Locomotion and the preference for multi-tasking: Implications for well-being

The notion that locomotion concerns with moving from state to state (Higgins et al., Advances in experimental social psychology, Academic Press, New York, NY, 2003; Kruglanski et al., J Pers Soc Psychol 79:793–815, 2000) will instill a positive disposition toward multi-tasking was explored in three studies. Study 1 demonstrated the existence of the hypothesized link between locomotion and multi-tasking in a sample of university students. Study 2 showed that a person-situation fit in organizations based on this preference affects employees’ sense of well being. Finally, Study 3 conceptually replicated the results of Study 2 and demonstrated that the fit effects on well-being from the relation between locomotion and multi-tasking hold when both these variables are manipulated experimentally. These results support the basic idea that individuals with strong locomotion concerns benefit from activities more when they are performed simultaneously rather than sequentially.     

Psychobiology of Conflict

Human aggression and war are mediated by culture and social evolution. Human beings have a wide range of possible behaviors and possible cultural responses to aggression and the possibility of fear. This article analyzes the psychobiological dimensions of aggression and war, and proposes a way of approaching the complex interrelationship between biology, psychology, and culture.     

Undecidable Decisions: Rationality Limits and Decision-making Heuristics

In this article the theoretic evolution and the empirical-experimental efforts that have led to the affirmation of the bounded/procedural rationality paradigm are discussed. Moreover, the debate on supporters of the “optimization” approach and supporters of the “bounded/procedural rationality” approach is traced, highlighting the irreconcilability of these two approaches and, in retort, a solid defense against a merely “reductionist” attempt of the innovative context of the Simonian theory. Critically going over the debate on decision dynamics, it becomes clear how, due to the uncertain nature of rational processes, it is impossible to establish the decision-making best way. The imperfect character of individual choice is explained by how the decider identifies a solution that appears satisfying in that moment due to cognitive and temporal limits.     

Love and death in the transference: The case of the Hungarian poet Attila József

SUMMARY

This paper gives an account of working as psychoanalytic psychotherapist in a GPs' surgery from a base within a local Psychotherapy Department. Particular attention is paid to how the GPs regard the therapist's work, as evidenced by their referrals and other contact with the therapist. An evolving relationship between the therapist and the GPs is described, and material from clinical work and meetings with the GPs is used to illustrate this. The idea of ‘Practice as patient’ is introduced as a model whereby the therapist considers how most usefully to engage with the GPs, and how this can enhance the understanding of the clinical task.     

Prioritizing association strength versus value: the influence of self-regulatory modes on means evaluation in single goal and multigoal contexts

Means of goal attainment are said to be multifinal when they are capable of attaining more than 1 goal at the same time. Such means have an advantage over unifinal means because they have the potential to attain greater overall value. However, they have the disadvantage (relative to unifinal means) of diluting the association between the means and each of the goals (Zhang, Fishbach, & Kruglanski, 2007). In turn,diluted association strength is often interpreted as reduced means’ instrumentality. Given these tradeoffs between value (favoring a multifinal option) and instrumentality (favoring the unifinal option), the question is under what conditions 1 or the other would be selected. Based on regulatory mode theory(Higgins, Kruglanski, & Pierro, 2003; Kruglanski et al., 2000), we predicted and found in 5 experiments that individuals operating in a locomotion self-regulatory mode prefer a unifinal to multifinal means,whereas individuals operating in an assessment mode prefer multifinal to unifinal means. Implications of these findings for self-regulatory phenomena are discussed.     

Pavlovian processes and response competition as determinants of avoidance response-prevention effects

Two experiments investigated the facilitation of avoidance extinction by exposure to lengthy (5-sec) shock during avoidance response prevention. In Experiment 1, animals exposed to light only or to light-shock pairings during response prevention showed equal facilitation of extinction relative to shock-only animals or to animals receiving no response prevention. Preshock rearing, directly antagonistic to the avoidance response, developed for shocked animals during response prevention and persisted during extinction for light-shock animals. Immediately before extinction, half of each group was permitted a single escape from a light-shock compound by means of the response previously required for avoidance. The only effect was upon the extinction performance of light-shock animals. Rearing was eliminated and extinction responding increased to a level far above that for any of the other animals. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the shock-only treatment affected the extinction performance and rearing of nonescape and escape animals in a manner entirely equivalent to the effects of the light-shock treatment of Experiment 1, provided stimulus conditions (light absent) were the same for all experimental phases. Thus, lengthy shock during avoidance response prevention simultaneously leads to the acquisition of competing behavior and enhances control by a warning signal or contextual stimuli over the avoidance response. Implications for the CS-only response-prevention treatment and the transfer of aversive control are discussed.     

WITTGENSTEIN'S PERSONALITY AND HIS RELATIONS WITH FREUD'S THOUGHT

In this contribution the author examines the connections between Wittgenstein's personality and his attitude to Freud's psychoanalytic theories in the light of biographies of the philosopher, published exchanges of letters between him and his sisters, his 'secret' diaries from the time of the First World War, his diaries from the nineteen-thirties and the writings in which he discusses Freud and psychoanalysis. The paper quotes liberally from all these sources. Following an account of Wittgenstein's cultural and family background in Vienna and his subsequent peripatetic life, hypotheses are presented concerning his personality, sexuality and 'internal' theology, together with some ideas about his relationship with his family (in particular, his parents and sisters) and his critique of Freud's theories, with particular reference to dreams and their interpretation. Wittgenstein emerges as a highly original philosopher who is, however, emotionally disturbed and restless. His personality is found to have narcissistic aspects that moulded his behaviour and thought, and the author contends that his mental suffering caused him to apply psychological and psychoanalytic categories to his philosophy.     

The effects of intention and practice on a non-motor duration estimation task

It has already been shown that the intention to reproduce a motor task in the future improves its learning. Here, we tested whether intention had a similar effect on learning to perform a non-motor duration estimation task, and if intention interacted with the amount of practice. Participants learned to estimate and compare two different durations, with or without intending to reproduce this learning in the future, and with two different amounts of practice. The results showed that intention and practice enhanced task learning independently. Moreover, only practice enhanced learning in over-estimation strategy. These finding are discussed with respect to a possible mechanism by which intention and practice might improve the learning of a duration task.     

Gastroesophageal reflux disease: alexithymia and attachment style

Alexithymia and its relation with attachment style were evaluated in a group of 69 patients (men, M age = 46.4 yr., SD = 12.6; women, M age = 44.2 yr., SD = 14.4) affected by Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Two self-evaluation questionnaires were used for psychological evaluation, the 20 item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ). The TAS-20 analysis showed that the clinical sample taken as a whole did not score in the alexithymic range. The inverse correlations between the Confidence ASQ subscale and the Difficulty Communicating Feelings TAS-20 subscale showed that communication of emotions could develop more easily within the framework of a relational context characterized by safety and confidence. In this group of patients this was represented by the referent caregiver.     

Promoting foot–leg movements in children with multiple disabilities through the use of support devices and technology for regulating contingent stimulation

The present study assessed the possibility of promoting pre-ambulatory foot–leg movements in children with multiple disabilities by motivating their action through contingent stimulation combined with a support device. Two children aged 10 and 8 years participated. Microswitch technology (i.e., pressure sensors under the shoes or optic sensors at the front–inner side of the shoes) served for detecting the foot–leg movements and providing contingent stimulation on their occurrence. Sensor activation produced 5 s of stimulation during intervention. Data showed that both children had significant increases in foot–leg movements during the intervention phases. Implications of the data in terms of skill acquisition and further intervention prospects are discussed.