On the use of wireless response systems in experimental psychology: Implications for the behavioral researcher

A method of data collection is presented that unites the efficiency of mass testing with the ease of instant electronic data collection that is typical of computer-based experiments run on individual participants. A wireless response system (WRS), originally designed as a teaching tool, is used to replicate three classic and robust effects from the memory literature (effects of false memory, levels of processing, and word frequency). It is shown that for these types of experimental designs, data can be collected more efficiently (in both time and effort) with the WRS method than through traditional mass- and individual-testing methods alone. The advantages and limitations of WRSs for use in mass electronic data collection are discussed.     

An investigation of the neural correlates of attention and effector switching using ERPs

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were used to examine the neural correlates of attention and effector switching when one or both types of switches were performed on a given trial. The response time data revealed that switch costs tended to increase from attention switches to effector switches to attention1effector switches. For right-hand responses, attention switching was associated with a parietal slow wave and effector switching was associated with a central readiness potential. For left-hand responses, attention switching was associated with a parietal slow wave, and effector switching was associated with a parietal slow wave and a readiness potential. These data suggest that the independence of the neural systems supporting attention and effector switching may be limited to instances where the dominant hemisphere controls the response.     

ACT in Context: An Exploration of Experiential Acceptance

Experiential acceptance, which involves “having,” or “allowing” private experiences, has recently gained much attention in the cognitive-behavioral literature. Acceptance, however, may be considered a common factor among psychotherapeutic traditions. The purposes of this paper are to examine the historical roots of acceptance and to discuss the forms of and theoretical rationales for which the concept of acceptance has been recently introduced into the cognitive-behavioral literature, with an emphasis on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999). It is hoped that clarification of the theoretical basis underlying acceptance-based approaches, as well as a comparison of various forms of psychotherapy with regard to their emphasis on acceptance, will promote heightened understanding and stimulate more rigorous exploration of treatment efficacy.     

Test-Retest Reliability of the Spanish Version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-IV)

The test-retest reliability of the Spanish Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-IV) is presented. This version was developed in Puerto Rico in consultation with an international bilingual committee, sponsored by NIMH. The sample (N = 146) consisted of children recruited from outpatient mental health clinics and a drug residential treatment facility. Two different pairs of nonclinicians administered the DISC twice to the parent and child respondents. Results indicated fair to moderate agreement for parent reports on most diagnoses. Relatively similar agreement levels were observed for last month and last year time frames. Surprisingly, the inclusion of impairment as a criterion for diagnosis did not substantially change the pattern of results for specific disorders. Parents were more reliable when reporting on diagnoses of younger (4–10) than older children. Children 11–17 years old were reliable informants on disruptive and substance abuse/dependence disorders, but unreliable for anxiety and depressive disorders. Hence, parents were more reliable when reporting about anxiety and depressive disorders whereas children were more reliable than their parents when reporting about disruptive and substance disorders.     

Assessment of depressive symptoms in old visually-impaired people: a study of the Geriatric Depression Scale

This study has two main purposes: (a) to assess the functioning of the Geriatric Depression Scale in its Spanish version in old visually-impaired people, and (b) to assess the relevance of measuring depressive symptoms within a comprehensive assessment of psychological adjustment related to vision impairment in that population. Respondents were 329 people affiliated to the ONCE who were a representative sample of the target population. The assessment of the first goal let us to establish two cut-off points, and led to new methodological developments that combine Item Response Theory and Classical Test Theory. The results indicated that the scale is particularly useful in the target population and that it is very relevant in the assessment of psychological adjustment related to visual impairment in old people.     

Relational framework improves transitive inference across age groups

Transitive inference is a complex task, conducive to the use of multiple strategies. We investigated whether transitive inference accuracy can be improved by biasing strategy choice towards a proposition-based approach that relies on the extraction of relations among stimuli. We biased strategy choice by using familiar stimuli with known relations that tap prior knowledge. Semantic information led to increased accuracy for younger and older adults, and increased awareness of stimulus relations. Increased age was associated with reduced awareness. Awareness accounted for the variability in performance accuracy to a greater extent than age, as aware older and younger adults showed similar accuracies on all conditions. The current work indicates that age differences in performance can be minimized by providing semantically meaningful stimuli that bias participants to use a relational proposition-based approach.     

A New Unified Treatment Approach for Emotional Disorders Based on Emotion Science

ABSTRACT— Research on the nature of emotional disorders points toward a common set of diatheses (underlying psychological vulnerabilities) and functionally (but not superficially) similar expression of pathological emotional responding (e.g., Barlow, 2002 ). Successful drug treatments for different emotional disorders are very similar, with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or related compounds in wide use. Successful psychological treatments, on the other hand, are currently specifically targeted to each individual disorder. Distilling common principles among existing empirically supported psychological treatments, and giving attention to new findings on emotion regulation and dysregulation from emotion science, we propose and describe a new unified psychological treatment for emotional disorders.     

The extended cognition thesis: Its significance for the philosophy of (cognitive) science

While the extended cognition (EC) thesis has gained more followers in cognitive science and in the philosophy of mind and knowledge, our main goal is to discuss a different area of significance of the EC thesis: its relation to philosophy of science. In this introduction, we outline two major areas: (I) The role of the thesis for issues in the philosophy of cognitive science, such as: How do notions of EC figure in theories or research programs in cognitive science? Which versions of the EC thesis appear, and with which arguments to support them? (II) The potentials and limits of the EC thesis for topics in general philosophy of science, such as: Can naturalism perhaps be further advanced by means of the more recent EC thesis? Can we understand “big science” or laboratory research better by invoking some version of EC? And can the EC thesis help in overcoming the notorious cognitive/social divide in science studies?