Training specificity and transfer in time and distance estimation

Learning is often specific to the conditions of training, making it important to identify which aspects of the testing environment are crucial to be matched in the training environment. In the present study, we examined training specificity in time and distance estimation tasks that differed only in the focus of processing (FOP). External spatial cues were provided for the distance estimation task and for the time estimation task in one condition, but not in another. The presence of a concurrent alphabet secondary task was manipulated during training and testing in all estimation conditions in Experiment 1. For distance as well as for time estimation in both conditions, training of the primary estimation task was found to be specific to the presence of the secondary task. In Experiments 2 and 3, we examined transfer between one estimation task and another, with no secondary task in either case. When all conditions were equal aside from the FOP instructions, including the presence of external spatial cues, Experiment 2 showed “transfer” between tasks, suggesting that training might not be specific to the FOP. When the external spatial cues were removed from the time estimation task, Experiment 3 showed no transfer between time and distance estimations, suggesting that external task cues influenced the procedures used in the estimation tasks.     

The effect of humor on memory: constrained by the pun

In a series of experiments, we investigated the effect of pun humor on memory. In all experiments, the participants were exposed to knock-knock jokes in either the original form retaining the pun or in a modified form that removed the pun. In Experiment 1, the authors found that pun humor improved both recall and recognition memory following incidental encoding. In Experiment 2, they found evidence that rehearsal is not the cause of the humor effect on memory. In Experiments 3 and 4, the authors found that the constraints imposed by puns and incongruity may account for the humor effects observed. Puns constrain and limit the information that can fit in the final line of a joke and thus make recall easier.     

Angststörungen und Phobien im Kindes- und Jugendalter

Anxiety disorders belong to the most frequent mental disorders in childhood and adolescence. They cause severe impairment, show poor long-term outcome and they are often not recognized as a mental disorder. For a reliable and valid diagnosis and treatment outcome evaluation a multi-informant approach is essential including information from the child and the parents. Methods of choice are structured clinical interviews and questionnaires filled out by the child and the parents. Meta-analyses showed that only cognitive-behavioral treatment can be considered as a sufficiently evidence-based treatment. No differences in outcome were found between individual and group treatments or child and family focused treatments. Medication treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) showed short-term efficacy. Major evidence-based interventions are psycho-education, exposure techniques and cognitive restructuring strategies.