The importance of social factors is a matter of perception

Caucasian female faces were randomly assigned to participants' in- or out-group following false feedback on a personality inventory. Participants recognised in-group faces better than out-group faces, but they showed no evidence of category-contingent opposing aftereffects. We conclude that the explanatory power of social-cognitive models will be enhanced when they are integrated with models of perceptual expertise.     

Shared Affect and Dyadic Synchrony Among Secure and Insecure Parent–Toddler Dyads

The present investigation explored the role of shared affect in parent–child dyadic synchrony during toddlerhood and examined if patterns of dyadic synchrony and shared affect differ for secure and insecure parent–child dyads. Data were collected from 128 families with toddler age children (67 girls and 61 boys) during a laboratory assessment. Mother–toddler and father–toddler interactions were coded for shared positive and negative affect, as well as dyadic synchrony. Attachment status was assessed using the Strange Situation. Data revealed that securely attached parent–toddler dyads spent more time in synchronous interaction, and less time in asynchronous interaction, than insecurely attached parent–toddler dyads. Parent–toddler synchronous interaction among both securely and insecurely attached dyads was characterized by shared positive affect. Among insecure dyads, shared negative affect was more predominate in asynchronous than in synchronous interaction. The role of individual differences in the manifestation of synchronous interaction among securely and insecurely attached parent–toddler dyads is discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Pilot Study of the Effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Parenting

Parental posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with parenting difficulties. Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD (CBCT for PTSD) improves PTSD symptoms, relationship adjustment, and partners’ mental health functioning. However, the impact of CBCT for PTSD on parenting competency is unknown. In this pilot study, the effects of CBCT for PTSD on parenting competency were investigated in 14 individuals (6 patients with PTSD and 8 partners) who had children under age 18. Results suggested that most participants perceived themselves as competent in their parenting prior to treatment, and some enhancements in competency occurred following CBCT for PTSD. Moreover, changes in parenting competency were associated with improvements in patient-rated PTSD. Adjunctive interventions targeting parenting and goals for future research are discussed.     

Reducing infant immunization distress through distraction.

Infant procedural distress is largely understudied, and there is a dearth of empirically supported interventions in the child health psychology literature. This study examined nurse-directed distraction for reducing infant immunization distress. Ninety infants and their parents were randomly assigned to a distraction condition (i.e., nurses used stimuli to divert infants' attention) or a typical care condition. Outcome measures were an observational scale, parent and nurse ratings, and infant heart rate. Results indicated that infants engaged in distraction and that distraction reduced their behavioral distress; however, ratings and heart rate were inconclusive. Analyses of procedural phases indicated that infants exhibited elevated distress immediately prior to and during an injection, but this distress was fleeting.     

Bridging the Gap Between Prevention Research and Practice: The Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation

If we keep on doing what we have been doing, we are going to keep on getting what we have been getting. Concerns about the gap between science and practice are longstanding. There is a need for new approaches to supplement the existing approaches of research to practice models and the evolving community-centered models for bridging this gap. In this article, we present the Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation (ISF) that uses aspects of research to practice models and of community-centered models. The framework presents three systems: the Prevention Synthesis and Translation System (which distills information about innovations and translates it into user-friendly formats); the Prevention Support System (which provides training, technical assistance or other support to users in the field); and the Prevention Delivery System (which implements innovations in the world of practice). The framework is intended to be used by different types of stakeholders (e.g., funders, practitioners, researchers) who can use it to see prevention not only through the lens of their own needs and perspectives, but also as a way to better understand the needs of other stakeholders and systems. It provides a heuristic for understanding the needs, barriers, and resources of the different systems, as well as a structure for summarizing existing research and for illuminating priority areas for new research and action. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.     

The Propensity for Abusiveness Scale (PAS) as a Predictor of Affective Priming to Anticipated Intimate Conflict

The current study used the Propensity for Abusiveness Scale (PAS; Dutton, 1995) to predict emotional response to conflict among university students. The participants were 162 first- and second-year undergraduate students at the University of British Columbia. Participants listened to taped conflict and filled out a battery of questionnaires. The PAS correlates significantly with pre-anger, anxiety, subanger, and general arousal levels, suggesting that a type of emotional priming takes place when persons high on the PAS know they are about to be exposed to an interpersonal conflict. It is concluded that anticipation of intimate conflict appears to heighten negative affect in some young adults and that this response may interfere with future intimate conflict-resolution strategies.