The development of the Telic Dominance Scale

The development of a 42-item measure of a number of personality features derived from the theory of psychological reversals is reported. These personality features are (a) the extent to which a person is serious-minded, (b) the extent to which a person plans ahead and organizes himself in the pursuit of goals, and (c) the extent to which a person seeks to avoid arousal. These features together are seen to constitute a personality trait which is described as telic dominance. Data concerning the test-retest reliability, criterion-related and construct validity of the Telic Dominance Scale are presented, together with the scale and scoring key.     

Race, brain size, and intelligence: another reply to Cernovsky

Five sets of observations require explanation. Firstly, within both black and white populations there is a small positive correlation between IQ and brain size whether or not there is control for body size. Secondly, racial differences in average brain size occur such that Mongoloids greater than Caucasoids greater than Negroids especially with control for body size. Thirdly, mammals with larger brains relative to their bodies perform better on learning tasks than mammals with smaller brains relative to their bodies. Fourthly, average racial differences on measures of cognitive performance parallel the differences in average brain size. Fifthly, average racial differences on numerous other traits parallel the differences in intelligence and brain size. It is incumbent on scientists to explain these facts.     

The effect of Russian versus Hebrew instructions on the reaction to social pressure of Russian-born Israeli children

An experiment on the role of the language of instruction in mediating responses to social pressure was conducted with a sample of 41 Russian-born adolescents who had recently immigrated to Israel. The subjects were asked to respond to a series of conflict situations in which they were told that either the experimenters, their own parents, or their peers would see their answers. Instructions were given once in Russian and once in Hebrew. Contrary to the principal hypothesis, when subjected to pressure from adults the children gave more conventional moral responses under Hebrew than under Russian instructions. The result was interpreted as reflecting the tendency to respond more moralistically to the language of authority, which, for the emigréchildren, shifted from Russian to Hebrew. Regardless of the language of administration, the scores for the emigréchildren fell between those for Soviet and Israeli youngsters, but they were closer to the latter. Within the sample, the longer a child lived in one or the other society, the more his response to social pressure resembled the modal reaction of children in that society. Children from families who had or had not spoken Yiddish in the home showed marked differences in response, with the former resembling the Israeli and the latter the typical Soviet reaction. The results were interpreted as reflecting the capacity of children to adapt to conflicting socialization settings both within and across cultures.     

Phenomenological approaches to personal identity

Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences - This special issue addresses the debate on personal identity from a phenomenological viewpoint, especially contemporary phenomenological research on...     

Mapping of olfactory memory circuits: region-specific c-fos activation after odor-reward associative learning or after its retrieval

Although there is growing knowledge about intracellular mechanisms underlying neuronal plasticity and memory consolidation and reconsolidation after retrieval, information concerning the interaction among brain areas during formation and retrieval of memory is relatively sparse and fragmented. Addressing this question requires simultaneous monitoring of activity in multiple brain regions during learning, the post-acquisition consolidation period, and retrieval and subsequent reconsolidation. Immunoreaction to the immediate early gene c-fos is a powerful tool to mark neuronal activation of specific populations of neurons. Using this method, we are able to report, for the first time, post-training activation of a network of closely related brain regions, particularly in the frontal cortex and the basolateral amygdala (BLA), that is specific to the learning of an odor-reward association. On the other hand, retrieval of a well-established associative memory trace does not seem to differentially activate the same regions. The amygdala, in particular, is not engaged after retrieval, whereas the lateral habenula (LHab) shows strong activation that is restricted to animals having previously learned the association. Although intracellular mechanisms may be similar during consolidation and reconsolidation, this study indicates that different brain circuits are involved in the two processes, at least with respect to a rapidly learned olfactory task.     

Treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: strategies for intervention

The mainstay of treatment for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a combination of psychotherapy and medication treatments. The first-line medications for PTSD are antidepressants, with two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (sertraline and paroxetine) currently Food and Drug Administration-indicated for PTSD. However, many patients do not have an adequate response to antidepressants, therefore, combinations with other antidepressants or with other classes of psychotropic medication are often utilized to enhance the therapeutic response. Other agents that have been used include mood stabilizers, anti-adrenergics, anxiolytics, and atypical antipsychotics. The heterogeneity of symptom clusters in PTSD as well as the complex psychiatric comorbidities (eg, with depression or substance abuse) further support the notion that combinations of medications may be needed. To date, there is a paucity of data to support specific strategies for augmenting antidepressants in PTSD. This review will address representative existing studies and discuss several potential pharmacologic strategies for patients suffering from treatment-refractory PTSD.