Making Sense of Non-refuting Anomalies

As emphasized by Larry Laudan in developing the notion of non-refuting anomalies (Laudan 1977; Nola and Sankey 2000), traditional analyses of empirical adequacy have not paid enough attention to the fact that the latter does not only depend on a theory’s empirical consequences being true but also on them corresponding to the most salient phenomena in its domain of application. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the notion of non-refuting anomaly. To this end, I critically examine Laudan’s account and provide a criterion to determine when a non-refuting anomaly can be ascribed to the applicative domain of a theory. Unless this latter issue is clarified, no proper sense can be made of non-refuting anomalies, and no argument could be opposed to those cases where an arbitrary restriction in a theory’s domain of application dramatically reduces the possibilities for its empirical scrutiny. In arguing for the importance of this notion, I show how several semanticist resources can help to reveal its crucial implications, not only for theory evaluation, but also for understanding the nature of a theory’s applicative domain.     

Rumination and symptom reports in children and adolescents: Results of a cross-sectional and experimental study

This study explores the relationship between a ruminative response style and symptom reports in children and adolescents of grades 5, 7 and 9 from German secondary schools. Questionnaires were used to assess rumination and symptom reports. A group of children and adolescents (N?=?140) were asked to think first about the items before responding to them (increased attention condition), while a second group (N?=?260) served as control group (standard condition). The assumption was that rumination and also additional attention to the symptoms by instruction would increase the reported frequency of experiencing somatic and psychological symptoms. The results showed significant relations between symptom reports and rumination, which increased with grade. There were sex differences for somatic symptom reports with increased symptom frequencies in girls, which were mediated by rumination. Moreover, instructing participants to think first about the items led to an increase in reported symptoms. It is concluded that an increased attention to symptoms of distress increases symptom reports, which may be induced momentarily by instruction and also more generally by a ruminative response style. Conclusions regarding prevention and concerning instructions in symptom report questionnaires are outlined.     

Depression and marital status determine the 10-year (2004–2014) prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome: The GREECS study

Background: The aim of the present work was to examine the association of depression and marital status, with the long-term prognosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), among a Greek sample of cardiac patients.

Methods: From October 2003 to September 2004, a sample of 2172 consecutive ACS patients from 6 hospitals was enrolled. In 2013–2014, the 10-year follow-up was performed in 1918 participants. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the validated CES-D score (range 0–60), while marital status was classified as: single, married/cohabitants, divorced and widowed at the time of entry to the study.

Results: Patients in the upper tertile of CES-D (>20 score) had 41% (95%CI 14%, 75%) higher risk of ACS incidence as compared with those in the lowest (<7 score). In contrary, married patients had 29% lower risk (95%CI 6%, 46%) of ACS mortality compared with single, widowed or divorced. Multi-adjusted analysis revealed that among the ‘not married’ patients, 1-point increase in the CES-D score was associated with 2% (p = .02) and 4% (p = .001) higher risk of having non-fatal and fatal cardiac events, respectively.

Conclusions: The present study highlights the important role of depression in the context of marital relationships among ACS patients. Secondary public health care intervention programmes are needed to improve patient outcomes and minimise disease burden in clinical and community setting.     

Doing Therapy in a Foreign Land: When the Therapist Is “Not From Here”

The psychotherapy field has been paying closer attention to how therapists’ characteristics, history, and styles affect therapeutic encounters and contribute to successful therapy outcomes. Therapists have been encouraged to increase self-awareness of their own socio-cultural dimensions to optimally connect with clients. However, the experience of therapists’ own immigration has received little attention. This article highlights the experience of immigration as important for understanding the self of the therapist, describing core experiences related to immigration for immigrant therapists in the United States. This article additionally describes how these experiences can affect immigrant therapists’ clinical encounters. Finally, recommendations are provided for immigrant therapists, clinical supervisors, and training programs.     

Los modelos del proceso de la escritura

Resumen

El presente articulo trata de ofrecer una visión general de cuál es el estado en que se encuentran las teorías sobre el proceso de escritura. Para ello se expone, en primer lugar, cuál ha sido la evolución de los supuestos que subyacen a los modelos de escritura, modelos que pueden clasificarse en tres grandes grupos: los modelos de traducción, los modelos de etapas y los actuales modelos cognitivos. En segundo lugar, se señalan algunos factores que han contribuido a la aparición de estos últimos, así como algunos de sus objetivos y requisitos. A continuación se expone el modelo de Flower y Hayes (1979, 1980, 1981 a y b) como un ejemplo prototípico de esta orientación. Por último, se ofrecen una serie de conclusiones respecto a la evolución de los modelos, respecto a las características comunes generales que comparten los modelos cognitivos y respecto a las tendencias actuales en la construcción de dichas teorías.     

Introducción a la Psicología Diferencial Cognoscitiva

Resumen

En este artículo se propone un cuerpo de conocimientos que hipotetizamos debería reunir la Psicología Diferencial Cognoscitiva. Esta propuesta tiene en consideración la relación entre los diversos enfoques de la Psicología Diferencial, tanto clásicos como más actuales, y la Psicología General, de acuerdo a tres metaniveles de teorización. Básicamente, la tesis mantenida en este artículo es que la psicología debería tender a elaborar modelos ajustados a las diferencias individuales en las actividades cognoscitivas tradicionalmente estudiadas por la psicología cognitiva, sea general o diferencial, y no tanto a buscar modelos canónicos referidos a dichas actividades.     

Enuresis y desarrollo de la capacidad funcional de la vejiga: estudio comparativo con tres tratamientos conductuales

Resumen

Los objetivos de esta investigación eran (1) comparar la eficacia clinica de tres tratamientos de la enuresis nocturna y, (2) constatar los cambios que se producían en la capacidad funcional media de la vejiga. Los tratamientos fueron: «Método de condicionamiento con el aparato despertador» (Grupo experimental I), (B) «Mètodo de control de esfínteres» (Grupo experimental II), y (c) «Entrenamiento de la cama-seca» modificado (Grupo experimental III). Se utilizó un disefto factorial 3x2 con medidas repetidas. En cada condición experimental se emplearon 4 sujetos enuréticos de 6 años de edad. También se utilizó un grupo control de 4 niños no enuréticos de la misma edad. La duración de los tratamientos fue de SO dias. En cuanto a la eficacia clínica, los Ss tratados con el «Mé;todo de condicionamiento con el aparato despertador» mejoraron significativamente, la mejoría en el Grupo III no fue tan notable, aunque sí significativa; el Grupo II no manifestó cambios significativos. La capacidad funcional media de la vejiga se incrementó significativamente con los tres tratamientos.     

Androginia psicológica y flexibilidad comportamental

RESUMEN

Los autores investigan la hipótesis de que los sujetos andróginos son más flexibles en su implicación y bienestar ante tareas que se tipifican culturalmente como pertenecientes al “otro” sexo. Comienzan repasando la literatura psicológica acerca de androginia psicológica y flexibilidad comportamental y seguidamente concretan sus hipótesis: comprobar que los individuos andróginos a) mostrarán una mayor implicación en tareas tanto masculinas como femeninas, b) preferirán en menor medida actividades apropiadas a su sexo y c) experimentarán un mayor bienestar psicológico al desarrollar este tipo de actividades que cualquier otro grupo de rol sexual. Tras describir el método y los resultados del trabajo, los autores ofrecen una discusión final de éstos, en la que destacan que su investigación parece confirmar los resultados de Bem: parece que es el rol sexual andrógino el que siente un mayor grado de bienestar al realizar conductas que son sancionadas socialmente como inapropiadas a su sexo y el que escoge un mayor número de este tipo de comportamientos. Los autores finalizan afirmando que también parece haber quedado respaldada la validez predictiva del Bem Sex Role Inventory.     

The Reading Literacy test for Secondary Education (CompLEC)

A new test to evaluate reading literacy, the Test of Reading Literacy for Secondary Education (CompLEC) is presented. CompLEC is based on the PISA assessment framework and new definitions of reading literacy. The test, easy to apply and score, assesses the level of reading literacy of children between 11 and 14 years of age in several reading situations (i.e., public, educational, personal and occupational) and with different types of texts (i.e., continuous and non-continuous). The scale has been standardized with a sample of 1,854 students from five different Spanish regions. Empirical results show that CompLEC is a homogeneous, reliable and valid instrument.     

Psychometric properties of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index in Spanish child and adolescent population

This article analyses the dimensions of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1980). The sample comprised 721 Spanish participants between 9 and 16 years old. Diverse exploratory factor analyses were conducted as the basis for the final confirmatory factor analysis, through self-report. The results supported a structure with 5 first-order main factors (Intellectual empathy, Positive emotional empathy, Disorganized emotional empathy, Virtual empathy, and Impassiveness), where the two first factors are nested in a second-order dimension: "Considerate Social Style". The psychometric characteristics of the instrument were adequate. The proposed model is a new alternative to conceptualize the factor structure of empathy.