Response to Weili Zhao

Studies in Philosophy and Education -     

Does Gender Nonconforming Behavior in Early Childhood Predict Adolescents’ Depressive Symptoms?

Sex Roles - Gender nonconforming behavior (GNB) is a risk factor for poorer psychological adjustment, but little is known about whether preschool-age children displaying GNB are at risk for...     

Purpose in life and cognitive functioning in adulthood

With an increasingly aging population, more work is needed to identify factors which may promote the maintenance of normal cognitive functioning. The current study tested the concurrent association between sense of purpose in life and the cognitive variables of episodic memory, executive functioning, and composite cognitive functioning in adults (N = 3489, M_age = 56.3 years, SD = 12.27, Range = 32–84 years) from the Midlife in the United States study (MIDUS). Correlational analyses suggested that purpose in life was associated with higher scores for memory, executive functioning, and overall cognition. Bootstrapping tests of moderation found no evidence for a moderating effect of age on purpose and the cognitive variables. Future studies should attempt to explain the mechanisms behind this relationship and explore the potential for interventions to promote healthy cognitive and purposeful aging.     

Validation of a reflective thinking instrument for third-year undergraduate nursing students participating in high-fidelity simulation

Background: nursing students are required to think reflectively in both real and simulated clinical practice. Although the Reflective Thinking instrument is reliable in its measurement of reflective thinking, its validity is unknown. Method: confirmatory factor analysis was undertaken in an iterative manner within a non-equivalent control-group study to measure nursing students’ reflective thinking and satisfaction with high-fidelity simulation. The validity and reliability of the Reflective Thinking instrument was tested. Results: the resulting instrument consisted of 15 items across four factors. The final model was plausible as it demonstrated ‘goodness of fit’; however, it had neither convergent or discriminatory validity, nor reliability. Internal consistency was fair to reasonable for the four subscales. Conclusion: the testing of the Reflective Thinking instrument using confirmatory factor analysis is a vital initial step in the modification of this instrument. Further development using exploratory factor analysis will enhance the instrument’s relevance within high-fidelity simulation.     

Preliminary validation study of the 3-min wrist-worn psychomotor vigilance test

The 10-min psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) is a widely used tool to assess behavioral alertness. In operational environments, however, the 3-min version of the PVT is more practicable. Under controlled laboratory conditions, we compared performance on the 3-min PVT on a wrist-worn device with the 3-min PVT on a laptop computer. We conducted two repeated measures experiments (72 participants) to assess the effects of PVT device type (laptop or wrist-worn), backlight on the wrist-worn device (on or off), ambient light (low or normal levels), and interstimulus interval (ISI). First, we compared the wrist-worn PVT (ISI of 2–10 s) with the laptop-based PVT (ISI of 1–4 s). Participants performed six PVT trials counterbalanced for order of ambient light and device type. In both ambient-lighting conditions, the median differences in PVT metrics (reaction time, response speed, and percentage of 355-ms or 500-ms lapses combined with false starts) between the laptop and the wrist-worn PVT with the backlight on were less than 4.5 %. Specifically, the median difference in reaction times was less than 10 ms. However, the standard deviation in most metrics using the wrist-worn PVT was twice that of the laptop. In a second experiment, we compared the wrist-worn and laptop PVTs with the same ISIs (1–4 s) in normal light conditions. The results suggest that PVT data can be collected reliably in the field using the wrist-worn device with the backlight on and an ISI of 2–10 s.     

American images of Punjabi immigrants in the early Twentieth Century

This article explores and contextualizes the formation of anti-South Asian sentiment in the history of anti-immigrant, and specifically anti-Asian, nativist movements in the United States during the early twentieth century. Through an investigation of the activities and written documentation of the Asian Exclusionary League, as well as Congressional proceedings and popular periodicals, it seeks to understand the terms in which wider anti-Asian sentiments were shaped during this period, the influences that shaped them, and the impact these articulations of racism had on South Asian, specifically Sikh, communities in the United States during the first several decades of the twentieth century.     

Sustained attention to a predictable,unengaging Go/No-Go task shows ongoing development between 6 and 11 years

Response time variability (RTV) is a useful measure of sustained attention; however, little is known about developmental changes in RTV at different temporal frequencies. Thirty-five 6-year-olds, 31 8-year-olds, and 37 10-year-olds completed the fixed-sequence Sustained Attention to Response Task on three occasions, six months apart. Fast Fourier Transform and ex-Gaussian analyses of response time (RT) data assessed momentary fluctuations in RT, gradual changes in RT, and very long responses, thought to reflect attentional control fluctuations, slow-shifting arousal, and infrequent lapses in attention, respectively. A half-by-half analysis measured within-occasion time-on-task effects. The 10-to 11-year-olds performed with less momentary fluctuations in RT, fewer long responses, and fewer commission and omission errors than the younger groups. This group performed well in the first half of the task but showed time-on-task effects on measures of momentary fluctuations in RT, very long responses, target sensitivity (d’), and commission errors. The 6- to 7-year-olds performed less well than the older groups, and showed time-on-task effects, on almost all measures. The 8- to- 9-year-olds mostly performed at an intermediate level compared with the other groups; however, this group performed with a similar level of momentary fluctuations in RT and very long responses as the 6- to 7-year-olds. These findings indicate that there is ongoing maturation of various aspects of sustained attention on a predictable task, with a period of relative stability in performance between 8 and 9 years of age.     

A Matter for Concern: Young Offenders and the Importance of Mattering

Adopting a case study approach, this research article aims to explore the concept of mattering as an alternative way of thinking about youth offending by drawing together the exploration of risk assessment practices within the context of criminal justice, alongside the exploration of the first-person accounts of young offenders’ experiences within the context of their everyday lives. Exploring conditions that influence young offenders’ perceptions of failing to matter, the article concludes by demonstrating that the need to matter becomes amplified when family is absent from a young person’s life.     

Substance use and violent behavior in women with antisocial personality disorder

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between substance abuse and dependence and violent behavior in a sample of incarcerated women with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Among male populations, substance dependence is associated with aggression and criminal behavior. Individuals with ASPD have more severe substance dependence, including higher symptom counts, earlier age of onset, and more frequent co-morbidity. Incarcerated women have a high prevalence of ASPD and substance dependence, but there has been little detailed work regarding addiction severity. Similarly, work on association of substance abuse and dependence with specific violent behaviors has been limited. This study examined a group of 41 mid-sentence female felons with a diagnosis of ASPD to determine associations with substance abuse and dependence. Data were gathered through administration of the Semi-Structured Assessment of the Genetics of Alcoholism II (SSAGA II). Substance dependence was highly prevalent (i.e., alcohol dependence, 56.1%; opiate dependence, 48.8%; cocaine dependence, 61.0%). While specific diagnoses were not associated with violent behavior and offending, symptom severity (i.e., age of onset, symptom count, co-morbidity) was associated with violent behavior in women dependent on opiates, alcohol, and cocaine. Arrest for an assault 1 was associated with alcohol dependence and opiate dependence. These data suggest that measurement of symptom severity and co-morbidity is important in assessing violent behavior in incarcerated women with ASPD. These findings are potentially important in examining non-incarcerated, substance-dependent women.     

Factor Structure of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist with a Pediatric Gastroenterology Sample

Pediatric gastrointestinal disorders are commonly experienced by youth and have been shown to be associated with increased rates of psychosocial difficulties. Aim of the current study was to extend development of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC), a brief parent-completed measure designed to assess children’s behavioral and emotional functioning, by examining its factor structure in a pediatric gastroenterology sample. Parents of 176 children ages 4–16 years visiting a pediatric gastroenterologist completed the PSC. The factor structure of the PSC was examined using principal component analysis. Parallel analysis was utilized to determine the number of factors to retain and indicated that three factors existed within the data. A principal component analysis with varimax rotation identified factors measuring internalizing, externalizing, and attention difficulties. The three factors that emerged on the PSC provide initial support for the utility of the PSC in pediatric gastroenterology clinics.