Supraspan verbal memory in attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity normal and reading-disabled boys

To assess memory problems associated with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH) and reading disability (RD), nonverbal subspan, span, and supraspan measures was administered to 30 ADDH, 30 normal, and 24 RD boys, ages 7 to 12. Results from the supraspan verbal measures, which included word lists and related and unrelated paired associates, are reported. Across all verbal tasks, deficits became most apparent in ADDH boys on measures requiring organized, deliberate rehearsal strategies, sustained strategic effort, and careful consideration of response alternatives. This pattern suggests impaired self-regulatory or executive processes. RDs showed more generalized deficits across the verbal measures, suggesting problems with verbal processing. Recent studies supporting this interpretation are reviewed.This research was partially supported by Grant MA-6913 from the Medical Research Council of Canada. We are grateful for the help of Rhonda Amsel in the various stages of this project.     

A multicomponent investigation of the interaction of generalized anxiety and phobia

Forty female undergraduates forming four groups, high or low trait anxiety with or without a specific fear (rats), participated in a psychophysiological assessment of their response to the phobic object, a neutral object (rabbit), and to a general anxiety-induction procedure (threat of shock). Subjects also completed a number of tasks requiring sustained attention. Blood samples were drawn to determine thyroid hormone (T3 and T4) levels. Trait anxiety was found to interact with specific fear in response to the feared object. The high-trait anxious/high-fear group was most physiologically responsive to the rat. Trait- anxious subjects were more responsive to the threat of shock and showed performance deficits on reaction time, vigilance, and backward digit span tasks. These subjects also had significantly higher T3 and T4 levels. The findings are discussed with regard to the role of general anxiety in the etiology and/or maintenance of specific fears and the role of thyroid hormones in accentuating physiological response to feared stimuli.     

Stress and blood glucose in type II diabetes mellitus

Six adults with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus participated in a laboratory procedure to determine the effects of an acute Stressor, mental arithmetic, on blood glucose, cardiovascular, and subjective indices of stress. They then completed 12 days home monitoring of stressful events, subjective stress, and blood glucose. Diet and activity were controlled to evaluate the direct effects of stress on blood glucose in the natural environment. Laboratory results showed significant increases in blood glucose, cardiovascular (HR and SBP), and subjective stress ratings during the mental arithmetic task when compared to a resting condition. Home monitoring data were consistent with the laboratory findings; blood glucose range tended to be greater on high vs low stress days, especially when the difference between high and low stress was greatest. These findings suggest that the laboratory stress induction procedure was externally valid and that in the natural environment, stress has a hyperglycemic effect on blood glucose.     

Study strategies and story recall in attention deficit disorder and reading disability

The role of metacognition and executive processes in mediating use of study skills was examined in groups of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD-H), normal, and non- ADD- H reading-disabled (RD) boys, matched on age and verbal IQ. On a story recall task, ADD- H boys did not differ from normals in their immediate gist recall of a story or in their recall following a study period. RD boys demonstrated inferior recall in both conditions. Study skills of the ADD- H boys were poorer than those of normal boys on all measures. They spent less time studying, expended less effort, and employed more superficial strategies. However, their poor strategies did not appear to reflect a lack of metacognitive awareness. Results are discussed in terms of the impact of motivational variables in modulating strategy use in ADD- H boys and the impact of verbal processing problems in reading disabilities. Implications for treatment and the relationship between ADD- H and RD are discussed.This research was supported by grant MA 6913 from the Medical Research Council of Canada.     

The psychological benefit of future vividness in goal persistence: An illustrative case of the class of 2020 before & during COVID-19

Graduating during COVID-19, the Class of 2020 had difficulty pursuing their future goals. This research examined the likelihood of academic and career goal change early in the pandemic, disparities in persistence by socioeconomic status (SES), and how psychological resources mitigated goal change during the early stages of the pandemic. This 4-year study surveyed students in the Class of 2020 eight times from their first week in college (Fall 2016) to their last semester before graduation (Spring 2020; N = 115; 20% below middle SES, 80% middle SES or above). Even in the first weeks of COVID-19, a quarter of students changed goals. Lower SES students were less likely to persist in their post-graduation plans. Nevertheless, students who entered college with a vivid image of their future were more likely to have secured a graduate school or job prospect prior to COVID-19, and, in turn, were less likely to change goals.     

When Do Comprehender Groups Differ? A Moment-by-Moment Analysis of Think-Aloud Protocols of Good and Poor Comprehenders

The purpose of this study was to examine moment-by-moment fluctuations in text comprehension processing and determine how and when poor and good comprehenders differ. To do so, we reanalyzed a dataset of think-aloud protocols from 138 intermediate elementary students. Both good and poor comprehenders used a variety of processing strategies when reading text; however, good comprehenders were more strategic in which processes they used than were poor comprehenders. Patterns of two types of poor comprehenders were also analyzed: paraphrasers and lateral connectors. The results indicate that these different reader types not only vary in aggregate but also moment-by-moment processing.     

Evidence for a contact-based explanation of the own-age bias in face recognition

Previous research has shown that we recognize faces similar in age to ourselves better than older or younger faces (e.g., Wright & Stroud, 2002). This study investigated whether this own-age bias could be explained by the contact hypothesis used to account for the own-race bias (see Meissner & Brigham, 2001). If the own-age bias stems from increased exposure to people of our own age, it should be reduced or absent in those with higher exposure to other age groups. Participants were asked to remember facial photographs of 8- to 11- and 20- to 25-year-olds. Undergraduates were faster and more accurate at recognizing faces of their own age. However, trainee teachers showed no such own-age bias; they recognized the children’s faces more quickly than own-age faces and with comparable accuracy. These results support a contact-based explanation of the own-age bias.