Assessing visual STM in infants and adults: eye movements and pupil dynamics reflect memory maintenance

Though previous work has demonstrated substantial short-term memory (STM) development in the first year of life (e.g., Ross-Sheehy, S., Oakes, L. M., & Luck, S. J. 2003. The development of visual short-term memory capacity in Infants. Child Development, 74(6), 1807–1822. doi:10.1046/j.1467-8624.2003.00639.x), limitations in infant-based procedures make it difficult to assess the continuity of STM mechanisms from infancy though adulthood. The goal of the current work is to present data collected from both infants and adults using a novel STM assessment task. Eye-tracking was used to capture gaze and pupillometry in 5-, 8- and 11-month-old infants and adults (n?=?176). Infant data replicate and extend previous findings demonstrating clear evidence of STM improvement from 5- to 11-months-of-age. Analysis of adult data reveal qualitatively similar patterns of responding, and additionally reveal several behavioural markers of STM accuracy including pupil dilation, saccade count, and switching. These results suggest that change-detection tasks recruit similar memory mechanisms in both infants and adults, and further suggest that visual dynamics may provide important new continuous measures of STM from infancy through adulthood.     

Frequency of Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury in Adolescents: Differences in Suicide Attempts,Substance Use,and Disordered Eating

The relationship between frequency of nonsuicidal selfinjury (NSSI) and suicide attempts, substance use, and disordered eating was assessed in a community sample of 4,839 adolescents, 922 of whom reported NSSI in the past year. It was expected that the engagement in risk behaviors would significantly increase as NSSI frequency increased. Participants completed the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) and were subdivided into five NSSI frequency groups: none, 1 time, 2–3 times, 4–5 times, and 6 or more times. A one‐way MANOVA found significant mean differences for all variables across NSSI frequency groups. The no NSSI group was significantly lower than all other groups on all variables. For suicide attempts, all frequency groups were significantly different from each other, with attempt frequency increasing with each increase in NSSI frequency. The six or more group reported significantly more substance use and disordered eating than all other groups. Overall, adolescents with more frequent NSSI represent a group at risk for concurrent unhealthy behaviors and suicide attempts.     

Understanding Intimate Partner Sexual Assaults: Findings from Sexual Assault Kits

ABSTRACT

In 2013, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, began DNA testing and investigating nearly 5000 previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs) from 1993 through 2009. We examined case files from a sample of SAKs that were tested but not previously adjudicated (n = 429). More than 10% (n = 45) involved victims who reported to police that a former or current intimate partner sexually assaulted them. This article integrates the available data on the offenders, the victims, the initial investigation, and the specifics of the assaults to provide a more complete understanding of intimate partner sexual assault (IPSA). More than one-third of the IPSA offenders were serial sex offenders; that is, the offenders sexually assaulted an intimate partner and another person(s). Comparing IPSAs to all other sexual assaults, IPSAs more frequently involved bodily force, less frequently involved a weapon, and IPSA investigations were more frequently closed because (1) the victims stated they lied or the police doubted the victims and (2) the victims declined to prosecute. The most common sequencing of events was a demand for sex by the offender followed by a verbal refusal by the victim and the use of bodily force in the sexual assault. The findings, however, indicate a great deal of variation in the sequencing of events surrounding the sexual assault, with over 25% involving no physical confrontation before or after the sexual assault and no demands for sex. Unsubmitted SAK data provide a unique window into understanding the understudied and underreported issue of IPSA.     

The Validity of a Brief Risk Assessment Tool for Predicting Suicidal Behavior in Veterans Utilizing VHA Mental Health Care

Suicide risk among military veterans is an important and ongoing concern. The Veterans Administration (VA) mandates suicide risk screening of all veterans seen for mental health issues, but little is known about the effectiveness of this screening. A retrospective chart review to examine all suicide risk screens at VA San Diego between October and December 2012 (n = 3,365) was conducted to assess whether results were associated with suicidal behavior over the subsequent 12 months. Patients judged to be at increased risk for suicide were 3 to 16 times more likely to attempt suicide and 7 to 25 times more likely to engage in self‐directed violence over the next 12 months compared with others. The screening tool may be a useful addition to clinical practice.     

Development and Validation of the State Moral Elevation Scale: Assessing State-Level Elevation Across Nonclinical and Clinical Samples

Journal of Happiness Studies - Research on moral elevation has steadily increased and identified several psychosocial benefits that bear relevance to both the general population and people with...