Characteristics of readmitted psychiatric inpatients

This study examined sociodemographic, diagnostic, psychological, and episode-based variables in a sample of 130 psychiatric patients admitted to treatment at least twice in a 6-yr. period. Short length of initial hospitalization (r = -.30, p < .01) and younger age on initial admission (r = -.20, p < .05) were significantly correlated with frequent hospital admissions. Scores on four of the subscales of the WAIS-R were significantly correlated with readmission, confirming that patients who have fewer cognitive resources are at risk of frequent admissions. A multiple regression analysis combining variables to predict readmission accounted for only 12% of the common variance (r128 = .34, p < .01), however, indicating that a prediction equation with these variables has limited clinical utility.     

A change of context can enhance performance of an aversive but not of an appetitive conditioned response

In four experiments rats received pairings of one auditory CS and mild shock in one context and of a second auditory CS and shock in a second context. When tested with one of these CSs in the context in which it had never been experienced, they consistently showed enhanced levels of suppression. In one of these experiments, suppression was measured over 15-sec intervals throughout a 90-sec long CS. A change of context resulted in an increased level of suppression at all points throughout the CS, a finding which does not encourage the belief that it was due to an increase in unconditioned suppression at the onset of the CS. Another experiment provided equally little support for an alternative account in terms of increased arousal. The results therefore suggest that a change of context can increase the level of conditioned suppression elicited by a CS paired with mild shock. Two final experiments employing the same CSs and contexts, however, found no evidence that a change of context had any effect at all on the performance of an appetitively conditioned response.     

A dissociation between one-trial overshadowing and the effect of a distractor on habituation

Rats drank a novel vinegar flavour and were subsequently tested either for habituation of neophobia to vinegar or for the conditioning of an aversion to vinegar when it was followed 4 hr later by an injection of lithium chloride. If they drank a sucrose distractor immediately after their first vinegar trial, habituation of neophobia was disrupted but conditioning was not. Sucrose consumed 3.5 hr after the initial vinegar trial, on the other hand, had less of an effect on habituation, but did disrupt conditioning. An incidental finding, replicated in two subsequent experiments, was that the immediate sucrose distractor had no effect on habituation when animals were tested 48 hr after their initial habituation trial. We interpret these results to suggest that distractors affect habituation by a process of generalization decrement but overshadow conditioning through a process of associative competition.     

Contextual Variation in Automatic Evaluative Bias to Racially-Ambiguous Faces

Three studies examined the implicit evaluative associations activated by racially-ambiguous Black-White faces. In the context of both Black and White faces, Study 1 revealed a graded pattern of bias against racially-ambiguous faces that was weaker than the bias to Black faces but stronger than that to White faces. Study 2 showed that significant bias was present when racially-ambiguous faces appeared in the context of only White faces, but not in the context of only Black faces. Study 3 demonstrated that context produces perceptual contrast effects on racial-prototypicality judgments. Racially-ambiguous faces were perceived as more prototypically Black in a White-only than mixed-race context, and less prototypically Black in a Black-only context. Conversely, they were seen as more prototypically White in a Black-only than mixed context, and less prototypically White in a White-only context. The studies suggest that both race-related featural properties within a face (i.e., racial ambiguity) and external contextual factors affect automatic evaluative associations.     

Measuring motor speed through typing: a surrogate for the finger tapping test

Motor speed is an important indicator and predictor of both cognitive and physical function. One common assessment of motor speed is the finger-tapping test (FTT), which is typically administered as part of a neurological or neuropsychological assessment. However, the FTT suffers from several limitations, including infrequent in-person administration, the need for a trained assessor and dedicated equipment, and potential short-term sensory–motor fatigue. In this article, we propose an alternative method of measuring motor speed, with face validity to the FTT, that addresses these limitations by measuring the interkeystroke intervals (IKI) of familiar and repeated login data collected in the home during a subject’s regular computer use. We show significant correlations between the mean tapping speeds from the FTT and the median IKIs of the nondominant (r = .77) and dominant (r = .70) hands, respectively, in an elderly cohort of subjects living independently. Finally, we discuss how the proposed method for measuring motor speed fits well into the framework of unobtrusive and continuous in-home assessment.     

Attempted suicide, self-harm, and violent victimization among regular illicit drug users

Relationships among attempted suicide, nonsuicidal self-harm, and physical assault were examined in 400 regular users of heroin and/or psychostimulants. Twenty-eight percent had episodes of nonsuicidal self-harm, 32% had attempted suicide, and 95% had been violently assaulted. The number of suicide attempts and nonsuicidal self-harm incidents were correlated (ρ = 0.44). There were also significant correlations between the number of assaults and nonsuicidal self-harm incidents (ρ = 0.17), and suicide attempts (ρ = 0.27). The mean age onset for non-suicidal self-harm (18.9 yrs) was significantly younger than that of initial suicide (22.3 yrs). The age at initial physical assault (16.0yrs) was significantly younger than that of nonsuicidal self-harm and initial suicide attempt. Screening for all forms of violence appears warranted when determining suicide risk for this population.     

What about the Male Victims? Exploring the Impact of Gender Stereotyping on Implicit Attitudes and Behavioural Intentions Associated with Intimate Partner Violence

Sex Roles - Past research has indicated that women who work in male-dominated fields, such as politics, face discrimination due to a stereotypically perceived poor fit between their gender and...     

The Impact of Gendered Stereotypes on Perceptions of Violence: A Commentary

Sex Roles - The present commentary explores the impact of gender role stereotypes on perceptions of both intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence. Two papers published in this issue of...