Marital disturbance and child problems: A cautionary note regarding hyperactive children

In previous work, investigators have found a relationship between marital discord and childhood conduct problems (aggression) in clinic samples. Given the wide variability of aggression found among hyperactive children,it would follow from previous work that child aggression may be associated with marital discord in a hyperactive population. This hypothesis was tested in a sample of 23 boys (ages 5 to 8) diagnosed as attention deficit with hyperactivity. Aggressive behaviors were tracked by the children's teachers for 12 school days. Parental and teacher ratings of conduct problems were also obtained. Additionally, the auditory version of the laboratory Continuous Performance Test was administered. Marital adjustment, overt hostility, and conflict tactics, as reported by the mothers, were not significantly correlated with any of the measures of aggression or conduct problems. In other words, marital discord in families with a hyperactive boy did not explain differential rates of aggressive behavior despite definite variability in both the marital and child behavioral measures. Marital discord was marginally related to severity of attentional deficit on the Continuous Performance Test. The results underscore the need for caution in attempting to extend findings from a general population (i.e., undifferentiated clinicreferred children) to a specific diagnostic subgroup (i.e., attention-deficit hyperactive children).     

Toward an integrated approach to early childhood stuttering

This article proposes a model that integrates various factors influencing early childhood stuttering. The factors interact in a synergistic manner and can be subsumed under three macrofactors: physiological, psycholinguistic, and psychosocial. Such a model can be clinically applied toward an integrated approach to the assessment and treatment of the young stutterer.     

Letter naming time,digit span,and precocious reading achievement

In two 6-month longitudinal studies of intellectually advanced preschool children, letter naming time and backward digit span were moderately good predictors of concurrent reading achievement (PIAT Reading Recognition Score). None of the remaining measures in a battery of standard cognitive indices, including Stanford-Binet MA, was associated with reading achievement. The results of cross-lagged correlation analysis of data from one of the two samples suggested that individual differences in time to access name codes for visual stimuli predict, but are not a consequence of, individual differences in reading achievement. The results of the cross-lagged analysis for the second sample were inconclusive. As a whole, the results are consistent with findings from other populations indicating that both short term memory span and efficiency of retrieval from long term memory are related to reading ability. The results also indicate, however, that the relationship between retrieval efficiency and reading achievement in precocious readers cannot be described by extrapolation of threshold estimates from the performance of older, unselected groups of readers.     

A simple technique for lateralizing visual input that allows prolonged viewing

A simplified technique is described for obtaining lateralization of visual input with prolonged viewing. This technique is based on the presence of constant normal lateral limits for horizontal rotation of the eyes with reference to the head. With head movement prevented by use of a standard bite bar, and the eyes rotated to the left and held at their lateral limit, the temporal half of the visual field of the left eye may be used for lateralized input to the right hemisphere or vice versa for input to the left hemisphere. Any form of visual stimuli or visually monitored task can be used if confined within one of the extreme temporal hemifields. In comparison to previous methods, this technique is technically simple, inexpensive, without significant risk or discomfort to the subject, readily applicable to normal and various brain-lesioned subjects, and permits prolonged in-depth viewing. An alternative version of this technique uses a stabilized spectacle frame fitted with adjustable central occluders set to allow vision through only one or both of the extreme temporal hemifields.     

Imaginary companions in childhood and adult creativity.

Case material is presented to illustrate the thesis that the ability to create an imaginary companion during childhood is an early expression of the special ego aptitudes found in creative individuals in adult life. Such "companions" allow these children to attempt to master creatively a variety of narcissistic mortifications suffered in reality and to displace unacceptable affects. In creative adults who had imaginary companions in childhood, the early fantasies serve as an organizing schema in memory for the childhood traumata. Stimuli in adult life which evoke the earlier traumata may revive the original imaginary companion fantasies. These then serve as nodal bases for the creation of specific adult works of art.     

Imaginary companions, fantasy twins, mirror dreams and depersonalization.

Illustrative case material is presented to demonstrate genetic linkages between the presence of imaginary companions or fantasy twins and extensive mirror play in childhood and early adolescence, and the appearance of mirror dreams and depersonalization in later adolescence and adulthood. The defensive splitting of the self-representations observable in these phenomena is viewed as a means of warding off castration anxiety and anxiety about object loss, anxieties which arise because of conflicts primarily centering on intense aggressive drive derivative wishes. Formulations about depersonalization are discussed.     

Students' state motivation and instructors' use of verbally aggressive messages

This study examined the relationship between college students' (107 men, 123 women) state motivation and their instructors' perceived use of 10 verbally aggressive messages, e.g., attacks on competence, character, background, and physical appearance; malediction, teasing, ridicule, threats, swearing, or nonverbal symbols. Significant negative correlations were obtained between students' state motivation and instructors' use of seven verbally aggressive messages: attacks on competence, character, or background, malediction, ridicule, threats, and nonverbal symbols. These findings suggest that these types of verbally aggressive messages are related to students' state motivation whereas attacks on physical appearance, teasing, and swearing by the instructor are not related to students' state motivation.     

The funds, friends, and faith of happy people

New studies are revealing predictors of subjective well-being, often assessed as self-reported happiness and life satisfaction. Worldwide, most people report being at least moderately happy, regardless of age and gender. As part of their scientific pursuit of happiness, researchers have examined possible associations between happiness and (a) economic growth and personal income, (b) close relationships, and (c) religious faith.