The development of reaching and looking preferences in infants to objects of different sizes.

Reaching and looking preferences and movement kinematics were recorded in 5-15-month-old infants, who were divided into 3 age groups. Infants were presented with pairs of cylinders of 3 different diameters: small (1-cm diameter), medium (2.5-cm diameter), and large (6-cm diameter). Whereas infants between 5 and 12 months of age showed a preference for looking first at the large object, a significant preference for reaching to smaller (graspable) objects was observed in 81/2-12-month-old infants. Kinematic measures suggest that the onset of object-oriented action requires a slowing down of the reach and an extended "homing-in" phase. The divergent looking and reaching preferences in infants at different ages may reflect a dissociation during development of visual processing streams subserving object-related action from those related to visual orienting.     

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.     

Talk about a past relationship partner: Metacommunicative implications

Abstract

Within many intimate dyadic relationships, individuals talk to their partners about a past relationship with a former spouse or lover. The impact that “talk about a past partner” (Tapp) has on one's current relationship is reviewed. Four metacommunicative functions of Tapp are suggested: disclosing past relationship history, conveying relationship rules or expectations, creating closeness or distance, and confirming self-perceptions. It is argued that the role of Tapp, within any given relationship, not only affects partners' feelings of security, control, closeness, etc., but also may reveal their characteristic patterns of communicating, metacomrnunicat-ing, interpreting and misinterpreting.     

Tasks for Assessing Memory for Temporal Order Versus Memory for Items in Aging

Younger and older adults were compared on new tests for item and temporal memory suitable for use in future electrophysiological or neuroimaging studies. Following a series of 10 simple line drawings, 4-choice panels containing two previously seen targets and two novel distractors appeared. Participants identified which pictures had been seen previously (item), or which of the items was presented earliest (temporal order). Performance of younger adults was superior to that of older adults. Memory for item and temporal order were equivalent in the younger group. In contrast, the item memory of the older group was superior to memory for temporal order, confirming previous evidence of differential impairment of memory for temporal order with age.     

Talkativeness in Cognitively Normal Women at Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease

Previous research has suggested a correlation between some linguistic patterns and the risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). There is increasing clinical need to identify factors that can be used alone or in combination to predict the onset of AD. The purpose of the present study was to explore the association of language skills and genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Oral and written language samples of cognitively normal women with a susceptibility gene for AD (ApoE e4) were compared to those of noncarriers on measures of grammatical complexity, topic relevance, and talkativeness by observers unaware of participant genotypes. Participants included 29 ApoE e4 carriers 49-73 years of age, and 29 e4 noncarriers 48-76 years of age, most of whom had a first-degree relative with AD. Carriers and noncarriers were group matched for age, educational level, and estimated IQ. Participant groups did not differ significantly in language complexity or topic relevance. However, the ApoE e4 group was significantly more talkative than the noncarrier group (p < .05).     

Spatial Memory and Aging: Performance on a Human Analog of the Morris Water Maze

Rodent studies demonstrate parallel age-related changes in spatial memory and the hippocampal formation. Converging cognitive, neuropsychological, and neurobiological evidence suggests similar changes in humans, although these correlates have not been studied in the same individuals. The purpose of the current project was to develop and validate a human analog of a rodent spatial memory task for future use in correlative studies of spatial memory and brain structure and function. Younger and older healthy adults studied the location of a target relative to distal cues in a large tent-like enclosure. Group performances were similar for the practice trial, which could be solved verbally, suggesting similar abilities to remember the configuration of multiple stimuli in a large space. However, on subsequent trials, which depended more upon spatial memory, older adults were impaired relative to their younger counterparts.     

Illness perceptions and self efficacy beliefs in adolescents and young adults with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

Abstract

The study examined the role of illness perceptions and self-efficacy in diabetic regimen adherence and metabolic control among young patients with Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM). Sixty-four outpatients with Insulin Dependent Diabetes completed measures of illness perceptions, generalised and diabetes specific self-efficacy and a self-report measure of adherence. Metabolic control (HbAlc) was also assessed. Control, identity and consequences components of illness perceptions were significantly correlated with self-efficacy expectancies. Control beliefs were consistently associated with self-reported adherence across all treatment aspects and accounted for 39% of the predicted variance in total adherence. The associations of the other psychological predictors examined, varied depending on the regimen area. Multiple regression analysis showed that 30.8% of the variance in HbAlc assays was explained by patients' diabetes specific self-efficacy, consequences and identity. Our findings suggest that patients' beliefs are useful predictors of physiological and behavioural outcomes in diabetes self-management and should thus be the focus of routine clinical assessments and future interventions.     

Concurrent Validity of the Pediatric Attention Disorders Diagnostic Screener for Children with ADHD

The present study examined the concurrent validity of a new computer-assisted ADHD screening system, the Pediatric Attention Disorders Diagnostic Screener (PADDS; Pedigo, Pedigo, &; Scott, 2006 Pedigo, T., Pedigo, K. and Scott, V. B. Jr. 2006. PADDS Pediatric ADHD Screener: An evidence-based assessment system for screening attention and executive disorders, clinical and users guide, Okeechobee, FL: Targeted Testing, Inc.  [Google Scholar]) in relation to the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA; Greenberg, 1999 Greenberg, L. M. 1999. Test of Variables of Attention, Los Alamitos, CA: The Tova Company.  [Google Scholar]), the Conner's Continuous Performance Test- II (CPT-II; Conners &; MHS Staff, 2000 Conners, C. K. and MHS Staff. 2000. Conner's continuous performance test II, Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.  [Google Scholar]), and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF; Gioia, Isquith, Guy, &; Kenworthy, 2000 Gioia, G. A., Isquith, P. K., Guy, S. C. and Kenworthy, L. 2000. Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function: Professional Manual, Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.  [Google Scholar]) in three clinically referred samples of children 6 to 12 years of age. The PADDS is a recently published multidimensional screening measure that incrementally merges computer-administered executive tasks with parent and teacher behavior ratings to aid in the diagnostic decision-making process for youth with attention disorders. To date, no published study has examined the concurrent validity of the PADDS. In a clinic-referred sample of 217 subjects diagnosed with ADHD concurrent validity was assessed through correlation coefficients, paired t-tests (p < .001), and Cohen's d effect sizes. In comparison to the TOVA, the CPT-II, and the BRIEF scales, the PADDS demonstrated strong concurrent validity between conceptually similar scales, providing initial evidence for the concurrent validity of the PADDS. Relative to other measures, the PADDS appears to have some unique scales designed to assess attention and various aspects of executive functioning.     

Narcissism and Leadership: A Meta‐Analytic Review of Linear and Nonlinear Relationships

Past empirical studies relating narcissism to leadership have offered mixed results. This study integrates prior research findings via meta‐analysis to make 4 contributions to theory on narcissism and leadership, by (a) distinguishing between leadership emergence and leadership effectiveness, to reveal that narcissism displays a positive relationship with leadership emergence, but no relationship with leadership effectiveness; (b) showing narcissism's positive effect on leadership emergence can be explained by leader extraversion; (c) demonstrating that whereas observer‐reported leadership effectiveness ratings (e.g., supervisor‐report, subordinate‐report, and peer‐report) are not related to narcissism, self‐reported leadership effectiveness ratings are positively related to narcissism; and (d) illustrating that the nil linear relationship between narcissism and leadership effectiveness masks an underlying curvilinear trend, advancing the idea that there exists an optimal, midrange level of leader narcissism.