Parenting of children with attention-defecit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): the role of parental ADHD symptomatology

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the relation between parental ADHD symptomatology and parent-child behavior among 46 mothers and 26 fathers of ADHD children. RESULTS: Fathers' self-reports of inattention and impulsivity were strongly associated with self-reports of lax parenting both before and after parent training, and with self-reports of overreactivity after parent training. Fathers' impulsivity was also associated with more arguing during audiotaped observations of parent-child interactions prior to parent training. Mothers' self-reports of inattention were modestly associated with self-reports of laxness before and after parent training. Prior to parent training, there were non-linear relations between mothers' inattention and observations of mother-child behavior, with mothers who reported moderate levels of inattention engaging in the most negative parent-child interactions. After parent training, these relations were linear, with the mothers who reported the most inattention engaging in the most negative parent-child interactions. These results were weakened but were generally still significant when parental depression and alcohol use were controlled.     

The Ethics of Type 1 Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Research

There are approximately one million cases oftype 1 diabetes in the US, and the incidenceis increasing worldwide. Given that two-thirdsof cases present in childhood, it is criticalthat prediction and prevention research involvechildren. In this article, I examine whethercurrent research methodologies conform to theethical guidelines enumerated by the NationalCommission for the Protection of Human Subjectsof Biomedical and Behavioral Research, andadopted into the federal regulations thatprotect research subjects. I then offer twopolicy recommendations to help researchersdesign studies that conform to these ethicalrequirements.     

The effects of promotion and prevention cues on creativity.

This study tested whether cues associated with promotion and prevention regulatory foci influence creativity. The authors predicted that the "risky," explorative processing style elicited by promotion cues, relative to the risk-averse, perseverant processing style elicited by prevention cues, would facilitate creative thought. These predictions were supported by two experiments in which promotion cues bolstered both creative insight (Experiment 1) and creative generation (Experiment 2) relative to prevention cues. Experiments 3 and 4 provided evidence for the process account of these findings. suggesting that promotion cues, relative to prevention cues, produce a riskier response bias (Experiment 3) and bolster memory search for novel responses (Experiment 4). A final experiment provided evidence that individual differences in regulatory focus influence creative problem solving in a manner analogous to that of incidental promotion and prevention cues.     

Borderline functioning, work, and outcome in intensive evening group treatment.

Cluster analysis was used to identify subgroups of a sample of 40 patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The BPD patients were part of a larger sample that had participated in an intensive, group-oriented Evening Treatment Program. A set of pretherapy outcome measures was used to represent patient "attributes" for the cluster analysis. Eight clusters were identified. Two, each defined by a single patient with pronounced pathology, were deleted from further analyses. In a discriminant-function analysis, four dimensions emerged that differentiated the six remaining clusters. Significant relationships among the four dimensions and measures of therapeutic work and treatment outcome were identified. The relationships reflected the impact of behavioral characteristics associated with BPD on participation in and benefit from intensive group-oriented evening treatment. Implications of these exploratory findings for the understanding and treatment of BPD are discussed.     

Color filling-in under steady fixation: behavioral demonstration in monkeys and humans

Color filling-in is a phenomenon in which the color of an object appears to be filled-in by the color of the surrounding field. We have studied the question of whether monkeys perceive color filling-in with near-foveal stimuli under steady fixation. Two monkeys were trained to fixate steadily and to attend to a disk, surrounded by an annulus of the complementary color, in parafoveal vision. Using displays in which the color of the disk was gradually changed to that of the annulus, we trained the animals to signal when they perceived a uniform color field. During the experiment, we introduced a small percentage of trials in which the disk color remained constant, and looked for 'filling-in' responses in these trials. Three human subjects were also tested for comparison. All subjects produced 'filling-in' responses with frequencies that were significantly higher for static disks with blurred borders than for moving disks or disks with sharp borders. This indicates that the monkeys' responses reflected perceptual filling-in, rather than random behavior. The time course of filling-in was similar in monkeys and humans. For the blurred static disks, responses occurred first after 3-4 s of fixation, reaching a probability of 0.2-0.8 by the end of 6 s, depending on the subject.     

Faces in Motion: Age‐Related Changes in Eyewitness Identification Performance in Simultaneous,Sequential, and Elimination Video Lineups

The identification performance of children (5 to 6 years, n = 180; 9 to 10 years, n = 180) and adults (n = 180) was examined using three types of video lineup procedures: simultaneous, sequential and elimination. Participants viewed a videotaped staged theft and then attempted to identify the culprit from a target‐present or target‐absent video lineup. Correct identifications in simultaneous and elimination video lineups did not differ as a function of age. The sequential video lineup was associated with a reduction in correct identifications for both child groups compared with adults. With respect to the target‐absent lineup condition, the video elimination lineup was associated with an increase in correct rejection rates for adult witnesses. Age was also significantly associated with accuracy. Differences in correct rejection rates were observed between adults and children and also between the two child groups. Implications and future directions are discussed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Nature and Organization of Individual Differences in Executive Functions: Four General Conclusions

Executive functions (EFs)-a set of general-purpose control processes that regulate one's thoughts and behaviors-have become a popular research topic lately and have been studied in many subdisciplines of psychological science. This article summarizes the EF research that our group has conducted to understand the nature of individual differences in EFs and their cognitive and biological underpinnings. In the context of a new theoretical framework that we have been developing (the unity/diversity framework), we describe four general conclusions that have emerged from our research. Specifically, we argue that individual differences in EFs, as measured with simple laboratory tasks, (1) show both unity and diversity (different EFs are correlated yet separable); (2) reflect substantial genetic contributions; (3) are related to various clinically and societally important phenomena; and (4) show some developmental stability.     

Civilian Response Corps Force Review: The Application of Multi‐Criteria Decision Analysis to Prioritize Skills Required for Future Diplomatic Missions

Created by the State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, the Civilian Response Corps (CRC) contains a diverse pool of qualified and ready‐to‐deploy civilian professionals that support conflict prevention and response efforts in countries or regions that are at risk of, are currently in, or are transitioning from conflict or civil strife. As such, it is vital to optimize the CRC's skill groupings to maximize adaptability and responsiveness to highly uncertain and trying political conditions and crises across the globe. The nature of the CRC value proposition is such that determining which skill set compositions deliver the greatest benefit requires a multi‐faceted perspective that looks at a number of attributes and factors, both tangible and intangible. To meet these needs, an organizational decision‐making approach utilizing multi‐criteria decision analysis (MCDA) was applied to ensure that skill‐grouping allocations were determined in a logical and robust manner. The MCDA analysis allowed for a wide range of worldviews and perspectives, drawn from select members of academia and partner agencies of the CRC who provided their expert opinions on the expected demand for skill groupings commonly identified as most necessary in a civilian ‘surge’ capacity. These skills were assessed with reference to a values hierarchy of representative country scenarios, missions and sub‐missions identified by the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization. Of particular interest was the use of the MCDA method to prioritize CRC skill groupings and to help inform the Department of State's understanding of the ‘ideal’ proportion and types of civilian skills for inclusion in the CRC. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.