Accounting for HIV Risk Among Men on Methadone

This study explores accounts and reasons for engaging in HIV risk-taking behaviors reported by heterosexual men in methadone treatment programs in the Harlem section of New York City. A convenience sample of 62 men who reported having abused their female partners in the past 12 months participated in 10 focus groups. Data analysis revealed four types of HIV risky accounts, which we labeled nihilistic, hedonistic, fatalistic, and normative. The accounts were rarely found in isolation, but were delivered in rich “performative” constellations. We conclude that normative accounts in particular have important implications for HIV prevention. They show that the (hetero)sexual act is interactive “hard work” to say the least, and condoms have no role interrupting it. In the end, the risks of losing masculine face before a female partner are very much prioritized over long-run HIV risks.     

Racial phenotypicality bias in educational expectations for both male and female teenagers from different socioeconomic backgrounds

In three experiments (N = 56, 99, and 225), we showed that racial phenotypicality bias characterizes educational expectations for Chilean mestizo students: participants displayed more positive educational expectations for light complexioned than for dark complexioned high school students. In Study 1, with male high school target students, the relation between racial phenotypic appearance and educational expectations was mediated by differences in perceived competence. Study 2 suggests that the gender of the target student did not influence the occurrence of racial phenotypicality bias. Study 3 showed that racial phenotypicality bias occurs in both university students and high school teachers' judgements. Although socioeconomic background of the target student partially explained the effects of racial phenotypic appearance (especially in teachers), the latter exerted an additional and independent influence on educational expectations. These results underline the fact that effects of racial phenotypicality bias should not be overlooked in the educational domain. As mediational analyses suggested, these effects only partly occur because of stereotypical associations between racial phenotypic appearance and socioeconomic background, but also because of stereotypical associations between racial phenotypic appearance and attributed competence.     

Psycho-ophthalmology: Contributions of Health psychology to the assessment and treatment of glaucoma

Background: Asymptomatic in its early stages, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. While psychosocial factors are taken into consideration for a host of diseases such as cancer, heart disease and autoimmune conditions, to date, psychological issues have been ignored in the clinical management of glaucoma.

Objective: This work reviews the most relevant contributions from a health psychology perspective for the assessment and treatment of glaucoma, which is emerging in the field of psycho-ophthalmology.

Method: To provide scientific evidence regarding contributions of psychology to the comprehension of glaucoma, a bibliographic review of three databases (Psicodoc, PsycInfo and Medline) was conducted, spanning the period between 1940 and 2016.

Results: This review yielded a total of 66 studies published in the period analysed and identified three areas where health psychology has made substantive contributions to glaucoma screening, monitoring and treatment: the emotional impact on patients suffering from glaucoma, the adherence to treatment and the effects of stress on intraocular pressure.

Conclusions: A health psychology approach for research and therapy of glaucoma must focus on the management of the negative affect associated with the diagnosis, the optimisation of treatment adherence and the stress management of the intraocular pressure measurements.     

On the requirement of nitric oxide signaling in the amygdala for consolidation of inhibitory avoidance memory

Evidence suggests that the NO/sGC/PKG pathway plays a key role in memory processing but the actual participation of this signaling cascade in the amygdala during memory consolidation remains unknown. Here, we show that when infused in the amygdala immediately after inhibitory avoidance training, but not later, the NO synthase inhibitor L-NNA hindered long-term memory retention without affecting locomotion, exploratory behavior, anxiety state or retrieval of the avoidance response. The amnesic effect of L-NNA was not state-dependent and was mimicked by the soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor LY83583 and the PKG inhibitor KT-5823. On the contrary, post-training intra-amygdala infusion of the NOS substrate L-Arg, the NO-releasing compound SNAP or the non-hydrolysable analog of cGMP 8Br-cGMP increased memory retention in a dose-dependent manner. Co-infusion of 8Br-cGMP reversed the amnesic effect of L-NNA and LY83583 but not that of KT-5823. Our data indicate that the NO-induced activation of PKG in the amygdala is a necessary step for consolidation of inhibitory avoidance memory.     

Categories and Levels of Reality

The discussion of the relation of levels of reality to categories is important because categories have often been interpreted as constituting levels of reality. This article explores whether this view is correct, and argues it is not. Categories as such should not be understood to constitute levels of reality, although particular categories may. The article begins with a discussion of levels of reality and then turns to specific questions about categories and how they are related to these levels.     

Minorities and the Philosophical Marketplace

This article argues for two theses. The first is that many of the sociological factors endemic in the philosophical community function as barriers to the recruitment of members of minority groups in the profession and to their functioning as public intellectuals. The division into familial groups, the fights for security and success, and the weakness of the federal organization of the American Philosophical Association all contribute to these barriers. The second is that sociology has a place in philosophy, even though it should not be confused with it. This means that philosophers need to consider social phenomena.     

Critical role of the 65-kDa isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase in consolidation and generalization of Pavlovian fear memory

Evidence suggests that plasticity of the amygdalar and hippocampal GABAergic system is critical for fear memory formation. In this study we investigated in wild-type and genetically manipulated mice the role of the activity-dependent 65-kDa isozyme of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65) in the consolidation and generalization of conditioned fear. First, we demonstrate a transient reduction of GAD65 gene expression in the dorsal hippocampus (6 h post training) and in the basolateral complex of the amygdala (24 h post training) during distinct phases of fear memory consolidation. Second, we show that targeted ablation of the GAD65 gene in Gad65(-/-) mice results in a pronounced context-independent, intramodal generalization of auditory fear memory during long-term (24 h or 14 d) but not short-term (30 min) memory retrieval. The temporal specificity of both gene regulation and memory deficits in Gad65 mutant mice suggests that GAD65-mediated GABA synthesis is critical for the consolidation of stimulus-specific fear memory. This function appears to involve a modulation of neural activity patterns in the amygdalo-hippocampal pathway as indicated by a reduction in theta frequency synchronization between the amygdala and hippocampus of Gad65(-/-) mice during the expression of generalized fear memory.     

Validation of the Portuguese emotion awareness questionnaire for children and adolescents

This study examined the construct and concurrent validity of the Portuguese version of the Emotion Awareness Questionnaire (EAQ) in 302 children and adolescents (mean age 13 years old). The EAQ is a self-report questionnaire that allows for analysis of how youth experience and understand their own and others’ emotions. Participants completed the EAQ along with questionnaires for Worry and Somatic Complaints. Results confirmed the expected six-factor structure, good psychometric properties, and good concurrent validity. The EAQ is a reliable questionnaire, suitable for examining emotion awareness in Portugal.     

Derived false memories using a respondent‐type (ReT) procedure

The present investigation used a respondent‐type (ReT) training procedure to generate derived false memories. A one‐to‐many ReT training procedure was implemented in order to establish two stimulus equivalence classes, each consisting of one shape and 24 random words (i.e., Class 1 and Class 2). A partial test for stimulus equivalence with a subset of stimuli from each class followed. Failing an equivalence test resulted in additional ReT training and equivalence testing on new subsets of stimuli. After passing an equivalence test, participants were presented with 12 study‐list words from Class 1 for memorization, followed by a distraction task. Finally, free recall and recognition tests for the study‐list words were implemented. False recall and false recognition were more frequent for nonstudied Class 1 words than for nonstudied Class 2 words. These derived false‐memory effects were more pronounced among those participants exhibiting more training and testing cycles and higher accuracy on stimulus equivalence tests. Furthermore, false recall and false remembering of nonstudied Class 1 words were more frequent for words that had been equivalence‐tested than for words that had not been equivalence‐tested. These results show how responses to contiguous stimuli could produce derived false memories and also highlight the role played by the equivalence test in increasing their emergence.     

Testing the properties of the triarchic model of psychopathy in a community sample: Self‐reported trait aggression and drug consumption associations

The triarchic model of psychopathy encompasses different conceptions of psychopathic personality characterized by three phenotypic components: boldness, disinhibition, and meanness. Psychopathy is a complex construct at both emotional and behavioral level. The aim of this study was to determine the core elements of psychopathic personality in a community sample and analyze the relation between these elements and other personality traits such as aggression, and certain specific behavioral manifestations such as substance use. The study sample comprised 1,159 participants aged between 17 and 74 years, who were administered the Triarchic Psychopathy Questionnaire, the Impulsive‐Premeditated Aggression Scale, and the Aggression Questionnaire. The results show that the constructs of meanness and disinhibition are more highly associated with different forms of both impulsive and premeditated aggression. Furthermore, men scored higher on all three components of the triarchic model compared to women. Finally, higher substance use (tobacco and drugs) was associated with higher scores in meanness, boldness, and disinhibition. These findings demonstrate the importance of assessing psychopathy in a community sample, and the detection of possible risk factors for the disorder.