Unique contributions of anxiety sensitivity to avoidance: a prospective study in adolescents

Examination of the prospective relation between anxiety sensitivity (AS) and behavioral avoidance is largely absent from the literature. In a longitudinal study of a community sample of 2246 adolescents, participants completed the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI; Reiss, Peterson, Gursky, & McNally (1986). Behaviour Research & Therapy, 24, 1-8), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; Spielberger (1983). STAI: Manual for the Stait-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press), and the Fear Questionnaire (Marks & Matthews (1979). Behaviour Research & Therapy, 17, 263-267) on an annual basis. To stringently test AS's ability to prospectively predict behavioral avoidance, linear regression was used to test whether AS factors predicted variance in follow-up behavioral avoidance scores after controlling for gender, trait anxiety, panic attacks, and baseline avoidance. Results indicted that the mental and physical subscales of the ASI predicted change in behavioral avoidance. The findings of the study are consistent with the view that AS may serve as a precursor to avoidant behavior and that, regardless of whether or not acute panic has been experienced, those who fear autonomic arousal may be more likely to avoid situations in which those sensations may be present.     

Heavy drinking in college students: who is at risk and what is being done about it?

Problem drinking and related consequences are a major social issue plaguing college campuses across the United States. Each year, alcohol is responsible for fatalities, assaults, serious injuries, and arrests that occur among college students. The authors review and discuss the risk factors, drinking patterns, and consequences that are relevant to the general student population. In addition, the authors highlight individuals at an increased risk of experiencing alcohol-related problems, such as Greek-letter social organization members and student athletes. The authors also discuss the interventions that attempt to reduce risky drinking and related problems in these subgroups as well as the future directions for research.     

Treatment of self‐injury correlated with mechanical restraints

Mechanical arm restraints were used to decrease hand‐to‐head self‐injurious behavior (SIB) exhibited by a 16‐year‐old female with severe mental retardation. Although mechanical restraints reduced hand‐to‐head SIB, they were correlated with an increase in other topographies of SIB (e.g., head banging). These other topographies were not significantly affected by the addition of an environmental enrichment procedure, but were immediately and almost completely suppressed when contingent exercise was added. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Time as a variable in learning on the World-Wide Web

Research in education, psychology, and neuroscience motivates a hypothesis that learning takes time. Support for the hypothesis was found in four replications of an upper level undergraduate course in which the material and activities for 50% of the topics were delivered over the World-Wide Web. Computer records were correlated with three types of test questions: multiple-choice, short-answer, and open-ended essay questions. Positive and significant correlations with time were observed for 33% of the correlations involving multiple-choice questions, 13% of those involving short-answer questions, and 60% of those involving open-ended essay questions. An estimate of the common underlying correlation, ρ, equal to .35 for the four replications was significant. The data also revealed generally low overall study times and a maladaptive pattern of “cramming” before tests instead of distributing practice. In the Discussion section, we argue that computer study times can be used as a predictor of subsequent test performance, which is a measure of student learning.     

General and acculturation‐related daily hassles and psychological adjustment in first‐ and second‐generation South Asian immigrants to Canada

According to Lay and Nguyen (1998), in addition to the general daily hassles encountered by most people, immigrants often face chronic difficulties specific to the acculturation experience, including conflicts with family members, members of the ethnic ingroup, and members of ethnic outgroups. Moreover, it has been suggested that the children of immigrants born in Canada (i.e., second‐generation immigrants) may experience different acculturative stressors from their parents (i.e., first‐generation immigrants). This study examined general and acculturation‐related daily hassles in 74 first‐ and second‐generation South Asians in Canada. Participants completed a questionnaire that assessed their experience of different types of daily hassles (general, family, ingroup, and outgroup), acculturation attitudes, and level of psychological adjustment. Second‐generation individuals reported significantly more ingroup hassles and marginally lower self‐esteem than first‐generation immigrants. For first‐generation immigrants, more ingroup hassles predicted greater depression, and for second‐generation individuals, increased ingroup hassles predicted lower self‐esteem and more outgroup hassles predicted greater depression. The results emphasize the importance of considering the acculturation experience of second‐generation individuals as being unique to that of first‐generation immigrants.     

Pigeons discriminate continuous versus discontinuous line segments

Three experiments examined various facets of the perception of continuous and discontinuous line segments in pigeons. Pigeons were presented with 2 straight lines that were interrupted by a gap. In some instances, the lines were the same angle and were positioned so that they appeared (to human observers) to form a continuous line. In other instances, the lines were different angles or the same angle but spatially misaligned. The birds were trained to classify each stimulus as continuous or discontinuous using a go/no-go procedure. A series of tests followed in which the birds received novel discontinuous displays made up of familiar line segments, continuous and discontinuous stimuli made up of novel line segments (novel straight lines or curved lines), and familiar displays in which the gap was covered with a gray square. Results from the tests indicated that 2 of the 3 pigeons had learned a continuous-discontinuous categorization and that they appeared to use the relationship between the 2 line segments in discriminating the displays.     

Examination of the mediational influences of peer norms, environmental influences, and parent communications on heavy drinking in athletes and nonathletes.

The present study used perspectives from the general literature on college alcohol consumption to examine mediational influences of peer, environmental, and parental variables on heavy drinking for student athlete and nonathlete samples. Eight hundred thirty-five freshmen who differed in organized sports involvement were compared on heavy drinking outcomes, peer norms, environmental influences, and parental communication. College athletes reported significantly more heavy drinking experiences than nonathletes. Peer norms, environmental influences, and parental communication were all significant mediators of the athlete-heavy drinking relationship. Athletes reported a higher perception of peer drinking, peer approval of drinking, higher alcohol availability, and direct drink offers, which, in turn, were related to higher rates of heavy drinking. Parental communication mediated the athlete-heavy drinking relationship differently, depending on the specific topic of conversation. Discussion surrounding the importance of incorporating a variety of interventions aimed at reducing collegiate athlete drinking on the basis of the peer, environmental, and parental influences observed in the present analyses are presented. Limitations and directions for future research are also noted.     

Axis I screens and suicide risk in jails: a comparative analysis

Mental health professionals conducting screenings in jail settings face formidable challenges in identifying inmates at risk for major depression and suicide. Psychologists often rely on correctional staff to provide initial appraisals of those inmates requiring further evaluation. In a sample of 100 jail detainees, the effectiveness of two specialized screens (the Referral Decision Scale and Mental Disability/Suicide Intake Screen or MDSIS) and one general screen (Personality Assessment Screener or PAS) was evaluated. For suicidal ideation, the MDSIS composite score evidenced promise (sensitivity = 1.00; specificity = 0.71). In ruling out major depression, the PAS Negative Affect subscale was useful for the inmate participants.     

More than mere mimicry? The influence of emotion on rapid facial reactions to faces

Within a second of seeing an emotional facial expression, people typically match that expression. These rapid facial reactions (RFRs), often termed mimicry, are implicated in emotional contagion, social perception, and embodied affect, yet ambiguity remains regarding the mechanism(s) involved. Two studies evaluated whether RFRs to faces are solely nonaffective motor responses or whether emotional processes are involved. Brow (corrugator, related to anger) and forehead (frontalis, related to fear) activity were recorded using facial electromyography (EMG) while undergraduates in two conditions (fear induction vs. neutral) viewed fear, anger, and neutral facial expressions. As predicted, fear induction increased fear expressions to angry faces within 1000 ms of exposure, demonstrating an emotional component of RFRs. This did not merely reflect increased fear from the induction, because responses to neutral faces were unaffected. Considering RFRs to be merely nonaffective automatic reactions is inaccurate. RFRs are not purely motor mimicry; emotion influences early facial responses to faces. The relevance of these data to emotional contagion, autism, and the mirror system-based perspectives on imitation is discussed.     

Evolutionary models of color categorization based on discrimination

Specifying the factors that contribute to the universality of color categorization across individuals and cultures is a longstanding and still controversial issue in psychology, linguistics, and anthropology. This article approaches this issue through the simulated evolution of color lexicons. It is shown that the combination of a minimal perceptual psychology of discrimination, simple pragmatic constraints involving communication, and simple learning rules is enough to evolve color-naming systems. Implications of this result for psychological theories of color categorization and the evolution of color-naming systems in human societies are discussed.