PREDICTION OF THE FUTURE POSITION OF A MOVING OBJECT

B onnet , C. & K olehmainen , K. Prediction of the future position of a moving object. Scand. J. Psychol ., 1969, 10 , 6570.—Hypothesis: prediction of the reappearence of a moving object involves some kind of estimation of space, velocity, and time. Results: the performance depends on the relative ease of utilisation of those cues when all are available in the situation. Conclusion: no general rule can be applied to all situations, because different strategies are used in different situations. The parameter which carries most weight in any given situation is determined by the ease with which the relevant information can be extracted from that parameter, relative to the other two.     

APPARENT SIZE AS A DETERMINER OF FIGURAL AFTER-EFFECTS. I

K olehmainen , K. Apparent size as a determiner of figural after-effects. I. Scand. J. Psychol ., 1968, 9, 230–236.—Apparent size as a determiner of figural after-effects (FAE) was studied by presenting the inspection figures in drawings which appeared three-dimensional because of gradient-effects. Significant FAEs were found. It is argued that apparent size does not determine FAE directly but an apparent decrement in the size of the test figure is connected to an after-effect in third-dimension.     

APPARENT PROPERTIES OF INSPECTION FIGURES AS DETERMINERS OF FIGURAL AFTER-EFFECTS

Figural after-effects (FAE) were studied using the Hering, the Ehrenstein, and the Orbisson illusion, patterns in two ways. In one condition, the total pattern was used as inspection figure (IF), and that part of the pattern in which the illusion normally appears, as test figure (TF). The resulting FAE was in a direction opposite to that of the illusion. In the second condition, the illusion producing part of the total pattern served as IF, and the illusion suffering part as TF. This produced an after-effect, the direction of which was the same as that of the illusion.     

Mental flexibility as resiliency factor among children exposed to political violence

The research focused on mental flexibility versus rigidity in explaining psychological adjustment in the violent conditions of Intifada, and in more peaceful times 3 years later, among 86 Palestinian children. A picture test based on Brunswik (1949) was applied to measure flexible‐rigid cognitive style, and neuroticism, self‐esteem, emotional disorders, and PTSD were used as outcome variables. Results revealed a moderating role of mental flexibility by showing that children were protected from negative long‐term consequences of traumatic events if their perception indicated mental flexibility. However, in the midst of violence mental flexibility was not associated with good psychological adjustment. Mental flexibility was, in turn, determined by environmental and cognitive factors: The more intelligent and the less exposed to traumatic events children were, the higher mental flexibility they showed.     

Timing of Early Maternal Mental Health and Child Cortisol Regulation

Maternal mental health problems can negatively impact children's physiological stress regulation. Yet, little is known of their long‐term effects, especially related to the timing of maternal symptoms. We examined how maternal mental health problems during pregnancy versus in the early postpartum period predict children's cortisol levels and diurnal patterns at 10–12 years. Participants were a selection (N = 102) of an original sample of 805 Finnish families, who were followed from the second trimester of pregnancy (T1) to child's age of 2 months (T2) and 12 months (T3), and again at child's age of 10–12 years (T4). Based on the timing of psychological distress and depressive symptoms (T1–T3), the mothers could be assigned to three distinct mental health trajectory groups: mothers with prenatal mental health problems (n = 15), mothers with early postpartum mental health problems (n = 15) and mothers without mental health problems (n = 72). Children's cortisol (T4) was measured by saliva samples through five within‐1‐day assessments. The results show that maternal prenatal mental health problems predicted a relatively steep increase of child cortisol from awakening to 1 h later, indicating an intensified cortisol awakening response (CAR). Mothers' early postpartum mental health problems instead predicted a reduced CAR. Both maternal prenatal and postnatal mental health problems thus predicted children's later stress regulation, but in unique ways. We discuss the specific roles of direct biochemical effects during pregnancy and postpartum mother–infant interaction quality as modifiers of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal system. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Maternal depression and dyadic interaction: the role of maternal attachment style

Maternal mental health and the contents of her representational world are important determinants of early parent–child relationship. We examined, first, the role of prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms and maternal attachment style in predicting the quality of mother–child interaction. Second, we analysed whether the secure‐autonomous attachment style can protect the dyadic interaction from the negative effects of maternal depression. The participants were 59 mother–infant pairs examined during pregnancy (T1), 4–5 months postpartum (T2) and when the children were approximately 14 months old (T3). Maternal attachment style was assessed with a modified Adult Attachment Interview ‐procedure, depressive symptoms with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and observed mother–child interaction with Care Index. The results show that autonomous mothers were more sensitive and responsive and their children more co‐operative than dyads with dismissing maternal attachment style. As hypothesized, mothers with the combination of both prenatal and postpartum depressive symptoms were highly unresponsive in their dyadic interaction. Further, prenatal depressive symptoms had a stronger impact on maternal unresponsiveness than postnatal symptoms. As hypothesized, mother's autonomous attachment style protected the mother–child interaction from the negative impact of maternal postnatal depressive symptoms, whereas dyads with preoccupied mothers were especially at risk for interaction problems when mothers had postpartum depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Can functional emotion regulation protect children's mental health from war trauma? A Palestinian study

Effective emotion regulation (ER) is expected to protect mental health in traumatic stress. We first analysed the protective (moderator) function of different ER strategies and the associations between ER and mental health. Second, we tested gender differences in the protective function of ER and the associations between ER strategies and mental health. Participants were 482 Palestinian children (girls 49.4%; 10–13 years, M = 11.29, SD = .68) whose ER was assessed by the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and mental health by post‐traumatic stress (Children's Impact Event Scale), depressive, and psychological distress (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) symptoms, and by psychosocial well‐being (Mental Health Continuum‐Short Form). War trauma involved 42 events. Results showed, first, that none of the ER strategies could protect a child's mental health from negative impact of war trauma, but self‐focused ER was associated with low depressive symptoms, and other‐facilitated ER with high psychological well‐being. However, controlling of emotions formed a comprehensive risk for children's mental health. Second, gender differences were found in the protective role of ER, as self‐focused and distractive ER formed a vulnerability among boys. The results are discussed in the context of emotional and regulative demands of war and life‐threat.