Evidence accumulation in the integrated and primed Stroop tasks

We report distributional analyses of response times (RT) in two variants of the color-word Stroop task using manual keypress responses. In the classic Stroop task, in which the color and word dimensions are integrated into a single stimulus, the Stroop congruence effect increased across the quantiles. In contrast, in the primed Stroop task, in which the distractor word is presented ahead of colored symbols, the Stroop congruence effect was manifested solely as a distributional shift, remaining constant across the quantiles. The distributional-shift pattern mirrors the semantic-priming effect that has been reported in semantic categorization tasks. The results are interpreted within the framework of evidence accumulation, and implications for the roles of task conflict and informational conflict are discussed.     

Reliability and Validity of the Current Anxiety Level Measure

Professionals interested in assessing state anxiety (in the moment) levels before and after brief activity-based treatments would find limited evidence-based assessments. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the current anxiety level measure, a free, valid, and reliable state anxiety assessment. To establish concurrent validity, the current anxiety level measure was administered (n?=?98) alongside the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results found a strong relationship (r?=?.904, p?r?=?.702, p?n?=?102). Both samples showed the current anxiety level measure to be reliable and valid.     

Do infants discriminate non-linguistic vocal expressions of positive emotions?

Adults are highly proficient in understanding emotional signals from both facial and vocal cues, including when communicating across cultural boundaries. However, the developmental origin of this ability is poorly understood, and in particular, little is known about the ontogeny of differentiation of signals with the same valence. The studies reported here employed a habituation paradigm to test whether preverbal infants discriminate between non-linguistic vocal expressions of relief and triumph. Infants as young as 6 months who had habituated to relief or triumph showed significant discrimination of relief and triumph tokens at test (i.e. greater recovery to the unhabituated stimulus type), when exposed to tokens from a single individual (Study 1). Infants habituated to expressions from multiple individuals showed less consistent discrimination in that consistent discrimination was only found when infants were habituated to relief tokens (Study 2). Further, infants tested with tokens from individuals from different cultures showed dishabituation only when habituated to relief tokens and only at 10–12 months (Study 3). These findings suggest that discrimination between positive emotional expressions develops early and is modulated by learning. Further, infants' categorical representations of emotional expressions, like those of speech sounds, are influenced by speaker-specific information.     

How Parental Support During Homework Contributes to Helpless Behaviors Among Struggling Readers

This research investigated the influence of parental practices on helpless behaviors of struggling readers during homework tasks. Parents (N = 36) of elementary students reported on their children's helpless behaviors, such as task avoidance and negative affect, during homework assignments, and on the nature and frequency of their support. Distinctions were made between parental support considered to be strategic, compensatory, or intrusive. Additional variables that influence achievement behaviors were assessed, including children's language skills, academic abilities, and behavior regulation. Parent support considered intrusive, such as unsolicited interruptions and corrections, along with children's behavior regulation abilities, accounted for the greatest variation in struggling readers' helpless behaviors.     

Deconstructing the Time-Out: What Do Mothers Understand About a Common Disciplinary Procedure?

Time-out (TO) is one of the most common and effective disciplinary tactics used to address problem behavior; however, parents rate TO as one of the least useful behavior modification techniques. This may be due to a discrepancy between empirically supported TO procedures and how mothers are actually conducting TO. Fifty-five mothers were asked to define TO, provide information on how they conduct TO, and identify errors in TO procedures. Results indicate that maternal knowledge and implementation of TO differs considerably from the empirical ideal, potentially impacting the utility and frequency of TO usage in the home to address child problem behaviors.     

The Differential Role of Anxiety Sensitivity and its Components in the Relation between Emotional Nonacceptance and Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms and Disorders among Latinos in Primary Care

The present investigation examined anxiety sensitivity (AS) in the relation between emotional nonacceptance (unwillingness to experience unwanted emotions) and mood and anxiety symptoms among Latinos seeking health services at a primary healthcare facility. Participants included 267 adult Latinos (85.4% female; Mage = 38.8 years, SD = 10.7, and 95.9% used Spanish as their first language). Results indicated that emotional nonacceptance was indirectly related to number of mood and anxiety disorders, anxious arousal, social anxiety, and depressive symptoms through AS. The observed effects were evident above and beyond the variance accounted for by gender, age, marital status, educational status, employment status, years living in the United States, and negative affectivity. Using a multiple mediation model revealed that the AS cognitive, physical, and social concerns demonstrated unique incremental explanatory effects (above and beyond the other two AS sub-scales) for depressive, anxious arousal, and social anxiety symptoms, respectively. Thus, specific sub-scales of AS were uniquely related with the expression of particular affective symptom domains. Overall, the present findings suggest that there is merit in focusing further scientific attention on the interplay between nonacceptance and AS in regard to better understanding and intervening to reduce anxiety/depressive vulnerability among Latinos in primary care.     

“Born Black and Male”: Counseling leaders’ self-discovery of strengths

Africentric/Afrocentric psychology frames the interview findings on five African-American male leaders in a racial, ethnic, and culturally diverse counseling association. The consensual qualitative research method was used to extrapolate themes from the five interviews. Africentric cultural strengths suggested in the themes are (a) autogeny, (b) primacy of the person in the context of community, (c) consubstantiality of primordial substance, (d) perpetual evolution, and (e) living forever. Two themes related to counseling practice are (f) social justice and (g) cultural empathy. Common trends in statements across interviews are illustrated with rich quotations and summaries. Although the framework of continental African world view facilitated understanding a few African-American male counseling leaders, the study evidences a larger universal human dimension of individuals’ pain, resilience, self-discovery of strengths, and leadership bound to a collective self-concept by which leadership can take place both individually and collectively.     

Comparing Brief Experimental Analysis and Teacher Judgment for Selecting Early Reading Interventions

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of brief experimental analysis (BEA) to identify early reading interventions for students in the primary grades and to compare teachers’ judgments about their students’ early reading intervention needs to BEA results. In addition, the research was conducted to explore how teachers make decisions regarding early reading intervention selection and evaluation. Three teachers and three elementary students (two kindergarten and one second grade) participated in the study. A BEA using a multielement design with mini-reversals was used to test the effects of four different interventions. Each teacher selected an intervention that she judged to be the most promising for her student. An extended analysis using an alternating treatments design compared the relative effects of the BEA-identified intervention and the teacher-identified intervention across time. The teachers were interviewed before and after selecting and implementing the interventions. The extended analysis results showed that the BEA-identified intervention was more effective than the teacher-identified intervention for all participants. Initial and final interview findings revealed that the teachers reported using data to make intervention decisions, but with limited specificity and in some cases, misjudgments. The results are discussed in regard to limitations and future research.     

Cultural Identity and the Expression of Depression: A Social Identity Perspective

The present research interrogates the greater tendency for Chinese people to somaticize depression relative to Westerners. Drawing from a social identity perspective, three studies were conducted examining the role that cultural norms play in symptom expression. In an initial study, we confirmed greater somatization, minimization of distress and suppression of emotional expression among Chinese participants compared with Australians (Study 1). Asian normative expectations of collectivism moderated these effects such that somatization was higher among those who endorsed collectivism norms, but only among Chinese participants. Studies 2a and 2b found that only when Asian participants identified strongly with Asian culture did collectivism norms predict somatic symptoms. These findings have implications for practitioners working with people from Asian cultures, highlighting that it is not culture per se, but the endorsement of normative expectations in the context of strong identification with cultural groups that predicts which symptoms of depression are emphasized. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Should Genetic Testing be Offered for Children? The Perspectives of Adolescents and Emerging Adults in Families with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome

Whether children should be offered genetic testing for cancer risk is much debated but young voices are rarely heard in these conversations. The current study explored perspectives of genetic testing held by adolescents and emerging adults in families with Li Fraumeni syndrome (LFS). Twelve 12- to 25-year-olds in families with LFS completed qualitative interviews for this study. All believed that testing should be offered for children but many qualified this statement saying parental approval would be needed and testing should be optional. Genetic testing was seen as way to learn of risk status, allow for disease prevention efforts, and reduce uncertainty and anxiety. Perceived disadvantages included negative emotions associated with the testing result. Participants generally felt that children should be involved in the testing decision, but that parents could unilaterally decide to have a child tested in certain circumstances (e.g., young age, high risk). All who were aware of having been tested and of their test result (n = 7; 4 positive) said testing had no negative impact on their outlook and they agreed with the decision to undergo testing. Implications of these findings for clinical practice and future research are discussed.