Factors related to young people's attitudes to the consumption of alcohol and other psychoactive substances

In this study we analyzed variables related to the consumption of alcohol and other psychoactive substances among young people, and to their attitudes towards experimentation. The sample was made up of 775 pupils aged 12 to 16 from four secondary schools in the Principality of Asturias (northern Spain). The results obtained confirm the multi-causal nature of these phenomena. The attitudes of young people towards substance use was found to be more favourable the lower the perception of risk, the more mistaken their beliefs and the more permissive their disposition to the use of alcohol and other illegal drug. Other determining factors are their relationship with peer groups that use drugs, antisocial behaviours and attention-seeking indications.     

Individual differences in the linguistic competence of referential and expressive subjects

The aim of this work was to examine individual differences in referential and expressive style through a longitudinal study. The composition of the first 50 words, communicative gestures, the conversational style of dyads and the percentage of vocabulary produced from 12 to 24 month-olds were analyzed. The vocabulary was collected through interviews to parents and sessions of mother-infant interaction in the laboratory. Significant differences in the proportion of common nouns and frozen phrases between referential and expressive children in the frequency of communicative gestures and style conversation were found. Thus, referential children and their mothers used more pointing gestures than the expressive children and their mothers. Additionally, mothers of referential children used completing more frequently.     

Subtypes of drug-addicts in treatment: empirical support for a distinction between Type A and Type B

This study examines the possibility of replicating and generalizing a multidimensional typology of drug-addicts by means of the evaluation of 320 participants who were receiving outpatient treatment for their problem of addiction. A two-stage cluster analysis was performed, revealing the existence of two typologies of consumers, called type A and Type B. The participants classified as Type B showed various indicators of chronicity (higher mean age, higher unemployment rate), more severity of their problem of drug consumption and of medical aspects, employment support, legal, family/social and psychiatric problems in comparison with Type A. Participants from the latter group reported active employment as their main source of income and they had consumed drugs for fewer years. However, they presented more severity associated with alcohol consumption. In view of these data, Type A is called functional drug-addict and Type B chronic drug-addict. Once the groups of drug-addicts were delimited, a more specific characterization was made, taking seven problem areas into account: medical, employment support, alcohol, drugs, legal, family/social, and psychiatric areas. As a general conclusion, more psychosocial severity was observed in Type B as compared with Type A. Lastly, the implications and usefulness of grouping drug-addicts into typologies is discussed.     

Sexuality in children 9-14 years old

The aim of this study was to analyze sexual behaviors and attitudes of children 9-14 years old in Spain. In this article we present data from 470 children of which 52% are boys and 48% girls. In order to evaluate the sample, Information, Attitudes and Behaviors related to Health Questionnaire (CIACS-II) was used. Results evidence that boys 9 years old already show behaviors that evidence their interest towards sexuality. 8% have sometimes masturbated and 9% have used pornography for becoming excited. 14% of children 11-12 years old have already had sexual relations and 38% state to have sexual fantasies. Girls start to masturbate and to have sexual relations later than boys and show a prevalence of sexual fantasies and use of pornography very lower. It is necessary sexual education programs to be implanted since early ages in schools.     

Equivalence classes formation applied to learning musical notes

Three experiments involving training and application of equivalence classes were carried out. In the first of them, with 6-6 years old children, and applying the equivalence classes logic to musical symbols and sounds learning, the necessary relations to build three equivalence classes (do, mi, sol) of five members each were acquired. In second and third experiments, five and seven equivalence classes (musical notes) of five member each were obtained. Six and a half years old children and one 17 years old Down syndrome diagnosed child took part in them, respectively. Results highlight the theoretical meaning of equivalence classes as explanation of human symbolic behavior, as the educational incomes of improving learning of basic elements in artistic skills.     

The effect of content and physical properties of affective pictures on emotional responses

The aim of this research was to study the influence of both the emotional content and the physical characteristics of affective stimuli on the psychophysiological, behavioral and cognitive indexes of the emotional response. We selected 54 pictures from the IAPS, depicting unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant contents, and used two picture sizes as experimental conditions (120 x 90 cm and 52 x 42 cm). Sixty-one subjects were randomly assigned to each experimental condition. We recorded the startle blink reflex, skin conductance response, heart rate, free viewing time, and picture valence and arousal ratings. In line with previous research (e.g., Bradley, Codispoti, Cuthbert, and Lang, 2001), our data showed an effect of the affective content on all the measurements recorded. Importantly, effects of the size of the affective pictures on emotional responses were not found, indicating that the emotional content is more important than the formal properties of the stimuli in evoking the emotional response.     

Relationships between dual-task related changes in stride velocity and stride time variability in healthy older adults

Dual-task related gait changes have been previously reported for healthy older adults, suggesting that gait control requires attention. Compared to balance control, the involvement of attention in the control of the rhythmic stepping mechanism, as reflected by stride time variability, is not well known. In particular, under dual-task, the relative contributions of a second, attention-demanding task and changes in walking speed remain unclear. Thus, the aims of this study were (1) to assess whether walking with a slow-selected speed or walking while performing an attention-demanding task affected stride time variability in a sample of healthy older participants, and (2) to establish whether stride time variability under dual-task conditions is related either to the decrease of walking speed or the simultaneous attention-demanding task, or to both. Forty-five healthy older participants performed four experimental conditions: (1) walking at a normal self-selected speed, (2) walking at a slow self-selected speed, (3) performing a verbal fluency task when sitting on a chair, and (4) performing the verbal fluency task while walking at self-selected walking speed. Gait parameters were recorded across 15 meters, using Physilog. Results showed a significant dual-task related decrease in mean values of stride velocity, as well as a significant increase in mean values and coefficients of variation of stride time. These dual-task related changes in stride time were explained by the simultaneous performance of the verbal fluency task, the decrease of gait speed and the variability between participants. Although a relationship exists between decreased walking speed and increased stride time variability, the dual-task related increase of stride time variability was also significantly associated with the attention-demanding task, suggesting some attentional control for the rhythmic stepping mechanism of walking in healthy older adults.     

Screening as an approach for adolescent suicide prevention

Among the provisions of the recently signed Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, Congress called for the use of screening to detect adolescents who are at risk for suicide. After a review of the literature, 17 studies involving screening instruments and programs were identified. We addressed the question: What do we know about the demonstrated effectiveness and safety of screening as a tool or program to prevent suicide among adolescents? While youth suicide screening programs offer the promise of improving identification for those who need treatment the most, further research is essential to understand how, when, where, and for whom screening programs can be used effectively and efficiently.