Asymmetrical Body Perception: A Possible Role for Neural Body Representations

ABSTRACT— Perception of one's body is related not only to the physical appearance of the body, but also to the neural representation of the body. The brain contains many body maps that systematically differ between right- and left-handed people. In general, the cortical representations of the right arm and right hand tend to be of greater area in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere for right-handed people, whereas these cortical representations tend to be symmetrical across hemispheres for left-handers. We took advantage of these naturally occurring differences and examined perceived arm length in right- and left-handed people. When looking at each arm and hand individually, right-handed participants perceived their right arms and right hands to be longer than their left arms and left hands, whereas left-handed participants perceived both arms accurately. These experiments reveal a possible relationship between implicit body maps in the brain and conscious perception of the body.     

Using Public Service Announcements to Change Behavior: No More Money and Oil Down the Drain1

Radio and television offer promising media for addressing large‐scale social problems. Unfortunately, very few mass‐media messages have utilized social psychological theories of persuasion and influence. This article summarizes 2 studies that evaluated the effectiveness of a state‐sponsored public service announcement aimed at reducing improper disposal of used motor oil among do‐it‐yourself oil changers. Study 1 was a field experiment with 120 oil changers in San Diego County. Inertial resistance and low perceived behavioral control were identified as obstacles to proper disposal. In Study 2 , we used the disrupt‐then‐reframe technique to successfully overcome these obstacles and promote proper disposal of used oil. The results underscore the usefulness of empirically validated persuasion techniques in changing behavior via mass media.     

Superior temporal activation in response to dynamic audio-visual emotional cues

Perception of emotion is critical for successful social interaction, yet the neural mechanisms underlying the perception of dynamic, audio-visual emotional cues are poorly understood. Evidence from language and sensory paradigms suggests that the superior temporal sulcus and gyrus (STS/STG) play a key role in the integration of auditory and visual cues. Emotion perception research has focused on static facial cues; however, dynamic audio-visual (AV) cues mimic real-world social cues more accurately than static and/or unimodal stimuli. Novel dynamic AV stimuli were presented using a block design in two fMRI studies, comparing bimodal stimuli to unimodal conditions, and emotional to neutral stimuli. Results suggest that the bilateral superior temporal region plays distinct roles in the perception of emotion and in the integration of auditory and visual cues. Given the greater ecological validity of the stimuli developed for this study, this paradigm may be helpful in elucidating the deficits in emotion perception experienced by clinical populations.     

Executive functions in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Executive dysfunction is a characteristic impairment of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). However whether such deficits are related to autism per se, or to associated intellectual disability is unclear. This paper examines executive functions in a group of children with ASD (N = 54, all IQ?70) in relation to a typically developing control group individually matched on the basis of age, gender, IQ and vocabulary. Significant impairments in the inhibition of prepotent responses (Stroop, Junior Hayling Test) and planning (Tower of London) were reported for children with ASD, with preserved performance for mental flexibility (Wisconsin Card Sorting Task) and generativity (Verbal Fluency). Atypical age-related patterns of performance were reported on tasks tapping response inhibition and self-monitoring for children with ASD compared to controls. The disparity between these and previous research findings are discussed. A multidimensional notion of executive functions is proposed, with difficulties in planning, the inhibition of prepotent responses and self-monitoring reflecting characteristic features of ASD that are independent of IQ and verbal ability, and relatively stable across the childhood years.     

ALTRUISM: TOWARD A PSYCHOBIOSPIRITUAL CONCEPTUALIZATION

Altruism, defined here as a regard for or devotion to the interest of others with whom we are interrelated, is pitted against two other dispositions in human beings: nepotism and egoism. We propose that to become fully human is to become more altruistic. We describe how altruism is mediated by our physiology, is expressed in our psychological development, is evolving in our social institutions, and becomes the moral communities that enforce our sense of right and wrong. A change in any one of these influences changes our disposition—changes who we are and what we do—potentially making altruism more possible in the world.     

Senior citizens group: The supervisory process (A case of parallel processes in multiple systems)

As cost-effective treatment becomes mandatory, preventive psychiatry support groups in community settings offer one solution. The authors describe their experience establishing a group at a Senior Citizens Center. They focus on the supervision of the PGY III psychiatry resident who led the group and how the supervisory process reflected the conflicts in multiple systems: the group, the Senior Citizens Center, the hospital, and supervision. Guidelines are offered for establishing such groups.     

A longitudinal study of the performance of hypertensive and normotensive subjects on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale was followed over two 5- to 6-year intervals for essential hypertensive Ss (EH; n = 22) free from medical complications and for normotensive Ss (N; n = 20). EH were treated with adrenergic beta-blocking drugs, diuretics, or both. Mean age was 46 years (SD = 12.6 years), initially (Time 1). Results were unaltered by adjustment for initial age. N improved modestly on the Verbal scale, from Time 1 to Time 2 only. EH neither improved nor declined on the Verbal scale. Scores remained unchanged for both EH and N Ss for the Performance scale. Overall, and at Times 2 and 3, Verbal scores were lower for the EH group. It was concluded that neither decline nor improvement in cognitive function over time are necessary outcomes of modest, carefully treated, uncomplicated hypertension in the middle years.