Task switching: on the origin of response congruency effects

When people frequently alternate between simple cognitive tasks, performance on stimuli which are assigned the same response in both tasks is typically faster and more accurate than on stimuli which require different responses for both tasks, thus indicating stimulus processing according to the stimulus-response (S-R) rules of the currently irrelevant task. It is currently under debate whether such response congruency effects are mediated by the activation of an abstract representation of the irrelevant task in working memory or by "direct" associations between specific stimuli and responses. We contrasted these views by manipulating concurrent memory load (Experiment 1) and the frequency of specific S-R associations (Experiment 2). While between-task response congruency effects were not affected by the amount of concurrent memory load, they were much stronger for stimuli that were processed frequently in the context of a competitor task. These findings are consistent with the idea that a large portion of the congruency effects stems from direct S-R associations and they do not support a sole mediation by task-set activation in working memory.     

The role of visuo-spatial working memory in map learning: new findings from a map drawing paradigm

Recently, increasing attention has been devoted to the study of the role of visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) in environmental learning and spatial navigation. The present research was aimed at investigating the role of VSWM in map learning using a map drawing paradigm. In the first study, a dual task methodology was used. Results showed that map drawing was selectively impaired by a spatial tapping task that was executed during the map learning phase, hence supporting the hypothesis that VSWM plays an essential role in learning from maps. In the second study, using a correlational methodology, it was shown that performance in simultaneous VSWM tasks, but not in sequential VSWM tasks, predicted map drawing skills. These skills “in turn” correlated with map learning abilities. Finally, in the third study, we replicated the results of the second study, by using a different map. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to find evidence that the simultaneous aspects of VSWM play a fundamental role in learning from maps.     

Probabilistic retroactive interference: the role of accessibility bias in interference effects

Probabilistic retroactive interference (RI) refers to the interfering effects of intermixing presentations of an earlier studied response (A-B) with presentations of a competing response (A-D). As an example, for a 2/3 condition, a cue word was presented with its earlier studied response twice and its competing response once during the interference phase. Performance on direct and indirect tests of memory for earlier studied responses was combined to reveal dissociations between effects on recollection and accessibility bias. Manipulating probabilistic RI influenced accessibility bias but left recollection unchanged. Effects of probabilistic RI were compared with effects of traditional, nonprobabilistic RI. The authors contrast their dual-process model with traditional accounts of RI and discuss the importance of distinguishing between recollection and accessibility bias for understanding interference effects.     

Increasing self-regulatory strength can reduce the depleting effect of suppressing stereotypes

Three longitudinal studies and one correlational study tested the hypothesis that increasing self-regulatory strength by regular self-regulatory exercise would reduce the intrapsychic costs of suppressing stereotypes. Participants tried to resist using stereotypes while describing or talking to a stimulus person. Participants whose habitual motivation to suppress stereotypes was low exhibited impaired Stroop and anagram performance after the suppression task, presumably because of self-regulatory depletion (i.e., a reduction of self-regulatory strength following prior use). Two weeks of self-regulation exercises (such as using one's nondominant hand or refraining from cursing) eliminated this effect. These findings indicate that self-regulatory exercise can improve resistance to self-regulatory depletion and, consequently, people can suppress stereotypes without suffering subsequent decrements in task performance.     

The validity of DSM-IV passive-aggressive (negativistic) personality disorder

Passive-Aggressive (Negativistic) Personality Disorder (NEGPD), listed in Appendix B of the DSM-IV, is not an officially recognized personality disorder. Its future as a discrete disorder is uncertain (Widiger, 2003). Yet, NEGPD occupies a role in some theoretical formulations of personality pathology (Millon & Davis, 1996), and many clinicians believe that passive-aggressive traits are not adequately represented by other PDs (Westen, 1997). In this study, 1158 psychiatric outpatients were assessed for Axis I and Axis II disorders. Thirty-five (3.02%) met criteria for NEGPD. Participants with NEGPD did not differ significantly from those without NEGPD on demographic variables. The internal consistency of the DSM-IV's seven NEGPD items was 0.50. Corrected item- total correlations for the 7 criteria averaged 0.27. Participants with NEGPD had higher rates of lifetime anxiety disorders, and almost 90% had an additional PD. An exploratory factor analysis suggested a two- factor solution that accounted for 43.4% of the variance. The first factor reflected the belief that life is unfair, while the second factor seemed to reflect modes of anger expression. A confirmatory factor analysis showed that the two-factor model fit the data better than a unidimensional model. We discuss implications of these results for the future of the NEGPD diagnosis.     

The adaptive value of personality differences revealed by small island population dynamics

Whether differences in personality among populations really exist and, if so, whether they are only due to cultural and linguistic differences or have a genetically selected adaptive value, is a controversial issue. In this research, we compared three Italian populations living on three small archipelagos in the Tyrrhenian Sea (n = 993), with their corresponding neighbouring mainlanders (n = 598), i.e. sharing the same geographical origin, culture and language. We used an adjective‐based Big Five questionnaire in order to measure personality traits in four categories of individuals for each archipelago/mainland population: (1) original islanders; (2) non‐original islanders; (3) mainlanders and (4) immigrants to the islands. We further analysed original and non‐original islanders who had or had not emigrated from the islands. We found that islanders had different personality traits from mainlanders, the former being more conscientious and emotionally stable and less extraverted and open to experience. We also found that the subgroup of islanders whose ancestors had inhabited their island for about 20 generations in isolation (original islanders, n = 624) were less extraverted and open to experience than immigrants (n = 193). In contrast, immigrants retained the typical personality profile of the mainland populations. Lastly, emigrants from the islands (n = 209) were significantly more extraverted and open to experience than original and non‐original islanders who had never left their island (n = 741). We hypothesise that population differences in extraversion and openness to experience are more probably related to genetic differences which evolved rapidly, presumably through an active gene flow produced by selective emigration from the islands. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relationships between anger, symptoms, and cognitive factors in OCD checkers

The purpose of this study was to examine whether individuals diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with primary checking compulsions report higher levels of trait anger and anger expression compared with a student control group, and whether trait anger and anger expression are correlated with specific beliefs and interpretations that are common among individuals who compulsively check. A group of individuals with OCD reporting significant checking compulsions (n=33) and a group of undergraduate students (n=143) completed a questionnaire package that included measures of trait anger and anger expression, as well as measures of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and beliefs. The compulsive checking group reported greater trait anger, though not greater anger expression, than the student control group. Furthermore, beliefs concerning perfectionism and intolerance of uncertainty were positively correlated with anger expression and trait anger among compulsive checkers but not among the student control group. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of cognitive-behavioural treatments for and models of compulsive checking in OCD.     

Show-That-I-Can (Homework) in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxious Youth: Individualizing Homework for Robert

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been reviewed and described as an empirically supported treatment for anxious youth. One component of CBT is the use of out-of-session “Show That I Can” tasks (STIC; i.e., homework tasks). STIC tasks vary in content and are to be completed between sessions. We discuss homework in CBT for Robert, a 13-year-old boy with social anxiety. Robert experienced distressing anxiety participating in and giving presentations at school and was fearful of open-ended questions. Robert had difficulty maintaining conversations with peers and reported being preoccupied with a concern that he would say something “weird” or “stupid.” Robert avoided numerous situations, and his social anxiety affected his grades, social interactions, family, and quality of life. Robert’s initial homework tasks entailed (a) journaling and self-monitoring anxious feelings and thoughts, and (b) practicing relaxation skills. During the second half of treatment, Robert’s STIC assignments were exposure tasks, including (a) opinion discussion assignments, (b) participating in class, and (c) initiating conversations with children at the bus stop. The present discussion focuses on how homework was individualized and presented so that it was palatable and sensitive. Issues regarding out-of-session exposure tasks that elicit sufficient anxiety, resistance to high-level exposure tasks, and parent involvement are explored.     

Mattering in the Later Years: Older Adults' Experiences of Mattering to Others,Purpose in Life,Depression, and Wellness

The relationships among mattering, purpose in life, depression, and wellness among older adults were explored. Mattering, purpose in life, and depression accounted for 78% of the wellness variance. Older adults perceived that they mattered most to their children and friends. The importance of mattering when counseling older adults is discussed.