Route and survey processing of topographical memory during navigation

We investigated the characteristics of route and survey processing of a unique complex virtual environment both at the behavioral and brain levels. Prior to fMRI scanning, participants were trained to follow a route and to learn the spatial relationships between several places, acquiring both route and survey knowledge from a ground-level perspective. During scanning, snapshots of the environment were presented, and participants were required to either indicate the direction to take to follow the route (route task), or to locate unseen targets (survey task). Data suggest that route and survey processing are mainly supported by a common occipito-fronto-parieto-temporal neural network. Our results are consistent with those gathered in studies concerning the neural bases of route versus survey knowledge acquired either from different perspectives or in different environments. However, rather than arguing for a clear distinction between route and survey processing, “mixed” strategies are likely to be involved when both types of encoding take place in the same environment.     

Alignment with the horizontal plane: evidence for an orientation constraint in the perception of shape

In order to convert a 2-D image to a 3-D percept, the visual system must apply constraints that maximize the chances that the result will be unique and veridical. Previously proposed constraints include one that maximizes the symmetry of the percept, and one that maximizes its compactness (Li et al, 2009 Vision Research 49 979-991). Analysis of the 3-D percepts elicited by certain 2-D forms suggests the action of an additional constraint, favoring the alignment of the surfaces and/or axis of symmetry of the perceived object with the horizontal plane.     

Nested prospectivity in perception: perceived maximum reaching height reflects anticipated changes in reaching ability

Perception of possibilities for behavior is a necessarily prospective (i.e., forward-looking) act. Such prospectivity is highlighted by the fact that, in general, behaviors are nested within behaviors over a number of spatial and temporal scales. Participants reported their maximum vertical reaching height when they expected to walk across the room and (1) reach for an object while standing on the floor, (2) step up on a step stool and then reach for the object, and (3) pick up a plastic rod and use it to reach for the object. The results show that perception of maximum reaching height was action scaled both when participants expected to perform a nested behavior that would change their action capabilities and when they expected to perform a nested behavior that would not do so. Moreover, the results suggest that nested behaviors that change reaching ability in functionally equivalent ways may bring about functionally equivalent changes in perception of maximum reaching height.     

Reducing teachers' psychological distress through a mindfulness training program

Teachers constitute one of the professional collectives most affected by psychological problems. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study is to examine the efficacy of a mindfulness training programme to reduce psychological distress in a group of teachers. The sample comprised 68 teachers of Secondary School Education, from various public schools; half of them formed the experimental group, and the another half the control group. The levels of psychological distress were measured, in both groups, by the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) before and after the application of the programme. Statistical analysis shows the significant reduction of three general measures of psychological distress (Global Severity Index, Positive Symptom Distress Index, and Positive Symptom Total), as well in all its dimensions (somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensibility, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism), in the experimental group compared with the control group. Follow-up measures show that these results were maintained for four months after termination of the intervention in the experimental group.     

Examining attitudes,beliefs, and intentions regarding the use of exercise as punishment in physical education and sport: an application of the theory of reasoned action

Although the use of exercise as punishment appears to be pervasive among physical education teachers and coaches, it has not been systematically examined. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences, attitudes, intentions, and beliefs of college physical education majors regarding the use of exercise as punishment, using the framework of the theory of reasoned action. Surveys were completed by 345 students enrolled in 35 physical education classes. More than 90% of the study participants reported that their coaches used exercise as punishment, and 43% indicated their physical education teachers used exercise to punish or manage behavior. The constructs of the theory of reasoned action explained nearly 70% of the variance in participants' intentions to use exercise as punishment.     

Assessing post-event processing after social situations: a measure based on the cognitive model for social phobia

In their cognitive model of social phobia, Clark and Wells (1995) described a process called post-event processing that is characterized by prolonged ruminative and negative thinking about a past social event. Referring to this concept, Rachman and colleagues (2000) developed a questionnaire that has been used in several studies subsequently (Post-Event Processing Questionnaire (PEPQ)). Our aim was to examine a German version of the PEPQ and, where necessary, modify this measure. In Study 1 (N=130 students), we inspected the psychometric properties of the German version of the PEPQ. According to the item analyses, problematic items were identified and eliminated or reformulated. To map aspects of post-event processing that were missing in the original questionnaire, new items were developed. In Study 2, the psychometric properties of the revised instrument were analyzed in a sample of students (N=268).The revised instrument showed excellent internal consistency and a meaningful pattern of correlations with anxiety, depression, and dysfunctional self-consciousness. With regard to the factorial structure of the construct, our data suggest that a four-factorial model may be more appropriate than the one-dimensional structure proposed by Rachman and colleagues.