Genetic Knowledge Among Participants in the Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative

Genetic literacy is essential for the effective integration of genomic information into healthcare; yet few recent studies have been conducted to assess the current state of this knowledge base. Participants in the Coriell Personalized Medicine Collaborative (CPMC), a prospective study assessing the impact of personalized genetic risk reports for complex diseases and drug response on behavior and health outcomes, completed genetic knowledge questionnaires and other surveys through an online portal. To assess the association between genetic knowledge and genetic education background, multivariate linear regression was performed. 4 062 participants completed a genetic knowledge and genetic education background questionnaire. Most were older (mean age: 50), Caucasian (90 %), female (59 %), highly educated (69 % bachelor’s or higher), with annual household income over $100 000 (49 %). Mean percent correct was 76 %. Controlling for demographics revealed that health care providers, participants previously exposed to genetics, and participants with ‘better than most’ self-rated knowledge were significantly more likely to have a higher knowledge score (p?<?0.001). Overall, genetic knowledge was high with previous genetic education experience predictive of higher genetic knowledge score. Education is likely to improve genetic literacy, an important component to expanded use of genomics in personalized medicine.     

Rhythmic entrainment: Why humans want to,fireflies can’t help it,pet birds try,and sea lions have to be bribed

Until recently, the literature on rhythmic ability took for granted that only humans are able to synchronize body movements to an external beat—to entrain. This assumption has been undercut by findings of beat-matching in various species of parrots and, more recently, in a sea lion, several species of primates, and possibly horses. This throws open the question of how widespread beat-matching ability is in the animal kingdom. Here we reassess the arguments and evidence for an absence of beat-matching in animals, and conclude that in fact no convincing case against beat-matching in animals has been made. Instead, such evidence as there is suggests that this capacity could be quite widespread. Furthermore, mutual entrainment of oscillations is a general principle of physical systems, both biological and nonbiological, suggesting that entrainment of motor systems by sensory systems may be a default rather than an oddity. The question then becomes, not why a few privileged species are able to beat-match, but why species do not always do so—why they vary in both spontaneous and learned beat-matching. We propose that when entrainment is not driven by fixed, mandatory connections between input and output (as in the case of, e.g., fireflies entraining to each others’ flashes), it depends on voluntary control over, and voluntary or learned coupling of, sensory and motor systems, which can paradoxically lead to apparent failures of entrainment. Among the factors that affect whether an animal will entrain are sufficient control over the motor behavior to be entrained, sufficient perceptual sophistication to extract the entraining beat from the overall sensory environment, and the current cognitive state of the animal, including attention and motivation. The extent of entrainment in the animal kingdom potentially has widespread implications, not only for understanding the roots of human dance, but also for understanding the neural and cognitive architectures of animals.     

THE HUMAN HEARTH AND THE DAWN OF MORALITY

Stunned by the implications of Colagè's analysis of the cultural activation of the brain's Visual Word Form Area and the potential role of cultural neural reuse in the evolution of biology and culture, the authors build on his work in proposing a context for the first rudimentary hominin moral systems. They cross‐reference six domains: neuroscience on sleep, creativity, plasticity, and the Left Hemisphere Interpreter; palaeobiology; cognitive science; philosophy; traditional archaeology; and cognitive archaeology's theories on sleep changes in Homo erectus and consequences for later humans. The authors hypothesize that the human genome, when analyzed with findings from neuroscience and cognitive science, will confirm the evolutionary timing of an internal running monologue and other neural components that constitute moral decision making. The authors rely on practical modern philosophers to identify continuities with earlier primates, and one major discontinuity—some bright white moral line that may have been crossed more than once during the long and successful tenure of Homo erectus on Earth.     

Status Seeking and Manipulative Self‐presentation

Three studies examine the relation of dispositional status‐seeking with workplace self‐presentation behaviors. The first study showed that the status‐seeking motive provided incremental prediction, over and above narcissism and self‐monitoring, in self‐reported exaggerating, faking, and fabricating in job search. The second study showed that, after controlling for the traits from the five factor model of personality, status‐seeking predicted the undesirable job‐search behaviors, as well as use of impression‐management tactics at work. A field study showed that employee status seeking explained supervisor impressions of employee supplication and ingratiation, even after controlling for task and contextual performance. Male status‐seekers were also more likely to engage in intimidation. Status‐seeking appears to be an important motive for understanding manipulative self‐presentation at work.     

Parents: Psychotherapy's scapegoats

In this article the author reviews the assumption made popular in self-help literature that parents are to blame for most failings in life. She traces the assumption's occurrence in writings of pioneer theorists and practitioners, and then cites researchers who describe a more complex understanding of human distress. She concludes by suggesting an approach to counseling which is supportive to parents.Dr. Alter is a therapist in private practice and teaches for Pacific School of Religion and New College Berkelely. She is the author of Resurrection Psychology: an Understanding of Human Personality based on the Life and Teachings of Jesus (Loyola, 1994) and many journal articles.     

Consulting scientist and engineer liability: A survey of relevant law

This paper is a survey of the law in the United States which is applicable to consulting scientists and engineers. Based on the body of law which has developed for the construction industry and professional “advice-givers” such as attorneys, medical doctors and accountants, the paper reviews professional responsibilities in the areas of Common Law Torts. Common Law Contracts, certain U.S. Federal and State Statutes and the protection of sensitive information.     

Computer attitudes and the use of computers in psychology courses

Students enrolled in four psychology courses in which computers were used for different purposes completed both pre- and postcourse surveys regarding their prior computer experience, their attitudes toward computers, and their locus of control. A fifth psychology course in which computers were not used served as a control. Results showed that participation in the courses that involved computer activities led to more positive attitudes toward computers than did the control condition. In addition, the positive changes in computer attitudes were found to be independent of initial student characteristics and unrelated to course performance. There was also some suggestion that courses that have higher levels of direct involvement with computer applications may lead to the most positive attitude changes.     

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict Intention to Use Condoms Among Male and Female Injecting Drug Users

This study tested the utility of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for understanding and predicting condom use intentions among male and female injecting drug users (IDUs). Interviews were conducted with 405 male and 315 female sexually active IDUs. Participants indicated their intentions to use condoms with main and nonmain sexual partners as well as attitudes, social norms, partner norms, and perceived behavioral control relevant to condom use with each partner type. The TPB accounted for 36 to 48% of the variance in intentions to use condoms. Intentions were related to attitudes, regardless of partner type. Partner norms were related to intentions to use condoms with main partners (men and women) and nonmain partners (men only). Social norms did not predict intentions, regardless of partner type. Perceived behavioral control was related to intentions to use condoms with main partners (men and women) and nonmain partners (women only). The findings are interpreted in light of the roles of cooperation, intimacy, and concern about self-protection.     

Women Counselor Educators: A Survey of Publication Activity

The authors studied the publication activity of women counselor educators, with respect to the relationship between women's career development in academia and the mentoring process. Possible alternative publishing avenues and networking opportunities pertinent to women counselor educators are suggested.     

The broken heart phenomenon: An examination of the mortality of bereavement

Bereaved people are at greater risk of losing their lives than the non-bereaved. This paper explores the evidence on this ‘bereavement—mortality relationship’, to establish who among the bereaved are most vulnerable to such dire consequences of loss. Information is drawn from several sources, including epidemiological research on sociodemographic variables, analyses of causes of death and recent empirical studies that have identified differences between bereaved decedents and survivors. The survey shows that risk factors interact in complex ways to determine level of vulnerability. A simple explanation in terms of ‘broken heart’ cannot account for the pattern of results. Some bereaved subgroups are more vulnerable to death than others, excess risk occurs across a variety of causes of death (suggesting different underlying processes), and personal characteristics in combination with circumstantial factors lead to high vulnerability. It is concluded that two types of process underlie the bereavement–mortality relationship. These are related: (a) to the direct effects of grief (broken heart); and (b) to secondary consequences associated with the stress of bereavement.