Parallel processing of position and form information in young children

Young children and adults were compared in their processing of position and form information when only one type of information was processed and when both types of information were processed. For adults, position information in both the single and combined tasks showed a linear increase in report accuracy with increasing duration. For children, this linear increase was found only in the single task, at longer durations, resulting in a loss of parity across tasks for position information among children. No loss of parity was found for form information for either age group. The children’s loss of parity in processing position information when combined with form information replicates their previously demonstrated inability to process multiple-form arrays using a parallel independent strategy.     

Temporal grouping, rehearsal and short-term memory

The effects of temporal grouping on auditory short-term memory are investigated, using pauses of different lengths to indicate the groups. No quantitative or qualitative differences were found between the shorter and longer pauses. This result, in conjunction with an analysis of the order errors, is used to suggest what kind of processing occurs during the pauses. This processing is selective, recoding the information about order according to position within a group.     

IS SCIENCE PERSISTENCE A MATTER OF VALUES?

This study investigates the hypothesis that congruence in value perspectives distinguishes science-able students who persist in science from those who do not (nonpersisters). A science values measure was administered to 173 undergraduates with high levels of commitment and ability in the sciences. On each of six hypothetical dilemmas from everyday science, respondents rated the importance of three justice and three care considerations for self and for science, using a Likert-type 7-point scale. A significant three way interaction involving sex, persistence, and point of view (self/sience) emerged, with persisters generally demonstrating congruence between self and science on the value perspectives; female persisters, however, were more likely to combine justice and care perspectives than were males. Nonpersisters' self/science ratings of justice and care were sharply dissimilar, with females demonstrating the most incongruence. In all groups, justice was the prominent perspective attributed to science.     

Self-compassion induction enhances recovery from social stressors: Comparing adults with social anxiety disorder and healthy controls

Background and objectives: This study evaluates the process and consequence of inducing self-compassion during recovery from social performance stressors. Though interest in self-compassion as an intervention target is growing, extant findings suggest that initially cultivating self-compassion can be challenging for those with high self-criticism and anxiety, common features of social anxiety disorder (SAD).

Design: Quasi-experimental design.

Methods: The current study evaluates the feasibility, content, and outcomes of a brief written self-compassion induction administered after consecutive laboratory social stressors, among adults with SAD (n?=?21) relative to healthy controls (HC; n?=?35).

Results: Findings demonstrate the feasibility of employing a written self-compassion induction among adults with (and without) SAD, reveal group differences in written responses to the induction, and suggest that the SAD group benefitted more from the induction than the HC group, based on greater reductions in state anxiety and greater increases in self-compassion during stressor recovery. Greater use of negative affect words within written responses to the self-compassion induction, but not during general writing, predicted lower subsequent state anxiety across groups, by a medium effect size.

Conclusions: Collectively, the findings support the feasibility and utility of cultivating self-compassion among adults with SAD.     

Das Absetzen antiandrogener Medikation im ambulanten Setting

In the Forensic Therapeutic Outpatient department in Berlin a total of n?=?20 individually justified, therapeutically accompanied withdrawals from antiandrogenic treatment have been implemented. The sample was compared with n?=?20 patients under antiandrogenic treatment. Patients with withdrawal have been significantly older, than patients without withdrawal. No differences were found regarding their duration of further imprisonment and standardized risk-assessment (HCR-20, LSI-R, Static-99, Stable-2007, PCL-R). Firsts results of the monitoring of the withdrawals indicate, that the symptom-checklist SCL-90-R is not appropriate for that purpose. However, post-hoc both known sexual reoffendings could be identified by the Massachusetts General Hospital Sexual Functioning Questionnaire. By means of practical experience results are getting discussed.     

Brief report—Phonological awareness and visual-spatial sketchpad functioning predict early arithmetic attainment: Evidence from a longitudinal study

This study examines the relationships between phonological awareness, visual-spatial sketchpad (VSSP) functioning and arithmetic attainment in young children. A sample of 42 children had their VSSP functioning and phonological awareness assessed when they were 5 years old. Approximately 12 months later their nonverbal reasoning, vocabulary, arithmetic, and reading attainment were assessed. Together, VSSP functioning, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and nonverbal reasoning predicted 41% of the variation in the children's arithmetic attainment. Only phonological awareness and VSSP functioning were significant independent predictors. In contrast, only phonological awareness was a significant independent predictor of reading attainment. These findings are consistent with phonological awareness influencing both the development of reading and arithmetic, whilst VSSP functioning only impacts on arithmetic development.     

Measuring creative thinking: An activity‐based approach

The primary objective of this exploratory study was to test activity‐based behavioral measures of creative thinking with a sample of Hong Kong fifth‐grade school children, and also to determine the concurrent validity between activity‐based measures of creative thinking and standard divergent thinking tests. Altogether five creative thinking abilities were measured using the behavioral techniques and the children's scores for fluency, flexibility, and originality were compared with those from the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT). The construct‐related validity among all the different abilities on the behavioral measures was also calculated. Contrary to previous assertions about the lack of creativity among Chinese populations, the Hong Kong children demonstrated their ability to use a number of creative thinking features in order to solve problems. No construct validity was found between the different measures of creativity except between originality and fluency. Possible reasons for this are reviewed. The TTCT and the behavioral techniques were found to have some concurrent validity in relationto fluency and originality on the Verbal Tests. There was no correlation for flexibility. The advantages of using activity‐based measurements of creative behavior are discussed.     

A study of emotionalism in patients undergoing rehabilitation following severe acquired brain injury

The present study describes the phenomenon of emotionalism in a sample of brain injured patients of mixed aetiology, with a view to identifying issues relevant to clinical management, and possible causal factors. 82 subjects with severe acquired brain injury undergoing rehabilitation participated in a structured interview in which they were asked to report the presence/absence of emotionalism and degree of distress associated with it. Their overt crying behaviour was also observed and recorded. Independent variables that predicted crying during the interview were identified using a multiple logistic regression procedure. Prevalence rates of emotionalism-tearfulness were high in this sample (52% self-report, 36--41% Emotionalism-laughter was much less common (13%) Emotionalism-tearfulness was usually accompanied by negative affect, occurred in response to identifiable precipitants, and was often controllable. It was associated with major personal distress in about half the subjects who reported it. Independent variables which predicted crying behaviour were female gender and focal damage to the right cerebral hemisphere. It is concluded that an increased readiness to cry is common in people with severe acquired brain injury of mixed aetiology. The behaviour is meaningful, though not always distressing. The intensity of the behaviour is variable, and it may be most appropriate to regard emotionalism as a dimension rather than a syndrome. Implications for clinical management are discussed.     

Personality pathology among individuals with a lifetime history of anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa (AN) appears to be associated with certain personality features. The degree to which personality pathology persists after the acute phase of illness is unclear. This study aimed to investigate personality pathology in a large sample (n = 153) of women with histories of AN using the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology (DAPP) and to evaluate the persistence of pathological personality features by comparing women with acute (n = 83) and remitted AN (n = 55). Women with AN demonstrated high levels of emotional dysregulation, social inhibition and compulsivity relative to age-matched healthy women (n = 124). Identity problems, intimacy problems and schizotypal features were highlighted as important. The same 14 pathological personality dimensions were significantly elevated in both ill and remitted participants, though remitted individuals' scores were reduced on 4 of the subscales. These results indicate that pathological personality features in AN are persistent traits, although some features may become exaggerated in the acute phase.