Further exploration memory bias in compulsive washers

The aim of the present study was to replicate Radomsky and Rachman's findings on memory bias in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), using the same procedure but an increased sample size, more specific control groups, and a full analysis of contamination attribution data. Sixteen OCD-washers, 16 OCD-checkers, 16 social phobic patients and 16 non-anxious controls were presented with 50 'clean' or 'dirty' objects. After this incidental encoding phase, participants were asked to freely recall the objects, to rate their anxiety when almost touching each object, and, finally, to attribute each object to one of the two contamination conditions ('clean' or 'dirty'). Verbal episodic memory was also assessed with the California Verbal Learning Test. The results indicate that, contrary to Radomsky and Rachman's findings, OCD-washers did not differ from the other participants in their memory for 'clean' and 'dirty' objects. However, the OCD-washers recalled more accurately the 'dirty' source of contamination than the 'clean' source. This result was specific to the OCD-washers, and suggests a memory bias for contextually threatening information. The differences between our findings and those published by Radomsky and Rachman's are discussed.     

Neural substrates of impaired categorical perception of phonemes in adult dyslexics: an fMRI study

Phonological developmental dyslexics remain impaired in phonetic categorical perception (CP) even in adulthood. We studied the brain correlates of CP in dyslexics and controls using a block design fMRI protocol and stimuli from an phonetic continuum between natural /Pa/ and /Ta/ syllables. Subjects performed a pseudo-passive listening task which does not imply voluntary categorical judgment. In the control group, categorical deviant stimuli elicited specific activations in the left angular gyrus, the right inferior frontal gyrus and the right superior cingulate cortex. These regions were not activated in the dyslexic group in which activation was observed for acoustic but not phonetic changes in stimuli. Failures to activate key regions for language perception and auditory attention in dyslexic might account for persistent deficits in phonological awareness and reading tasks.     

Profiles of Self-Esteem in Early Adolescence: Identification and Investigation of Adaptive Correlates

Investigated profiles of self-esteem during early adolescence and their adaptive correlates in two separate longitudinal studies. Using multidimensional ratings of self-esteem within a developmental-ecological framework, cluster analysis revealed five distinct profiles for each sample. The profiles found were characterized by differing patterns of self-evaluation across major contexts of development, including consistently positive or negative ratings for all domains as well as more variable patterns in which ratings for one or more domains (e.g., school) were elevated or diminished relative to those for other areas. Profiles, in turn, were found to be related to measures of youth adjustment both concurrently and longitudinally, independent of their associations with ratings of global self-esteem. Prospective analyses in each study further revealed that profile type predicted differential change in measures of youth adjustment over time, whereas this type of relationship was not found for global ratings of self-esteem. Implications for esteem-enhancement interventions with youth are discussed.     

Short versus long term gains of a cognitive-behavioral social skills program targeting the giving and receiving of criticism

Seventy-four university undergraduates (40.2% male and 59.8% female) reporting difficulty in giving and receiving criticism were randomly assigned to either a training group consisting of cognitive behavioral criticism skills including behavior rehearsal, modeling, coaching, cognitive restructuring, or to a control group. Dependent measures were given at pre-test, post-test, and one year follow-up. Included were self-report measures consisting of Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE), Criticism Concerns Scale (CCS), Criticism Self-Esteem Giving and Receiving Scales, and behavioral role-play measures consisting of judges’ global ratings of subject’s verbal and nonverbal criticism behaviors in role-play scenarios with a live actor. Results for the self-report measures, FNE, and Criticism Self-Esteem Receiving showed both training program and control groups improved at post-test, but only the training program group maintained gains at one year follow-up. For the CCS and Criticism Self-Esteem Giving, the training program group improved over time, yet was only significantly different from control group at post-test. Results were discussed in terms of the pro-active nature of giving criticism versus the more reactive nature of receiving criticism.     

Cognitive and social-emotional development of children in different preschool environments

62 English-speaking preschool children were divided into three groups, a Montessori group (n = 21), a traditional preschool group (n = 21), and a homestaying group (n = 20) to compare their relative cognitive and social-emotional development. Significant differences in favour of the school groups were found for vocabulary, language comprehension, ability to judge the correctness of figural stimuli, visual memory, and perceptual organization. No differences were found for social-emotional development, and no relationship existed between type of preschool and level of development.     

The Political Socialization of Commerce and Social Science Students: Epistemic Authority and Attitude Change1

A 3-year longitudinal study assessed the effects of studying in the social sciences versus commerce on sociopolitical orientation. Results reveal field-specific changes in attitudes. Commerce students (n= 34) became, over time, more favorable toward “capitalists,” less favorable toward “unions,” and less likely to attribute poverty and unemployment to systemic factors. In contrast, social science students (n= 57) maintained liberal attitudes and became less likely to attribute poverty and unemployment to internal dispositions. Beliefs about internal and external causes of poverty and unemployment, while unrelated in 1st year, become negatively related in 3rd year but only among social science students. Measures taken in 3rd year to assess the influence of peers, professors, and courses suggest that peers have a generally conservative effect, even in the social sciences, while professors and courses have a liberal effect only in the social sciences.     

Studies in group decision I: Social space,patterns of communication and group concensus

The discovery of the effects of risky shift focusses the interest on the study of decision processes. Nevertheless the researches carried on until now have always shown confusion between the theoretical and experimental analysis of these processes and the risk-related behavior. In the first part of the article the authors try to clear this confusion as well as to define the conditions of a systematic study of the mechanisms of decision leading either to an averaging or to a polarization of individual views. The authors insist on the necessity to compare groups rather than individuals to groups. To start with, one hypothesis concerning the effects of group organization on the degree of polarization of views is proposed. The experiment described in the second part of the article confirms the hypothesis: A group in which individuals have the possibility to communicate with each other and to interact directly take more extreme decisions than a group deprived of this possibility. It is presumptuous and inexact to state that groups take more extreme risk than individuals whereas it is right to say that certain groups take risks when circumstances are favorable.