Initial Psychometric Properties of a Brief Parent-Report Instrument for Assessing Tic Severity in Children with Chronic Tic Disorders

This article describes the development and initial psychometric properties of the Parent Tic Questionnaire (PTQ)—a new measure assessing the number, frequency, and intensity of motor and vocal tics in children and adolescents with Chronic Tic Disorder (CTD). Parents of 40 children with a CTD completed the PTQ as part of a larger assessment battery. Results show the PTQ to have excellent internal consistency and good to excellent 2-week test-retest reliability. The motor tic severity subscale, vocal tic severity subscale, and total severity score of the PTQ correlated highly with the corresponding scales of the gold-standard clinician-rated Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS), indicating excellent convergent validity. Correlations between the YGTSS and PTQ remained strong after controlling for measures of obsessive-compulsive disorder and inattention, suggesting good discriminant validity. The PTQ is a promising supplement to current methods for assessing tic severity and further research on the validity, reliability, and clinical utility of the scale are warranted.     

Counseling and Guided Self‐Help Outcomes for Clients With Bulimia Nervosa: A Meta‐Analysis of Clinical Trials From 1980 to 2010

This meta‐analysis included 111 clinical trials exploring the effectiveness of counseling/psychotherapy and guided self‐help approaches in the treatment of bulimia nervosa. In general, single‐group studies supported higher efficacy of counseling/psychotherapy, whereas wait‐list, treatment‐as‐usual, and placebo studies indicated both approaches were equally effective at termination (posttest) and follow‐up in altering binging, purging, laxative use, and self‐reported bulimia or body dissatisfaction perceptions in nearly all comparisons.     

The impact of self‐confidence on the compromise effect

This research reports an investigation into whether the personality aspect of self‐confidence affects the compromise effect. We hypothesize that highly self‐confident people have greater certainty in making decisions and are more attracted to risk‐taking, which makes them less likely to choose the safe or middle option in a large choice set. The three studies involved are conducted using between‐ and within‐subjects experimental designs. Various product categories are used to generalize the findings. Study 1 looks at purchasing decisions and utilizes three scales of self‐confidence, risk preference, and uncertainty; it demonstrates that consumers with high self‐confidence are less likely to choose a compromise option due to high certainty in their decision‐making. Study 2 discovers that people with low self‐confidence are more likely to choose the middle option in a risky condition than in a nonrisky condition. Study 3 decomposes self‐confidence into general and specific self‐confidence, and reveals that people with low general self‐confidence and low specific self‐confidence are more likely to choose the middle option.     

阅读研究中的主要眼动指标评述

眼跳和注视是阅读过程中的两种基本眼动现象.目前在对阅读的眼动研究中分析指标主要包括两类,一类是与眼睛何时移动有关的时间维度的眼动指标,具体包括以字或词为兴趣区的眼动指标,如单一注视时间、首次注视时间、第二次注视时间、凝视时间、离开目标后的首次注视时间、回视时间和总注视时间等,以及以短语或句子为兴趣区的眼动指标,如第一遍阅读时间、向前阅读时间、第二遍阅读时间、回视路径阅读时间、重读时间等.另一类是与眼睛移动位置有关的空间维度的眼动指标,具体包括眼跳距离、注视位置、注视次数、跳读率、再注视比率和回视次数等.在使用眼动指标时,需要注意眼动指标的分类、原始数据的删除标准以及眼动指标的选择等问题.     

类别学习中的认知学习机制

采用归类任务,比较不同知识条件、不同特征呈现方式下,对非定义特征维度的掌握,验证类别学习的认知学习机制。结果发现对非定义特征维度的掌握,在样例特征固定位置呈现条件下较多,而在样例特征随机呈现条件下较少;在知识定义特征维度条件下较多,而在机械定义特征维度条件下较少。研究结果支持了类别学习的认知学习机制。     

空间转换在记叙文阅读情境模型建构中的作用

采用探测词和事件分割范式探讨了空间转换与事件转换分离的情况下, 空间转换在记叙文情境模型建构中的作用。实验1a重复前人研究, 探讨空间转换对阅读时间和情境模型更新的影响, 并验证在空间转换对情境模型的影响的研究中, 采用多指标探测范式的合理性。实验1b探讨在空间转换与事件转换相分离的条件下, 空间转换对情境模型更新的影响; 实验2a探讨空间转换对事件分割的影响, 并验证在空间转换对情境模型的影响的研究中, 采用事件分割范式的合理性; 实验2b探讨空间转换与事件转换相分离的条件下, 空间转换对事件分割的影响, 从而验证空间转换对情境模型更新的影响。结果表明, 当空间转换与事件转换相分离时, 不引起情境模型的更新, 事件单元是建构记叙文心理表征的核心单元, 空间转换只有在标识事件转换的情况下, 才能引发读者更新情境模型。     

Dissociating position and heading estimations: Rotated visual orientation cues perceived after walking reset headings but not positions

This project examined the roles of idiothetic cues due to individuals’ movement and allothetic cues independent of individuals’ movement in individuals’ estimations of their position and heading during locomotion. In an immersive virtual environment, participants learned the locations of five objects and then moved along two legs of a path before positioning the origin and the objects. Participants’ estimations of their test position and their test heading were calculated based on the responded objects’ locations, using a method of dissociating position estimation and heading estimation developed in this project. Results showed that when a conflicting visual orientation cue was presented after walking, participants relied on the allothetic cues (i.e., the visual orientation cue) for their heading estimation, but on idiothetic cues for their position estimation. These results indicate that after participants updated their position in terms the origin of the path (homing vector) via path integration, they estimated their heading. These results are inconsistent with the theoretical models stipulating that homing vectors are specified in terms of participants’ body coordinate systems, but are consistent with the models stipulating that both homing vectors and participants’ heading are specified in terms of a fixed reference direction in the environment.     

Interfacial structure in SiC/Si3N4 composite whiskers

Abstract

High-resolution TEM techniques have been used to investigate the interfacial structure in SiC/Si₃N₄ composite whiskers grown by a vapour–liquid–solid process. On one side of the whisker a coherent interface with the relationship of (111)β-SiC∥(102) α-Si₃N₄ has been observed, on the other side the interface is (111)β-SiC∥(114)α-Si₃N₄.