rome, where Hestia was known as Vesta.

From a psychological perspective, Hestia personifies the religious function of the psyche—especially the forms that turn inward and protect a sacred center. An examination of the archetypal aspects of Hestia's myth sheds light on how the instinct for the sacred found expression during antiquity, and how these energies continue to live in the archetypal psyche.     

The Complexity of Deviant Lifestyles

This article examines the complexity of the concept deviant lifestyle. A two-dimensional conceptual paradigm is developed. A horizontal depiction of eight deviant routines constituent to lifestyles and examples of these deviant activities is provided. The vertical dimension of the paradigm depicts five modes of frequency of occurrence of certain routine behavior.     

“Log on to sex”: Some notes on the carnal computer and erotic cyberspace as an emerging research frontier

Innovation in technology often provides new opportunities in the pursuit of deviance. The response or adaptation to these new opportunities takes the form of deviant technicways. New technology in the case of the computer promises to have an applicability for carnal behavior that is socially volatile in both its perversity and import. Through on‐line bulletin boards dedicated to particular modes of sexual behavior, computer users with special sexual predilections can communicate with persons who share similar interests throughout the world. Computer communication of the erotic variety may involve mild flirtations, seeking and sharing information about sexual services available in different cities and countries, and seeking and sharing information about specific varieties of deviant sexual behavior. The computer has been used by some individuals to obtain child pornography from abroad, to contact youngsters to try to arrange meetings for sexual purposes, sometimes to misrepresent one's sexual identity ("gender bending") for various reasons ranging from seemingly harmless “on‐line transsexualism” (Van Gelder, 1985) to more convoluted (and possibly more sinister) purposes. The appearance of computer erotica can be interpreted at various functional levels and holds considerable import for social behavior. Just as the computer has begun to revolutionize social life, it may also revolutionize crime and the parameters of deviant sexual behavior.     

Self-defining memories in complicated grief

There is increasing attention to the mechanisms underpinning maladaptive responses to bereavement. This study indexed self-defining memories in bereaved individuals with and without complicated grief (CG). Participants with and without complicated grief (N = 40) were asked to describe three self-defining memories. Results showed that CG participants provided more self-defining memories involving the deceased. Both groups were equally likely to report their loved one's death as a self-defining moment, however, the no-CG group showed more evidence of benefit finding in their memory narratives and experienced less negative emotion on recall. The findings suggest that CG is associated with distinctive patterns of autobiographical memory that are linked to self-identity. The pattern is consistent with self-memory system models of autobiographical remembering, and suggests that grieving individuals who experience ongoing yearning for their loved one view their self-identity as more closely linked to the deceased are more distressed by memories involving the loss.     

Comparison of Tetradic WAIS-III Short Forms in Predicting Full Scale IQ Scores in Neuropsychiatric Clinic Settings

Patients from two neuropsychology clinics (n = 283) were divided into model development (n = 189) and validation samples (n = 94) with proportional representation from each clinic. Three regression based models of four WAIS-III subtests were developed and cross-validated to evaluate their FSIQ estimation accuracy: (1) an optimized stepwise regression model derived from the development sample (Comprehension, Matrix Reasoning, Similarities, and Picture Arrangement), (2) an a priori WASI based model (Similarities, Matrix Reasoning, Vocabulary, and Block Design), and (3) an a priori model with relatively rapidly administered subtests from each Index Score factor of the WAIS-III (Information, Picture Completion, Arithmetic, and Digit Symbol-Coding). The models produced good (92 to 97%) FSIQ estimation accuracy within 10 points of FSIQ with none of these models performing significantly better than another. The utility of clinical use of short form FSIQ estimation is a function of accuracy needed versus administration time reduction and ease for the patient.     

Morphemes, spelling and development: Comments on “The timing and mechanisms of children's use of morphological information in spelling” by S. Pacton and H. Deacon

In our comments on Pacton and Deacon's discussion of children's spelling of morphemes we raise four issues: (1) whether the “timing” question should be about children's ages or about their psychological processes; (2) the crucial importance of individual differences in the study of the connections that people make between morphemes and spelling; (3) the conclusions that can be drawn from evidence for the use of non-morphemic spelling strategies; (4) the need to consider the results of intervention studies in any account of children's understanding and use of morphemic spelling rules.