Visual causal impressions in the perception of several moving objects

Several kinds of visual causal impressions occur when people observe stimuli involving objects in motion. It is hypothesized that these impressions occur when the visual system avoids coincidences by matching the observable kinematic features of the stimulus to a template of a physical mechanism. This was tested by constructing a stimulus in which several spatially separated objects move in a coordinated manner. Variations on this stimulus were constructed such that some were inconsistent with a possible physical mechanism that could explain the motions of the objects and others were consistent with it. Mechanism‐inconsistent variations yielded significantly lower ratings of the causal impression and mechanism‐consistent variations did not, supporting the hypothesis. Misperceptions of features of the stimulus were also reported by a majority of participants, and the nature of these misperceptions is also consistent with the hypothesis that the stimulus is interpreted as a representation of a kind of physical mechanism.     

Perceived causality and perceived force: Same or different?

Visually perceived interactions between objects, such as animated versions of billiard ball collisions, give rise to causal impressions, impressions that one object produces some effect in another, and force impressions, impressions that one object exerts a certain amount of force on another. In four experiments, evidence for strong divergence between these two impressions is reported. Manipulations of relative direction of motion and point of contact between the objects had different effects on the causal and force impressions (Experiment 1); delay between one object contacting another and the latter starting to move had a stronger effect on the causal impression than on the force impression (Experiment 2); a context of other moving objects significantly weakened the causal impression but not the force impression (Experiment 3); and there was an inverse relation between an impression of one object penetrating another and the amount of force the former was perceived as exerting on the latter (Experiment 4). These findings are explained in terms of differential effects of instructions on attention, and also in terms of differences in meaning between force and causality.     

Paranoid thinking in mass shooters

Mass murderers, particularly school shooters, are depicted in the literature as either reacting with rage to taunts and bullying or as being psychopathic. However, examination of diaries and Web sites left by a subset of mass shooters (e.g., Eric Harris, Kimveer Gil, Seung-Hui Cho, Anders Breivik) reveals a different phenomenology than that typically proposed. This group greatly exaggerates the negativity of their treatment as reported by third-party school peers. They become and remain fixated and obsessed with rejection by what they see as an elite in-group whom they see as having unfairly achieved success. Instead of transcending the rejection, they formulate plans to annihilate the transgressors, which they justify as vengeance for the transgressions made against them. The self-exacerbating and obsessive qualities of these perceptions are more consistent with paranoid thinking than with psychopathy. The perceptions feed on themselves and, being part of a closed belief system, expand with time. In the rare cases where the perpetrator survives the mass shooting, they are diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic. We focus on the pre-psychotic deterioration of their thinking.     

A Note on Family Acceptance Involving Interracial Friendships and Romantic Relationships

Perceptions of family acceptance concerning interracial friendships and romantic relationships were investigated in a group of 142 undergraduates. The Assessment Scale of Interracial Relationships (ASIR) was constructed by the authors and administered to 68 men and 74 women recruited from introductory psychology courses. Results showed that both men and women held negative attitudes toward interracial relationships, although Black students held more favorable attitudes than did White students. These findings also showed that the women were less accepting of interracial friendships and romantic relationships than the men were. Both Black and White students indicated that family perception of these interracial relationships would be negative.     

Animal Cruelty,Domestic Violence,and Social Disorganization in a Suburban Setting

ABSTRACT

Breaking away from a focus on the influence of individual characteristics on animal cruelty and guided by social disorganization theory, we investigated animal cruelty violations in block groups in a city in coastal Virginia. We discovered that block groups with higher levels of social disorganization, measured by economic disadvantage, ethnic heterogeneity, residential mobility, and family disruption, had higher levels of animal cruelty violations and reports of aggravated and simple domestic violence. The rates of animal cruelty violations were significantly correlated with aggravated domestic violence but not reports of simple domestic violence.     

Assessment of Time Management Skills (ATMS): A Practice-Based Outcome Questionnaire

This study assessed test–retest reliability and internal consistency of the Assessment of Time Management Skills (ATMS), a self-report questionnaire designed to assess awareness and use time management strategies to plan and manage daily life tasks. Participants included 18 to 65 year-old people (N = 241) from the general population. The questionnaire's content validity was established. The tool demonstrated good internal consistency (α = 0.86). Test–retest reliability for the score revealed a Pearson Coefficient of Correlation (PCC) r = 0.89. The ATMS may be a useful tool for evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation designed to improve time management skills.     

Infidelity Treatment Patterns: A Practice-based Evidence Approach

Infidelity is a common presenting problem in couples therapy and can be challenging for therapists to treat. The current zeitgeist in mental health delivery systems includes a focus on developing treatment guidelines. The essence of this movement is that therapists' practice be informed by clinical research, or at the very least, be guided by the accumulated wisdom of other therapists. Practice-based evidence has been advocated as a method using a bottom-up approach of gathering data relying on the expertise of practicing clinicians to inform treatment guidelines. The goal of this paper was to distill and disseminate such aggregated wisdom related to treating infidelity into a practice-based evidence model. We reviewed the literature related to the treatment of infidelity and identified a core set of clinical recommendations that was similar across sources. The themes and patterns that emerged are divided into the following areas: goals of treatment, treatment engagement, treatment format, assessment, process and intervention, treatment adherence, and relapse prevention. We present this as a map or guide to treatment than can be individualized to a specific clinical situation, rather than as a specific, step-by-step manualized approach. We note cultural and ethical factors that may be relevant, as well discuss areas of debate and topics for future research.