Perceived behavioral changes in early multiple sclerosis

Acquired behavioral changes have essentially been described in advanced multiple sclerosis (MS). The present study was designed to determine whether behavioral modifications specifically related to the MS pathological process could be identified in the initial phase of the disease, as compared to control patients with chronic, relapsing and progressive inflammatory disorders not involving the central nervous system (CNS). Eighty-eight early MS patients (Expanded Disability Status Scale score 相似文献   

Criterion validity of Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire-20 Form B: a study of 63 alcoholic subjects

The aim of the study was to set alexithymia cutoff scores on the 20-item Bermond-Vorst Alexithymia Questionnaire-20 Form B. Alexithymia is a clinical construct describing individuals who have difficulty identifying and reporting their specific emotions. 63 subjects meeting the DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence completed the questionnaire and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Using cutoff scores for the latter, subjects were divided into alexithymic and nonalexithymic subgroups. Taking into account the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive positive value, several potential Bermond-Vorst questionnaire scores were tested. Using the Younden formula (Sensitivity+ Specificity-1), score of 52 was the most appropriate cutoff score for the Bermond-Vorst-20 to indicate the presence of alexithymia in these male alcoholics.     

Responsiveness to terrestrial optic flow in infancy: does locomotor experience play a role?

Human infants show a peak in postural compensation to optic flow at approximately nine months of age. The current experiment tested whether the magnitude of visual-postural coupling in 9-month-olds increases when terrestrial optic flow is added to a moving room. A secondary objective was to explore whether locomotor experience plays any role in enhancing responsiveness to the additional terrestrial information. Ninety-one infants (experienced creepers, nascent creepers, and prelocomotors) were exposed to two conditions of optic flow: global optic flow (G) and global optic flow minus terrestrial optic flow (G-T). The additional terrestrial optic flow led to significantly higher visual-postural coupling. Consistent with previous findings, locomotor experience had no effect on responsiveness to the G-T condition, though there was weak evidence that the nascent creepers were more strongly influenced by the difference between flow conditions than the other infants. Unexpectedly, the prelocomotor females showed significantly lower visual-postural coupling than the prelocomotor males. These findings support the notion that the ground provides an important source of information for the control of posture and locomotion. The findings also suggest that locomotor experience most likely helps to functionalize smaller (partial), rather than larger (global), optic flow fields for postural control.     

Measuring affective clarity indirectly: individual differences in response latencies of state

This research investigated a new method to measure momentary affective clarity indirectly, which is based on latencies of responses to state affect items. Three studies revealed that this indirect measure of momentary clarity demonstrated high reliability and stability as well as convergent and predictive validity. The indirect measure was associated with dispositional clarity when the concept of clarity was activated before measuring response latencies (Studies 1 and 2) and was related to self-reports of momentary clarity (Study 3). Furthermore, Study 3 demonstrated that indirectly measured clarity decreased after an affectively complex film. Indirectly, but not directly, measured momentary clarity predicted a more positive affective state at the end of the study. This effect was mediated by affect regulation.     

Distributional reaction time properties in the Eriksen task: marked differences or hidden similarities with the Simon task?

In conflict tasks, the irrelevant stimulus attribute needs to be suppressed for the correct response to be produced. In the Simon task, earlier researchers have proposed that this suppression is the reason that, after an initial increase, the interference effect decreases for longer RTs, as reflected by late, negative-going delta plots. This view has been challenged by observations of positive-going delta plots, even for long RTs, in other conflict tasks, despite a similar necessity for suppression. For late negative-going delta plots to be interpreted as reflecting suppression, a necessary, although maybe not sufficient, condition is that similar patterns should be observed for other conflict tasks. We reasoned that a similar suppression could be present, but hidden, in the Eriksen flanker task. By recording and analyzing electromyograms of the muscles involved in response execution, we could compute delta plots separately for trials that elicited a subthreshold incorrect response activation (partial error). Late negative-going delta plots were observable on partial-error trials, although they were weaker than for the Simon task, reducing the impact of this inversion on the overall distribution. We further showed that this pattern is modulated by time pressure. Those results indicate that mechanisms leading to negative-going delta plots, similar to those observed in the Simon task, are also at play in the Eriksen task. The link between negative-going delta plots and executive online control is discussed.     

A Positive Psychology Intervention Among Long‐Term Unemployed People and Its Effects on Psychological Distress and Well‐Being

The present study aims to examine the effect of a positive psychology intervention (PPI) on a population of long‐term unemployed people. All were members of an association of employment assistance. An opportunity was offered to participate in a PPI. Twelve participants accepted (treatment condition). The remaining participants constituted the control group. Participants of the treatment condition were asked to complete 5 positive psychology exercises during 2 weeks. Participants of the control condition participated as usual in sessions to help their job search. Results indicate that PPI significantly decreases psychological distress (e.g., depression, anxiety) and significantly increases well‐being (e.g., life satisfaction, self‐esteem).     

Let's Talk: Getting Out of the Counseling Center to Serve Hard‐to‐Reach Students

This article describes Let's Talk, a counseling center outreach program. Counselors hold walk‐in hours across campus to engage students who might not otherwise seek counseling. Locations are chosen to reach underserved communities. Counselors offer informal consultation, a less formal alternative to traditional counseling. Este artículo describe Let's Talk (Hablemos), un programa de acercamiento a los centros de consejería. Los consejeros mantienen horas de puertas abiertas sin cita previa en distintos lugares del campus para atraer a estudiantes que de otra forma no buscarían acceso a la consejería. Las ubicaciones se eligen para alcanzar comunidades con servicios insuficientes. Los consejeros ofrecen consultas informales, una alternativa menos formal a la consejería tradicional.     

Implicit happiness and sadness are associated with ease and difficulty: evidence from sequential priming

Psychological Research - Three experiments tested the hypothesis of implicit associations between happiness and the performance ease concept and between sadness and the performance difficulty...