Parental experience of childhood cancer using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Whilst survival rates for childhood cancer have improved dramatically over the past three decades, it is still a devastating diagnosis for family members and an illness which severely disrupts the lifestyle of the family unit. Developing an understanding of the impact of the illness on the family is crucial to better support families' deal with the demands of the illness. In this study nine families in which a child was diagnosed with cancer were interviewed twice over a 12 month period, approximately 6 months apart. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, a semi-structured interview was used to explicate parent's experience of childhood cancer. The results revealed five super-ordinate themes; (1) a pivotal moment in time, (2) the experience of adaptation in relation to having a sick child, (3) the nature of support, (4) re-evaluation of values during a critical life experience and (5) the experience of optimism and altruism. Findings indicate that parents express both negative and positive experiences as they re-evaluate the meaning and purpose of life, seek to redefine themselves, often in terms of priorities, relationships, sense of community and achieve degrees of optimism and altruism. Implications for addressing the needs of parents and for further research are discussed.     

Revealing human inductive biases for category learning by simulating cultural transmission

We explored people’s inductive biases in category learning—that is, the factors that make learning category structures easy or hard—using iterated learning. This method uses the responses of one participant to train the next, simulating cultural transmission and converging on category structures that people find easy to learn. We applied this method to four different stimulus sets, varying in the identifiability of their underlying dimensions. The results of iterated learning provide an unusually clear picture of people’s inductive biases. The category structures that emerge often correspond to a linear boundary on a single dimension, when such a dimension can be identified. However, other kinds of category structures also appear, depending on the nature of the stimuli. The results from this single experiment are consistent with previous empirical findings that were gleaned from decades of research into human category learning.     

Differential neuronal responses to the self and others in the extrastriate body area and the fusiform body area

The extrastriate body area (EBA) and the fusiform body area (FBA) are selectively activated by viewing human bodies. However, the role of these functionally defined brain areas in self-other discrimination is still unresolved. Thirty-one females were presented with 16 pictures of their own body and another body in a bikini and with scrambled images while fMRI was performed. Moreover, standardized stimulus material was used in order to localize the EBA and FBA. Region-of-interest analysis showed an enhanced BOLD response to the self-images relative to the non-self-images in the right EBA and FBA. The right EBA and FBA are activated differently by viewing oneself and others and might thus play a role in visual self-other discrimination.     

Mindfulness and other Buddhist-derived interventions in correctional settings: A systematic review

Interest into the rehabilitative utility of Buddhist-derived interventions (BDIs) for incarcerated populations has been growing. The present paper systematically reviews the evidence for BDIs in correctional settings. Five databases were systematically searched. Controlled intervention studies of BDIs that utilized incarcerated samples were included. Jadad scoring was used to evaluate methodological quality. PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis) guidelines were followed. The initial search yielded 85 papers, but only eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The eight eligible studies comprised two mindfulness studies, four vipassana meditation studies, and two studies utilizing other BDIs. Intervention participants demonstrated significant improvements across five key criminogenic variables: (i) negative affect, (ii) substance use (and related attitudes), (iii) anger and hostility, (iv) relaxation capacity, and (v) self-esteem and optimism. There were a number of major quality issues. It is concluded that BDIs may be feasible and effective rehabilitative interventions for incarcerated populations. However, if the potential suitability and efficacy of BDIs for prisoner populations is to be evaluated in earnest, it is essential that methodological rigor is substantially improved. Studies that can overcome the ethical issues relating to randomization in correctional settings and employ robust randomized controlled trial designs are favored.     

Evaluating organizational stress-management interventions using adapted study designs

The evaluation of organizational stress management interventions has proved challenging for researchers and practitioners alike. Traditionally, researcher designed quasi-experiments have been regarded as the method for evaluating such interventions. However, relatively few such studies have been satisfactorily completed in organizations, and many of those that have did not adequately take account of intervention processes. This article presents an approach to evaluation that can help to overcome these problems. Two empirical studies are presented that demonstrate that measurement of the intervention process can be used to adapt and shape the design of the evaluation. In both studies, process evaluation incorporating the measurement of intervention exposure was used to partition participant samples (into intervention and control groups). This approach has the potential to enable and strengthen quantitative outcome evaluation in situations where controlled quasi-experimentation is not possible.     

The Factor Structure of the CVLT-C in Pediatric Epilepsy

The current study used archival data to evaluate the fit of six latent variable models, originally generated by Donders (1999) Donders. 1999. Structural analysis of the California Verbal Learning Test—Children's Version in the standardization sample. Developmental Neuropsychology, 15(3): 395–406. [CSA][Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], for the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version (CVLT-C; Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, &; Ober, 1994 Delis, D. C., Kramer, J. H., Kaplan, E. and Ober, B. A. 1994. California Verbal Learning Test—Children's Version, San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.  [Google Scholar]) in a large (N = 289) sample of pediatric epilepsy cases presenting at three tertiary treatment centers. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we found that a model including factors of Attention Span, Learning Efficiency, Free Delayed Recall, Cued Delayed Recall, and Inaccurate Recall demonstrated the best relative fit for our data. These findings are consistent with those reported by Donders (1999) Donders. 1999. Structural analysis of the California Verbal Learning Test—Children's Version in the standardization sample. Developmental Neuropsychology, 15(3): 395–406. [CSA][Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] in his reanalysis of the CVLT-C standardization sample data, supporting the validity of this factorial model in pediatric epilepsy populations.     

Impulsive Responses In Children with Conduct Disorder and Borderline Intellectual Functioning

The study is designed to investigate response inhibition in children with conduct disorder and borderline intellectual functioning. To this end, children are compared to a normal peer control group using the Alertness test. The test has two conditions. In one condition, children are instructed to push a response button after a visual “go” signal is presented on the screen. In a second condition the “go” signal is preceded by an auditory signal, telling the child that a target stimulus will occur soon. Compared to the control group, the group carrying the dual diagnosis made many preliminary responses (responses before the presentation of the “go” signal), especially in the condition with an auditory signal. This impulsive response style was controlled for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder characteristics of the children.     

Very Low Birth Weight and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

It is well recognized that reaction time performance of term-born children with a normal birth weight (NBW > 2500 g) who fulfill the DSM-IV criteria for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the primary school age is sensitive for the presentation rate of stimuli. They have been found to perform more poorly in conditions of relatively slow event rates as compared with fast event rates. The purpose of the current study was to explore whether reaction time performance of children with very low birth weight (VLBW < 1500 g) with or without ADHD showed the same sensitivity for the factor presentation rate of stimuli compared to children with a normal birth weight plus ADHD. To this end, reaction time performance of four groups of children was compared on a Go/No-Go test with a fast presentation rate of 1 second and a slow presentation rate of 6 seconds. Groups were: children with VLBW plus ADHD, children with VLBW only, children born full term with normal birth weight (NBW >2500 g) plus ADHD, and children born full term without ADHD (the control group). Findings indicated that, compared to the non-ADHD groups, the groups with ADHD (NBW and VLBW) showed a more dramatic decline in their reaction time performance in the slow condition: a state regulation deficit. In addition, both groups showed a response inhibition deficit. No difference was found in reaction time performance between the groups of children with VLBW only and the control group.     

Visual orientation in hospitalized boys with early onset conduct disorder and borderline intellectual functioning

The aim of the present study is to investigate visual orientation in hospitalized boys with severe early onset conduct disorder and borderline intellectual functioning. It is tested whether boys with the dual diagnosis have a stronger action-oriented response style to visual-cued go signals than the norm. To this end, boys with the dual diagnosis were compared with a peer control group on Posner's (1980) Posner, M. I. 1980. Orienting of attention. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 32: 3–25. [Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] visual-spatial detection test. Here, on each trial, a visual cue points either in the direction of the location of a subsequent go signal (valid cue), or points in the opposite direction away from the location of the subsequent go signal (invalid cue). Findings indicated superior orientation (a strong action-oriented response style) of children with the dual diagnosis in valid-cued trials as well as in invalid-cued trials in both the left and the right visual hemifield. Findings were controlled for attention scores on the Child Behavior Checklist -Teacher Form and IQ scores.     

Problems for Logical Pluralism

I argue that Beall and Restall's logical pluralism fails. Beall–Restall pluralism is the claim that there are different, equally correct logical consequence relations in a single language. Their position fails for two, related, reasons: first, it relies on an unmotivated conception of the ‘settled core’ of consequence: they believe that truth-preservation, necessity, formality and normativity are ‘settled’ features of logical consequence and that any relation satisfying these criteria is a logical consequence relation. I consider historical evidence and argue that their position relies on an unmotivated conception of the settled features of logical consequence. There are many features that are just as settled but which are inconsistent with pluralism. Second, I argue that Beall–Restall pluralism fails to hold in a single language with a single selection of logical constants, which they require for the position to be distinct from Carnap's. I consider various ways in which Beall and Restall can resist this meaning variance, particularly for negation, but argue that the strongest way relies on an unmotivated conception of the settled features of the logical constants.