Variability in the early development of visual self-recognition

A study was conducted to evaluate the (1) developmental course and (2) the temporal sequencing of visual (mirror, photo) and verbal (personal pronoun use) measures of self-recognition as well as the ability to locate a toy from its mirror image in relation to the child's own mirror image. A microgenetic approach was adopted to assess 10 toddlers biweekly between 15 and 23 months of age and for comparison, a cross-section of children tested once across the same age range. Longitudinal data indicated that visual self-recognition emerged gradually and showed wide variability in expression prior to becoming stable, a finding masked in the cross-sectional data where performance appeared to improve abruptly. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data confirmed that mirror self-recognition was the earliest precursor of the indices of self-recognition to emerge followed by the use of personal pronouns and photo identification. Implications for the emergence and integration of the self are discussed.     

Therapeutic Implications of Pharmacotherapy: Current Trends and Ethical Issues

The use of psychotropic medications (pharmacotherapy) in conjunction with psychotherapy is regarded as the standard of care for many mental health disorders. Counselors, therefore, need to be knowledgeable about psychopharmacology to monitor its impact on the therapeutic relationship and on client outcome. Discussed are potential ethical dilemmas with pharmacotherapy interventions, case studies demonstrating proper support of pharmacotherapy with diverse clientele, and critical elements of master's level training in psychopharmacology.     

The Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale: Sex,Race, and Grade Effects for Applications with Middle School Students

Preliminary normative data for the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS) total score were collected from 2,987 South Carolina middle school students in Grades 6 though 8. Tests for gender and ethnicity (African-American vs. Caucasian) effects were non-significant. Statistically significant differences between grade levels were discovered, but the magnitude of these differences was quite small. Thus, a single set of norms is appropriate for use when interpreting middle school students’ responses to the BMSLSS.     

The Accuracy of Self-Reports of Condom Use and Sexual Behavior

In a study of the accuracy of self-reports of sexual behavior and condom use, 285 single, young adults in a large metropolitan area were interviewed once a week for 52 weeks, reporting on their sexual behavior each week. At 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month intervals, the individuals also provided self-reports of the number of times they had engaged in sex and the number of times they had used condoms since they began participating in the study. These self-reports were compared with aggregates of the weekly data, which served as a comparison standard for accuracy evaluation. The results indicate a fairly high level of accuracy in self-reports, but with 2% to 5% outliers who are highly inaccurate. The results tend to favor the assessment of sexual behavior over moderate time durations (3 or 6 months) rather than short or long durations (1 month or 12 months) when trying to maximize self-report accuracy. Accuracy was attenuated for individuals who tended to engage in sex frequently, especially at the 12-month time durations.     

Strategic Communication and the Integrative Complexity‐Ideology Relationship: Meta‐Analytic Findings Reveal Differences Between Public Politicians and Private Citizens in Their Use of Simple Rhetoric

Research on the relationship between political conservatism and integrative complexity has yielded contradictory results, and little effort has been made to place these mixed results in a theoretical context. The present article considers this issue through a strategic model of language that suggests different psychological processes apply to public politicians versus private citizens. We use a methodologically precise meta‐analytic test of the relationship between political ideology and integrative complexity to examine the degree that conservative simplicity can be understood as a function of public versus private samples. Across 35 studies, findings revealed that conservatives are significantly less complex than liberals overall; however, while this effect was significant for public politicians, no relationship emerged for private citizens. Consistent with a strategic model, conservative simplicity was particularly in evidence for elected officials. This theoretical analysis has many consequences for our understanding of psychological theories that help explain the consequences of political ideology.     

Book Review of In the Presence of Grief: Helping Family Members Resolve Death,Dying, and Bereavement Issues

In the Presence of Grief: Helping Family Members Resolve Death, Dying, and Bereavement Issues by Dorothy S. Becvar, 2001, New York: Guilford Press, 284 pages, $23.00, ISBN 1–57230–937–7.     

Physical Activity,Exercise Motivations,Depression, and Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury in Youth

This study explored the relationship between physical activity, depression, and nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) in 167 high school and undergraduate students (mean age = 17.37, range 14–25). Results indicated that NSSI frequency had a significant negative relationship with physical activity, and physical activity moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and self‐harm. Specifically, high levels of depressive symptoms and low levels of physical activity had the greatest frequency of NSSI. Lastly, appearance‐based exercise motivations were significantly related to increased frequencies of NSSI. Overall, physical activity may possess a protective nature against NSSI, especially in individuals with depressive symptoms.