In search of a measure to investigate mental performance among children: Development of the mental speed test

Processing speed is a component of general intelligence and an indicator of learning potential. There is a need for robust measures of mental speed based on contemporary theoretical developments. The current study addressed this need by proposing a mental speed test for children aged 60 to 96 months (5 to 8 years) and examining its psychometric properties. The test included indicators of perceptual speed, memory speed, reasoning speed, and fluency-flexibility speed presented through nonverbal items administered individually using touchscreen tablets. After establishing gender non-bias and concurrent validity with a contemporary intelligence test (i.e., ASIS, r = .59) with 107 children, the next administration included 373 children. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with subtest scores revealed a single-factor structure accounting for 45% of the total variance. Additional data from 212 children were used to assess structural validity and gender bias, which showed acceptable goodness of fit, providing evidence of the validity and reliability of the new measure for further use.     

Structural,elastic, electronic,phonon and thermal properties of Ir3Ta and Rh3Ta alloys

We have studied the structural, elastic, electronic, phonon and thermodynamic properties of Ir₃Ta and Rh₃Ta alloys, using ab initio calculations. For the L1₂ phase, we report the calculated lattice constants, bulk modulus and elastic constants, and these values are compared with previously published values. We also derive the elastic constants from the values of the slopes of the acoustic branches in the phonon dispersion curves. The band structures show that both materials are metallic. The phonon dispersion curves, and their corresponding total and projected densities of states, are obtained using a linear response in the framework of the density functional perturbation theory. The specific heat capacity at constant volume and different temperatures is calculated, and this aspect is discussed using the quasi-harmonic approximation.     

Why Do Women Endorse Honor Beliefs? Ambivalent Sexism and Religiosity as Predictors

Cultures of honor, such as Turkey, prioritize defending individual and family reputations, but in gender-specific ways (Nisbett and Cohen 1996). Men maintain honor via reputations for toughness, aggression, control over women, and avenging insults. Women maintain honor through obedience to men, sexual modesty, and religious piety. Honor beliefs support women’s subordination, justifying violence against them (Sev’er and Yurdakul, Violence against Women, 7, 964–998, 2001) and therefore should be challenged. Understanding honor beliefs’ ideological correlates may inform such efforts. We hypothesized that benevolent sexism, a subjectively favorable system-justifying ideology, would more strongly, positively predict Turkish women’s (versus men’s) honor beliefs; whereas hostile sexism, which is openly antagonistic toward women, would more strongly, positively predict Turkish men’s (versus women’s) honor beliefs. Additionally, due to justifications for gender inequality embedded in Islamic religious teachings, we expected Islamic religiosity to positively predict honor beliefs for both genders. A convenience sample of Turkish undergraduates (313 women and 122 men) in Ankara completed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, Religious Orientation Scale, and Honor Endorsement Index. Regression analyses revealed that benevolent (but not hostile) sexism positively predicted women’s honor beliefs, whereas hostile (but not benevolent) sexism positively predicted men’s honor beliefs. Islamic religiosity positively predicted honor beliefs for both genders, but (unexpectedly) did so more strongly for men than women. We suggest that combating benevolent sexism and promoting feminist interpretations of Islamic religiosity may help to empower Turkish women to challenge honor beliefs.     

Configural and component processing in simultaneous and sequential lineup procedures

Configural processing supports accurate face recognition, yet it has never been examined within the context of criminal identification lineups. We tested, using the inversion paradigm, the role of configural processing in lineups. Recent research has found that face discrimination accuracy in lineups is better in a simultaneous compared to a sequential lineup procedure. Therefore, we compared configural processing in simultaneous and sequential lineups to examine whether there are differences. We had participants view a crime video, and then they attempted to identify the perpetrator from a simultaneous or sequential lineup. The test faces were presented either upright or inverted, as previous research has shown that inverting test faces disrupts configural processing. The size of the inversion effect for faces was the same across lineup procedures, indicating that configural processing underlies face recognition in both procedures. Discrimination accuracy was comparable across lineup procedures in both the upright and inversion condition. Theoretical implications of the results are discussed.     

An Analysis of Speech Disfluencies of Turkish Speakers Based on Age Variable

The focus of this research is to verify the influence of the age variable on fluent Turkish native speakers’ production of the various types of speech disfluencies. To accomplish this, four groups of native speakers of Turkish between ages 4–8, 18–23, 33–50 years respectively and those over 50-year-olds were constructed. A total of 84 participants took part in this study. Prepared and unprepared speech samples of at least 300 words were collected from each participant via face-to-face interviews that were tape recorded and transcribed; for practical reasons, only the unprepared speech samples were collected from children. As a result, for the prepared speech situation, there was no statistically significant difference in terms of age in the production rates of filled gaps, false starts, slips of the tongue and repetitions; however, participants in the over 50-year-old group produced more hesitations and prolongations than participants in the 18–23 and 33–50-year-old groups. For the unprepared speech situation, age variable was not effective on the production rates of filled gaps. However, 4–8 and over 50-year-old participants produced more hesitations and prolongations than the 18–23 and 33–50-year-old groups. 4–8-year-old children produced more slips of the tongue than the 18–23 and 33–50-year-old groups, and more false starts and repetitions than the participants in the other three age groups (18–23, 33–50, over 50). Further analyses revealed more extensive insights related to the types of disfluencies, the position of disfluencies, and the linguistic units involved in disfluency production in Turkish speech.     

Linguistic Reflections on Psychotherapy: Change in Usage of The First Person Pronoun in Information Structure Positions

Aim of present study was to understand changes in speech of clients with regard to certain linguistic features from 5th to 15th session of psychotherapy. First person pronoun use in information structure positions were analyzed in speech of clients. Participants of this study were 11 psychotherapists (clinical psychology master and doctorate students) and 16 clients (applicants to AYNA Psychotherapy Unit). In present study word count results of clinets’ speeches were analyzed by ANOVA method. According to results, use of first person pronoun changed significantly in preverbal position from 5th to 15th sessions of psychotherapy. Findings of this study suggest that, psychotherapy leads to certain linguistic changes, and these changes discussed to be means of understand change of clients during psychotherapy     

Using Self‐Regulated Learning Strategies to Develop Students’ Multicultural Counseling Competency

This study examines the effect of self‐regulated learning strategies on students’ multicultural competency development. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 26 students who took a semester‐long multicultural counseling course. Results show statistically significant improvement in students’ multicultural awareness and knowledge and statistical insignificance in multicultural skill development compared to their level of competence before the training. Implications of using this approach to teach multicultural counseling courses and future research are discussed. Este estudio examina el efecto de las estrategias de aprendizaje autorregulado en el desarrollo de la competencia multicultural de los estudiantes. Se recopilaron datos cuantitativos y cualitativos de 26 estudiantes que atendieron un curso de consejería multicultural de un semestre. Los resultados muestran una mejora estadísticamente significativa en la conciencia y conocimentos multiculturales de los estudiantes y una insignificancia estadística en el desarrollo de las habilidades multiculturales comparadas con su nivel de competencia antes de la capacitación. Se discuten las implicaciones de usar este enfoque didáctico en cursos de consejería multicultural y para investigaciones futuras.     

Irrational/Rational Beliefs,Procrastination, and Life Satisfaction: An Empirical Assessment of REBT Models of Psychological Distress and Psychological Health Model

Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy - The current cross-sectional study investigates the relationships between irrational/rational beliefs, procrastination, and life...     

Relation of Repetitive Thinking Styles with Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the repetitive thinking styles and anxiety and depression in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). One hundred IBD outpatients (39 active and 61 remission) attending the gastroenterology clinic and 100 healthy controls were included.The rumination and worry scores of IBD patients, particularly in their active period, were significantly higher than controls. Additionally, the correlation of rumination and worry with anxiety and depression was statistically significant. Our results suggest that psychological interventions targeting repetitive thinking would alleviate depression and anxiety as well as GI symptoms in people with IBD which should be confirmed by further studies.