Prosocial development in early adulthood: a longitudinal study

Consistency of measures of a prosocial personality and prosocial moral judgment over time, and the interrelations among them, were examined. Participants and friends' reports of prosocial characteristics were obtained at ages 21-22, 23-24, and 25-26 years. In addition, participants' prosocial judgment was assessed with interviews and with an objective measure of prosocial moral reasoning at several ages. Reports of prosocial behavior and empathy-related responding in childhood and observations of prosocial behavior in preschool also were obtained. There was interindividual consistency in prosocial dispositions, and prosocial dispositions in adulthood related to empathy/sympathy and prosocial behavior at much younger ages. Interview and objective measures of moral reasoning were substantially interrelated in late adolescence/early adulthood and correlated with participants' and friends' reports of a prosocial disposition.     

Comparison-level preferences after performance: is downward comparison theory still useful?

Although often credited with prompting a paradigm shift in social comparison theory, T. A. Wills's (1981) downward comparison (DC) theory has received some criticism recently. In particular, several recent studies have failed to find support for T. A. Wills's (1981) contention that threat and accompanying negative affect lead to a desire for DC. These apparent failures have led some investigators to question basic principles of the theory. To resolve this controversy, 5 studies were conducted examining preferred comparison level (PCL) after performance; 4 of the studies also assessed change in this preference. Results supported DC theory, but with modifications. Specifically, individuals who performed poorly lowered their PCLs. Under some circumstances, this "downward shift" included an increased interest in "true" DC--comparing with worse-off others. A reconciliation of these results with those of previous studies is offered.     

Strengthening the Capacity of Schools and Communities to Serve Students with Serious Emotional Disturbance

Target 2 of the National Agenda for Improving Results for Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance stipulates that communities and schools serve children and youth with emotional needs in their neighborhood homes and regular classrooms by developing the capacity of teachers, schools, and communities to provide supports and resources. This statement is partially based upon the idea that children and youth who are placed out-of-district for special needs and services are often alienated from their neighborhoods and their communities. The Westerly, RI, and Alliance, OH, school districts, service delivery agencies and families collaborated to implement system-wide change, so as to accomplish two main goals. First, they intended on retaining students with emotional needs in their neighborhood schools and in regular classrooms. Second, they aimed to increase their effectiveness in addressing the needs of all students by providing a range of integrated resources. Both communities were strongly driven by the underlying objective: to improve the educational, economic, and social outcomes for all children.     

Clinical psychologists' theory-based representations of mental disorders predict their diagnostic reasoning and memory

The theory-based model of categorization posits that concepts are represented as theories, not feature lists. Thus, it is interesting that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) established atheoretical guidelines for mental disorder diagnosis. Five experiments investigated how clinicians handled an atheoretical nosology. Clinicians' causal theories of disorders and their responses on diagnostic and memory tasks were measured. Participants were more likely to diagnose a hypothetical patient with a disorder if that patient had causally central rather than causally peripheral symptoms according to their theory of the disorder. Their memory for causally central symptoms was also biased. Clinicians are cognitively driven to use theories despite decades of practice with the atheoretical DSM.     

Working memory, inhibition, and fluid intelligence as predictors of performance on Tower of Hanoi and London tasks

The contributions of working memory, inhibition, and fluid intelligence to performance on the Tower of Hanoi (TOH) and Tower of London (TOL) were examined in 85 undergraduate participants. All three factors accounted for significant variance on the TOH, but only fluid intelligence accounted for significant variance on the TOL. When the contribution of fluid intelligence was accounted for, working memory and inhibition continued to account for significant variance on the TOH. These findings support argument that fluid intelligence contributes to executive functioning, but also show that the executive processes elicited by tasks vary according to task structure.     

Suicidal behavior in borderline personality disorder: prevalence, risk factors, prediction, and prevention

Suicidal behavior is frequent in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD); at least three-quarters of these patients attempt suicide and approximately 10% eventually complete suicide. Borderline patients at greatest risk for suicidal behavior include those with prior attempts, comorbid major depressive disorder, or a substance use disorder. Comorbidity with major depression serves to increase both the number and seriousness of the suicide attempts. Hopelessness and impulsivity independently increase the risk of suicidal behavior, as does a turbulent early life and the presence of antisocial traits. In summary, because BPD is frequently complicated by suicidal behavior, clinicians must avoid the mistake of thinking that a pattern of repeated attempts indicates little desire to die. Clinicians have an important role in preventing suicide attempts and completed suicides by understanding the risk factors.