Relational and Social Aggression and Reflective Processing in a University Sample

This study examined whether the dimension of reflective processing (e.g., deep and elaborative processing) was connected to the use of relational aggressions, social aggression, or both. A convenience sample of 629 college students (66% female, 91.6% White) was surveyed to ascertain the relation between self-reported relational and social aggression and deep and elaborative processing. The overall multivariate regression model was significant, Wilks’s λ = .12, F(4, 2162) = 1010.80, p < .001. Univariate results were used to show that the two predictors (relational and social aggression) significantly and strongly positively predicted the use of deep processing, R² = .81, p < .001, as well as the use of elaborative processing, R² = .87, p < .001. In summary, higher levels of social and relational aggression were related to higher levels of deep and elaborative processing. Implications for these findings are presented.     

The impact of interpersonal affective relationships and awareness on expertise seeking: A multilevel network investigation

Transactive memory theory suggests that general awareness of expertise location in a group is sufficient to predict expertise seeking. Yet expertise seeking is, at least in part, a social phenomenon between two individuals embedded in a network of social relationships. Taking a multilevel, network perspective, we examined the interplay of affective relationships and awareness on expertise seeking in groups. Hypotheses were tested using network data collected from 693 employees in 53 sales groups. HLM analysis results indicated that awareness of expertise distribution positively influenced the decision to seek expertise at all levels of analysis examined. In addition, both positive and negative affective relationships influenced expertise seeking, although their pattern of influence differed across different levels of analysis. More specifically, having either a positive or a negative affective relationship with another group member affected the decision to seek expertise from that person. Although having many positive relationships had a positive effect on expertise seeking, having many negative affective relationships had no effect. Moreover, having both an awareness and a positive affective relationship with another group member amplified their positive effect on expertise seeking. Last, individuals who had more negative affective ties were less likely to leverage the positive impact of each awareness relationship on expertise seeking.     

Plasticity during childhood and adolescence: innovative approaches to investigating neurocognitive development

Adolescence is a period of profound change, which holds substantial developmental milestones, but also unique challenges to the individual. In this opinion paper, we highlight the potential of combining two recently developed behavioural and neural training techniques (cognitive bias modification and functional magnetic neuroimaging‐based neurofeedback) into a research approach that could help make the most of increased levels of plasticity during childhood and adolescence. We discuss how this powerful combination could be used to explore changing brain–behaviour relationships throughout development in the context of emotion processing, a cognitive domain that exhibits continuous development throughout the second decade of life. By targeting both behaviour and brain response, we would also be in an excellent position to define sensible time windows for enhancing plasticity, thereby allowing for targeted intervention approaches that can help improve emotion processing in both typically and atypically developing populations.     

Intracerebroventricular effects of angiotensin II on a step-through passive avoidance task in rats

A wealth of evidence indicates that angiotensin II (Ang II) is involved in learning and memory. However, the precise role of this peptide in these cognitive processes is still controversial, with data indicating either an inhibitory or an enhancing action. The present study was designed to further investigate the effects of intracerebroventricular injections of Ang II (0.5, 1 or 3nmol/5microl) on a step-through passive avoidance task in male adult Wistar rats. When administered pretraining, Ang II did not affect the acquisition of passive avoidance, but markedly improved avoidance performance when given before the retrieval test. The latter effect was observed in retest sessions performed up to 72h after training. Administration of the peptide five minutes after training impaired retention of inhibitory avoidance. Therefore, Ang II may exert opposite effects on passive avoidance memory according to its interference with brain mechanisms leading to the storage or retrieval of this aversively motivated task.     

Kunsttherapie in der Behandlung chronifizierter Schmerzpatienten

Integrated in the evaluation of an innovative concept of art therapy a questionnaire for the measurement of effects and progression of art therapy (FB-KT) was developed and evaluated. The study was performed as part of a multidisciplinary pain therapy on patients with somatization disorders at the day-care pain clinic of the University of Münster. It was a twelve month lasting study, which started in November 1998 and finished in November 1999. The dimensions of the questionnaire were defined by a sample testing of 108 people. To validate the scales of the FB-KT four relevant standardised instruments in pain therapy were used. The results show, that the quality criteria of the questionnaire can be described as satisfactory to excellent. The results further demonstrate that the FB-KT shows therapeutic effects in the dimensions of emotional experience just as clearly as other standardised instruments do. In addition, FB-KT gives informations about experiences during the therapy sessions.     

Well-being of mothers of children with mental retardation: An evaluation of the Double ABCX model in a cross-cultural context

The present study was designed to compare the psychological well-being of mothers of children with mental retardation in the USA and Korea. The Double ABCX model of stress proposed by McCubbin and Patterson (1983) was evaluated for the two national groups. Thirty-eight American and 40 Korean mothers participated in the home-visit interview. The path models in the present study partially supported the ABCX model, but different path models for the two national groups provided important explanations for the well-being of mothers from the two nations. The cause of stress for the American mothers was specific to the individual variables. For Korean mothers, cultural values that carry social influence were more strongly associated with their attitudes towards the child and their experience of stress.     

Anger management style and emotional reactivity to noxious stimuli among chronic pain patients and healthy controls: the role of endogenous opioids.

OBJECTIVE: Previous work suggests that elevated trait anger-out exacerbates pain responses in part through endogenous opioid dysfunction. The authors examined whether this opioid dysfunction affects not only perceived pain intensity, but also emotional responses to being hurt. DESIGN: 79 chronic low back pain (LBP) patients and 46 healthy controls received opioid blockade (8 mg naloxone i.v.) and placebo in randomized, counterbalanced order in separate sessions. During each session, participants sequentially experienced finger pressure pain and ischemic forearm pain tasks, with emotional state assessed at baseline and postpain. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Blockade effects indexing opioid modulation of emotional reactivity were derived by subtracting placebo from blockade condition emotional reactivity. RESULTS: Significant Participant Type x Anger-Out interactions on blockade effects indicated that in LBP participants but not in controls, greater anger-out was associated with deficient opioid modulation of anxiety, anger, and fear reactivity to noxious stimulation. Across participant types, greater anger-in was associated with impaired opioid modulation of anxiety and fear reactivity. Anger-in opioid effects were partially due to overlap with general negative affect. CONCLUSIONS: Opioid dysfunction associated with trait anger-out may affect not only perceived pain intensity, but also pain-related suffering in individuals with chronic pain conditions. Implications for understanding the health effects of anger management styles are discussed.     

The Marriage of Families: Cross-Generational Complementarity

Marriage is often characterized as a beginning, a fresh start. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study of two young “normal” couples and the family of origin of each partner. An attempt is made to examine the “emergent” marriage in the context of its familial origins with special emphasis on cross-generational complementarily.