Effects of Visual Information and Task Constraints on Intersegmental Coordination in Playground Swinging

The authors investigated how and to what extent visual information and associated task constraints are negotiated in the coordinative structure of playground swinging. Participants (N = 20) were invited to pump a swing from rest to a prescribed maximal amplitude under 4 conditions: normal vision, no vision, and 2 visual conditions involving explicit phasing constraints. In the latter conditions, participants were presented with a flow pattern consisting of a periodically expanding and contracting optical structure. They were instructed to phase the swing motion so that the forward turning point coincided with either the maximal size (enhanced optical flow) or the minimal size (reduced optical flow) of the presented flow pattern. Removal of visual information clearly influenced the swinging behavior, in that intersegmental coordination became more stereotyped, reflecting a general stiffening of the swinger. The conditions involving explicit phasing requirements also affected the coordination, but in an opposite way: The coordination became less stereotyped. The two phasing instructions had differential effects: The intersegmental coordination deviated more from normal swinging (i.e., without phasing constraints) when optical flow was enhanced than when it was reduced. Collectively, those findings show that visual information plays a formative role in the coordinative structure of swinging, in that variations of visual information and task constraints were accompanied by subtle yet noticeable changes in intersegmental coordination.     

The effects of creative,expressive, and reflective writing on career learning: An explorative study

This study investigates whether creative, expressive, and reflective writing contributes to the formation of a work-life narrative that offers both meaning and direction among students in higher education. The content of writing done by students who participated in a two-day writing course at the start (or in preparation) of their work placements and of a control group who did not take part in the course were compared. Writing samples were analysed using the Linguistic Index Word Count program (Pennebaker, Booth, & Francis, 2007) and an instrument based on Dialogical Self Theory (Hermans & Hermans-Konopka, 2010). Results show writing promotes the development of career narratives.     

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,Sensory Integration,and Aquatic Therapy: A Scoping Review

The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) continues to increase. Symptomology of PTSD include sensory deficits much like those displayed in children with sensory integration (SI) disorder. The aim of this scoping review is to review symptoms of PTSD and SI, and make a case of how aquatic therapy may be an effective modality in treating clients with PTSD. Eighteen articles were selected for review. From this review, it is suggested that aquatic therapy can be an effective modality in reducing symptoms of PTSD; however, future research is essential in determining its effectiveness.     

What Can Virtual Reality Teach Us About Prosocial Tendencies in Real and Virtual Environments?

As virtual environments (VEs) become increasingly central to people's lives (Terry, 2002 Terry, F. 2002. New Media: An introduction, South Melbourne, , Australia: Oxford University Press.  [Google Scholar]), understanding reactions to VEs may be as important as understanding behavior in the real world (Yee, Bailenson, Urbanek, Chang, & Merget, 2007 Yee, N., Bailenson, J. N., Urbanek, M., Chang, F. and Merget, D. 2007. The unbearable likeness of being digital: The persistence of nonverbal social norms in online virtual environments. The Journal of CyberPsychology and Behavior, 10: 115–121. [Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]). Immersive Virtual Environment Technology (IVET), which is now being used in psychological research (Blascovich et al., 2002 Blascovich, J., Loomis, J., Beall, A., Swinth, K., Hoyt, C. and Bailenson, J. 2002. Immersive virtual environment technology as a research tool for social psychology. Psychological Inquiry, 13: 103–125. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), can provide greater experimental control, more precise measurement, ease of replication across participants, and high ecological validity, making it attractive for researchers. It also can create links between researchers who study basic social psychological processes and those who study new media. In two studies we examined people's reactions as they navigated through a virtual world and interacted with virtual people, some of whom needed help. Participants' compassion and tendency to experience personal distress predicted emotional reactions (concern) and proxemic behavior (gaze orientation and degree of interpersonal distance) to a virtual person in need but not to a control person. The results support the use of IVET and proxemic variables to measure compassion unobtrusively and they encourage the use of IVET to advance our understanding of people's behavior in and reactions to virtual worlds and new media.     

RIGHT‐WING POSTMODERNISM AND THE RATIONALITY OF TRADITIONS

Modern thought typically opposes the authority of tradition in the name of universal reason. Postmodernism begins with the insight that the sociohistorical context of tradition and its authority is inevitable, even in modernity. Modernity can no longer take itself for granted when it recognizes itself as a tradition that is opposed to traditions. The left‐wing postmodernist response to this insight (represented, e.g., by Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault) is to conclude that because tradition is inevitable, irrationality is inevitable. The right‐wing postmodernist response (represented, e.g., by Hans‐Georg Gadamer and Alasdair MacIntyre) is to see traditions as the home of diverse forms of rationality. This requires an understanding of the Socratic, self‐critical aspect of intellectual traditions, which include both modern sciences and the great world religions.     

A New CBT Model of Panic Attack Treatment in Comorbid Heart Diseases (PATCHD): How to Calm an Anxious Heart and Mind

Treating anxiety comorbid with heart disease is challenging due to (a) diagnostic overlap between anxiety and heart disease, (b) the high risk associated with ignoring chest pain symptoms and delaying seeking medical attention, (c) that cognitive-behavioral therapy based on catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily symptoms requires adaption to incorporate the element of risk, and (d) that certain interoceptive symptom induction experiments may be harmful and are therefore fraught with liability. We describe Panic Attack Treatment in Comorbid Heart Diseases (PATCHD) that is based on enhancing coping skills, performing safe interoceptive exposures and supervised exercise, and countering avoidance to reduce panic attack frequency. Pre- and posttreatment data from 18 patients shows a significant reduction in cardiovascular hospital admissions and length of stay, panic attacks, general anxiety, and depression (all p < .05). Because of the complex nature of panic disorder comorbid with heart disease, health professionals should familiarize themselves with several necessary CBT adaptions.     

Knowledge of eating disorders among collegiate administrators, coaches, and auxiliary dancers

Knowledge of eating disorders, confidence in knowledge, and attendance of eating disorder educational programs were assessed among NCAA Division I and II university administrators (n = 61), coaches (n = 44), and dancers (n = 53). A questionnaire assessed knowledge in 5 domains: etiology, signs and symptoms, management and treatment, risk factors, and prevention and education. Overall, dancers' knowledge and previous attendance were significantly lower than administrators' and coaches'. There was inconsistency between participants' confidence in answers and the correctness of their answers. Education is necessary for improving knowledge and reducing risky behaviors in auxiliary dancers.