Art produced by a patient with Parkinson's disease

Artists with neurological diseases sometimes produce remarkably appealing art. Here we present the art of a patient with Parkinson's disease, who demonstrated remarkable creativity and productivity well into the course of his disease. Despite his manifest motor impairments, he produced paintings and drawings with fluid sinuous movements. He also became preoccupied with his art in an unprecedented way, raising the possibility that his disease and medications were contributing to his creative drive.     

The Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation (PANSI) inventory: psychometric evaluation with adolescent psychiatric inpatient samples

In this study, we evaluated the factor structure of the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation (PANSI) Inventory (Osman, Gutierrez, Kopper, Barrios, & Chiros, 1998) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The PANSI assesses the frequency of negative risk and protective factors that are related to suicidal behavior. Participants (n = 195) were adolescent psychiatric inpatients, ages 14 to 17 years, in the CFA. Results of the CFA supported the fit for the 2-factor oblique model as the best fitting model. The internal consistency reliability estimates of the 2 subscales, the PANSI-Negative (alpha = .96) and the PANSI-Positive (alpha = .89) were high. Scores on the PANSI scales differentiated between suicide attempters and controls and those at severe risk for suicide and controls. Correlational analyses provide strong support for the concurrent validity of the scales. The results of the logistic regression analyses provide support for the use of this new inventory as a risk measure of suicide-related behaviors: Scores on the PANSI scales (n = 54) also showed satisfactory evidence for test-retest reliability over a 2-week period.     

Involvement of short-term memory in complex mental calculation

The aim of this study was to examine the involvement of the short-term memory system in complex mental addition by manipulating the phonological and visual similarity of two numbers to be added. The phonological similarity of the problems appeared to have a major effect on both speed and accuracy. However, the manipulation of visual similarity failed to have any measurable impact. This suggests that the phonological loop, rather than the visual-spatial sketch pad, would be used preferably for temporary storage of addends. An interpretation of these results in terms of the nature of the internal code underlying this task is discussed.     

Elderly suicide in China

The rise in suicide rate among elderly people in China in recent years is noteworthy and may be associated with the increasing poverty of elderly people and the lack of social resources allocated to providing them with needed services to ensure their health and mental well-being.     

Prospects for prenatal gene therapy in disorders causing mental retardation

Advances in understanding the genetics and pathogenesis of disease and in prenatal diagnosis have lead to an exploration of ways to intervene earlier and earlier in the disease process. The possibility of prenatal gene therapy for severe genetic and developmental disorders has sparked new research and debate as to its feasibility, reliability, and ethics as a therapeutic option. Recent animal studies have demonstrated the feasibility of introducing a vector into the developing fetus. The optimal timing and best mode of delivery, however, have yet to be defined. Whether or not this research should be pursued also has been the subject of recent bioethical debates. There is additional concern with the possibility of in utero gene transfer inducing mutagenesis and subsequent tumor formation. This review will provide a summary of the current state of knowledge in the field of prenatal gene therapy and possible directions for the future research.     

Dynamic and consequential consistency of choices between paths of decision trees

The generally prescribed procedure for choosing a decision strategy from a decision tree employs a backward induction analysis that entails 3 fundamental consistency principles: dynamic, consequential, and strategic. The first requires the decision maker to follow through on plans to the end, the second requires the decision maker to focus solely on future events and final consequences given the current state of events, and the third is the conjunction of the first 2. Five experiments were reported to test these principles using different subject populations, different procedures for estimating consistency, and different factors for manipulating the attractiveness of the gamble at the final stage of the tree. The main findings were that strategic and dynamic consistency principles were violated at rates that exceeded choice inconsistency.     

Exploring well-being among US Hispanics/Latinos in a church-based institution: a qualitative study

Major theories informing conceptions of psychological well-being draw heavily from Western-centric perspectives, which often neglect culturally bound frameworks. We investigated how US Hispanics/Latinos conceptualize well-being, how psychosocial and behavioral aspects may increase well-being, and how psychosocial stressors may impact positive emotional states. Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latino adults were recruited from a church in an urban city in the US and invited to participate in focus groups. Two groups of women (n = 19) and one group of men (n = 8) participated. The importance of harmonious social relationships emerged as a theme with the central family unit as the fundamental force influencing long-lasting emotional well-being. Additional correlates of well-being included: faith/religiosity; physical health; self-love and -esteem; effective/open communication with family and friends; and financial security. Programs aimed at increasing well-being may need to be adapted before administration in Hispanics/Latinos to include a heightened focus on interpersonal factors. Delivery in religious institutions may also be particularly beneficial.     

Individual Differences in Accurately Judging Personality From Text

This research examines correlates of accuracy in judging Big Five traits from first‐person text excerpts. Participants in six studies were recruited from psychology courses or online. In each study, participants performed a task of judging personality from text and performed other ability tasks and/or filled out questionnaires. Participants who were more accurate in judging personality from text were more likely to be female; had personalities that were more agreeable, conscientious, and feminine, and less neurotic and dominant (all controlling for participant gender); scored higher on empathic concern; self‐reported more interest in, and attentiveness to, people's personalities in their daily lives; and reported reading more for pleasure, especially fiction. Accuracy was not associated with SAT scores but had a significant relation to vocabulary knowledge. Accuracy did not correlate with tests of judging personality and emotion based on audiovisual cues. This research is the first to address individual differences in accurate judgment of personality from text, thus adding to the literature on correlates of the good judge of personality.