Time trends in the effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: A meta-analysis

Recent studies suggest that the effects of cognitive therapies for depression show systematic changes over time. A meta-analysis was conducted to explore the temporal development of the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for current depression in studies that used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) or the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) as outcome measures. A systematic search of research databases yielded 20 studies that were included in the analyses. The results showed that MBCT is effective in reducing depressive symptoms. The effect sizes of studies using the BDI or the HDRS as an outcome measure were not moderated by the time of publication. Funnel plots and the trim and fill method suggested that publication bias was low. However, the number of available studies was small, and the time period investigated relatively short. The results should therefore be considered preliminary.     

Confusion of Horizons: Gadamer and the Christian logos

This paper argues for Gadamer's indebtedness to logs Christology. Gadamer's language philosophy and hermeneutic experience both depend on theological insights gleaned mainly from St. Augustine and German Pietism. In Truth and Method , Gadamer uses Augustine's rewriting of Platonism to establish his language philosophy and employs the Pietist formula of application to describe the hermeneutical experience as word event. Gadamer's silence about these influences in his later works leave his interpreters and critics (such as Jürgen Habermas) puzzled about his seeming naïve trust in philosophical hermeneutics as a means to improve human interaction. This article tries to contribute to an understanding of Gadamer's hermeneutics by arguing that Gadamer's optimism in language and reason make sense when seen in the theological context from which crucial elements of his philosophy are derived.     

Beyond stability: Predicting inter-individual differences in intra-individual change

Demonstration of a high longitudinal stability of inter-individual diferences in behaviour has been one traditional goal of personality psychology. In recent years, impressively high longitudinal correlations have been reported for self-and other-ratings of behaviour in adulthood, indicating a high overall stability of personality differences in that period of development. However, even 5-year correlations around 0.70 do not exclude major deviations of some of the subjects from this overall stability (i.e. differential stability in the sample). Furthermore, the younger a sample is, the lower will be the longitudinal stability observed, and the less suficient is the explanation of inter-individual diferences by static traits. This article goes beyond the notion of stability at the sample level by asking from a developmental perspective (a) whether systematic inter-individual differences in intra-individual change exist, (b) how they can be assessed, and (c) whether these inter-individual differences can be explained by characteristics of the person or of the environment.     

Before and After the German Reunification: Changes in Observers' Commentaries on Achievements in a Natural Experiment1

East Germany (EG) and West Germany (WG) had been divided by the inner-German frontier for more than 4 decades. In 1989, the frontier fell, and in 1990, East and West Germany were reunified. To study differences in attributional patterns as a consequence of this political change, the attributions of WG TV-sport commentators during the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games were analyzed for their frequency and antecedents. Results show an increase in internal and stable attributions after success in contrast to failure attributions; the former to a greater extent in 1992. In 1988 and in 1992, the positive achievements of EG athletes were attributed more often to internal causes than were the positive achievements of WG athletes. In 1992, attributions for EG athletes were more likely to be stable than in 1988.     

Correlates of the Temporal Consistency of rsonality Patterns in Childhood

ABSTRACT The temporal consistency of children's personality patterns as measured by the California Child Q-set was investigated in a sample of 151 German children between ages 4 and 6 years, and in a sample of 87 Dutch children between ages 10 and 12 years. Children's personality patterns showed a high interindividual variance of consistency. Correlational analyses revealed that children's ego resiliency predicted the longitudinal consistency of their Q-sort patterns irrespective of variations in age, culture, and type of judge. Itemwise extreme group comparisons of very consistent and very inconsistent children with a middle group showed that consistent children were characterized by culturally desirable traits, and inconsistent children by undesirable traits. The items typical for consistent children changed with age in agreement with the change in major developmental tasks. Discussion focuses on the processes that mediate the positive relations between the temporal consistency of personality, ego resiliency, and the age-appropriateness of personality.     

Assessment of multiple implicit self‐concept dimensions using the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST)

This study explored the psychometric properties of the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST; De Houwer, 2003a ) as adapted for the measurement of the implicit self‐concept of personality. The EAST was adapted to allow the simultaneous assessment of the three traits shyness, anxiousness, and angriness. In order to test the EAST's psychometric properties, 100 participants completed a trait EAST, Implicit Association Tests (IATs), and direct self‐ratings. The EAST showed low internal consistencies and correlated neither with the IATs nor with the direct measures. The main problem of the EAST, namely its low reliability, is discussed, and general conclusions regarding the indirect assessment of the personality self‐concept by EASTs are derived. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How Body Feedback Influences Consumers’ Evaluation of Products

Two experiments explored the effect of unobtrusively induced expressions of approach and avoidance on consumers’ evaluation of well‐known products. In Study 1, valenced objects were presented moving horizontally or vertically on a screen, thereby inducing either head shaking or head nodding. Objects were also presented without movement. Induced nodding led to more favorable evaluations of positively valenced products but did not affect the evaluation of negatively valenced ones. Similarly, head shaking led to more unfavorable evaluations of negatively valenced products but did not affect the evaluation of positive ones. In Study 2, participants evaluated positively valenced products more favorably when they flexed their arms while making the evaluation and evaluated negatively valenced products more unfavorably when they extended their arms during evaluation. However, arm flexion had no effect on evaluations of negative products, and arm extensions had no effect on evaluations of positive ones. Participants’ willingness to buy the products followed a similar pattern. The theoretical implications and the applications of these body feedback effects are discussed.     

Accessibility from active and fulfilled goals

In six studies participants searched for a target stimulus among other stimuli. Lexical decision and Stroop measures of accessibility showed that accessibility of target-related words was enhanced prior to finding the target and reduced after finding it, relative to both a preceding stage, relative to a control, no-goal condition and relative to a condition in which the goal was not fulfilled. In addition, Studies 4, 5, and 6 showed that goal-related accessibility and post-fulfillment inhibition were proportional to the goal’s expectancy, the goal’s value, and their interaction. Together, these studies support the notion that goals enhance accessibility of the goal-related constructs, which is maintained as long as the goal is active, goal fulfillment inhibits accessibility of goal-related constructs, and these effects are proportional to the strength of the motivation.