Tragedy and catharsis in the wake of the 911 attacks

We argue that the events of 11 september 2001 (911) should be understood as a tragedy in the Greek sense of the term. Contemporary US views of tragedy typically communicate a sense that little can be done to predict or explain catastrophic events. This leads to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Accordingly, traditional US psychological interventions focus upon ameliorative efforts only. In Greek notions of tragedy, however, the hero(ine) has a character flaw that contributes to his/her demise. Lessons are learned, and catharsis results. From the standpoint of the US as a tragic hero, psychological interventions should be both ameliorative and preventative. We contend that this overemphasis on ameliorative work and the limited views of terrorism's root causes are counterproductive. Indeed, we recommend that individual US psychologists and the American Psychological Association leadership engage in both ameliorative efforts and broadly conceived preventative work. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Recognition of notated melodies by possessors and nonpossessors of absolute pitch

Musically trained listeners compared a notated melody presented visually and a comparison melody presented auditorily, and judged whether they were exactly the same or not, with respect to relative pitch. Listeners who had absolute pitch showed the poorest performance for melodies transposed to different pitch levels from the notated melodies, whereas they exhibited the highest performance for untransposed melodies. By comparison, the performance of melody recognition by listeners who did not have absolute pitch was not influenced by the actual pitch level at which melodies were played. These results suggest that absolute-pitch listeners tend to rely on absolute pitch even in recognizing transposed melodies, for which the absolute-pitch strategy is not useful.     

Validity of the Cognitive Representations of Hypertension Scales (CRHTN)1

Leventhal and Diefenbach's (1991) self‐regulatory theory is discussed in explaining the dynamic nature of “how” and “what” people think about hypertension and how this information is different according to severity of hypertension. Using a sample of hypertensive adults who had controlled and uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) status, the factor structure of the Cognitive Representations of Hypertension (CRHTN) scales, an instrument based on self‐regulatory theory of Leventhal & Diefenbach, is examined through exploratory, confirmatory, and multigroup factor analyses. Results indicate that a 5‐factor model is representative of theoretical constructs of disease label or symptoms, consequences, and controllability. The model accurately fits observed data for outpatients with controlled and uncontrolled BP status. Results provide support for an understanding of individuals’ cognitive structuring of disease‐specific attitudes, beliefs, and self‐management skills.     

Mothers' Impact on Daughters' Cardiovascular Reactivity in a High‐Threat Context: An Immersive Virtual Environment Study

Applying Attachment Theory, research on confirmation, the Entropy Model of Uncertainty, and the Biopsychosocial Model of Challenge and Threat, this investigation examined the role of mothers' communication on adolescents' cardiovascular response to threat. An experimental design allowed for the manipulation of maternal response to daughters experiencing a rapidly approaching wildfire in an immersive virtual environment. Results revealed complexities in the relative benefits of maternal vocalic presence during high‐threat situation, with the mother's history of confirming feedback playing an important role in daughters' cardiovascular response. Implications for knowledge are addressed and methodological possibilities of using immersive virtual environments are noted.     

Lifestyle interventions in the treatment of childhood overweight: a meta-analytic review of randomized controlled trials.

CONTEXT: Evaluating the efficacy of pediatric weight loss treatments is critical. OBJECTIVE: This is the first meta-analysis of the efficacy of RCTs comparing pediatric lifestyle interventions to no-treatment or information/education-only controls. DATA SOURCES: Medline, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Controlled Trials Register. STUDY SELECTION: Fourteen RCTs targetting change in weight status were eligible, yielding 19 effect sizes. DATA EXTRACTION: Standardized coding was used to extract information on design, participant characteristics, interventions, and results. DATA SYNTHESIS: For trials with no-treatment controls, the mean effect size was 0.75 (k = 9, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.52-0.98) at end of treatment and 0.60 (k = 4, CI = 0.27-0.94) at follow-up. For trials with information/education-only controls, the mean ES was 0.48 (k = 4, CI = 0.13-0.82) at end of treatment and 0.91 (k = 2, CI = 0.32-1.50) at follow-up. No moderator effects were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Lifestyle interventions for pediatric overweight are efficacious in the short term with some evidence for extended persistence. Future research is required to identify moderators and mediators and to determine the optimal length and intensity of treatment required to produce enduring changes in weight status.     

The world in itself: Neither uniform nor physical

Since Hume, philosophers of induction have debated the question of whether we have any reason for assuming that nature is uniform. This debate has always presumed that the uniformity hypothesis is itself coherent. In Part 1 of the following I argue that a proper appreciation of Nelson Goodman's so-called grue-green problem¹ should lead us to the conclusion that the uniformity hypothesis, under its usual interpretation as a strictly ontological thesis, is incoherent. In Part 2 I argue that further consideration of the grue-green problem leads to the conclusion that certain popular versions of the thesis of physical supervenience/the primacy of physics, under their usual interpretation as strictly ontological theses, are false. In Part 3 I argue that the notions of natural kinds and nature's joints should not be taken as ontologically objective notions but as interest relative. Together Parts 1, 2, and 3 provide support for the Nietzsche-Goodman thesis that philosophers are prone to mistakenly identify as absolute, mind and language independent, features of the world which are in fact only features of a particular discourse, or of the world relative to a particular discourse.     

GENERALITY AND SIDE EFFECTS OF OVERCORRECTION1

The effects and side effects of overcorrection for self-stimulatory behaviors of two children in a specialized day-care program were evaluated. For one child, a “hand” overcorrection procedure involving arm and hand exercises was introduced contingent upon inappropriate hand movements and later contingent upon inappropriate foot movements. After “hand” overcorrection was withdrawn for inappropriate foot movements, a “foot” overcorrection procedure involving foot and leg exercises was introduced contingent upon inappropriate foot movements. For a second child, the “hand” overcorrection procedure was introduced contingent upon inappropriate hand movements during a free-play period, and later contingent upon inappropriate vocalizations at naptime. “Hand” overcorrection was withdrawn and then re-introduced sequentially for both behaviors. Several concurrent behaviors were measured to assess multiple effects of treatment. Results for both children indicated the “hand” overcorrection procedure suppressed inappropriate hand movements and inappropriate behaviors that were topographically dissimilar. In addition, inverse relationships were observed between the second child's inappropriate hand movements and appropriate toy usage during free play and between his inappropriate vocalizations and inappropriate foot movements during naptime. Results suggest that overcorrection procedures that are effective for one behavior can be used to reduce the frequency of topographically different behaviors. This finding is discussed in terms of its practical implications for therapists.     

Oral overcorrection: side effects and extended applications.

Experiment 1: In a specialized daycare program the use of oral overcorrection (contingent toothbrushing with an oral antiseptic) to suppress one child's thumbsucking at Language Time was found to suppress the behavior of another child who was not treated but who witnessed the target child's treatment. Experiment 2: The main effects of oral overcorrection were replicated. Contingent overcorrection threats (warnings), used independently, were then shown to suppress thumbsucking behavior that had returned to its baseline level. These effects were maintained one month after the threats were discontinued, but they did not generalize to other activity periods, particularly Nap Time. Experiment 3: Contingent threats were found to suppress the persistent nap-time thumbsucking of the child from Expt 2. Increments in certain other (nonoral) inappropriate behaviors were correlated with the suppression of thumbsucking. Threats to use oral overcorrection contingent upon nonoral misbehaviors at Nap Time were not effective. However, the actual use of oral overcorrection for these categories of nonoral misbehavior served to suppress these behaviors. Experimental controls combined treatment reversal and multiple baseline single-subject designs.