Predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder and symptoms in adults: a meta-analysis

A review of 2,647 studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) yielded 476 potential candidates for a meta-analysis of predictors of PTSD or of its symptoms. From these, 68 studies met criteria for inclusion in a meta-analysis of 7 predictors: (a) prior trauma, (b) prior psychological adjustment, (c) family history of psychopathology, (d) perceived life threat during the trauma, (e) posttrauma social support, (f) peritraumatic emotional responses, and (g) peritraumatic dissociation. All yielded significant effect sizes, with family history, prior trauma, and prior adjustment the smallest (weighted r = .17) and peritraumatic dissociation the largest (weighted r = .35). The results suggest that peritraumatic psychological processes, not prior characteristics, are the strongest predictors of PTSD.     

Examining the construct validity of the Eating Disorder Inventory

The construct validity of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) was examined in 3 samples. An archival clinic sample (n = 318) of women completed the EDI, a structured interview, and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) indicated that neither null nor 1-factor models of the EDI fit item-level or item-parcel data. The proposed 8-factor model did not fit at the item level but did fit item-parcel data. Reliability estimates of the 8 scales ranged from .82 to .93, and low-to-moderate interscale correlations among the eating and weight-related scales provided partial support for convergent validity. EDI personality scales showed moderate interscale correlations and were associated with MCMI-II scales. A final CFA of the EDI scales supported a 2-factor model (Eating and Weight, Personality) of the 8 EDI scales. Strong associations between depression and several EDI scale scores were found in a treatment study sample (n = 50). The archival clinic sample scored significantly higher on the 8 EDI scales than the nonpatient college comparison sample (n = 487).     

The adaptive user: an investigation into the cognitive and task constraints on the generation of new methods

When people use a computer application, they have the opportunity to adapt the methods or strategies that they deploy to better fit the demands of the task. In Experiment 1, we demonstrated that the generation of methods is limited by, but not entirely prevented by, the reduced opportunity that is associated with the iterative nature of typical computer-based tasks. In Experiment 2, we demonstrated that the cognitive demands associated with task-related problem solving delay, but do not prevent, the generation of more efficient device strategies. We argue that people are rather good at adapting device strategies to task demands and that previously reported arguments to the contrary are premature.     

Book reviews

Hall, G. (1991). Perceptual and associative leaning. Oxfod: Clarendon Press. Pp. xi + 300. ISBN 0-19-8524182-0. £35.00.

Rahmann, H., & Rahmann, M. (1992). The neurobilogical basis of memoy and behavior. New York: Springe Verlag. Pp. 292. ISBN 3-540-97545-4. £53.00.

Iversen, I.H., & Lattal, K.A. (Eds.). (1991). Experimental analysis of behavior, arts 1 and 2. Techniques in the behavioral and neural sciences, volume 6 (series editor: J.P Huston). Amstedam: Elsevier. Pp. 724. ISBN 0-444-8932-2. £50.00 (paperback).

Baudry, M., & Davis, J.L. (Eds.) (1991). Long-tem potentiation: A debate of current issues. Cambridge, Ma & London, England: MIT Press. Pp. xxii + 454. ISBN 0-262-02330-x. £62.95 (Hb).

The Biological Council Animal Reseach and Welfare Panel (1992). Guidelines on the handling and training of laboatory animals. Univer-sities Federation for Animal Welfare. Pp. ISBN 0-900767-77-4. £2.50.     

Latent inhibition, context specificity, and context familiarity

In two appetitive licking experiments, thirsty rats were pre-exposed to two stimuli prior to conditioning sessions in which one or both of these stimuli were paired with water. Consistent with other results, latent inhibition was disrupted when conditioning took place in a context different from that in which stimulus pre-exposure had occurred. But in animals given prior exposure to the context of stimulus pre-exposure before the start of stimulus pre-exposure, substantial and equivalent latent inhibition was evident whether or not there was a change of context between stimulus pre-exposure and conditioning. These results are discussed in terms of current theories of latent inhibition.     

Child‐directed teaching and social learning at 18 months of age: evidence from Yucatec Mayan and US infants

In several previous studies, 18‐month‐old infants who were directly addressed demonstrated more robust imitative behaviors than infants who simply observed another's actions, leading theorists to suggest that child‐directed interactions carried unique informational value. However, these data came exclusively from cultural communities where direct teaching is commonplace, raising the possibility that the findings reflect regularities in infants' social experiences rather than responses to innate or a priori learning mechanisms. The current studies consider infants' imitative learning from child‐directed teaching and observed interaction in two cultural communities, a Yucatec Mayan village where infants have been described as experiencing relatively limited direct instruction (Study 1) and a US city where infants are regularly directly engaged (Study 2). Eighteen‐month‐old infants from each community participated in a within‐subjects study design where they were directly taught to use novel objects on one day and observed actors using different objects on another day. Mayan infants showed relative increases in imitative behaviors on their second visit to the lab as compared to their first visit, but there was no effect of condition. US infants showed no difference in imitative behavior in the child‐directed vs. observed conditions; however, infants who were directly addressed on their first visit showed significantly higher overall imitation rates than infants who observed on their first visit. Together, these findings call into question the idea that child‐directed teaching holds automatic or universal informational value.     

Beliefs about Sexual Assault in India and Britain are Explained by Attitudes Toward Women and Hostile Sexism

As many as one in five women worldwide will be sexually assaulted over the course of her lifetime (United Nations 2008), yet myths that downplay the prevalence and severity of sexual assault are still widely accepted. Are myths about sexual assault (rape myths) more likely to be accepted in cultures that endorse more traditional gender roles and attitudes toward women? To explore the relationships among rape myth acceptance, attitudes toward women, and hostile and benevolent sexism, data were collected from 112 Indian and 117 British adults, samples from two cultures differing widely in their gender role traditionalism. Analyses confirmed a cultural difference in rape myth acceptance, with the more traditional culture, India, accepting myths to a greater extent than the more egalitarian culture, Britain. Indian participants’ greater rape myth acceptance was explained by their more traditional gender role attitudes and hostile sexism. We discuss ways in which promoting gender egalitarianism may help to break down negative beliefs and reduce the stigma surrounding sexual assault, especially in India, for example through interventions which increase exposure to women in less traditional roles (e.g., those in positions of power).     

Class matters: 12‐month‐olds’ word–object associations privilege content over function words

A fundamental step in learning words is the development of an association between a sound pattern and an element in the environment. Here we explore the nature of this associative ability in 12‐month‐olds, examining whether it is constrained to privilege particular word forms over others. Forty‐eight infants were presented with sets of novel English content‐like word–object pairings (e.g. fep) or novel English function‐like word–object (e.g. iv) pairings until they habituated. Results indicated that infants associated novel content‐like words, but not the novel function‐like words, with novel objects. These results demonstrate that the mechanism with which basic word–object associations are formed is remarkably sophisticated by the onset of productive language. That is, mere associative pairings are not sufficient to form mappings. Rather the system requires well‐formed noun‐like words to co‐occur with objects in order for the linkages to arise.     

Telephone-delivered psychotherapy for late-life anxiety

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) of telephone-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was compared with usual care for late-life anxiety disorders. Client satisfaction, as assessed by the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, was high (M = 27.4, range 8-32), and attrition rates were low (8.3%). Preliminary results suggest that participants receiving CBT, compared with usual care, experience declines in general anxiety, worry, anxiety sensitivity, and insomnia.