Unilateral Fatigue Affects the Unipedal Postural Balance in Individuals With Intellectual Disability

This study aimed to explore the effect of local muscle fatigue on the unipedal stance in men with intellectual disability (ID). The Centre of pressure (CoP) excursions and the isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) were measured before and after a fatiguing exercise. Higher baseline values of CoP excursions and lower MVC values were recorded in the ID group. After the fatiguing exercise, this group showed higher MVC decrease and higher percentage of increase of the mean CoP velocity. In conclusion, men with ID are more vulnerable to the disturbing effects of fatigue during the unipedal stance compared to men without ID.     

“To‐be‐forgotten” statements become less true: Memory processes involved in selection and forgetting lead to truthfulness changes of ambiguous sentences

What happens when people try to forget something? What are the consequences of instructing people to intentionally forget a sentence? Recent studies employing the item‐method directed forgetting paradigm have shown that to‐be‐forgotten (TBF) items are, in a subsequent task, emotionally devaluated relative to to‐be‐remembered (TBR) items, an aftereffect of memory selection (Vivas, Marful, Panagiotidou & Bajo, 2016). As such, distractor devaluation by attentional selection generalizes to memory selection. In this study, we use the item‐method directed forgetting paradigm to test the effects of memory selection and inhibition on truth judgments of ambiguous sentences. We expected the relative standing of an item in the task (i.e., whether it was instructed to be remembered or forgotten) to affect the truthfulness value of that item, making TBF items less valid/truthful than TBR items. As predicted, ambiguous sentences associated with a “Forget” cue were subsequently judged as less true than sentences associated with a “Remember” cue, suggesting that instructions to intentionally forget a statement can produce changes in the validity/truthfulness of that statement. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show an influence of memory processes involved in selection and forgetting on the perceived truthfulness of sentences.     

义符促进类别归纳推理的ERP证据

为了明确义符对归纳推理影响,本研究使用有义符和无义符汉字为材料,使用ERP技术考查义符对不同层级类别概念归纳推理的影响。行为结果显示,有义符条件下反应速度更快,肯定判断率更高。脑电指标上,P3阶段义符主效应显著,有义符条件下P3波幅更大;N1、N400和P600阶段义符与层级交互作用显著,组内简单效应分析显示,层级主效应仅在无义符条件下显著;组间简单效应分析显示,义符主效在N400和P600阶段仅在下-上推理条件下显著,无义符条件下,下-上推理引发更大的N400和P600波幅。这些结果表明,义符促进了归纳推理过程,这种促进主要表现在对下-上推理的促进。     

The Mediating Effects of Self-Esteem and Trait Anxiety Mediate on the Impact of Locus of Control on Subjective Well-Being

Sense of control plays an important role in the psychological well-being of an individual. This study aims to investigate the impact of locus of control on subjective well-being (SWB). Participants include 400 undergraduates (214 men and 186 women) from four universities in China. Data were collected using the Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Trait Anxiety Scale, and SWB measures. Results suggested that locus of control, trait anxiety, and self-esteem were significantly correlated with SWB. Structural equation modeling results indicated that trait anxiety and self-esteem partially mediated the impact of locus of control on SWB. Moreover, bootstrap test revealed significant paths from locus of control to SWB through trait anxiety and self-esteem. Therefore, locus of control, trait anxiety, and self-esteem have significant impacts on SWB. Moreover, trait anxiety and self-esteem have a mediating effect on the impact of locus of control on subjective well-being.     

Direct and Indirect Effects of Self-efficacy on Depression: The Mediating Role of Dispositional Optimism

In this study, we aimed to explore the impact of self-efficacy on depression – specifically, to test and verify the mediating role of dispositional optimism between the two variables. Five hundred and thirty-five undergraduates from two universities were recruited and given a Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, Revised Life Orientation Test, and Self-Rating Depression Scale. Results indicated that there are indeed significant relationships among self-efficacy, dispositional optimism, and each identified dimension of depression; structural equation modeling showed that the relationship between self-efficacy and depression is partially mediated by dispositional optimism. To this effect, we concluded that to develop and improve students’ self-efficacy will reduce their levels of depression, which may have implications in college counseling.     

Social Job Resources as Sources of Meaningfulness and its Effects on Nurses’ Vigor and Emotional Exhaustion: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Spanish Nurses

This study investigates the mediating role of psychological meaningfulness among social job resources (i.e., coworkers and supervisor support), vigor, and emotional exhaustion in a nursing context. In spite of progress in understanding which organizational influence affects nurses’ vigor and emotional exhaustion, the psychological mechanisms assumed to underlie the associations have not been fully explored. The sample for this study consisted of 171 nurses from Spanish hospitals (54.4 %) and Primary Care Centers (45.6 %). The mediation model was tested using the bootstrapping procedure. Our findings confirmed that psychological meaningfulness fully mediates the impact of social job resources on vigor at work. Moreover, psychological meaningfulness partially mediated the impact of social job resources on emotional exhaustion. Results suggest that meaningfulness plays an important role in the connection between job resources, vigor, and emotional exhaustion. The findings contribute to our understanding of the psychological processes that can explain how job resources contribute to the energetic aspect of burnout and engagement among nurses. Providing nurses with more social job resources, such as coworker and supervisor support, could activate their levels of personal meaningfulness and thus enhance their levels of well-being at work.     

How international transracial adoptees and immigrants cope with discrimination? The moderating role of ethnic identity in the relation between perceived discrimination and psychological well‐being

Research has consistently shown that discrimination based on ethnic group membership affects the psychological well‐being of ethnic minorities. Recent studies revealed that discrimination is also a relevant experience for international transracial adoptees, who have experienced a unique migration process. Yet, there is still a paucity of studies focused on similarities and differences between how immigrants and international transracial adoptees perceive discrimination and on how perceived discrimination impacts psychological well‐being, also depending on ethnic identity. Our study aimed to fill these gaps by investigating the moderating role of ethnic identity affirmation in the association between perceived discrimination and psychological well‐being, measured in terms of self‐esteem. A comparison between international transracial adoptees and immigrants was carried out in the Italian context. Participants were 119 international transracial adoptees and 90 immigrants, aged between 15 and 24, all categorizing themselves as Latinos. Findings revealed that immigrants perceived more discrimination and showed higher levels of ethnic identity affirmation than did adoptees, but no difference emerged with respect to self‐esteem. Ethnic identity affirmation buffered the detrimental effects of perceived discrimination on self‐esteem among international transracial adoptees but not among immigrants. Results are discussed in relation to practical implications for preventive interventions.     

The diagnostic and therapeutic uses of family conflicts in a Chinese context: the case of anorexia nervosa

There are two untested cultural beliefs commonly held among family therapists in Hong Kong: (1) Chinese families are reserved in disclosing their conflicts to an 'outsider'; and (2) it would be culturally inappropriate to elicit family conflicts in treatment. In this article, an attempt is made to examine these cultural beliefs based on the results of a qualitative study of thirty-five Chinese patients suffering from anorexia nervosa. These patients and their families have participated in a pre-treatment family interview prior to the commencement of family treatment. The results of the study have shown that the afflicted Chinese families are very willing to disclose their difficulties to the researcher. The onset of the disorder has led to different types of family conflicts including: (1) overt family conflicts related to food refusal; (2) covert family conflicts; (3) increased sibling rivalry; (4) increased parent–child conflict; and (5) marital tension and distress. The clinical implications of this study are discussed at the end of the article.     

The effects of conversation on attention and peripheral detection: Is talking with a passenger and talking on the cell phone different?

In this study conversation with a remote person (hands-free phone), an in-vehicle person (passenger), and a no conversation (baseline) condition were compared on measures of attention and peripheral detection. We held conversation pace constant so that any difference found in attention or peripheral detection could be attributed to the distinctive feature of the type of conversation (remote, in-vehicle). The difficulty level of the verbal task was included as a second independent variable. Forty-eight undergraduate students participated in all conditions of a within-subjects design. The results revealed that conversation resulted in slower reactions and fewer correct responses on both attention and Peripheral Detection tasks compared to no conversation, while conversation type (remote/in-person) did not make a significant difference. Difficulty of the verbal task affected performance on the Peripheral Detection task but not on the attention task. These findings imply that conversation has a negative effect on attention and peripheral detection which are important components of driving. This effect may be greater with difficult conversations.     

Employment issues of women in jail

This study examines the recent employment history and needs of 110 women held in 2 urban county jails in Ohio. Those who had worked recently were more likely to have a high school education, to have a skill, to have a driver's license with access to a car, and to have dependents. Women who had worked recently were less likely to have a drug or alcohol problem, a chronic medical condition, or a mental disorder. Results indicate that women in jail are more motivated to engage in employment counseling provided that housing and social service needs are addressed.