Using full matching to estimate causal effects in nonexperimental studies: examining the relationship between adolescent marijuana use and adult outcomes

Matching methods such as nearest neighbor propensity score matching are increasingly popular techniques for controlling confounding in nonexperimental studies. However, simple k:1 matching methods, which select k well-matched comparison individuals for each treated individual, are sometimes criticized for being overly restrictive and discarding data (the unmatched comparison individuals). The authors illustrate the use of a more flexible method called full matching. Full matching makes use of all individuals in the data by forming a series of matched sets in which each set has either 1 treated individual and multiple comparison individuals or 1 comparison individual and multiple treated individuals. Full matching has been shown to be particularly effective at reducing bias due to observed confounding variables. The authors illustrate this approach using data from the Woodlawn Study, examining the relationship between adolescent marijuana use and adult outcomes.     

Mismatch negativity and P300 to behaviorally perceptible and imperceptible frequency and intensity contrasts

Mismatch negativity and the P300 have been investigated as electrophysiological indices of behavioral auditory discrimination of duration. Using an oddball paradigm, responses were evoked to stimuli that had been behaviorally demonstrated to be either perceptible or imperceptible. The results indicated P300 events were present with the perceptible contrast but absent for the imperceptible contrast with all participants, while mismatch negativities were present in approximately 80 and 20% of participants to the perceptible and imperceptible contrasts, respectively. The present study extended the findings by applying the same paradigm to the discrimination of spectral and amplitude contrasts. 10 young adults with normal hearing were participants. Assuming that auditory assessment should involve representation and processing in all acoustic domains (i.e., temporal/duration, spectral/frequency, and amplitude/intensity), the effects seen with temporal contrasts were predicted to be similar for spectral and amplitude contrasts. The findings generally illustrated that the P300 was more accurate than the mismatch negativity in reflecting behavioral discrimination. Together, these studies challenge the use of mismatch negativity as an electrophysiological correlate for behavioral discrimination of auditory perceptible contrasts.     

The Relationship Between Male-Perpetrated Interparental Aggression,Paternal Characteristics,and Child Psychosocial Functioning

It is well established that children in homes where interparental violence is present are at increased risk for psychosocial (i.e., internalizing, externalizing, and attention) difficulties. However, previous studies have provided a limited view on the variety of factors that commonly co-occur in these environments (e.g., other characteristics of the parents and family) and how they may collectively impact children. Knowing this information could have implications for parental interventions aimed at preventing the continuation or initiation of psychosocial problems in children. Thus, the present study simultaneously examined the association between father-perpetrated interparental aggression, father characteristics, and child psychosocial functioning in a sample of 145 men arrested for domestic violence. Results showed that of all the variables examined, paternal antisocial personality traits and interpersonal hostility were uniquely associated with overall child psychosocial impairment, externalizing problems, and attention problems. Implications for intervention programs are discussed.     

Affective forecasting and self-rated symptoms of depression,anxiety, and hypomania: Evidence for a dysphoric forecasting bias

Emerging research has examined individual differences in affective forecasting; however, we are aware of no published study to date linking psychopathology symptoms to affective forecasting problems. Pitting cognitive theory against depressive realism theory, we examined whether dysphoria was associated with negatively biased affective forecasts or greater accuracy. Participants (n=325) supplied predicted and actual emotional reactions for three days surrounding an emotionally evocative relational event, Valentine's Day. Predictions were made a month prior to the holiday. Consistent with cognitive theory, we found evidence for a dysphoric forecasting bias—the tendency of individuals in dysphoric states to overpredict negative emotional reactions to future events. The dysphoric forecasting bias was robust across ratings of positive and negative affect, forecasts for pleasant and unpleasant scenarios, continuous and categorical operationalisations of dysphoria, and three time points of observation. Similar biases were not observed in analyses examining the independent effects of anxiety and hypomania. Findings provide empirical evidence for the long-assumed influence of depressive symptoms on future expectations. The present investigation has implications for affective forecasting studies examining information-processing constructs, decision making, and broader domains of psychopathology.     

Recent life events, social adjustment, and suicide attempts in patients with major depression and borderline personality disorder

This study investigated the impact of recent life events and social adjustment on suicide attempter status in 34 patients with major depression, 24 patients with borderline personality disorder, and 22 patients with co-morbid major depression and borderline personality disorder. Suicide attempters reported more recent life events and scored lower on a measure of social adjustment in their families and overall social adjustment, compared with non-attempters. Borderline disordered and borderline or depressed patients were more likely to have attempted suicide than patients with major depression only. Recent life events did not predict attempter status. Lower social adjustment in the immediate family and lower overall social adjustment were predictive of suicide attempter classification, regardless of diagnosis. Borderline disordered patients low on overall social adjustment were over 16 times more likely to have attempted suicide than patients diagnosed with major depression only. Recent life events may elevate suicide risk in groups already at high risk for suicide completion, whereas high levels of social adjustment may be protective against stress-related suicidal behavior.     

To eat or not to eat: implications of the attentional myopia model for restrained eaters

The attentional myopia model of behavioral control was tested in a study of food consumption by chronic dieters. According to the model, when individuals' attentional capacity is limited, their behavior will be disproportionately influenced by highly salient internal and external cues to the exclusion of more distal stimuli. In situations that normally feature conflicting behavioral pressures, such a state of narrowed attention is likely to result in abnormally disinhibited behavior when cues promoting action are more salient and to result in abnormally restrained behavior when inhibiting cues are more salient. In addition to supporting the predictions of the model, this study provided the first evidence for enhanced behavioral control under conditions of limited attention. Participants' responses to a thought-reporting measure also provided evidence for the role played by attentional myopia in the control of eating. Implications for a broad array of regulatory successes and failures are discussed.     

Use of an analog task to study effects of diazepam on taste perception, consummatory behaviors, and risk taking in a social context

In the present study, the authors examined the effects of diazepam (Valium) on various physical, social, and emotional variables within the framework of a task designed to test risk-taking behavior. Participants received either 10 mg of diazepam or a placebo. After the participants tasted strong-flavored liquids, they were able to engage in a risky behavior (i.e., drinking from a confederate's "used" water bottle). Half the participants received additional verbal pressure to drink from the bottle. The authors expected that diazepam would increase health-risk behavior, but the results were inconsistent with that prediction. The second goal of the experiment was to explore diazepam's effects on arousal, mood, social anxiety, and taste. Diazepam users exhibited differences in taste perception and social anxiety, which might in part explain the health-risk results.