MAP2 and synaptophysin protein expression following motor learning suggests dynamic regulation and distinct alterations coinciding with synaptogenesis

Learning a new motor skill can induce neuronal plasticity in rats. Within motor cortex, learning-induced plasticity includes dendritic reorganization, synaptogenesis, and changes in synapse morphology. Behavioral studies have demonstrated that learning requires protein synthesis. It is likely that some of the proteins synthesized during learning are involved in, or the result of, learning-induced structural plasticity. We predicted the expression of proteins involved in neural plasticity would be altered in a learning dependent fashion. Long-Evans rats were trained on a series of motor tasks that varied in complexity, so that the effects of activity could be teased apart from the effects of learning. The motor cortices were examined for MAP2 and synaptophysin protein using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Western blotting revealed that expression of MAP2 was not detectably influenced by learning, whereas synaptophysin expression increased on day 1, 3, and 5 of complex motor skill learning. Expression of MAP2 does not seem to indicate difficulty of task or duration of training time, whereas increases in synaptophysin expression, which appear diffusely across the cortex, seem to be correlated with the first 5 days of motor skill learning. Similar findings with GAP-43 suggest the change in synaptophysin may coincide with synapse formation. Immunohistochemistry did not reveal any localized changes in protein expression. These data indicate a difference in learning-induced expression in the mammalian brain compared to reports in the literature, which have often focused on stimulation to induce alterations in protein expression.     

Dispositional variables and work–family conflict: A meta-analysis

Meta-analysis was used to comprehensively summarize the relationship between dispositional variables and both directions of work–family conflict. The largest effects detected were those associated with negative affect, neuroticism, and self-efficacy; all were in expected directions. In general, negative trait-based variables (e.g., negative affect and neuroticism) appear to make individuals more vulnerable to work–family conflict, while positive trait-based variables (e.g., positive affect and self-efficacy) appear to protect individuals from work–family conflict. In addition, the different dimensions of work–family conflict (time, strain, and behavior) exhibited different patterns of relationships with several of the dispositional variables. No moderating effects were found for sex, parental status, or marital status. Results support the notion that dispositions are important predictors of work–family conflict.     

Relationship between work interference with family and parent–child interactive behavior: Can guilt help?

Despite its theoretical and practical importance, behavioral consequences of work–family conflict that reside in the family domain rarely have been examined. Based on two studies, the current research investigated the relationship of work-interference-with-family (WIF) with parent–child interactive behavior (i.e., educational, recreational, and passive activities) using survey data from employed parents. Furthermore, the moderating role of trait guilt on the focal relationships was examined. Results were generally consistent across the two studies and supported the hypotheses: both time- and strain-based WIF were negatively associated with educational and recreational activities; trait guilt moderated these relationships such that the relationships were weaker for parents higher on trait guilt than for those lower on trait guilt. By examining a family domain behavioral outcome of WIF and the constructive rather than dysfunctional role of guilt, the current research makes an important and novel contribution to the literature.     

Role of fault attributions and desire, effort, and outcome expectations in children's anticipated responses to hypothetical peers with various undesirable characteristics

A total of 137 third- through eighth-grade students were asked to respond to a series of statements concerning 6 male peers described as having various undesirable characteristics (i.e., poor student, poor athlete, extremely overweight, extremely aggressive, extremely shy, or having the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). The aggressive peer and the overweight peer consistently elicited the least favorable reactions from the children. For all 6 peers included in the study, the more strongly the children agreed that a peer was at fault for his undesirable characteristic, the less favorably they anticipated responding to that peer. In contrast, the children's expectations concerning a peer's desire to change, effort to change, and success in changing an undesirable characteristic were generally unrelated to their anticipated responses to that peer. The children demonstrated the general belief that desire backed by effort leads to success in overcoming an undesirable characteristic, but lack of effort leads to failure regardless of the peer's desire or lack of desire to change the characteristic.     

A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Relational and Social Aggression in Female College Students from Puerto Rico and the United States

Researchers compared scores on a self-report measure of relational and social aggression using 2 groups, European American female university students (M = 20.23 years, SD = 3.88) from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States and Hispanic females from Puerto Rico (M = 19.34 years, SD = 1.26). Results indicate that cultural differences were evident in the use of relational and social aggression. The exclusively Hispanic Puerto Rican sample reported being more socially aggressive than the European American, mid-Atlantic sample. In contrast, the European American sample identified as being more relationally aggressive in their relationships than the Hispanic Puerto Rican sample. This distinction allows us to consider potential cultural differences in interpersonal relations in college-age females.     

A dyadic examination of the role of relationship characteristics and age on relationship satisfaction in a formal mentoring programme

Research was conducted to test ideas derived from Wanberg, Welsh, and Hezlett's (2003) dynamic process model of formal mentoring to examine (1) the role of respect and communication in mentorship relationship satisfaction, and (2) whether the age of the mentor or the protégé would impact those relationship qualities. The sample was comprised of 117 matched mentor–protégé pairs from an organization's formal mentoring programme. We received survey data from both partners and used the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model to examine individual and dyadic effects. Data suggest that protégés' respect for the mentor and communication quality, as perceived by both partners, were independent predictors of mentorship relationship satisfaction. Protégés rated their relationships as more satisfying than did their mentors. Hypotheses regarding age differences in relational qualities were not supported. We suggest that researchers continue to examine formal relationships at the dyadic level, and that practitioners designing formal mentoring programmes consider interventions to enhance communication and respect.     

Individual Differences Associated with Emotional and Behavioral Responses to Ambiguous Social Situations in which Rejection Might be Inferred

This study sought to examine the extent to which undergraduates' experiences with and attitudes relevant to rejection may be associated with their emotional and behavioral responses to ambiguous social situations in which rejection might be inferred. Undergraduate students completed questionnaires that assessed their experiences with and attitudes relevant to being rejected. Next, each participant read six hypothetical scenarios that described various situations that could be interpreted as interpersonal rejection. Following each scenario, participants completed questionnaires that assessed their emotional and behavioral responses to the hypothetical situation. Analyses revealed that the participants' experiences with rejection (and, to a lesser extent, their rejection-relevant attitudes) were associated with a negative emotional response and some negative behavioral responses. In sum, when another individual's interpersonal behavior has an uncertain intent, undergraduates' prior experiences with rejection may be especially important in determining the extent to which they feel and act as if they have been rejected.     

Item method directed forgetting diminishes false memory

Directed forgetting may reduce the ORM false memory illusion by interfering with meaning processing. Participants were presented with a list composed of six 10-word semantically associated sub-lists, and they were either (a) asked to remember a ll list it ems or (b) asked to remember all associates from sub-lists and to forget all associates from other sub-lists. All participants were requested to recall and recognise list items. Although directed forgetting effects have been previously reported only for true responses in the ORM paradigm with the list method, we also found directed forgetting for false responses with the item method. Such forgetting instructions reduced both verbatim and meaning processing, decreasing both the intrusion and the false alarm rate. These results are consistent with two-process explanations of DRM false memories, such as fuzzy-trace theory, and add to our understanding of false memory editing.     

Interactive Effects of Team and Task Shared Mental Models as Related to Air Traffic Controllers' Collective Efficacy and Effectiveness

We assessed the influence of task and team shared mental models (SMMs) on team effectiveness, as mediated by collective efficacy. Using a sample of 422 air traffic controllers representing 43 Navy teams from land-based towers, task SMMs exhibited a significant linear relationship with team effectiveness, whereas team SMMs did not. Moreover, the interaction of team and task SMMs was positively related to team effectiveness. Collective efficacy was found to mediate the relationship between task SMMs (but not team SMMs or their interaction) and team effectiveness. Results are discussed in terms of the complex nature of SMMs and team outcomes.