Social attitudes modulate automatic imitation

In naturalistic interpersonal settings, mimicry or “automatic imitation” generates liking, affiliation, cooperation and other positive social attitudes. The purpose of this study was to find out whether the relationship between social attitudes and mimicry is bidirectional: Do social attitudes have a direct and specific effect on mimicry? Participants were primed with pro-social, neutral or anti-social words in a scrambled sentence task. They were then tested for mimicry using a stimulus-response compatibility procedure. In this procedure, participants were required to perform a pre-specified movement (e.g. opening their hand) on presentation of a compatible (open) or incompatible (close) hand movement. Reaction time data were collected using electromyography (EMG) and the magnitude of the mimicry/automatic imitation effect was calculated by subtracting reaction times on compatible trials from those on incompatible trials. Pro-social priming produced a larger automatic imitation effect than anti-social priming, indicating that the relationship between mimicry and social attitudes is bidirectional, and that social attitudes have a direct and specific effect on the tendency to imitate behavior without intention or conscious awareness.     

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.     

Working with families of adults with anorexia nervosa

The aim of this paper is to describe working with the carers (families) of adults with anorexia nervosa (AN), which is different from working with families of younger adolescents. The main difference is in the area of rights and responsibilities of both parties. Moreover, as AN in adults is often a chronic condition, the treatment goal may not focus on recovery, but instead on improvement in quality of life. Thus the spectrum of nature and degree of parental involvement in the treatment of adults with AN is much broader than in children and adolescents. Our framework for intervention is based on a clear model of carer distress, from which targets for intervention follow. The paper outlines some of the core components of this work.     

Sexual strategies theory and Internet personal advertisements.

Sexual Strategies Theory supposes that certain characteristics--namely, physical attractiveness in women and dominance and the ability to provide material resources in men--are highly desirable to potential mates because they are evolutionarily advantageous. However, socially based characteristics (e.g., positive personality traits, common interests) are also desirable in potential mates. It was predicted that people who are weaker on evolutionarily advantageous traits (i.e., less attractive women, less wealthy men) would emphasize alternative, socially desirable traits to compensate for these perceived deficiencies. One hundred fifty-one Internet personal advertisements were analyzed for attractiveness, income, mention of physical attributes, and mention of other positive personal characteristics. Results were generally consistent with predictions. In males, both wealth and attractiveness were related to decreased emphasis on other positive personal characteristics, while in women, emphasis on physical attributes (but not objectively rated physical attractiveness) was negatively related to emphasis on other positive personal characteristics.     

Are we puppets on a string? The contextual meaning of unconscious expressive cues

In three studies, the authors show that unconscious expressive cues can lead to opposite evaluations, depending on the context in which they occur. In Study 1, brow (vs. cheek) tension reduced preferences in an easy judgment context but increased preferences in a difficult context. In Study 2, head shaking (vs. nodding) either increased or decreased prosocial affect depending on the context in which the judged character was presented. In Study 3, a subliminal smile (vs. frown) led to higher self-ratings of performance when paired with one's own actions but to lower self-ratings of performance when paired with a competitor's actions. Together, these results suggest that the meaning of unconscious expressive cues is not fixed.     

Adrenal Insufficiency in Young Children: a Mixed Methods Study of Parents’ Experiences

Research into adrenal insufficiency (AI) and congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) in children has focused largely on clinical consequences for patients; and until recently, the wider experience of the condition from the perspective of other family members has been neglected. In a mixed methods study, we captured the experiences of parents of young children affected by AI/CAH, including their views on the psychosocial impact of living with and managing the condition. Semi-structured interviews were carried out in the UK and an online survey was developed, translated and disseminated through support groups (UK and the Netherlands) and outpatient endocrinology clinics (Germany). Challenges associated with diagnosis, treatment, support and the future were identified. For UK parents, the diagnosis period was characterised by a lack of awareness amongst healthcare professionals and occurrences of adrenal crisis. Parents reported burden, anxiety and disruption associated with the intensive treatment regimen. Parents adjusted and gained confidence over time yet found delegating responsibility for medication difficult and worried about the future for their child. Access to psychological support and contact with other families was reported as highly beneficial. The findings of the study provide critical context for future studies and for informing how parents and families can be better supported. Prenatal genetic counselling for parents who already have an affected child will include an explanation of recurrence risk but should also focus on providing information and reassurance about diagnostic testing and care for their newborn.     

Awareness of memory task impairment versus everyday memory difficulties in dementia

The study investigated different types of awareness of memory dysfunction in dementia, specifically judgements concerning memory task performance or appraisal of everyday memory functioning and also exploring the neuropsychological correlates of such awareness. This was investigated in 76 people with dementia, comprising 46 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 30 patients with vascular dementia (VaD). The Memory Awareness Rating Scale (Clare et al., 2002, Neuropsychol Rehabil, 12, 341–362) was used, which includes an Objective‐Judgement Discrepancy (OJD) technique involving comparison of subjective evaluation of performance on specific memory tasks with actual performance, and a Subjective Rating Discrepancy (SRD) technique, which compares self versus informant judgement of everyday memory function. The AD and VaD groups showed lower awareness than a normal control group for both types of measures, the AD group showing less awareness than the VaD group on the OJD measure. Regression analyses supported associations for both groups between memory impairment and the OJD measure and between naming impairment and the SRD measure. The findings are discussed in terms of neurocognitive theories accounting for loss of awareness in dementia.     

Executive control in older Welsh monolinguals and bilinguals

Evidence for a bilingual advantage in executive control has led to the suggestion that being bilingual might protect against late-life cognitive decline. We assessed the performance of socially homogeneous groups of older (≥60 years) bilingual Welsh/English (n?=?50) and monolingual English (n?=?49) speakers on a range of executive control tasks yielding 17 indices for comparison. Effect sizes (>.2) favoured monolinguals on 10 indices, with negligible differences observed on the remaining 7 indices. Univariate analyses indicated that monolinguals performed significantly better on 2 of 17 indices. Multivariate analysis indicated no significant overall differences between the two groups in performance on executive tasks. Older Welsh bilinguals do not show a bilingual advantage in executive control, and where differences are observed, these tend to favour monolinguals. A possible explanation may lie in the nature of the socio-linguistic context and its influence on cognitive processing in the bilingual group.