Olfactory learning-induced enhancement of the predisposition for LTP induction

Learning of a particularly difficult olfactory-discrimination (OD) task results in acquisition of rule learning. This enhancement in learning capability is accompanied by the long-term enhancement of synaptic connectivity between piriform cortex pyramidal neurons. In this study we examined whether olfactory rule learning would modify the predisposition to induce long-term potentiation (LTP) in the pathway projecting from the piriform cortex to the olfactory bulb. We report that OD learning was associated with enhancement in the predisposition to induce LTP. This learning-related effect may be affected by process generation of new granule cells located in the olfactory bulb.     

Financial satisfaction and financial stressors in marital satisfaction

Using a sample of 310 married respondents from one U.S. Midwestern state, a test was conducted to examine the association of financial satisfaction and financial stressors in a spouse's decision to stay married to the same person or leave the relationship. The role of demographic and socioeconomic variables, religiosity, psychological constructs, financial satisfaction, and financial stressors as factors influencing marital satisfaction was tested. Financial stressors were measured using a list of financial stressors adapted from the literature. Financial satisfaction was measured with a one-item scale. The Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale was used as a validation tool to assess whether individuals would marry or not marry again. Religiosity and financial satisfaction were positively associated with marital satisfaction. A negative interaction between financial satisfaction and financial stressors was also noted. Findings suggest that respondents who are financially satisfied tend to be more stable in their marriages.     

Let's Talk: Getting Out of the Counseling Center to Serve Hard‐to‐Reach Students

This article describes Let's Talk, a counseling center outreach program. Counselors hold walk‐in hours across campus to engage students who might not otherwise seek counseling. Locations are chosen to reach underserved communities. Counselors offer informal consultation, a less formal alternative to traditional counseling. Este artículo describe Let's Talk (Hablemos), un programa de acercamiento a los centros de consejería. Los consejeros mantienen horas de puertas abiertas sin cita previa en distintos lugares del campus para atraer a estudiantes que de otra forma no buscarían acceso a la consejería. Las ubicaciones se eligen para alcanzar comunidades con servicios insuficientes. Los consejeros ofrecen consultas informales, una alternativa menos formal a la consejería tradicional.     

Spending time: The impact of hours worked on work–family conflict

Scholars have long assumed that as workers spend more time at work fewer hours are available for their non-work lives leading to negative effects in both domains, and most studies examining the impact of work hours on work and life domains have supported this viewpoint. However, the majority of these studies have used one-dimensional measures of work–family conflict (WFC) and family–work conflict (FWC) on homogenous samples which included primarily married managers and professionals with children. Further, despite calls to examine non-linear relationships between work hours and WFC and FWC, few studies have done so. This study uses multi-dimensional measures to examine the linear and non-linear (quadratic) effects of work hours on WFC and FWC in a heterogeneous sample and examines the moderating effects of several work and family characteristics on these relationships. The findings indicate that whereas work hours have a linear relationship with WFC, the relationship between work hours and FWC is curvilinear. Managerial support was found to moderate the relationship between work hours and one dimension of FWC. Number of children moderated the relationships between work hours and WFC and another dimension of FWC.     

Moral kinematics: The role of physical factors in moral judgments

Harmful events often have a strong physical component??for instance, car accidents, plane crashes, fist fights, and military interventions. Yet there has been very little systematic work on the degree to which physical factors influence our moral judgments about harm. Since physical factors are related to our perception of causality, they should also influence our subsequent moral judgments. In three experiments, we tested this prediction, focusing in particular on the roles of motion and contact. In Experiment 1, we used abstract video stimuli and found that intervening on a harmful object was judged as being less bad than intervening directly on the victim, and that setting an object in motion was judged as being worse than redirecting an already moving object. Experiment 2 showed that participants were sensitive not only to the presence or absence of motion and contact, but also to the magnitudes and frequencies associated with these dimensions. Experiment 3 extended the findings from Experiment 1 to verbally presented moral dilemmas. These results suggest that domain-general processes play a larger role in moral cognition than is currently assumed.     

An assessment of body appreciation and its relationship to sexual function in women

Objectification theory posits internalization of an observer's gaze may negatively impact women's feelings about their bodies, which may subsequently affect their sexual function. Subjective body image and body size (i.e., body mass index [BMI]) have mixed relationships to women's sexuality, but assessment of positive body image as a sign of resistance to objectification has not been researched. This study explored relations between body appreciation and sexual function in women and assessed whether body size impacted this relationship. Cross-sectional data were collected online from 247 women, ages 18 to 58. Body appreciation scores were modestly negatively correlated with BMI, while BMI was not related to sexual function scores. After controlling for sexual orientation, partner status, and age, body appreciation predicted the arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction aspects of sexual function. Practitioners’ encouragement of body appreciation may improve sexual function in a way that encouraging a reduction in body size may not.     

Problems with Rationales for Parceling that Fail to Consider Parcel-Allocation Variability

In structural equation modeling applications, parcels—averages or sums of subsets of item scores—are often used as indicators of latent constructs. Parcel-allocation variability (PAV) is variability in results that arises within sample across alternative item-to-parcel allocations. PAV can manifest in all results of a parcel-level model (e.g., model fit, parameter estimates, standard errors, and inferential decisions). It is a source of uncertainty in parcel-level model results that can be investigated, reported, and accounted for. Failing to do so raises representativeness and replicability concerns. However, in recent methodological literature (Cole, Perkins, &; Zelkowitz, 2016 Cole, D. A., Perkins, C. E., &; Zelkowitz, R. L. (2016). Impact of homogeneous and heterogeneous parceling strategies when latent variables represent multidimensional constructs. Psychological Methods, 21(2), 164–174. doi: 10.1037/met0000047[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Little, Rhemtulla, Gibson, &; Shoemann, 2013 Little, T. D., Rhemtulla, M., Gibson, K., &; Schoemann, A. M. (2013). Why the items versus parcels controversy needn't be one. Psychological Methods, 18(3), 285–300. doi: 10.1037/a0033266[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Marsh, Ludtke, Nagengast, Morin, &; von Davier, 2013 Marsh, H. W., Lüdtke, O., Nagengast, B., Morin, A., &; von Davier, M. (2013). Why item parcels are (almost) never appropriate: Two wrongs do not make a right—camouflaging misspecification with item parcels in CFA models. Psychological Methods, 18(3), 257–284. doi: 10.1037/a0032773[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Rhemtulla, 2016 Rhemtulla, M. (2016). Population performance of SEM parceling strategies under measurement and structural model misspecification. Psychological Methods, 21(3), 348–368. doi: 10.1037/met0000072[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) parceling has been justified and recommended in several situations without quantifying or accounting for PAV. In this article, we explain and demonstrate problems with these rationales. Overall, we find that: (1) using a purposive parceling algorithm for a multidimensional construct does not avoid PAV; (2) passing a test of unidimensionality of the item-level model need not avoid PAV; and (3) a desire to improve power for detecting structural misspecification does not warrant parceling without addressing PAV; we show how to simultaneously avoid PAV and obtain even higher power by comparing item-level models differing in structural constraints. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Does Reintegration Stress Contribute to Suicidal Ideation Among Returning Veterans Seeking PTSD Treatment?

Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychiatric symptoms are well‐established risk factors for suicidal ideation among returning veterans, less attention has been paid to whether the stress of reintegrating into civilian society contributes to suicidal ideation. Utilizing a sample of 232 returning veterans (95% male, mean age = 33.63 years) seeking PTSD treatment, this study tested whether reintegration difficulties contribute to suicidal ideation over and above the influence of PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, and potential substance misuse. Logistic regressions indicated that reintegration stress had a unique effect on suicidal ideation over and above PTSD and depression symptoms. Reintegration stress interacted with substance misuse to predict suicidal ideation, such that the effect of reintegration stress on suicidal ideation was much larger for those with potential substance misuse. Exploratory analyses also examined which types of reintegration difficulties were associated with suicidal ideation, and found that difficulty maintaining military friendships, difficulty getting along with relatives, difficulty feeling like you belong in civilian society, and difficulty finding meaning/purpose in life were all significantly associated with suicidal ideation, beyond the effects of psychiatric symptoms and potential substance misuse. Findings highlight the importance of addressing reintegration stress for the prevention of suicide among returning veterans. Implications for treatment are discussed.