Cross-Field Differences in Creative Problem-Solving Skills: A Comparison of Health,Biological, and Social Sciences

In this study, 258 doctoral students working in the health, biological, and social sciences were asked to solve a series of field-relevant problems calling for creative thought. Proposed solutions to these problems were scored with respect to critical creative thinking skills such as problem definition, conceptual combination, and idea generation. Results indicated that health, biological, and social scientists differed with respect to their skill in executing various operations, or processes, involved in creative thought. Interestingly, no differences were observed as a function of the students' level of experience. The implications of these findings for understanding cross-field, and cross-experience level, differences in creative thought are discussed.     

Girls,their fathers,and their mothers: Patterned links to ambition and prohibition in women

Abstract

This paper explores the dilemmas women face when they strive to achieve. It is about why women have trouble with their own deeply held ambitions, how patterns of interaction with important others are internalized in their childhood years that render their own strivings for power unacceptable to them, and how this early sense of prohibition against achievement is reinforced by the larger social and cultural surround. I contend that these interdictions against success are held by the female both in and out of her awareness, and are evoked in situations that trigger pathogenic memories in ever more complex ways. I explore current concepts about gender and gender formation, in particular the ideas of Adrienne Harris articulated in her book, Gender as Soft Assembly. Two clinical cases are described in order to explore and illustrate these issues, one a child and the other an adult.

Estelle Shane. Mädchen, ihre Väter und Mütter: Verbindende Muster zu Erfolgsstreben und Verboten im Leben von Frauen.

Dieser Aufsatz untersucht das Dilemma von Frauen, die nach Erfolg streben. Es geht Frauen, bei denen die Wünsche nach Erfolg in der Tiefe verborgenen sind. Die Muster von internalisierten Beziehungen mit wichtigen Bezugspersonen aus der Kindheit verhindern, dass sie das eigene Streben nach Macht akzeptieren können. Dieses Verbot von Erfolgsstreben ist verstärkt durch die sozialen und kulturellen Verhältnisse in denen sie leben. Im Hin und Her zwischen Bewusstwerdung und Verdrängung der Konflikthaftigkeit von Erfolgsstreben, können Erinnerungen an frühere pathogenene Konflikte ausgelöst werden. Gängige Konzepte der Entstehung von Geschlechtsidentität werden untersucht, speziell die Ideen von Adrienne Harris aus ihrem Buch: “Gender as soft Assembly”. Zwei klinische Fälle werden zur Illustration untersucht, der eines Kindes und der eines Erwachsenen.

Estelle Shane. Las niñas, sus padres, y sus madres: Patrones ligados a la ambición y la prohibición en las mujeres.

Este trabajo explora los dilemas que las mujeres enfrentan cuando luchan por lograr. Trata del porque las mujeres tienen problemas con sus ambiciones más profundamente sostenidas, cómo los patrones de interacción con otros son internalizadas en sus años de infancia, y dan cuenta de sus propias luchas por el poder, inaceptables para ellas, y cómo esta sensación temprana de prohibición en contra del logro es reforzado por el ambiente social y cultural que les rodea. Estas prohibiciones en contra del éxito son sostenidas por las mujeres tanto con o sin conciencia y son evocadas en situaciones que apuntalan recuerdos patogénicos en formas más complejas. Exploro conceptos actuales sobre la formación del género, en particular las ideas de Adrienne Harris articuladas en su libro, Gender and soft Assembly. Dos casos clínicos son descritos para explorar e ilustrar estos aspectos, uno se trata de una niña y otro de una mujer adulta.     

Addressing Anger,Stress, and Alcohol-Related Difficulties in the Military: An ACT Intervention

The use of alcohol to manage emotion is a common technique seen in military service personnel, the implication of which is evident in the relationship between alcohol misuse and mood disorders. However, investigations into transdiagnostic treatments aimed at addressing the common underlying processes to these problems in military personnel are lacking. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of a real-world Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based intervention undergone by 262 military personnel. A quasi-experimental prepost design was employed (interim 1 month postintervention) with a waitlist control group utilized to compare differences over time between those who promptly completed the week-long intervention course and the delayed waitlist participants. In line with predictions, the intervention group showed greater improvement (cf. preintervention waitlist group) in emotion management, and greater reductions in levels of alcohol consumption, aggression, anxiety, stress, and perceptions of others being responsible for their circumstances. No significant differences were found in the comparison of both groups’ 1-month postintervention results (i.e., both groups evidenced similar improvements); suggesting having to wait to start the course had little effect on its impact. The results suggest the course holds promise for helping military service personnel improve a range of psychosocial outcomes. Further testing with a more rigorous methodology is recommended, as is using a more proactive approach in the promotion and implementation of future courses.     

Aberrant neural processing of moral violations in criminal psychopaths

A defining characteristic of psychopathy is the willingness to intentionally commit moral transgressions against others without guilt or remorse. Despite this "moral insensitivity," the behavioral and neural correlates of moral decision-making in psychopathy have not been well studied. To address this issue, the authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record hemodynamic activity in 72 incarcerated male adults, stratified into psychopathic (n = 16) and nonpsychopathic (n = 16) groups based on scores from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (R. D. Hare, 2003), while they made decisions regarding the severity of moral violations of pictures that did or did not depict moral situations. Consistent with hypotheses, an analysis of brain activity during the evaluation of pictures depicting moral violations in psychopaths versus nonpsychopaths showed atypical activity in several regions involved in moral decision-making. This included reduced moral/nonmoral picture distinctions in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and anterior temporal cortex in psychopaths relative to nonpsychopaths. In a separate analysis, the association between severity of moral violation ratings and brain activity across participants was compared in psychopaths versus nonpsychopaths. Results revealed a positive association between amygdala activity and severity ratings that was greater in nonpsychopaths than psychopaths, and a negative association between posterior temporal activity and severity ratings that was greater in psychopaths than nonpsychopaths. These results reveal potential neural underpinnings of moral insensitivity in psychopathy and are discussed with reference to neurobiological models of morality and psychopathy.     

The Moderating Impact of Social Networks on the Relationships Among Core Values,Partisanship, and Candidate Evaluations

Social networks are increasingly becoming recognized as a source of influence on political attitudes and behavior. In this study, we examine the moderating impact of social networks on the relationship among several attitudes. We argue that those who regularly interact with individuals with different views from their own will be more likely to think of themselves in nonpartisan terms. It is therefore hypothesized that an individual's discussion network influences the relationship between one's support for various core values and one's partisanship. As a corollary, we argue that disagreement in discussion networks reduces individuals' reliance on partisanship when forming subsequent attitudes. To test these propositions, we employ data asking respondents to list individuals with whom they discuss politics on a regular basis and who such individuals supported in a recent election to create a measure of network disagreement. Empirical tests provide strong support for our hypotheses.     

Improving Case-Based Ethics Training with Codes of Conduct and Forecasting Content

Although case-based training is popular for ethics education, little is known about how specific case content influences training effectiveness. Therefore, the effects of (a) codes of ethical conduct and (b) forecasting content were investigated. Results revealed richer cases, including both codes and forecasting content, led to increased knowledge acquisition, greater sensemaking strategy use, and better decision ethicality. With richer cases, a specific pattern emerged. Specifically, content describing codes alone was more effective when combined with short-term forecasts, whereas content embedding codes within context was more effective when combined with long-term forecasts, leading to greater knowledge acquisition and sensemaking strategy use.     

Applying Cases to Solve Ethical Problems: The Significance of Positive and Process-Oriented Reflection

This study examined the role of reflection on personal cases for making ethical decisions with regard to new ethical problems. Participants assumed the position of a business manager in a hypothetical organization and solved ethical problems that might be encountered. Prior to making a decision for the business problems, participants reflected on a relevant ethical experience. The findings revealed that application of material garnered from reflection on a personal experience was associated with decisions of higher ethicality. However, whether the case was viewed as positive or negative, and whether the outcomes, processes, or outcomes and processes embedded in the experience were examined, influenced the application of case material to the new problem. As expected, examining positive experiences and the processes involved in those positive experiences resulted in greater application of case material to new problems. Future directions and implications for understanding ethical decision making are discussed.     

Facilitating Online Counseling: Perspectives From Counselors in Training

To address the need for research regarding online counseling, the authors explore the experiences of 4 female and 2 male Caucasian counseling students who facilitated 5 chat‐based online counseling sessions. Conducting semistructured interviews based in grounded theory methods, the authors discuss technological barriers, counseling without visual and verbal cues, online counseling techniques, counseling from home, and factors related to the pace of the sessions. They suggest that online counseling requires specific technical, ethical, and clinical considerations.     

The Genetics Journey: A Case Report of a Genetic Diagnosis Made 30 Years Later

Mandibulofacial dysostosis with microcephaly (MFDM) is a rare autosomal dominant condition that was first described in 2006. The causative gene, EFTUD2, identified in 2012. We report on a family that initially presented to a pediatric genetics clinic in the 1980s for evaluation of multiple congenital anomalies. Re-evaluation of one member thirty years later resulted in a phenotypic and molecularly confirmed diagnosis of MFDM. This family’s clinical histories and the novel EFTUD2 variant identified, c.1297_1298delAT (p.Met433Valfs*17), add to the literature about MFDM. This case presented several genetic counseling challenges and highlights that “the patient” can be multiple family members. We discuss testing considerations for an unknown disorder complicated by the time constraint of the patient’s daughter’s pregnancy and how the diagnosis changed previously provided recurrence risks. Of note, 1) the 1980s clinic visit letters provided critical information about affected family members and 2) the patient’s husband’s internet search of his wife’s clinical features also yielded the MFDM diagnosis, illustrating the power of the internet in the hands of patients. Ultimately, this case emphasizes the importance of re-evaluation given advances in genetics and the value of a genetic diagnosis for both patient care and risk determination for family members.     

“Building Hope for the Future”: A Program to Foster Strengths in Middle-School Students

The authors investigated the effectiveness of a 5-week hope-based intervention designed to enhance hope, life satisfaction, self-worth, mental health and academic achievement in middle school students. The study includes a sample of 31 students from a community school, a matched comparison group of 31 students, and 2 secondary groups—guardians and teachers of the students’ intervention group. Students completed a questionnaire packet that included demographic information, the Portuguese versions of the Children’s Hope Scale, Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale, Mental Health and Self-Worth Scales. Academic achievement was obtained from school records. At baseline, groups are statistically similar on the variables of interest. At post-test the intervention group had enhanced hope, life satisfaction and self-worth. In the intervention group, benefits in hope, life satisfaction and self-worth were maintained at the 18-month follow up. Results suggest that a brief hope intervention can increase psychological strengths, and participants continue to benefit up to 1-year and 6-months later.