Temperament profiles from infancy to middle childhood: development and associations with behavior problems

The authors applied I-States as Objects Analysis (ISOA), a recently proposed person-oriented analytic approach, to the study of temperament development in 921 Norwegian children from a population-based sample. A 5-profile classification based on cluster analysis of standardized mother reports of activity, sociability, emotionality, and shyness at ages 18 months, 30 months, 4-5 years, and 8-9 years was interpretable and highly replicable. The prevalence of temperament profiles changed markedly with age, and individual stability in temperament profiles was significant. Specific typical and atypical developmental sequences of profiles were identified. Selective patterns of concurrent group differences in externalizing and internalizing problems by temperament profiles were remarkably similar across ages. The findings to some degree support the notion that individual temperament-variable values take on meaning in relation to the whole individual configuration and indicate some lawfulness in temperament changes over time. Future person-oriented studies of temperament development should replicate the current results using multiple data sources, rigorous tests of gender differences, and latent group modeling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).     

Personality and the four faces of positive affect: A multitrait-multimethod analysis using self- and peer-report

The present study investigates the relationship between personality and positive affects (contentment, love, interest, and joy). Using multitrait-multimethod analysis and structural equation modeling procedures with self- and peer-report, the authors demonstrated the importance of differentiating between the positive affects. A multidimensional model fitted better than a general-factor model. Concerning the personality–affect relationship, the strongest relations were found between extraversion and both joy and love, agreeableness and love, openness to experiences and interest, and neuroticism and contentment. Thus, results suggest that it is insufficient to concentrate solely on extraversion when investigating the personality–positive affect relationship.     

Expert vs. general working sample differences in KSAO improvability ratings and relationships with measures relevant to occupational and organizational psychology

A broad sample of workers from the U.S. workforce as well as a group of Ph.D.s in Applied or I‐O Psychology rated a varied set of KSAOs in terms of the extent to which each KSAO could be improved by people through effort. Results in the general working population reflected a type of ‘Horatio Alger myth’ of work‐related human capability, or a belief that it is possible to change most of any work‐related attribute of oneself through effort. Expert psychologists did not agree with the worker sample, differentiating among KSAOs to a greater extent and rating KSAOs as less improvable overall. We initiated a taxonomy of perceived improvability of KSAOs, providing some indication of the expected perceived improvability of KSAOs. Within the worker sample, observed differences in ‘improvability’ ratings could be attributed mainly to individual differences in people. These individual differences related to a broad set of other important individual measures relevant to occupational and organizational psychology, including motivation for employee development, attitudes towards selection tests and performance appraisal systems, learning/performance goal orientation, and job analysis ratings of KSAO importance and needed at job entry. The total set of results strongly suggests that KSAO improvability ratings may be an additional tool that can be used effectively to understand some aspects of occupational and organizational psychology.     

Using an Ecological Ethics Framework to Make Decisions about the Relocation of Wildlife

Relocation is an increasingly prominent conservation tool for a variety of wildlife, but the technique also is controversial, even among conservation practitioners. An organized framework for addressing the moral dilemmas often accompanying conservation actions such as relocation has been lacking. Ecological ethics may provide such a framework and appears to be an important step forward in aiding ecological researchers and biodiversity managers to make difficult moral choices. A specific application of this framework can make the reasoning process more transparent and give more emphasis to the strong sentiments about non-human organisms held by many potential users. Providing an example of the application of the framework may also increase the appeal of the reasoning process to ecological researchers and biodiversity managers. Relocation as a conservation action can be accompanied by a variety of moral dilemmas that reflect the interconnection of values, ethical positions, and conservation decisions. A model that is designed to address moral dilemmas arising from relocation of humans provides/demonstrates/illustrates a possible way to apply the ecological ethics framework and to involve practicing conservationists in the overall decision-making process.     

Reduction in rat phosphatidylethanolamine binding protein-1 (PEBP1) after chronic corticosterone treatment may be paralleled by cognitive impairment: a first study

Chronic stress is associated with hippocampal atrophy and cognitive dysfunction. This study investigates how long-lasting administration of corticosterone as a mimic of experimentally induced stress affects psychometric performance and the expression of the phosphatidylethanolamine binding protein (PEBP1) in the adult hippocampus of one-year-old male rats. Psychometric investigations were conducted in rats before and after corticosterone treatment using a holeboard test system. Rats were randomly attributed to 2 groups (n = 7) for daily subcutaneous injection of either 26.8 mg/kg body weight corticosterone or sesame oil (vehicle control). Treatment was continued for 60 days, followed by cognitive retesting in the holeboard system. For protein analysis, the hippocampal proteome was separated by 2D electrophoresis (2DE) followed by image processing, statistical analysis, protein identification via peptide mass fingerprinting and gel matching and subsequent functional network mapping and molecular pathway analysis. Differential expression of PEBP1 was additionally quantified by Western blot analysis. Results show that chronic corticosterone significantly decreased rat hippocampal PEBP1 expression and induced a working and reference memory dysfunction. From this, we derive the preliminary hypothesis that PEBP1 may be a novel molecular mediator influencing cognitive integrity during chronic corticosterone exposure in rat hippocampus.     

A Christian Rationale for Vegetarianism

Abstract :  This article lays out an argument for vegetarianism based on a Christian theological rationale, specifically on a new articulation of a Christian anthropology for the 21^st century. What I suggest is that an exploration of what it means to be human in a contemporary first world context leads to the conclusion that vegetarianism is a logical expression of one's understanding of oneself as a Christian, and one's exercise of one's Christian faith and discipleship.     

Exploring the impact of phonological awareness, visual–spatial working memory, and preschool quantity–number competencies on mathematics achievement in elementary school: Findings from a 3-year longitudinal study

This longitudinal study explored the importance of kindergarten measures of phonological awareness, working memory, and quantity–number competencies (QNC) for predicting mathematical school achievement in third graders (mean age 8 years 8 months). It was found that the impact of phonological awareness and visual–spatial working memory, assessed at 5 years of age, was mediated by early QNC, which predicted math achievement in third grade. Importantly, and confirming our isolated number words hypothesis, phonological awareness had no impact on higher numerical competencies (i.e., when number words needed to be linked with quantities [QNC Level II and above]) but predicted basic numerical competencies (i.e., when number words were isolated from quantities [QNC Level I]), explaining the moderate relationship between early literacy development and the development of mathematical competencies.     

Insular activity during passive viewing of aversive stimuli reflects individual differences in state negative affect

People differ with regard to how they perceive, experience, and express negative affect. While trait negative affect reflects a stable, sustained personality trait, state negative affect represents a stimulus limited and temporally acute emotion. So far, little is known about the neural systems mediating the relationship between negative affect and acute emotion processing. To address this issue we investigated in a healthy female sample how individual differences in state negative affect are reflected in changes in blood oxygen level-dependent responses during passive viewing of emotional stimuli. To assess autonomic arousal we simultaneously recorded changes in skin conductance level. At the psychophysiological level we found increased skin conductance level in response to aversive relative to neutral pictures. However, there was no association of state negative affect with skin conductance level. At the neural level we found that high state negative affect was associated with increased left insular activity during passive viewing of aversive stimuli. The insula has been implicated in interoceptive processes and in the integration of sensory, visceral, and affective information thus contributing to subjective emotional experience. Greater recruitment of the insula in response to aversive relative to neutral stimuli in subjects with high state negative affect may represent increased processing of salient aversive stimuli.     

Mental health in infants with esophageal atresia

Chronic somatic illness in infancy may challenge the development of mental health and impinge the infant's capability to form close interpersonal relationships. Esophageal atresia (EA) is a congenital anomaly requiring neonatal surgery, medical aftertreatment, and extended hospitalization. The aim of the study was to assess mental health and to find prognostic factors for mental health among infants with EA. Thirty‐nine infants treated consecutively during 2000 to 2003 and their mothers were included. Infant mental health was assessed by Diagnostic Classification: 0–3 (Zero to Three, 1994). Medical and environmental data were collected from medical records and semistructured interview with the mothers. Child development was assessed with the Bayley scales, second edition (N. Bayley, 1993). Maternal psychological distress, anxiety, and child temperament were assessed by self‐report questionnaires: the General Health Questionnaire, 30‐item version (D. Goldberg & P. Williams, 1988); the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (C.D. Spielberger, R. Gorsuch, & R. Lushene, 1970); and the Infant Behaviour Questionnaire (M.K. Rothbart, 1981). Thirty‐one percent of the infants with EA showed mental health disorders by 1 year of age. Prognostic factors predicting mental health were posttraumatic symptoms reported by mother, more than one operation, mechanical ventilation beyond 1 day, and moderate/severe chronic family strain. Relational trauma, vulnerable attachment, and impaired self‐development are highlighted as possible pathways for psychopathology. Children with EA are vulnerable to mental health disorders, and this study may help clinicians to identify children at risk.