Investigating the Constrained Action Hypothesis: A Movement Coordination and Coordination Variability Approach

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of focus of attention cues on movement coordination and coordination variability in the lower extremity. Twenty participants performed the standing long jump under both internal and external focus of attention conditions. A modified vector coding technique was used to evaluate the influence of attentional focus cues on lower extremity coordination patterns and coordination variability during the jumps. Participants jumped significantly further under an external focus of attention condition compared with an internal focus of attention condition (p = .035, effect size = .29). Focus of attention also influenced coordination between the ankle and knee, F(6, 19) = 2.87, p = .012, effect size = .388, with participants primarily using their knees under the internal focus of attention, and using both their ankles and knees under the external focus of attention. Attentional focus cues did not influence ankle-knee, F(1, 19) = 0.02, p = .98, effect size = .02, or hip-knee, F(1, 19) = 5.00, p = .49, effect size = .16, coordination variability. Results suggest that while attentional focus may not directly influence movement coordination condition, there is still a change in movement strategy resulting in greater jump distances following an external focus of attention.     

Exploring the Spiritual/Religious Dimension of Patients: A Timely Opportunity for Personal and Professional Reflection for Graduating Medical Students

Teaching about spirituality in medical school training is lacking. Spirituality is a dimension of humanity that can put experiences of health and illness into a meaningful context. Medical students might benefit from understanding how spirituality is an important element in learning to care for patients. Spirituality also provides a context for medical students to explore their own motivations for doctoring. This article describes a longitudinal senior elective course at the end of their medical school training to delve into matters of religion/spirituality surrounding patient care. The authors pose their own perspectives on what both students and faculty gained from the experience.     

The use of health technology and information: e-learning technological approach.

The Internet is becoming the preferred place for finding information. Millions of people go online in search of health and medical information. Likewise, health care professionals must be able to retrieve and manage information in an efficient, effective manner. The development of health technology and informatics (HTI) has been rapid, yet little is known about the knowledge and attitudes of nursing students with regard to using HTI. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to explore nursing students' knowledge of and attitudes toward using HTI and to use an e-learning workshop to enhance the effective use of HTI. In Phase I, 115 first-year full-time nursing students were invited to complete a 13-item questionnaire regarding knowledge of and attitudes toward computer and Internet use, knowledge of HTI, and attitudes toward the future development of HTI. Participants perceived themselves to be knowledgeable in computer and Internet use, while knowledge of HTI was perceived to be low and attitudes toward the future development of HTI were generally positive. Phase II was an e-learning HTI workshop; topics included an introduction to HTI, examples of HTI in use, and the application and implementation of various HTI projects. There were 30 participants in the E-learning workshop, and their feedback was positive. Nurses and all health care professionals must be prepared to participate in the development of health technology and informatics. Teaching and learning activities should be geared toward mastery of HTI in the nursing education curriculum in order to enhance health care quality and safety.     

Distortions of perceived length in the frontoparallel plane: tests of perspective theories

The perceived length of a line segment in a frontoparallel plane is sometimes affected by the presence of other line segments in the visual field. Perspective theories attribute such interactions to size-constancy scaling: The configuration of line segments present in the visual field includes depth cues that trigger size scaling of each line segment. In three experiments, we test this claim for a range of simple configurations composed of two line segments joined at a point. These configurations include the inverted T configuration of the bisection illusion, as well as the L configuration of the horizontal-vertical illusion. We conclude that the available depth cues, even when supplemented by known biases in perspective interpretations, do not account for observed distortions in judgments of relative length.     

The Effect of Maltreatment Type on Adolescent Executive Functioning and Inner Speech

There are indications that different types of maltreatment can lead to different cognitive and behavioural outcomes. This study investigated whether maltreatment type was related to executive functioning (EF) abilities and the use of inner speech. Forty maltreated adolescents and a comparison group of 40 non‐maltreated typically developing adolescents completed a battery of tasks designed to assess both their EF abilities and their vulnerability to disruptions to inner speech. They also completed an IQ test. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and ANCOVA analyses were carried out to examine potential effects of maltreatment type (abuse alone; neglect alone; abuse/neglect combined and no maltreatment) on EF and use of inner speech. Maltreatment type was related to EF abilities. In particular, abuse only and abuse/neglect combined had a greater negative impact on EF than neglect only. However, the neglect alone group was more vulnerable to disruptions to inner speech than the other two maltreatment groups, suggesting that they may be more reliant on the use of inner speech. These findings provide new insights into the differential impact of maltreatment type on EF and the use of inner speech in adolescence and could be used to improve the educational outcomes of these vulnerable young people. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Supporting child witnesses during identification lineups: Exploring the effectiveness of registered intermediaries

Performance at identification lineup was assessed in eighty‐five 6‐ to 11‐year‐old typically developing children. Children viewed a live staged event involving 2 male actors, and were asked to identify the perpetrators from 2 separate lineups (one perpetrator‐present lineup and one perpetrator‐absent lineup). Half the children took part in lineups adapted by a registered intermediary (an impartial, trained professional who facilitates understanding and communication between vulnerable witnesses and members of the justice system), and half took part in “best‐practice” lineups, according to the current guidance for eyewitness identification in England and Wales. Children receiving assistance from a registered intermediary (relative to children who received best‐practice lineups) were more accurate in their identifications for perpetrator‐present lineups, and there was some evidence that they were also more accurate for perpetrator‐absent lineups. This provides the first empirical evidence for the effectiveness of registered intermediary support during identification lineups.     

CODEPENDENCY, LOSS OF SELF, AND POWER

The feminist critique that codependency and loss of self are related to power was tested in a sample of 122 college women and men in committed relationships. Participants completed two codependency measures, a loss of self scale, and three indices of power: perceived power, use of specific influence strategies, and decision making. Among both women and men, codependency and loss of self were positively related to the use of indirect strategies and negatively related to perceived power, and loss of self was negatively related to use of the direct strategies. Among women alone, codependency was also negatively related to use of direct strategies and loss of self negatively related to decision making. These correlational data provide support for a feminist critique of codependency as related to power; however, gender similarities suggest that the relations between power, loss of self, and codependency hold for college men as well as college women.     

Age differences in life stories and neuroticism mediate age differences in subjective well-being

We examined whether age differences in life stories and personality traits mediated age differences in subjective well-being. One hundred one young, 77 middle-aged, and 81 older participants completed measures of subjective well-being and personality traits. They described chapters and specific memories in their life stories and rated these on emotional tone and positive and negative self-event connections. Older participants scored higher on subjective well-being, rated their life stories as more positive, and scored lower on neuroticism compared with both young and middle-aged participants. Age differences in subjective well-being were mediated by life stories and neuroticism, with neuroticism being the strongest mediator. We suggest that changes in personality may enable older individuals to interpret events and themselves in a positive light, which help enhance their subjective well-being.