Isolating cognitive modules with the dual-task paradigm: Are speech perception and production separate processes?

A dual-task paradigm is used to investigate whether the auditory input logogen is distinct from the articulatory output logogen. In the first two experiments it is shown that the task of detecting an unspecified name in an auditory input stream can be combined with reading aloud visually presented words with relatively little single- to dual-task decrement. The stimuli for both tasks are independent streams of random words presented at rapid rates. A series of control experiments suggest that the first task places a considerable information processing load on the auditory input logogen, the second a considerable load on the phonological output logogen, and that subjects do not switch between the two tasks. The fact that the two tasks can be combined with ease is therefore interpreted as supporting the view that the systems underlying reading aloud and listening are separate. The ease of performance when the input streams are in different modalities, compared to the difficulties when they are in the same, has implications for general models of attention.     

A randomized controlled pilot study evaluating Worry Less,Live More: The Mindful Way Through Anxiety Workbook

ABSTRACT

Effective interventions for generalized anxiety exist, but barriers to treatment prevent their broad dissemination. Commercially available self-help materials may help bridge this gap, but few have been empirically evaluated. This study compared self-reported change in generalized anxiety symptomology and associated problems between community members with excessive worry who were randomly assigned to receive the Worry Less, Live More: The Mindful Way through Anxiety Workbook (n = 35) and those in a delayed condition (n = 29). Participants in the workbook condition reported significantly greater reductions between baseline and 11-week follow-up in self-reported worry (η ² =.15), general anxiety/tension (η ² =.13), and anxiety (η ² =.24) than those in the delayed condition, although no statistically significant differences across condition on changes in depression, functional impairment or acceptance were detected. This pilot study provides support for continued research examining the efficacy of acceptance-based behavioral therapy delivered in a self-help format.     

Depressed versus nondepressed young adult tobacco users: differences in coping style, weight concerns and exercise level.

Undergraduates age 18 to 24 years (n=656) completed questionnaires assessing tobacco use, depressive symptoms, coping responses, weight concerns, and exercise. The majority of participants were female (72%), White/non-Hispanic (95%), and in the 1st or 2nd year of college (80%). Current tobacco users (n=236) had a higher frequency of depression (40%) than never tobacco users (32%; p=.05). Tobacco users classified as depressed (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CES-D] score a 16) reported greater weight concerns and more frequent maladaptive coping in response to negative mood than tobacco users classified as nondepressed (CES-D score<16). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that higher maladaptive coping and lower level of exercise were significantly associated with depression among tobacco users.     

Fractured Stories: Self-Experiences of Third Culture Kids

ABSTRACT

The term Third Culture Kid (TCK) was first coined by researchers John and Ruth Useem in the 1950s. These children spend a substantial part of their childhood in countries that differ from their passport country, often for their parent’s work. Because TCKs move from culture to culture prior to having the opportunity to fully develop their personal and cultural identity, they may have additional problems relating to peers within their own ethnic groups. For children who return to the United States after living abroad, they may need to ‘catch up’ as they are at a loss around certain culture references. While they speak the same language as their peers, they had such varied childhoods that there is often a lack of shared memories and reference points that they can use to relate. This paper will explore the additional stress that can occur for TCKs throughout their childhood and adolescence, and how expressive arts therapy can assist them in creating a more cohesive self–narrative. Using play, art and imagination, three case studies of TCK’s will be examined, understanding that children who maintain a capacity for play and creativity can often “play through” life challenges.