Effects of increasing expenditure of energy during exercise on psychological well-being in older adults

The purpose of present study was to examine the effects on psychological well-being of energy expended as a result of the exercise intervention. 33 older adults (M age=68.6 yr., SD=4.7) participated in three supervised water-based exercise sessions per week for 12 wk. Based on the relative changes in daily energy expenditure as measured by questionnaire between pre- and posttraining, the subjects were split into three groups. This classified each subject as either having experienced a relatively low change (n=11), moderate change (n= 11), or high change (n= 11) in daily energy expenditure. Our data showed that the group with the greater increase in energy expenditure as a result of exercise, when compared pre- and posttraining, improved only on Depression-Dejection on the Profile of Mood States more than did the group with low change. Consequently, we concluded that the amount of energy expended was partially related to improvement in psychological well-being.     

Retention of relative force in the scaling of a serial force pattern with an attenuated-force tap

The present study was designed to examine the retention of relative force in the scaling of a serial force pattern in a finger-tapping sequence using an attenuated tap. On practice trials, 12 undergraduate students tapped a force plate connected to strain gauges that gave them feedback about the force. On test trials, participants recalled the force pattern (200 gm-200 gm-200 gm-100 gm) and the intertap interval (400 msec.) practiced during the practice period without the feedback (recalled task). Then, they adaptively produced a halved (halved task) or doubled force profile (doubled task) at the fixed intertap interval. Analyses showed that mean peak forces at the first three tap positions of the tapping sequence undershot the expected forces across all tasks. Hence, the ratios of the forces in Serial Positions 1:4, 2:4, and 3:4 were considerably lower than 2.0. This is a contextual effect suggesting that the last attenuated tap affected the first three taps of the tapping sequence. Thus, because the relative force of movements appears to be a weaker invariant feature than sequencing and relative timing for generalized motor program theory of Schmidt and Lee, this finding does not support the relative force for a generalized motor program.     

Body image and self-esteem in adolescent ballet dancers.

Body-image disturbances and low self-esteem have been implicated in the pathogenesis of eating disorders. This study investigated self-perception of body and personality among adolescent ballet dancers in a cross-sectional survey. Two questionnaires assessing "my body right now" and "my personality right now," using semantic differentials were completed by 90 ballet school students and 156 controls. Adolescent female dancers (ages 13 to 17 years) scored higher than age-matched controls and 11- to 12-yr. old peers on Undesirability and Sensitivity for personality and Unattractiveness for body. For both subscales of personality, differences were also found between male and female dancers; female ballet students scored higher. Within the control group a difference could be found only for Sensitivity on which girls scored higher than boys. Male dancers did not differ from controls except for a lower score on the Body mass measure. Adolescent female dancers showed a distinct answering profile for 7 of 16 semantic differentials in each questionnaire implicating less favorable body image and self-esteem. Interventions focused particularly on enhancing self-esteem may be useful in the prevention of psychopathology in adolescent ballet dancers.     

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: neuropsychological correlates and clinical presentation

We compared the neuropsychological test performance of adult ADHD patients to the neurocognitive profiles of control subjects recruited from the general population. We administered a neuropsychological test battery consisting of measures considered sensitive to either orbitofrontal or dorsolateral-prefrontal (DLPF) dysfunction. Orbitofrontal hypoarousal is associated with behavioral disinhibition and a relative indifference to punishment. The DLPF region may function as a central executive system. Indeed, DLPF dysfunction may underlie many of the cardinal symptoms associated with ADHD. We tested the following hypotheses: (1) adult subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria for ADHD, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type, would display neuropsychological deficits on tasks sensitive to orbitofrontal dysfunction; (2) adult subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria for ADHD, predominantly inattentive type, would perform poorly on measures sensitive to DLPF dysfunction; and (3) adult subjects meeting DSM-IV criteria for ADHD, combined type, would exhibit performance deficits on orbitofrontal measures and on DLPF tasks. Results partially confirmed our hypotheses. Subtyping ADHD patients revealed important group differences. Distinct neurocognitive and clinical profiles were observed.     

A review and update on the practice of evaluating Miranda comprehension

This article summarizes recent developments in constitutional law relevant to the Miranda warning. We describe the origins of the warning, concerns about the use of the Miranda warning, perspectives on the utility of the warning, and the relevance of the warning. We describe how the warning has changed over time, requirements for administering the warning, and procedures that police use in delivering the warning and obtaining confessions. We review case law relevant to "coerced" Miranda waivers and confessions, changes over time in the court's interpretation of what constitutes "coercion," use of the warning with special populations, and the recent focus in case law on individual factors that might impair Miranda comprehension. We review empirical research on factors associated with deficits in Miranda comprehension. We integrate case law rulings and empirical research into suggested approaches to forensic assessment of Miranda comprehension.     

Word-processing training and retraining: effects of adult age, experience, and interface

Novice (Experiment 1) and experienced (Experiment 2) young, middle-aged, and older adults learned a new word-processing application in keystrokes, menus, or menus-plus-icons interface conditions. Novices showed strong age differences in the time to complete the 3-day tutorial and in declarative and procedural tests of word-processing knowledge. Menus and menus-plus-icons were superior to keystrokes condition. though interface did not interact with age. Experienced users showed age-related slowing in learning rate but minimal age differences in test performance when retrained on a new word-processing program. Age and computer experience accounted for much of the variance in both learning time and word-processing performance; interface type, speed of processing, and spatial generation ability made additional contributions. Experience interacted with age to predict performance. Implications for training and retraining older workers are discussed.     

Who's Being Served? "Self-Serving" Attributions in Social Hierarchies

Making external attributions for negative events, though often considered “self-serving,” also implies that the attributor is not in control of critical resources. We hypothesized that making external attributions for negative events will lead to impressions of powerlessness. Because individuals in high-status roles are expected to have power and control, external attributions may violate these role expectations; thus, we further hypothesized that status would moderate the relationship between attributions and interpersonal outcomes. Specifically, more negative impressions and affect will be directed toward high-status individuals who make external attributions than toward their lower status counterparts. Three studies were conducted, one using a role-play methodology, one using an experimentally created hierarchy, and one using vignettes. The results supported our hypotheses: external attributions can be highly disserving for people in high-status positions.