ANALYSIS OF THE MISSING PART IN PROBLEM SITUATIONS

The so-called Ring Problem was presented in writing to 127 students, of which half were given additional instructions to look for a missing instrumental part and try to replace it with the objects at hand. The added instructions increased the number of solutions within a 5-min. period. The results are taken to indicate the importance of determining the functional characteristics of the missing part in a practical problem situation.     

The relation between 3‐ and 15‐month olds' cry vocalizations and their mothers' affective involvement during inoculation

This study examined if infant immunization distress is related to their mothers' affective involvement prior to the injection. The duration of infant cry vocalizations and the amount of maternal behaviour before and after the syringe injection were observed in 18 mother–infant dyads, of whom nine comprised 3‐month‐old and nine 15‐month‐old infants. The maternal behaviour was scored in terms of various soothing strategies used to calm infants in distress. Infant cry duration, in both the 3‐ and the 15‐month olds, was associated with amount of maternal eye‐gaze before the injection. For the 15‐month olds, also face‐to‐face contact and rocking the infant was associated with more crying. Even though the small scale of the study warrants some caution in the interpretation, the overall findings suggest that young infants have a referential understanding of caregiver affective involvement prior to a stressor. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Channel capacity and processing of modality specific information

The synthesis model, designed to explain effects of modality specific information on retention, is presented and tested. The model encompasses qualitative and quantitative components. The qualitative characteristics reflect the physiological properties of the auditory and visual channels. Three parameters are assumed to affect the quantitative efficiency of the channels. Each channel is assumed to have a certain capacity, and processing of information in the channels is determined by situational demands. Furthermore, processing in a channel is regarded as superficial. Increased allocation of processing to the superficial level was manipulated by the use of modality specific distractors and conditions of ‘supracapacity load’. Transformation of information from the visual to the auditory channel was controlled by the use of one mixed-mode and one single-mode experiment. Thirty subjects participated in the mixed-mode experiment and 60 in the single-mode experiment. Both experiments employed an identical distraction task, intervening presentation and free recall of the to-be-remembered items. The results confirmed the predictions of (a) modality specific distraction, (b) supracapacity performance decrement, (c) a larger distraction effect for the auditory channel and (d) transformation effects in the single-mode experiment.     

The effect of strength of cognitive linkages on attitude change in a communication situation

Implicitly or explicitly, linkage is a basic concept in all theories of cognitive consistency — consistency or inconsistency can exist only with reference to entities which are cognitively linked through association or dissociation. The nature of cognitive linkages has not been systematically studied, but it seems evident that they may vary in many ways. One is the strength or intensity of perceived relationship between cognitive entities. The basic hypothesis in the present two experiments was that the effect of a communication in terms of attitude change would depend on the strength of linkage between concepts mentioned in the message. Results show no such effect when strength was manipulated through combination of linkages, whereas the hypothesis was confirmed when linkage strength was varied semantically. Also, previous studies on direct and mediated generalization of attitude change towards consistency were successfully replicated. Finally, it was found that amount of attitude change towards consistency was significantly higher for linkages involving affect (L-relations) than for linkages simply expressing unit formation (U-relations).     

Mindfulness Based Flourishing Program: A Cross-Cultural Study of Hong Kong Chinese and British Participants

The Mindfulness Based Flourishing Program (MBFP) is an online 8-week intervention developed for enhancing wellbeing with the use of mindfulness practices, through targeting a range of positive variables. The efficacy of the MBFP has been demonstrated in a randomized controlled trial, and in order to further establish it as an intervention with widespread application, cross-cultural validation is warranted. The current study was conducted with the primary aim of testing the validity of the MBFP with a Hong Kong Chinese population, as well as verifying its positive effects. A randomized wait-list controlled design was adopted with 115 participants (92 females, mean age = 31.50). Intervention outcomes were compared between Hong Kong Chinese and British participants. Five positive variables were examined (self-compassion, meaning in life, positive and negative emotions, gratitude, and mindfulness), and measures were taken pre- and post-intervention. Significant gains in wellbeing measures were observed in both the Hong Kong Chinese and the British experimental groups. Levels of wellbeing post-intervention were also higher for the two experimental groups as compared to their control counterparts. The current study provides preliminary evidence for the MBFP’s cross-cultural validity, and strengthens previous claims for its efficacy as a new, accessible alternative for enhancing wellbeing.     

Problems with prioritization: exploring ethical solutions to inequalities in HIV care

Enormous gaps between HIV burden and health care availability in low-income countries raise severe ethical problems. This article analyzes four HIV-priority dilemmas with interest across contexts and health systems. We explore principled distributive conflicts and use the Atkinson index to make explicit trade-offs between health maximization and equality in health. We find that societies need a relatively low aversion to inequality to favor treatment for children, even with large weights assigned to extending the lives of adults: higher inequality aversion is needed to share resources equally between high-cost and low-cost treatment; higher inequality aversion is needed to favor treatment rather than prevention, and the highest inequality aversion is needed to favor sharing treatment between urban and rural regions rather than urban provision of treatment. This type of ethical sensitivity analysis may clarify the ethics of health policy choice.     

Genetic and environmental influences on mothering of adolescents: a comparison of two samples

This study examined 2 samples of adolescents and mothers using a child-based design (Nonshared Environment in Adolescent Development [NEAD] project, N = 395 families) and a parent-based design (Twin Moms [TM] project, N = 236 twin family pairs) to compare genetic and environmental influences on mothering. For both samples, the same measures of positivity, negativity, control, and monitoring were used. The use of matched child-based and parent-based samples enabled passive and nonpassive genotype-environment (GE) correlations to be approximated, providing information about process. Passive GE correlations were suggested for mother's positivity and monitoring. For mother's negativity and control, primarily nonpassive GE correlations were suggested. In several cases, both types of GE correlation were indicated. Finally, observer ratings of negativity and monitoring were influenced only by environmental factors.     

Poverty and experiences of social devaluation: a qualitative interview study of 25 long-standing recipients of social security payments

The purpose of this study is to explore experiences of social devaluation among people living in poverty. Twenty-five long-standing recipients of social security payments living in a city in Norway were interviewed. Most felt that people in their environment held low opinions of them regarding issues related to personality and moral integrity. Several factors play a role in the formation of such beliefs or assumptions: (a) impressions of prevailing views of the social category "the poor" and observations concerning devaluation of that category; (b) knowledge others are assumed to possess of the respondents' financial predicament; (c) perception of own social situation; (d) undesired behavior that signals low social status and low esteem; (e) actions by others that signal devaluation. Social devaluation is also experienced at the affective level: the sense of shame and guilt is widespread.     

Use of temperature variations to combat drivers' drowsiness

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of temperature variations as a measure against drivers' drowsiness. A system for regulation of the air temperature in the cab was installed in two trucks. Irregular temperature reductions of about 8 degrees C were introduced. The periods between the temperature reductions varied among 5, 6, 7, and 8 min. The periods for the temperature reductions varied between 2, 4, 6, and 8 min. The system was tested with 6 drivers on 54 trips. The system was applied for periods varying between 30 to 300 min. Changes in wakefulness were analysed using subjective ratings by the lorry drivers. The application of the system significantly improved subjectively rated wakefulness. The wakefulness was rated with a questionnaire completed after 10 min. use of a cooling system and at the end of its use. Analysis showed individual differences in the usefulness of the system: 3 of the 6 truck drivers reported positive reactions to the use of the temperature cooling system.     

Comparing Quality of Life Instruments in a Population of Abused Women

The SF-36 Health Survey and the WHO Quality of Life Index—BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) were used to study quality of life among women who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). The aim was to determine how these instruments correlated with each other and with physical and psychological IPV, in order to find the best instrument to use. IPV was measured using the Severity of Violence against Women Scale (SVAWS) and the Psychological Maltreatment of Women Index (PMWI). A self-administrated questionnaire was given to women able to understand Norwegian who were staying at a women’s shelter in Norway for more than 1 week. 87 of 212 women asked to participate completed the questionnaire. The physical acts of violence in SVAWS correlated significantly (P<0.001) with both the general health and bodily pain dimensions in SF-36 and global overall health (OH) in WHOQOL-BREF. Most correlations between WHOQOL-BREF and SF-36 were moderate. The WHOQOL-BREF domains explained 46% of the variance in OH and 40% of the variance in the global overall quality of life (OQOL). The SF-36 domains explained 66% of the variance in OH and 27% of OQOL. The mean WHOQOL-BREF and SF-36 scores were all low. The SF-36 correlated better with physical and psychological IPV in this population than the WHOQOL-BREF. The significant correlations between the OH, general health and bodily pain domains and acts of violence show the importance of including questions concerning bodily symptoms in determining the quality of life in a population of abused women.