Counselor Supervision: A Comparison Across States and Jurisdictions

Counselor licensure portability models have focused primarily on academic training with only little discussion concerning postgraduate supervision. Using a qualitative content analysis, the authors analyzed the supervision rules and laws in all 53 licensing jurisdictions. The results of this study reflect the lack of a consistent set of supervision guidelines across all 53 jurisdictions. Further study and reflection on these results could lead to the development of a supervision model for postgraduate supervision.     

Openness/Intellect and Susceptibility to Pseudo‐Profound Bullshit: A Replication and Extension

‘Pseudo‐profound bullshit’ (PPBS) is a class of meaningless statements designed to appear profound. Profundity ratings for PPBS have been found to be negatively related to analytical thinking and positively related to epistemically suspect beliefs (e.g. belief in the paranormal). Conceptually similar traits within the Openness/Intellect (O/I) domain form a simplex, whereby traits are arranged along a single dimension from intelligence to apophenia (i.e. observing patterns or causal connections were none exist). Across two studies (total N = 297), we attempted to replicate the O/I simplex and determine how it relates to perceiving PPBS as profound. Participants completed questionnaires measuring traits from the O/I simplex and provided profundity ratings for PPBS. Profundity ratings of PPBS tended to correlate negatively with intelligence and positively with apophenia. The association with intelligence generally reflected a greater ability to discriminate the profound from the pseudo‐profound, whereas the association with apophenia reflected poorer discrimination in Study 1, with less conclusive results in Study 2. In both studies, the O/I simplex was closely replicated. The results suggest a link between the O/I domain and perceiving PPBS as profound and tentatively support the theory that intelligence may protect against apophenia. © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology     

The Structure of Grandparental Role Meaning

The present study explored the viability of Kivnick's 5-factor model of grandparental meaning (Kivnick, 1983), wherein this model was tested and subsequently refined on a sample of traditional grandparents (N = 102), and then cross-validated using a sample of custodial grandparents (N = 101). The data suggested that Kivnick's model of grandparental meaning was untenable in both grandparent samples. Instead, a single-factor model was supported in both samples. This suggests that grandparental meaning is best understood without regard to Kivnick's distinctions (Kivnick, 1983). This may reflect a cohort effect in the meaning of grandparenting, as evidenced in the diversity of roles into which grandparents are thrust, increased role confusion, as well as the idiosyncratic manner in which grandparents are often forced to define their roles in today's society.     

Trait Extraversion and Dopamine Function

An influential theory within personality neuroscience suggests that trait extraversion is underpinned by individual differences in dopamine function. In a review of the relevant literature, we evaluate this theory in light of the evidence from molecular genetics, neuroimaging, and psychopharmacology. Evidence linking individual differences in extraversion with dopamine‐relevant genes, structural volume of dopamine‐rich brain regions (e.g., in striatal and ventral prefrontal areas), dopamine receptor availability, and frontal alpha asymmetry is mixed at best. Evidence concerning both scalp recorded (electroencephalogram) and hemodynamic (functional magnetic resonance imaging) neural responses to rewards appears somewhat more promising. Perhaps the best evidence concerns extraversion‐dependent responses – both neural and behavioural – to dopaminergic drugs. Future research in this area must go beyond the demonstration of theoretically consistent associations and attempt to provide more specific causal evidence for the dopamine hypothesis of extraversion. A further challenge is to expand this hypothesis to incorporate other neurobiological processes that are likely to underlie this trait.     

Error‐monitoring in response to social stimuli in individuals with higher‐functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

Error‐monitoring, or the ability to recognize one's mistakes and implement behavioral changes to prevent further mistakes, may be impaired in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Children and adolescents (ages 9–19) with ASD (n = 42) and typical development (n = 42) completed two face processing tasks that required discrimination of either the gender or affect of standardized face stimuli. Post‐error slowing and the difference in Error‐Related Negativity amplitude between correct and incorrect responses (ERN_diff) were used to index error‐monitoring ability. Overall, ERN_diff increased with age. On the Gender Task, individuals with ASD had a smaller ERN_diff than individuals with typical development; however, on the Affect Task, there were no significant diagnostic group differences on ERN_diff. Individuals with ASD may have ERN amplitudes similar to those observed in individuals with typical development in more social contexts compared to less social contexts due to greater consequences for errors, more effortful processing, and/or reduced processing efficiency in these contexts. Across all participants, more post‐error slowing on the Affect Task was associated with better social cognitive skills.     

Countermeasures Against the Strategic Use of Evidence Technique: Effects on Suspects' Strategies

As the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) technique becomes more widely taught to practitioners, it is important to investigate possible countermeasures to the technique. It is possible that guilty suspects who are aware of the SUE technique will employ forthcoming verbal strategies to make themselves appear innocent. Mock suspects committed a richly detailed simulated transgression (or a benign analogue) and were interviewed about their activities. Prior to questioning, some suspects received information about SUE tactics the interviewer was likely to use. Guilty suspects who were informed about the SUE technique employed more verbally forthcoming strategies than their uninformed counterparts. Guilty suspects who were given SUE information also reported planning for the interview in different ways. However, guilty‐informed suspects did not become as forthcoming as innocent suspects overall. In sum, it appears that information about the SUE technique induces guilty suspects to alter their strategies, but only to a relatively small degree.Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dorsal raphe nucleus and harm avoidance: A resting-state investigation

The temperament dimension of harm avoidance defines an individual’s biological tendency to exhibit altering levels of anxious, inhibiting, and cautious behavior. High harm avoidance and anxiety are highly comorbid, likely due to activity in similar neural circuitries involving the dorsal raphe nucleus. Despite the many investigations that have explored personality factors and brain function, none have determined the influence of ongoing activity within dorsal raphe networks on harm avoidance. The aim of this study was to explore such a relationship. In 62 healthy subjects, a series of 180 functional magnetic resonance images covering the entire brain were collected, and each subject completed the 240-item TCI-R questionnaire. Independent component analyses were performed to define the dorsal raphe network and then to determine the regions significantly correlated with harm avoidance. The independent component analyses revealed three signal intensity fluctuation maps encompassing the dorsal raphe nucleus, showing interactions with regions of the amygdala, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal, insular, and cingulate cortices. Within these systems, the resting signal intensity was significantly coupled to harm avoidance in the bilateral basal amygdala, bilateral ventral hippocampus, bilateral insula, bilateral nucleus accumbens, and medial prefrontal cortex. Note that we could not measure serotonergic output, but instead measured signal changes in the dorsal raphe that likely reflect synaptic activity. These data provide evidence that at rest, signal intensity fluctuations within the dorsal raphe networks are related to harm avoidance. Given the strong relationship between harm avoidance and anxiety-like behaviors, it is possible that ongoing activity within this identified neural circuitry can contribute to an individual developing anxiety disorders.