Serial position curves in short‐term memory: Functional equivalence across modalities

Four experiments investigated item and order memory for sequences of seen unfamiliar faces and heard nonwords. Experiments 1 and 3 found bowed serial position curves using the serial reconstruction test of order with faces and nonwords, respectively. Experiments 2 and 4 found limited recency, no primacy, and above chance performance on all items using a two‐alternative forced choice (2AFC) test of item recognition, again with faces and nonwords. These results suggest that the different serial position curves typically found using traditional paradigms for exploring visual and verbal short‐term memory are due to differences in the methods used rather than modality‐specific mechanisms.     

Fear of routine dental treatment in adults: Its nature and management

Abstract

The fear of dental treatment in adults can be characterised in several ways, loosely related, such as anticipating being afraid, avoiding dental check-ups and seeking treatment only under general anaesthesia. Defined thus, at least a quarter of adults are highly afraid of dentistry. The feared experiences are many, including most frequently, pain. Several studies have shown that anxious patients experience less pain during treatment than they expect. It remains to be confirmed that these are typical experiences because other studies show that local anaesthesia can fail to protect patients from sudden pain in 13% of treatments on average. Expectations of pain are highly resistant to change, the result probably of several influences including distortion in recall of pain-free treatment, intermittent experience of sudden severe pain, expecting pain in order to reduce its impact, and uncertainty about treatment. It has yet to be shown that experience free of discomfort can reduce these expectations. However, relaxation instructions and information about pain management and stop signals can reduce pre-treatment fear. To prevent the onset and the maintenance of anxiety: the prevention of pain is essential; controlled behavioural studies of the treatment of pain and other experiences such as panics are needed. Finally, the need for new instruments to assess all aspects of fear of dentistry is described.     

Critical Issues in Using Homework Assignments Within Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Schizophrenia

Presents an overview of the research findings to date and practical guidelines for the use of homework in cognitive-behavioral therapy for schizophrenia. In particular, the article outlines strategies to combat the common difficulties experienced when using homework with clients with schizophrenia and the types of homework assignments that may be most helpful. The empirical evidence suggests that cognitive-behavioral therapy incorporating homework assignments help clients to improve at least 60% more than those in treatment without homework. Despite that most therapy formulations incorporate homework as an integral component of treatment for schizophrenia, prior research has identified that practitioners consider homework to be less helpful for clients with delusions and hallucinations. Interventions to enhance homework compliance in the treatment of clients with schizophrenia are outlined.     

THE PHYSICALIZED MIND AND THE GUT‐BRAIN AXIS: TAKING MENTAL HEALTH OUT OF OUR HEADS

As it becomes increasingly plausible that the mind–brain is explicable in naturalistic terms, science‐and‐religion scholars have the opportunity to engage creatively and proactively with facets of brain‐related research that better inform our understanding of human well‐being. That is, once mental health is recognized as being a whole‐body phenomenon, exciting theological conversations can take place. One fascinating area of research involves the “gut–brain axis,” or the interactive relationship between the microbiome in the gastrointestinal tract (i.e., gut bacteria), the central nervous system, and mental health. A growing body of literature explores the immensely significant interactions between the gut microbiome and mental health issues involving depression, anxiety, gene expression, and stress responses. One's mental health does not occur in a disembodied state, but in a complex physical environment that is strongly influenced by environmental factors, many of which we can control. This article argues that science‐and‐religion can welcome scientific research in this area, creatively incorporating such insights into a theology of mental health and physical well‐being.     

Relational frame theory,acceptance and commitment therapy,and a functional analytic definition of mindfulness

The present article interprets mindfulness from the point of view of the effects of language and cognition on human action. Relational Frame Theory is described to show how human suffering is created by entanglement with the cognitive networks made possible by language. Mindfulness can be understood as a collection of related processes that function to undermine the dominance of verbal networks, especially involving temporal and evaluative relations. These processes include acceptance, defusion, contact with the present moment, and the transcendent sense of self. Each of these components of mindfulness are targeted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and there is some evidence that they underlie the therapeutic changes induced by this approach. The relation between the present approach to mindfulness and other approaches is discussed.     

Cross-Level Theoretical Predictions of Marijuana,Methamphetamine, and Opium Use

Despite the large body of literature investigating drug use, limited research has explored both the individual and structural dimensions of drug use, and an even smaller number of studies have focused on drug use in the Asian context. The current study draws on self-reported survey data on marijuana, methamphetamine, and opium use among offenders in South Korea. We apply four major theoretical perspectives to understand predictors of drug use in this context. Results demonstrate the link between methamphetamine use and unemployment and find strong predictability of social learning variables. Limitations and implications of the current study are discussed.     

Comparing In-Person,Sona, and Mechanical Turk Measurements of Three Prejudice-Relevant Constructs

Electronic data collection and participant pool management tools give researchers new ways to conduct research. The current study investigated the equivalency of in-person and online administrations of the Right-Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, and Modern Racism scales across three modalities (administration in person, online through Sona Systems, and online through Mechanical Turk). Results indicate that in-person administration was largely equivalent to the randomly assigned online sample (Sona Systems) in terms of their intercorrelations, mean scores, variability, and reliability. However, the Sona sample consistently responded with strong attitudes for all measures, suggesting that social desirability may be decreased when completing these measures online. In addition, the Mechanical Turk sample differed in many ways from both in-person and Sona administration; although this nonequivalence is at least partially explained by sample demographic differences, other considerations may have exacerbated nonequivalence, including prior exposure to the measures and a desire to respond correctly.