Information processing and aspects of visual attention in children with the DSM-III-R diagnosis “pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified” (PDDNOS): II. sustained attention

A group of 15 nonhyperactive children of normal intelligence with the DSM-III-R diagnosis “pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified” (PDDNOS) performed a sustained attention task. Adopting a cognitive-energetical linear stage model of human information processing, we investigated whether task performances deteriorated due to a diminishing level of arousal, activation, or by the active ‘effortful’ mode of information processing. In comparison to an age-matched group of normal children, the patients showed no sharper decrease in perceptual sensitivity (d'). D' is assumed to be a measure of arousal. However, the children with PDDNOS exhibited large fluctuations in their response bias beta (β), which is assumed to be a measure of activation. During the first part of the task, they shifted between under- and overestimating negative responses. In the latter part of the task this pattern altered to significantly overestimating the number of negative responses. This indicates that the patients were not able to appropriately tune to the task-inherent response probability. Moreover, as compared to the control children, the patients showed a significantly sharper decrease in hit rate with time on task, despite the fact that feedback was given on the errors. The findings are interpreted as an increasing loss of the ability to control the response bias due to difficulties in maintaining the voluntary effortful mode of processing information with prolonged time on task.     

The challenge of cross-cultural quality of life assessment

Abstract

As a result of an increased international cooperation in the health care field, the demand for cross-culturally applicable, patient-oriented instruments to assess the need for and to evaluate the outcome of medical interventions has also grown. However, basic problems exist in assessing health-related quality of life—one of the most prominent outcomes—across cultures. Conceptually it is unclear to which extent the quality of life construct is transferable from one cultural context to another. Methodologically, ways to assess the construct have to be sensitive to different cultures and practically, application of quality of life measures may be difficult. The current paper addresses these issues, presenting the current state of the art in cross-cultural development of health-related quality of life assessment instruments as well as a critical review thereof. Examples are provided from internationally active working groups in terms of the translation, psychometric testing and norming of quality of life questionnaires.     

Gamma- and theta-band synchronization during semantic priming reflect local and long-range lexical–semantic networks

Anterior and posterior brain areas are involved in the storage and retrieval of semantic representations, but it is not known how these areas dynamically interact during semantic processing. We hypothesized that long-range theta-band coherence would reflect coupling of these areas and examined the oscillatory dynamics of lexical–semantic processing using a semantic priming paradigm with a delayed letter-search task while recording subjects’ EEG. Time–frequency analysis revealed facilitation of semantic processing for Related compared to Unrelated conditions, which resulted in a reduced N400 and reduced gamma power from 150 to 450 ms. Moreover, we observed greater anterior–posterior theta coherence for Unrelated compared to Related conditions over the time windows 150–425 ms and 600–900 ms. We suggest that while gamma power reflects activation of local functional networks supporting semantic representations, theta coherence indicates dynamic coupling of anterior and posterior areas for retrieval and post-retrieval processing and possibly an interaction between semantic relatedness and working memory.     

Focus on opportunities as a mediator of the relationships between age, job complexity, and work performance

Focus on opportunities is a cognitive-motivational facet of occupational future time perspective that describes how many new goals, options, and possibilities individuals expect to have in their personal work-related futures. This study examined focus on opportunities as a mediator of the relationships between age and work performance and between job complexity and work performance. In addition, it was expected that job complexity buffers the negative relationship between age and focus on opportunities and weakens the negative indirect effect of age on work performance. Results of mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation analyses with data collected from 168 employees in 41 organizations (mean age = 40.22 years, SD = 10.43, range = 19–64 years) as well as 168 peers providing work performance ratings supported the assumptions. The findings suggest that future studies on the role of age for work design and performance should take employees’ focus on opportunities into account.     

Are Older Adults Wiser Than College Students? A Comparison of Two Age Cohorts

This study examined whether (a) older adults are wiser than college students, (b) college-educated older adults are wiser than current college students, and (c) wise older adults show evidence of personal growth. Using a sample of 477 undergraduate college students and 178 older adults (age 52+), results showed that college students tended to score as high on the self-administered three-dimensional wisdom scale (3D-WS) as older adults. However, college-educated older adults tended to score significantly higher on the reflective and affective dimensions of wisdom and the overall score of the 3D-WS and than did current college students. Qualitative evidence suggests that many older adults, particularly in the top 20% of wisdom scorers, grew wiser with age by learning from life experiences. The results indicate that wisdom might increase with age for individuals with the opportunity and motivation to pursue its development.     

Ethics Consultation in Pediatrics: Long-Term Experience From a Pediatric Oncology Center

There is little information about the content of ethics consultations (EC) in pediatrics. We sought to describe the reasons for consultation and ethical principles addressed during EC in pediatrics through retrospective review and directed content analysis of EC records (2000–2011) at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Patient-based EC were highly complex and often involved evaluation of parental decision making, particularly consideration of the risks and benefits of a proposed medical intervention, and the physician's fiduciary responsibility to the patient. Nonpatient consultations provided guidance in the development of institutional policies that would broadly affect patients and families. This is one of the few existing reviews of the content of pediatric EC and indicates that the distribution of ethical issues and reasons for moral distress are different than with adults. Pediatric EC often facilitates complex decision making among multiple stakeholders, and further prospective research is needed on the role of ethics consultation in pediatrics.