Self‐image and schadenfreude: Pleasure at others' misfortune enhances satisfaction of basic human needs

The present research tested whether observing the failure of another individual and experiencing schadenfreude (i.e., pleasure at others' misfortune) enhance the satisfaction of basic psychological needs in terms of self‐esteem, control, belongingness, and meaningful existence. Considering hypothetical scenarios (Experiments 1 and 4), real‐life experiences (Experiment 2), and ostensibly real interactions (Experiment 3), four experiments revealed that individuals reported higher levels of need satisfaction when another's setback occurred in a competitive circumstance rather than in a non‐competitive circumstance. Moreover, the increased feeling of schadenfreude accounted for the effect of observing the misfortune befalling a competitor on the subsequent satisfaction of human needs. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical implications for research on schadenfreude, and future research directions are outlined.     

The effect of multiple indicators on the power to detect inter‐individual differences in change

Hertzog et al. evaluated the statistical power of linear latent growth curve models (LGCMs) to detect individual differences in change, i.e., variances of latent slopes, as a function of sample size, number of longitudinal measurement occasions, and growth curve reliability. We extend this work by investigating the effect of the number of indicators per measurement occasion on power. We analytically demonstrate that the positive effect of multiple indicators on statistical power is inversely related to the relative magnitude of occasion‐specific latent residual variance and is independent of the specific model that constitutes the observed variables, in particular of other parameters in the LGCM. When designing a study, researchers have to consider trade‐offs of costs and benefits of different design features. We demonstrate how knowledge about power equivalent transformations between indicator measurement designs allows researchers to identify the most cost‐efficient research design for detecting parameters of interest. Finally, we integrate different formal results to exhibit the trade‐off between the number of measurement occasions and number of indicators per occasion for constant power in LGCMs.     

Improving Attitudes Toward Prostate Examinations by Loss-Framed Appeals

One of the main causes of late diagnoses in prostate cancer is the aversive attitude toward prostate examinations. In this study, we analyze the efficacy of an informative pamphlet in changing that attitude. A randomized sample of north Italian men was given different versions of an informative pamphlet, obtained by systematically manipulating the message framing and emotional vividness. After reading the pamphlet, each participant completed an attitude questionnaire. Levels of anxiety and self-reported health status were measured using the STAI-X2 and the SF-36 questionnaires. Results show that loss-framed messages (i.e., messages highlighting the negative consequences of not doing the examinations) had a significant positive effect on attitudes toward the prostate screening, but the effect was rather small.     

The evolution of family interventions for schizophrenia. A tribute to Gianfranco Cecchin

Family intervention for schizophrenia has informed the whole history of family therapy, although in different fashions. This presentation will deal with the main phases of such intervention, outlining the characteristic features of each one. We can roughly divide the history of family intervention for schizophrenia into four phases: Phase 1 – Conjoint family therapy (1955–1965). Family interventions were aimed at modifying family communication patterns, implying the possibility of a definitive resolution of psychopathology. Phase 2 – Antipsychiatry (1965–1975). This, rather than a treatment model, was a philosophy of psychiatry, which considered schizophrenia as an epiphenomenon of the distortions of Western society. Family treatment was aimed at promoting the awareness of such a dynamic. Phase 3 – Milan systemic therapy (1975–1985). The systemic model was aimed at helping people with schizophrenia to recognize their position within their families (and other significant systems), giving all family members a new sense of their relationships to each other. Phase 4 – Psychoeducation (1985–2005). In most psychoeducational models, schizophrenia was conceived of as a biologically determined disorder. Psychoeducation was a way of helping the not diagnosed family members to cope with problems brought about by the illness, eliciting consensus towards psychiatric treatments such as medication and rehabilitation. A fifth phase of family intervention for schizophrenia is probably developing right now. If this is happening it should probably be an integrative phase, in which different approaches to family dynamics might be bridged and blended, in order to give more effective help to all members of families with schizophrenia.     

Caregiver burden and family functioning in different neurological diseases

Aim of this study is to examine caregiver burden and family functioning in different neurological conditions. Forty-two primary caregivers of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementia (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) were administered scales for the evaluation of caregiver burden (CBI) and family functioning (FACES IV). Caregiver burden was overall high, with caregivers of patients with ALS and ABI having exceeded the CBI cut-off score for possible burn-out. The average scores of caregivers of patients with AD or other dementia and PD were close to the cut-off score, whereas those of caregivers of patients with MS were significantly lower than the others. Family cohesion, family satisfaction and the quality of family communication were associated with reduced levels of caregiver burden, whereas disengagement was associated with a higher burden. The data from the present study confirm that caregiver burden is a relevant issue in the context of neurological diseases, especially for those causing higher degrees of impairment. Significant correlations with family functioning emerged as well, highlighting the importance of studying and treating caregiver burden within the context of family relations.     

Clarifying the role of impulsivity in dietary restraint: A structural equation modeling approach

This study was designed to clarify the relationship between the four dimensions of impulsivity in Whiteside and Lynam’s (2001) model and the two aspects of dietary restraint (Concern for Dieting and Weight Fluctuation) in a non-clinical sample. Data were collected from a volunteer community sample (N = 216) of women who responded to two self-report instruments related to impulsivity (UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale, Whiteside & Lynam, 2001) and dietary restraint (Restraint Scale, Polivy, Herman, & Warsh, 1978). A structural equation model was tested. The model provided a good fit to the data (χ²/df = 1.64, p < .0001, RMSEA = 0.054, 90% CI = 0.050–0.058, p-value for test of close fit (RMSEA > 0.05) = .035) and revealed that Concern for Dieting was positively related to Urgency (standardized β = 0.25, p < .01). Weight Fluctuation was related to lack of Perseverance (standardized β = 0.25, p < .01) and tended to relate to Sensation Seeking (standardized β = 0.17, p = .056). Urgency and lack of Perseverance were found to play a significant role in predicting Concern for Dieting and Weight Fluctuation.     

Categorization and sensorimotor interaction with objects

Three experiments were aimed at verifying whether the modality of interaction with objects and the goals defined by the task influences the weight of the properties used for categorization. In Experiment 1 we used everyday objects (cups and glasses). In order to exclude that the results depended on pre-stored categorical knowledge and to assess the role of a purely perceptual property such as colour, novel objects were used respectively in Experiment 2 and Experiment 3. Participants experienced objects in different modalities of interaction: Vision, Vision+Action, Action, and Mirror (they observed an experimenter touching and lifting them), then they were submitted to a similarity evaluation task and to a more action-based sorting task. Objects varied in intrinsic properties which had a different degree of interactivity: Grip, Shape, Size and Colour. Overall Grip, the most interactive property, was relevant for categorization, together with Size in Experiment 1 and with Shape in Experiment 2 and Experiment 3. The relevance of Grip in the sorting task confirms that goal-relevant properties are more weighted. The absence of a modality effect is discussed in the framework of the theories arguing that the vision of objects and of conspecifics interacting with objects automatically activates motor information.     

Metaphor comprehension in Alzheimer's disease: novelty matters

The comprehension of non-literal language was investigated in 20 probable Alzheimer's disease (pAD) patients by comparing their performance to that of 20 matched control subjects. pAD patients were unimpaired in the comprehension of conventional metaphors and idioms. However, their performance was significantly lower in the case of non-conventional (novel) metaphor comprehension. This ability was not related to global cognitive deterioration or to deficits in the cognitive domains of attention, memory and language comprehension. On the other hand, the impairment in verbal reasoning appeared to be relevant for both novel and conventional metaphor comprehension. The relationship between novel metaphor comprehension and performance in the visual-spatial planning task of the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS) suggests that executive impairment, possibly related to prefrontal dysfunction, may be responsible for the pAD patients' poor performance in novel metaphor comprehension. The present findings suggest a role of the prefrontal cortex in novel metaphor comprehension.     

Adaptive control of event integration

Identifying 2 target stimuli in a rapid stream of visual symbols is much easier if the 2nd target appears immediately after the 1st target (i.e., at Lag 1) than if distractor stimuli intervene. As this phenomenon comes with a strong tendency to confuse the order of the targets, it seems to be due to the integration of both targets into the same attentional episode or object file. The authors investigated the degree to which people can control the temporal extension of their (episodic) integration windows by manipulating the expectations participants had with regard to the time available for target processing. As predicted, expecting more time to process increased the number of order confusions at Lag 1. This was true for between-subjects and within-subjects (trial-to-trial) manipulations, suggesting that integration windows can be adapted actively and rather quickly.     

Determining the environment: a modal logic for closed interaction

The aim of the work is to provide a language to reason about Closed Interactions, i.e. all those situations in which the outcomes of an interaction can be determined by the agents themselves and in which the environment cannot interfere with they are able to determine. We will see that two different interpretations can be given of this restriction, both stemming from Pauly Representation Theorem. We will identify such restrictions and axiomatize their logic. We will apply the formal tools to reason about games and their regulation.