Cognitive and Emotional Abnormalities in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Evidence for Amygdala Dysfunction

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-system autoimmune disorder characterized by the production of autoantibodies. Approximately 30-50?% of patients produce autoantibodies directed against N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors (NMDARs). Once they have gained access to brain tissue, these autoantibodies bind to the NR2A subunit of the NMDARs and synergize with glutamate to cause excitatory, non-inflammatory cell death or alter neuron function. Both humans with SLE and animal models of SLE have shown structural and functional damage to the amygdala. The amygdala is a brain region important for processing the emotional relevance of stimuli in the environment. It also serves to modulate perception, attention, and memory to facilitate the processing and learning of relevant stimuli. Research has linked amygdala damage to deficits in emotional memory and emotional behavior. Individuals with SLE often exhibit emotional dysregulation, such as lability and depression; however, the behavioral impact of possible amygdala dysfunction has yet to be studied in this population. The purpose of this review is to 1) examine possible associations between SLE, anti-NMDAR antibodies, amygdala damage, and emotional processing deficits and 2) to identify the clinical, social, and treatment implications for individuals with SLE who suffer from deficits in emotional processing.     

Implicit learning of conjunctive rule sets: An alternative to artificial grammars

A single experiment is reported that investigated implicit learning using a conjunctive rule set applied to natural words. Participants memorized a training list consisting of words that were either rare-concrete and common-abstract or common-concrete and rare-abstract. At test, they were told of the rule set, but not told what it was. Instead, they were shown all four word types and asked to classify words as rule-consistent words or not. Participants classified the items above chance, but were unable to verbalize the rules, even when shown a list that included the categories that made up the conjunctive rule and asked to select them. Most participants identified familiarity as the reason for classifying the items as they did. An analysis of the materials demonstrated that conscious micro-rules (i.e., chunk knowledge) could not have driven performance. We propose that such materials offer an alternative to artificial grammar for studies of implicit learning.     

A step too far? Leader racism inhibits transgression credit

Prior research established that when in‐group leaders commit serious transgressions, such as breaking enforceable rules or engaging in bribery, people treat them leniently compared with similarly transgressive regular group members or out‐group leaders (‘transgression credit’). The present studies test a boundary condition of this phenomenon, specifically the hypothesis that transgression credit will be lost if a leader's action implies racist motivation. In study 1, in a corporate scenario, a transgressive in‐group leader did or did not express racism. In study 2, in a sports scenario, an in‐group or out‐group leader or member transgressed rules with or without a racist connotation. Both studies showed that in‐group transgressive leaders lost their transgression credit if their transgression included a racial connotation. Wider implications for constraining leaders' transgressions are discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Successive teacher expectation effects across the early school years

The capacity for teacher expectation effects to interact and compound across a child's schooling offers a largely untested mechanism for magnifying or minimizing effects. This study examined four types of long-term teacher expectation effects: within-year effects of single teachers, cross-year effects of single teachers, mediated effects of single and multiple teachers, and compounded effects of multiple teachers. Participants were 110 students tracked from preschool through Grade 4 on measures of achievement and teacher expectations. Evidence was found for within-year but not direct cross-year effects. However, path models demonstrated enduring indirect effects of teacher expectations on cross-year achievement. Multiple years of teacher expectation effects were additive in predicting student achievement at fourth grade, with similar effects for teachers' over- and underestimates of student ability. The study extends understanding of longer-term teacher expectation effects.     

THE FRUITS OF PLURALISM: A VISION FOR THE NEXT SEVEN YEARS IN RELIGION/SCIENCE

This article offers a vision for work at the intersection of science and religion over the coming seven years. Because predictions are inherently risky and are more often than not false, the text first offers an assessment of the current state of the science‐religion discussion and a quick survey of the last 50 years of work in this field. The implications of the six features of this vision for the future of the field are then presented in some detail. Rather than bemoaning the current diversity of approaches and conclusions as a negative result, I endorse it as a healthy sign—if acknowledged honestly and managed well.     

Rational Beliefs as Cognitive Protective Factors Against Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

The current study investigated the predictions of rational emotive behaviour therapy’s (REBT) model of psychological health that rational beliefs would act as cognitive protective factors against posttraumatic stress responses. The study aimed to contribute original data regarding the role of functional cognitions in the prevention of posttraumatic stress symptomology. A model consistent with REBT’s theory of psychological health was investigated through the use of structural equation modelling among a sample of 309 international emergency service personnel who had all been exposed to a significant life trauma. Results indicated that the REBT model of posttraumatic stress responses was found to be an acceptable fit of the data (χ² = 199.99, df = 94, p < .001; RMSEA = .06 (CI 90 % = .05/.08); SRMR = .05; CFI = .93; TLI = .91) and explained 76 % of variance in posttraumatic stress symptoms. Self-acceptance beliefs and high frustration tolerance beliefs negatively predicted posttraumatic stress responses; non-catastrophizing beliefs positively predicted posttraumatic stress responses; and indirect effects were observed between preference beliefs and posttraumatic stress responses via self-acceptance and high frustration tolerance beliefs. Results suggest that rational beliefs are negatively associated with posttraumatic stress responses and support the REBT model of psychological health. Current results contribute important information regarding the role of functional cognitions in the alleviation of posttraumatic stress symptoms.     

Reviewing the Religious Education Review

In 2012 a Review of RE in England was initiated by the Religious Education Council of England and Wales, in response to a perceived sense of crisis among the religious education (RE) community. Its recommendations, which include a new National Curriculum Framework for RE, were published in October, 2013. The fact that the proposed National Curriculum Framework for RE aspires to provide a curriculum model of excellence that all schools should follow, naturally invites careful study and scrutiny. This article considers the question whether the Review’s conclusions provides a democratically mandated, legally compliant, educationally convincing and socially appropriate future direction for RE in England. It is concluded that there are serious weaknesses in the proposals and that the Review process was a missed opportunity for the emergence and articulation of a model of religious education that is appropriate to the aims of liberal education in a democratic, increasingly diverse English society.     

How We Feel is a Matter of Time: Relationships Between Time Perspectives and Mood

Both personality and emotional experiences may be influenced by people’s time perspectives. The Zimbardo time perspective inventory measures five trait dimensions related to past, present and future perspectives. Two studies were conducted to investigate how these time perspective dimensions related to mood. The first study (n = 260) confirmed that ZTPI scales predicted moods including energetic arousal, tense arousal and Hedonic Tone, revealing that past negative and Present Hedonistic time perspectives are the most robust predictors of current emotional states. Moreover, future time perspective proved to predict energetic arousal, but the effect was suppressed by present hedonism. The second study (n = 65) measured mood twice in a 4-week period, and focused on relationships between the ZTPI and recalled and anticipated mood. Analyses conducted using DBTP, an index of temporal harmony based on the ZTPI scores, proved that balanced time perspective was related to more positive mood states in both studies. Findings confirmed that time perspective appears to influence both recall and anticipation of mood. For example, past negative time perspective is associated with anticipation of negative moods, and Past Positive perspective relates to both recall and anticipation of energy. Time perspective may structure the individual’s affective experience.