Therapists’ experiences with internal representations of clients

Fourteen therapists were interviewed via telephone regarding their experience of “carrying around” their clients with them between sessions (i.e. internal representations, or IRs, of clients), a phenomenon about which little empirically based knowledge exists. Data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research. Findings indicated that overall, therapists have IRs infrequently, most often have IRs of clients struggling with severe or challenging presenting problems, and do receive some training about IRs. When describing a specific IR experience, therapists typically noted a strong therapy relationship, and stated that the IRs typically had specific triggers. The IRs generally consisted of feelings about the client, and typically consisted of thoughts about the client or the felt presence of the client. The IRs generally yielded positive effects, typically both personally and professionally, and were typically discussed with supervisors/consultants. Implications for research, training, and practice are presented.     

Memories, fantasies, archetypes: an exploration of some connections between cognitive science and analytical psychology

The value of cognitive science as a means of investigating psychodynamic theory and practice is discussed and the limitations of this approach are described. Research findings from cognitive science are drawn on to clarify the nature of memory, which is seen to be a mixture of reproduction and reconstruction and the concepts of true and false memory are explored in this light. The part played by implicit memory and internal working models in producing transference is also examined. New ways of conceptualizing fantasy, which describes it as another facet of internal working models, and the role of transgenerational transmission of attachment patterns in creating internal working models are explored. The nature of archetypes is considered in the light of cognitive science research and a minimalist model is proposed, in which they can be likened to image schemas, that is, primitive conceptual structures that exist in a form which can never be experienced directly or indirectly.     

Physiological and behavioral signatures of reflective exploratory choice

Physiological arousal, a marker of emotional response, has been demonstrated to accompany human decision making under uncertainty. Anticipatory emotions have been portrayed as basic and rapid evaluations of chosen actions. Instead, could these arousal signals stem from a “cognitive” assessment of value that utilizes the full environment structure, as opposed to merely signaling a coarse, reflexive assessment of the possible consequences of choices? Combining an exploration–exploitation task, computational modeling, and skin conductance measurements, we find that physiological arousal manifests a reflective assessment of the benefit of the chosen action, mirroring observed behavior. Consistent with the level of computational sophistication evident in these signals, a follow-up experiment demonstrates that anticipatory arousal is modulated by current environment volatility, in accordance with the predictions of our computational account. Finally, we examine the cognitive costs of the exploratory choice behavior these arousal signals accompany by manipulating concurrent cognitive demand. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the arousal that accompanies choice under uncertainty arises from a more reflective and “cognitive” assessment of the chosen action’s consequences than has been revealed previously.     

A Pilot Randomized Trial of Community-Based Parent Training for Immigrant Latina Mothers

This paper reports on the development and piloting of the Madres a Madres (Mothers to Mothers) program, a new, community-based parent training program designed for immigrant Latina mothers and their children. Promotoras, or female community health workers of Latina background, delivered the program in a home visitation format. A total of 194 mothers and 194 focal children (87 male, 107 female) ages 7–12 were randomized to the intervention (113 mother–child dyads) or wait-list control condition (81 mother–child dyads) over the study period. Outcomes of interest were mother-reported parenting skills, broad family functioning, and child externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Data collection occurred at pretest, 3-month posttest, and 9-month follow-up periods. Multilevel growth models revealed increases in intervention mothers’ reported parenting skills, family support, and family organization, and reductions in child internalizing behavior from pretest to follow-up, relative to the control condition. Outcomes did not vary by focal child age, gender, nativity status, or mother acculturative status (years in the United States). Findings are discussed in the context of future directions for research on the Madres a Madres program and on the implementation and dissemination of empirically-supported parent training practices to culturally diverse families.     

Dissertation experiences of doctoral graduates from professional psychology programs

Worldwide, dissertation experiences are acknowledged to be challenging endeavors for students and the faculty members who advise them, and dissertation completion continues to be a concern when seeking to improve overall doctoral graduation rates. Although a number of factors have been associated with completion rates across disciplines, further research is needed within professional psychology graduate programs to understand overall student dissertation experiences. In this USA-based investigation, a mixed-method design was used to examine the experiences of 25 professional psychology doctoral graduates’ dissertation experiences, 12 of which were self-identified as positive and 13 as negative. Participants with positive experiences typically had supportive relationships with their dissertation chairs and committee members, which enhanced their research confidence and professional development. Participants with negative dissertation experiences typically had difficult relationships with dissertation chairs and committee members, which was associated with immediate and long-lasting negative consequences for participants’ professional growth and emotional well-being. The advisory working alliance was stronger for graduates with positive than negative experiences, although research attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs were not different between the two groups.     

A Survey of Dynamic Principles Governing Memory

A triadic coalition game was structured as an achievement-oriented situation by inclusion of a skill-based game task. Deductions regarding coalition partner choices were derived from Atkinsons' model of achievement motivation with the expectation that achievement-oriented players (Ms < Maf) would prefer moderate-risk strategy options while failure-avoidant players (Maf < Ms) would avoid moderate-risk strategies.

Observation was made of the coalition partner preferences of 126 college sophomore males and females who played the game in same-sex triads. The Ss were categorized into motive configuration groups on the basis of scores derived from the Test of Insight and the Test Anxiety Questionnaire.

The results were supportive of the hypotheses, since the Ms < Maf group chose moderate-risk coalition options more frequently than did the Maf < Ms group. By contrast the Maf < Ms group chose low-risk strategies and tended to avoid moderate-risk coalition options. While other coalition-game studies have shown differences in strategy behavior between males and females, sex differences did not occur in the present game. The lack of sex differences was explained by the high level of concern for winning among members of both sexes generated by the achievement nature of the game task.     

It’s not what you said,it’s how you said it: An analysis of therapist vocal features during psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a conversation, whereby, at its foundation, many interventions are derived from the therapist talking. Research suggests that the voice can convey a variety of emotional and social information, and individuals may change their voice based on the context and content of the conversation (e.g. talking to a baby or delivering difficult news to patients with cancer). As such, therapists may adjust aspects of their voice throughout a therapy session depending on if they are beginning a therapy session and checking in with a client, conducting more therapeutic ‘work’ or ending the session. In this study, we modelled three vocal features—pitch, energy and rate—with linear and quadratic multilevel models to understand how therapists’ vocal features change throughout a therapy session. We hypothesised that all three vocal features would be best fit with a quadratic function—starting high and more congruent with a conversational voice, decreasing during the middle portions of therapy where more therapeutic interventions were being administered, and increasing again at the end of the session. Results indicated a quadratic model for all three vocal features was superior in fitting the data, as compared to a linear model, suggesting that therapists begin and end therapy using a different style of voice than in the middle of a session.