Neurobiologische Korrelate der Psychotherapie von Zwangsst?rungen

Obsessive-compulsive disorders are associated with different neuropsychological impairments concerning executive functions, error monitoring, decision making and other basic functionalities. Contemporary neurocircuitry models emphasize the dysfunction of the fronto-striato-thalamo-cortical network related to parietal regions, the orbitofrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex and other limbic structures. In brief, studies on the functional neuroanatomy of psychotherapy effects realized by positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are reported. Perspectives concern combined process-outcome research with repeated neuroimaging and highly resolved (daily) self-ratings focussing the nonlinear dynamics of psychotherapeutic change processes. New therapeutic approaches could explore the combination of psychotherapy with fMRI-based real-time neurofeedback and noninvasive neuromodulation with coordinated reset stimulation focusing on the desynchronization of pathologically oversynchronized neural populations and networks.     

Play as co‐created narrative in computer game consumption: The hero's journey in Warcraft III

Computer games are now a significant consumption activity in consumer culture. Informed by interdisciplinary studies and drawing on data from in‐depth interviews with players of the Warcraft III computer game, we explore the relationship between play and storytelling during digital play. Understanding that such play is determined by systems of game rules and that computer game characters and settings are capable of conveying cultural meanings to players, we found that the rules of play in computer games can be designed in ways that encourage consumers to co‐create meaningful story plots derived from their knowledge of myth and fiction. In the case of Warcraft, these plots resembled the archetypal plot of the hero's journey. We conclude that computer games immerse consumers in a form of playful consumption that engages them in memorialised, co‐authored storytelling. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Merging on mayday: subgroup and superordinate identification as joint moderators of threat effects in the context of European Union's expansion

Threat has been proposed as an important cause of prejudice with social identification moderating its effects. In the context of the expansion of the European Union, two studies (N = 216 students and N = 107 non‐students) examined how people with different levels of subgroup and superordinate identification respond to threats from an outgroup nested within the same superordinate category as the ingroup. Across experiments, a consistent finding was that participants who strongly identified with the subgroup (Germany) and the superordinate group (Europe) at the same time were most susceptible to a subtle manipulation of threat. Among these participants, threat increased prejudice (Studies 1 and 2) and ingroup projection (Study 2). Findings are discussed with regard to theoretical models of subgroup relations, especially the ingroup projection model, as well as the European integration process. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Blur-modulated orientation perception in the rod-and-frame task

In order to assess the role of blur in a rod-and-frame task, an afocal blurring technique was developed that restricted the blur to the frame. Three levels of blur were investigated, along with a nonblurred, directly viewed frame. Results showed a significant drop in the rod-and-frame effect (RFE) with increasing blur (decreasing spatial frequency), but spatial frequencies even as low as .092 cpd failed to reduce the RFE to zero. Decreasing luminance was correlated with increased blur, but control studies showed that variation in luminance levels between .007 and .0015 cd m^?2 had no effect on RFE. The finding of a spatial frequency dependency in the rod-and-frame task permits the development of a neuropsychological theory of individual and gender differences typically found in studies of static spatial orientation.     

BALANCING THE RIGHT TO HABILITATION WITH THE RIGHT TO PERSONAL LIBERTIES: THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES TO EAT TOO MANY DOUGHNUTS AND TAKE A NAP

In the pursuit of efficient habilitation, many service providers exercise a great deal of control over the lives of clients with developmental disabilities. For example, service providers often choose the client's habilitative goals, determine the daily schedule, and regulate access to preferred activities. This paper examines the advantages and disadvantages of allowing clients to exercise personal liberties, such as the right to choose and refuse daily activities. On one hand, poor choices on the part of the client could hinder habilitation. On the other hand, moral and legal issues arise when the client's right to choice is abridged. Recommendations are offered to protect both the right to habilitation and the freedom to choose.     

Performance of disabled and normal readers on the continuous performance test

Twelve-year-old reading-disabled children of normal intelligence were compared on the Continuous Performance Test with two control groups of normal intelligence and reading ability either of the same age or of the same reading age as the reading-disabled group. Signal-detection analysis showed that the reading-disabled were more conservative than chronological-age controls in their willingness to identify the target letter sequence. Although this conservative performance was shared by the reading-age controls, the readingdisabled suffered an additional handicap of relatively frequent anticipatory errors. Groups also differed on a sensitivity measure, suggesting a deficit in working memory in the reading-disabled children.This research was supported by the New Zealand Neurological Foundation. We thank the children and school staff for their willing cooperation. We are indebted to the research students who found the subjects and helped collect the data.