An empirical test of two opposing theoretical models of prefrontal function.

The purpose of this study was to compare the validity of two models which contrast with each other in the manner in which they integrate neuropsychological tests into distinct prefrontal constructs. The first prefrontal model consists of five distinct functional constructs drawn from human clinical neuropsychology. The second model, elaborated by Goldman-Rakic, is based primarily on monkey research and postulates a basic prefrontal function, "on-line representational memory," which guides behavior in the absence of, or despite discriminative environmental stimuli. In the latter model, distinct prefrontal functional constructs are primarily defined in terms of various types of representational memory involved in specific tasks. Eleven "prefrontal" measures were obtained from 259 normal adults, stratified for age, education, and sex. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the Goldman-Rakic model "fit" the data better than the model derived from human clinical neuropsychology, while several constructs commonly used in human neuropsychology were refuted. It was concluded that new research on brain-damaged humans with a view to understanding prefrontal function might benefit from using the Goldman-Rakic model as a starting point.     

Dual-task interference as a function of cognitive processing load

Sixteen subjects from the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory participated in a dual-task study designed to measure processing requirements of a choice reaction time (RT) task. Two levels of choice RT stimulus-response (S-R)compatibility were tested with each of two tracking tasks to provide different levels of dual-task loading. In one tracking task, the target's temporal-spatial pattern was fixed; in the other, the target's path was a function of the subject's performance. In the choice RT task, compatibility was treated as a between-subjects factor, while the number of alternatives (set size) within a sequence was a within-subjects variable. Choice RT results indicated that compatibility and set size interacted; the increase in response latency as a function of set size was much greater when compatibility was low. An increase in choice RT response latency occurred when the secondary tracking task was added. Within a given compatibility level, this dual-task decrement was constant for all levels of set size; however, the magnitude of the dual-task decrement varied as a function of S-R compatibility, being greater when compatibility was low than when it was high. For these data, a model like Sternberg's (1969) stages model is seen to have more explanatory value than a pooled processing capacity model (e.g., Norman and Bobrow 1975).     

Exploring Counselor-Client Agreement on Clients’ Work Capacity in Established and Consultative Dyads

Counselor-client agreement on the work capacity of clients living with serious mental illnesses informs the counseling relationship and facilitates accurate assessments of client eligibility for public programs. In this exploratory mixed-methods study, we assessed counselor-client agreement on clients’ work capacity in 61 established therapeutic dyads and compared it with 30 dyads involved in an initial assessment session. Intraclass correlation coefficients and mountain plots were used to examine counselor-client agreement. Results revealed moderate counselor-client agreement of work capacity for both dyads. Counselor interviews illuminated sources of discordance. These results have practical implications for assessing the work capacity of clients.     

Three steps to open science for qualitative research in psychology

Principles and applications of open science (also referred to as open research or open scholarship) in psychology have emerged in response to growing concerns about the replicability, transparency, reproducibility, and robustness of psychological research alongside global moves to open science in many fields. Our objective in this paper is to inform ways of collectively constructing open science practices and systems that are appropriate to, and get the best out of, the full range of qualitative and mixed-method approaches used in psychology. We achieve this by describing three areas of open research practice (contributorship, pre-registration, and open data) and explore how and why qualitative researchers might consider engaging with these in ways that are compatible with a qualitative research paradigm. We argue it is crucial that open research practices do not (even inadvertently) exclude qualitative research, and that qualitative researchers reflect on how we can meaningfully engage with open science in psychology.     

On teaching psychotherapy via consultation and cotherapy

In this article Dr. Whitaker presents his basic assumptions about teaching psychotherapy. He discusses his expectations of himself and his trainees in the teaching relationship and how he attempts to empower the trainee in his/her professional growth. Following this, Dr. Garfield joins Dr. Whitaker in a dialogue about consultation and cotherapy.     

Examining the acceptance of and resistance to evolutionary psychology

The field of psychology remains a divided one. Several different sub-disciplines (e.g., developmental, cognitive, behaviorism, social, etc.) form what could be a unified scientific area. However, there is no widely accepted theory of unification. Charles Darwin once theorized that evolutionary theory would change the foundation of psychology; but over the years, evolutionary psychology has been met with hostile resistance from some of the prominent psychologists within the other sub-disciplines. Yet in recent years, all of the divided sub-disciplines of psychology have been slowly implementing evolutionary principles into their literature and research. This slow integration of evolutionary psychology into the other sub-disciplines indicates the possibility of a unified psychology with evolution as its foundation. This paper briefly reviews the literature within each major sub-discipline of psychology to show their implementation of evolutionary psychological theories, indicating the possibility of evolutionary psychology becoming the unifying paradigm upon which the entire field of psychology can be based. A call for action to continue this process is also discussed.     

Appraisal of Memory Functioning and Memory Performance in Healthy Ageing and Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease

ABSTRACT

Background/Aims: To compare memory evaluations in healthy older people and people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and present standardised individual and dyadic methods for classifying degree of memory awareness in the participants with dementia. Methods: Cross-sectional study evaluating awareness of memory functioning and performance and providing normative data for healthy individuals and couples, together with comparison data from people with AD. Results: As a group, older people are reasonably accurate raters of their own memory functioning and performance, although considerable individual differences can be observed, and control dyads show good comparative accuracy. Comparing normative data from the control group to data from participants with AD confirms that significant overestimation is a frequent feature among people with dementia, with approximately two-thirds showing this pattern, although significant under-estimation is also reliably observed in a small proportion of people with dementia. Different types of measure elicit different profiles of memory awareness in participants with dementia. Conclusion: Normative data from older individuals and couples provides useful percentile-based indices for determining level of memory awareness in people with dementia.     

Prediction of dietary adherence in cholesterol reduction: Relative contribution of personality variables and health attitudes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify personality and health attitude variables that might predict adherence to a cholesterol-reducing diet.

After taking a battery of psychological inventories, 66 subjects entered a 26 week diet program. Adherence indices included attendance rate at scheduled appointments, changes in diet, and changes in serum cholesterol levels.

Of the 55 subjects with complete data, 7 dropped out, 7 attended inconsistently, and 41 completed the program. Drop-outs scored significantly lower on the Health Belief measures of seriousness, susceptibility, and benefits. Improvement in serum cholesterol was positively correlated with the Health Belief Benefits Scale and negatively correlated with the Health Locus of Control chance scale. Dietary reduction in saturated fat was positively associated with the Health Belief Seriousness and Benefits Scales.

Health attitudes and beliefs were better predictors of adherence than personality trait measures.