Stimulus intensity,catch trial effects,and the speed-accuracy tradeoff in reaction time: A variable criterion theory interptation

Ss responded to a 1,000-Hz tone of 50, 80, or 100 dB. Catch trial conditions were none, blank trials, a red light, a noise, and an 1,800-Hz tone. Auditory catch signals were of the same intensities. RT distributions in the first three conditions were well described by a family of exponential growth functions dependent upon stimulus intensity and by the parameters of normal criterion distributions dependent upon catch trial conditions and between-session variability. Performance in the auditory catch trial conditions was not dependent upon the same set of sensory growth functions. Performance in these conditions was described by a two-dimensional analysis of information transmitted as a function of time and interpreted in terms of variable criterion theory. The speed-accuracy tradeoff in this situation appears to depend upon differential rates of growth of intensity and associative information and the criterion used in responding to this information.     

Diagnostic construct validity of MMPI-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) scale scores

In the current investigation, the authors examined the diagnostic construct validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) in a patient sample. All participants were diagnosed via the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I/P). The data set used in this study was composed of 544 patients--67 with bipolar disorder, 407 with major depressive disorder, and 70 with schizophrenia. Multivariate analyses revealed a pattern of mean scale differences among patient groups that was mostly consistent with the prominent features of each diagnostic group; logistic regression analyses identified a number of scales that were strong, unique predictors in the differentiation between pairs of diagnostic groups. The higher order scales (H-O)--the Emotional/Internalizing Dysfunction (EID) and Thought Dysfunction (THD) scales were most useful in differentiating between patient groups. For differentiating bipolar disorder patients from the other diagnostic groups, the Activation (ACT) Specific Problem scale was most useful. Although not all hypothesized scale differences emerged; overall, the pattern of results provides support for the diagnostic construct validity of the MMPI-2-RF scales.     

Depression in early adolescence: Contributions from relational aggression and variation in the oxytocin receptor gene

Interpersonal stress arising from relational aggression (RA)—the intentional effort to harm others via rejection and exclusion—may increase risk for depression in youth. Biological vulnerabilities related to the hormone oxytocin, which affects social behavior and stress responses, may exacerbate this risk. In a community sample of 307 youth (52% female; age range = 10–14 years), we tested whether (1) the association between RA and subsequent depressive symptoms was mediated through social problems and (2) a single nucleotide polymorphism (rs53576) in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) moderated this indirect association between RA and depression, where GG homozygotes are predicted to be more sensitive to the effects of social problems than A‐allele carriers. Youth‐reported RA and depressive symptoms were measured using a structured interview and a questionnaire, respectively. DNA was extracted from saliva collected with Oragene kits. Consistent with the interpersonal theory of depression, the association between relational aggression and subsequent depressive symptoms was mediated by social problems. This indirect effect was further moderated by rs53576 genotype, such that GG homozygotes showed a stronger mediation effect than A‐carriers. These results suggest that rs53576 variants confer vulnerability for depression within the context of interpersonal risk factors, such that youth with the GG genotype may be particularly sensitive to the social consequences resulting from RA.

     

Child Personality Moderates Associations Between Parenting and Relational and Physical Aggression

Although negative parenting strategies are a risk factor for relational and physical aggression, research has not previously investigated whether child personality traits moderate the association between negative parenting and relational and physical aggression. This was the aim of this study. Participants were mothers of 368 children (172 males, M_age = 11.61, SD = 0.82). Mothers reported on their parenting practices, child personality traits, and child aggression. Results indicated that 2 child personality traits (extraversion and openness) moderated the relationship between inconsistent discipline and relational aggression. Additionally, agreeableness moderated the relationship between poor monitoring and supervision and physical aggression. Specifically, children low on these personality traits showed the highest levels of aggression in the context of negative parenting. These results highlight the importance of examining child personality as a moderator of parental influences on psychopathology development, and emphasize important distinctions between parenting strategies and physical versus relational aggression outcomes.     

Online Hate and Zeitgeist of Fear: A Five-Country Longitudinal Analysis of Hate Exposure and Fear of Terrorism After the Paris Terrorist Attacks in 2015

Acts of terror lead to both a rise of an extended sense of fear that goes beyond the physical location of the attacks and to increased expressions of online hate. In this longitudinal study, we analyzed dynamics between the exposure to online hate and the fear of terrorism after the Paris attacks in November 13, 2015. We hypothesized that exposure to online hate is connected to a perceived Zeitgeist of fear (i.e., collective fear). In turn, the perceived Zeitgeist of fear is related to higher personal fear of terrorism both immediately after the attacks and a year later. Hypotheses were tested using path modeling and panel data (N = 2325) from Norway, Finland, Spain, France, and the United States a few weeks after the Paris attacks in November 2015 and again a year later in January 2017. With the exception of Norway, exposure to online hate had a positive association with the perceived Zeitgeist of fear in all our samples. The Zeitgeist of fear was correlated with higher personal fear of terrorism immediately after the attacks and one year later. We conclude that online hate content can contribute to the extended sense of fear after the terrorist attacks by skewing perceptions of social climate.     

Associative processes and strategies in disjunctive reaction time

Scaling analysis based on variable criterion theory has been applied to the c-reaction form of disjunctive RT. In addition to previously identified sensory growth functions, two associative processes have been identified and functions of time describing their growth have been obtained. Associative strength to the positive stimulus begins at about 200 msec, or after, and grows with initial positive and later negative acceleration. Associative inhibition to the negative stimulus begins earlier, shortly after the sensory detection functions, and grows rapidly with negative acceleration. Subjects may adopt strategies which emphasize the use of either of these associative processes. With the pure inhibitory strategy, they respond to the positive stimulus entirely on the basis of sensory detection, but associatively inhibit response to the negative stimulus. With either strategy, the speed-accuracy tradeoff was determined by the level of criterion adjustment.     

Toward a methodology for moral decision making in medicine

The failure of medical codes to provide adequate guidance for physicians' moral dilemmas points to the fact that some rules of analysis, informed by moral theory, are needed to assist in resolving perplexing ethical problems occurring with increasing frequency as medical technology advances. Initially, deontological and teleological theories appear more helpful, but critcisms can be lodged against both, and neither proves to be sufficient in itself. This paper suggests that to elude the limitations of previous approaches, a method of moral decision making must be developed incorporating both coherence methodology and some independently supported theoretical foundations. Wide Reflective Equilibrium is offered, and its process described along with a theory of the person which is used to animate the process. Steps are outlined to be used in the process, leading to the application of the method to an actual case.     

At the Heart of the Pregnancy: What Prenatal and Cardiovascular Genetic Counselors Need to Know about Maternal Heart Disease

In the last decade, an increasing number of cardiac conditions have been shown to have a genetic basis. Cardiovascular genetic counseling has emerged as a subspecialty aiming to identify unaffected at-risk individuals. An important sector of this at-risk population also includes expectant mothers, in whom unique clinical challenges may arise. Genetic counselors, especially those in cardiovascular and prenatal settings, have an opportunity to identify and assist women who may benefit from cardiovascular care during pregnancy. This paper provides basic management and genetic evaluation principles for affected women, as well as guidance on identifying those who are at risk. We provide considerations for cardiac surveillance in pregnancy and the post-partum period. Finally, key psychosocial issues that appraise how to best provide support to at risk women as they make informed decisions are discussed. We propose that a team approach including cardiology, maternal fetal medicine, and genetic counseling best serves this patient population. Ongoing questions addressing an evidence based approach to cardiovascular genetic conditions in pregnancy still remain. Thus, well-designed research protocols are essential to mark progress in this area.