Young adult outcome of children with "situational" hyperactivity: a prospective,controlled follow-up study

To examine the importance of symptom pervasiveness in ADHD, we conducted a prospective, 12-year follow-up study of boys (ages 6–12) considered hyperactive at school and home (Pervasive ADHD), boys considered hyperactive by teachers but not parents (School Only ADHD), boys considered hyperactive by parents but not teachers (Home Only ADHD), and nonhyperactive comparisons. Follow-up was completed on 82–94% participants. Clinicians interviewed participants and their parents, blind to childhood status. At follow-up, antisocial disorder was significantly more prevalent among Pervasive and School Only ADHD (29% for both) than Home Only ADHD (0%) and comparisons (8%). In a similar manner, severity of behavioral problems distinguished groups (Pervasive, School > Home, comparisons), as did educational attainment and academic performance (poorest for Pervasive and School). These findings stress the validity of teacher reports in the diagnosis of ADHD.     

Romantic acts and depression

The aim of the present study was to provide an examination of the relationship between the importance individuals attach to romantic acts and depressive symptoms. Among 140 male and 160 female English undergraduate students, the importance individuals attach to romantic acts is significantly negatively correlated with higher scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and the Depression symptoms subscale of the General Health Questionnaire among the men only.     

Verbal coding in olfactory versus nonolfactory cognition

Two paired-associate memory experiments were conducted to investigate verbal coding in olfactory versus nonolfactory cognition. Experiment 1 examined the effects of switching/not switching odors and visual items to words between encoding and test sessions. Experiment 2 examined switching/not switching perceptual odors and verbal-imagine versions of odors with each other. Experiment 1 showed that memory was impaired for odors but not visual cues when they were switched to their verbal form at test. Experiment 2 revealed that memory was impaired for both odors and verbal-imagine cues when they were switched in format at test and that odor sensory imagery was not accessed by the instruction to imagine a smell. Together, these findings suggest that olfaction is distinguished from other sensory systems by the degree of verbal coding involved in associated cognitive processing.     

Relative efficacy of methylphenidate and behavior modification in hyperkinetic children: An interim report

Children reported to be hyperactive in school and with behavior difficulties at home were randomly assigned to methylphenidate, behavior therapy and placebo, or behavior therapy with methylphenidate for an 8-week period. Rating scales were obtained from teachers and parents. Independent blind observers rated childrens' classroom behavior on a weekly basis. A behavior therapy program was implemented in the home and at school. Methylphenidate dosage was individualized. Ratings of behavior deviance were significantly reduced by all treatments. However, a significant advantage for the groups receiving methylphenidate was found over the group receiving behavior therapy and placebo. No significant differences between methylphenidate alone and methylphenidate combined with behavior therapy were obtained. Global ratings of improvement done by teachers favored the combined treatment of behavior therapy and methylphenidate over behavior therapy and placebo. No differences among treatments were found in the mothers' global ratings of improvement. The results indicate that though all three treatments were effective, methylphenidate was significantly superior to behavior therapy alone.This study was supported in part by grant MH 18579, and by grant No. 3-621 from the Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center. The authors wish to thank the behavior therapists, Drs. Jeffrey Felixbrod and Marion Pheterson, as well as Ms. Patricia Ramsey, who was responsible for data analysis.     

The effect of verbal context on olfactory perception

Three experiments were conducted to examine how verbal context and sensory stimulation interact to influence odor hedonic perception. Eight common odors were presented in their natural and synthetic forms, and verbal labels designating name and source (natural, synthetic) information were either explicitly given, self-generated, falsely provided, or not provided. Results revealed that verbal information about source influenced hedonic ratings whether or not the odorant itself was also present. When odorants were presented without verbal labels, olfactory evaluations were based in sensation. Name and source information contributed different levels of meaning and influence to perceptual evaluations. The findings are discussed with reference to an experiential-collocation model for odor-label interactions and a dual-coding hypothesis for olfactory perception.     

Is there a magnitude effect in tipping?

The present study examined nearly 1,000 tips recorded for two taxicabs, two hair salons, and two restaurants. In each of the six cases, amount of tip increased linearly as a function of the amount of the bill. Contrary to standard microeconomic theory, there was a magnitude effect in that as the amount of the bill increased, the percent tip tended to decrease. The present results extend the findings of Chapman and Winquist (1998), obtained using hypothetical scenarios, to real-world tipping behavior. Chapman and Winquist argued that a magnitude effect in tipping reflects the shape of the utility function for money. We suggest, however, that the magnitude effect may be the mathematical consequence of replotting the fundamental relationship between tip and bill amounts in terms of percent tip, given that the observed linear relation between tip and bill amounts has a positive intercept. We suggest further that the positive intercept arises because a tip represents a judgment as to what constitutes a fair or equitable wage, and part of what constitutes a fair wage is independent of the amount of the bill, reflecting compensation for simply being there when needed. The present account implies that different explanations may be needed for magnitude effects observed in different domains.     

The social reality of the imaginary audience: a grounded theory approach

Traditional approaches to understanding the imaginary audience are challenged in this study. Three hundred sixty-one British schoolchildren (aged 14 and 15 years) were asked to express their worries and concerns, using grounded theory methodology. Qualitative responses were collated and coded according to emerging categories, with "what other people think" identified as the central concern. In particular, the findings are used to critique Elkind's (1967) theory of adolescent egocentrism. Data presented in this study suggest that adolescents worry about what other people think because there are real personal and social consequences. Such concerns are seen as being based in social reality and are not imaginary as Elkind suggested. In conclusion, new methodologies which place young people at the center of the analysis are advocated.     

On the question of the patient's right to tell and the ethical reality of psychoanalysis

This paper calls into question the view that it is ethically legitimate for the patient to say whatever comes to his or her mind: that is, to adhere to the fundamental rule. While there have been some variations in the application of this rule since Freud's time, it remains for many the bedrock of clinical practice, and the patient's right to free-associate has never been questioned. Recent debates on the importance of the analyst's strict confidentiality have highlighted this right. Ethical problems raised by adherence to the fundamental rule are explored through an examination of the general ethical limitations on what one may say to another person, and the special features of the analytic relationship that seem to do away with these limitations. The fact that there are ethical questions about adherence to the fundamental rule draws attention to what the author calls the ethical reality of psychoanalysis. The recognition of this reality has implications for the understanding and handling of ethical dilemmas regarding disclosure, as well as for other ethical issues that may arise in the course of an analysis.     

Juvenile offenders' Miranda rights comprehension and self-reported likelihood of offering false confessions

This study examined whether age, IQ, and history of special education predicted Miranda rights comprehension and the self-reported tendency to falsely confess to a crime among 55 delinquent boys. The Miranda Rights Comprehension Instruments-II, a revised version of Grisso's Instruments for Assessing Understanding and Appreciation of Miranda Rights, were developed for this study and are described in detail in this article. Results revealed that age, IQ, and special education were related to comprehension of Miranda rights. When Miranda comprehension, age, and IQ were simultaneously tested as predictor variables of the self-reported likelihood of false confessions, only age served as an independent predictor. Research and policy implications of this study are presented, and recommendations for use of the original and revised instruments are reviewed.