Salivation discordant with hunger.

In the present study, the authors tested whether an increase in salivation is associated with an increase in subjectively experienced hunger. After conditioning, subjects showed a significant increase in salivation flow. Hunger levels, however, were significantly decreased after conditioning. No correlation was found between salivation flow and hunger levels. It is argued that salivation responses and subjectively experienced hunger are loosely coupled systems. Salivation flow reflects the learning history of a subject which may sometimes be paralleled by a biological state which is called hunger, whereas, at other times, hunger may be absent. The authors conclude that conditioning of preparatory responses such as salivation depends on the probability relationship between exposure to cues (CSs) and food intake (US), as well as the intensity of the US.     

Effects of hypothesis and assigned task on question selection strategies

Semin and Strack (1980) demonstrated that the findings obtained by Snyder and Swann (1978) with respect to an hypothesis-confirming strategy in social interaction were due to the assigned task, and not to a person's hypothesis. In our first experiment we replicated Semin and Strack's results. In a second experiment, employing a more effective manipulation of the subject's hypothesis, support was obtained for an effect of the hypothesis factor. It was concluded that both an assigned task effect and an hypothesis effect can be demonstrated in the laboratory and probably exist in reality.     

Revenge as social interaction: Merging social psychological and interpersonal communication approaches to the study of vengeful behavior

The purpose of this essay is to review and assess the benefits of merging social psychological and communication theory‐based approaches to the study of vengeful behavior in interpersonal interactions. We first outline the parallel but complementary perspectives that each discipline takes to the conceptualization of revenge. From there, we identify some of the core features that would be present in an integrated approach that conceptualizes revenge as an interpersonal process (i.e., an interaction or exchange), and then highlight new directions for both inquiry and theory building that an integrative approach reveals as worthy of scholarly pursuit. We argue that conceptualizing and studying revenge in ways that blend both social psychological and communication‐based views offers numerous opportunities to examine the dynamics between a provoking party and an avenger, and provides a richer and more insightful theoretical understanding of vengeful behavior than either perspective could offer alone.     

Mechanisms underpinning successful decision making in skilled youth soccer players: an analysis of visual search behaviors

The authors examined the complex interactions between perception, cognition, and expertise by using a film-based decision-making test. They stratified 40 youth soccer players (aged 13.0-15.8 years) into groups by using a within-task criterion. They assigned the players to successful or less successful groups on the basis of their performance on a laboratory-based test of tactical skill. Using soccer-specific film simulations, movement-based response measures, and eye movement registration techniques, the authors determined the players' decision-making processes and skill level. The results showed that investigators can use film-based tests to discriminate soccer players of comparable experience and playing level on the basis of their decision-making skills. When compared with their less successful counterparts, successful decision-makers used more goal-oriented search strategies, which resulted in superior performance, as characterized by faster decision times and greater response accuracy. Successful decision-makers (a) spent more time fixating the player in possession of the ball and (b) alternated gaze more frequently between that player and other areas of the display. An earlier study in which researchers (R. Vaeyens, M. Lenoir, A. M. Williams, L. Mazyn, & R. M. Philippaerts, 2007) stratified participants into groups on the basis of playing level had not revealed those differences. The implication of the present findings is that a within-task criterion provides investigators with a more sensitive approach when they try to identify the mechanisms underlying decision-making skill. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

An integrative perspective on psychotherapeutic treatments for borderline personality disorder

Although there is an abundance of literature on the psychotherapeutic treatment of borderline pathology, little is known about differences and similarities between treatments of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Potential differences and similarities are especially important in the absence of evidence of the superiority of one treatment over the other (e.g., Livesley, 2004). This article offers an overview of the theory and practice of contemporary psychotherapeutic treatments of BPD, and delineates similarities and differences between the specific treatments. Results show that similarities concerning (1) the formal characteristics, and (2) the importance of therapeutic techniques in treatments for BPD, outnumber the differences. This article concludes by viewing the similarities and differences from an integrative perspective, and recommendations are given for future work in treating patients with and research on the effectiveness of treatments and treatment techniques for BPD.     

Motivation for treatment in patients with personality disorders

The primary objective of the present study is to investigate the association between DSM-IV personality disorders and motivation for treatment in a large sample of patients admitting for a variety of psychotherapeutic programs (n = 1083). Second, we examine whether and to what extent this association is accounted for by other relevant patient variables (i.e., demographics, subjective distress, and treatment history). We developed a brief questionnaire to measure the motivation for treatment: the Motivation for Treatment Questionnaire (MTQ-8). The MTQ-8 consists of two subscales, i.e., Need for help and Readiness to change. The results show that patients with various personality disorders were significantly more motivated for treatment than those without. No differences across specific personality disorders were apparent. The association between personality disorders and motivation for treatment appeared to be partly accounted for by the level of symptom distress. It is concluded that, among treatment-seeking patients, personality disorders are associated with motivation for treatment and this association can best be understood by the higher symptom distress in patients with personality disorders as compared to those without personality disorders.     

Connecting to the Heart: Teaching Value-Based Professional Ethics

Science and Engineering Ethics - Engineering programs in the United States have been experimenting with diverse pedagogical approaches to educate future professional engineers. However, a crucial...