Amygdala activation during masked presentation of emotional faces predicts conscious detection of threat-related faces

It has been argued that critical functions of the human amygdala are to modulate the moment-to-moment vigilance level and to enhance the processing and the consolidation of memories of emotionally arousing material. In this functional magnetic resonance study, pictures of human faces bearing fearful, angry, and happy expressions were presented to nine healthy volunteers using a backward masking procedure based on neutral facial expression. Activation of the left and right amygdala in response to the masked fearful faces (compared to neutral faces) was significantly correlated with the number of fearful faces detected. In addition, right but not left amygdala activation in response to the masked angry faces was significantly related to the number of angry faces detected. The present findings underscore the role of the amygdala in the detection and consolidation of memory for marginally perceptible threatening facial expression.     

Water maze swim path analysis based on tracking coordinates

In the Morris water maze, a task widely used to study spatial learning and memory in laboratory rodents, several parameters are employed to estimate cognitive abilities of animals by analyzing their swim path characteristics. An isolated view based on any one of these parameters is not always satisfactory, so multivariate procedures (factor analyses) are used to weight the parameters in context with the others. This method sheds light on some subtle differences in experimental animals’ spatial memories or strategies. However, this approach has some subjective problems, because the definition of the parameters depends on the experimenter’s opinion of appropriate measures; therefore, we suggest a bottom-up rather than a top-down analysis of swim paths by means of spatial coordinates. In the present study, swim paths were normalized to 100-element vectors and then subjected to a principal components analysis. Swim paths could be sufficiently described in terms of only three components, each of which accounted for specific characteristics of the trajectories. We found significant differences in swim path patterns between test groups of rats that could not be discriminated via standard water maze parameters. Thus, the components can be related to different aspects of spatial cognition not detectable by commonly used parameters.     

Priming of depth-rotated objects depends on attention and part changes

Three priming experiments investigated the role of attention and view changes when common objects were rotated in depth. Objects were shown in prime-probe trial pairs. Experiment 1 extended findings by Stankiewicz, Hummel, and Cooper (1998) showing that attended objects primed themselves in the same but not in a reflected view, whereas ignored objects only primed themselves in the same view. In Experiment 2, depth-rotations produced changes in the visible part structure between prime and probe view of an object. Priming after depth-rotation was more reduced for attended objects than for ignored objects. Experiment 3 showed that other depth rotations that did not change the perceived part structure revealed a priming pattern similar to that in Experiment 1, with equivalent reduction in priming for attended and ignored objects. These data indicate that recognition of attended objects is mediated by a part-based (analytic) representation together with a view-based (holistic) representation, whereas ignored images are recognized in a strictly view-dependent fashion.     

On Becoming a Profession: The Growth of Marriage and Family Therapy in India*

The practice of couple and family therapy has a long history in India. This article tracks some of the people, places, and contexts associated with the growth of marriage and family therapy (MFT) as a profession in the Indian context. Two of the authors outline their own introduction to MFT and work within this field in different cities in India in the last two decades. Based on their professional experiences and a pilot study conducted in Chennai, the authors document the needs of providers in the areas of systems-based therapy training and the practice of MFT. The role of the Indian Association for Family Therapy (IAFT) and suggestions for the future growth of the field are also highlighted. Mudita Rastogi, PhD, Professor, Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Argosy University, 1000 Plaza Drive Schaumburg, IL 60173 (MuditaRastogi@hotmail.com). Rajeswari Natrajan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Alliant International University, 2500 Michelson Drive, Suite 250, Irvine, CA 92612-1548. Volker Thomas, PhD, Associate Professor, Purdue University, 1200 West State Street, Fowler Memorial House, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1269. *Portions of this paper are based on Rajeswari Natrajan’s dissertation at Purdue University. **Rastogi and Natrajan share first authorship for this paper.     

Fitting a square peg in a square hole: Using metaphor in narrative therapy

This paper examines the assumptions of the narrative mode of therapy and the assumptions of therapeutic metaphors. The premise is that the use of metaphor fits the assumptions of narrative therapy and can enhance and expand narrative therapy. This paper examines the structure and types of metaphor, explores their fit within the narrative model, and gives three case examples which illustrate the use of metaphor in narrative therapy.Kevin Lyness, MS, is a doctoral candidate, MFT Program, 1269 Fowler House, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1268, and a doctoral candidate in the MFT Program, Purdue University. Volker Thomas, PhD, is assistant professor, Marriage and Family Therapy Program, 1269 Fowler House, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1269. Reprint requests should be sent to the first author.     

Of thorns and roses: The use of the “brier rose” fairy tale in therapy with families of gifted children

Fairy tales have been used successfully in addressing difficult therapeutic issues in indirect ways. This paper describes how the Grimm's tale Brier Rose can help engage families with an academically gifted child in family therapy. The metaphor concepts of derivational search, indirection, and embedded commands are briefly discussed, the fairy tale is summarized, and the story is applied to the three metaphor concepts.     

Recognition of color-form compounds by 4-month-old infants

In two studies, a paired-comparison procedure was used to investigate whether 4-month-old infants can perceive and remember correlations of color and form. In Study 1, infants were shown simultaneous presentations of two different colored shapes until two criteria for familiarization had been met. They were then offered a simultaneous choice between a colored form that they had already seen and one that was a new combination of a familiar color and a familiar shape. The infants looked significantly longer at the new combination than at the familiar combination on the test trial. In Study 2, the same procedure was used, except that the familiarization criteria were less stringent and additional analyses of the infants' test trial behavior were conducted. Infants again exhibited a significant preference for the new combination, both when looking time accumulated during the entire test-trial was analyzed and when looking just up to the “first look away” was considered. These findings that 4-months-olds can perceive and remember compounds of visual attributes conflict with the results of several studies in which the habituation and test stimuli were presented sequentially rather than simultaneously. Differences in the nature of the information processing that may be evoked by the two methods are discussed.     

Object processing in visual perception and action in children and adults

We investigated whether 6- and 7-year-olds and 9- and 10-year-olds, as well as adults, process object dimensions independent of or in interaction with one another in a perception and action task by adapting Ganel and Goodale's method for testing adults (Nature, 2003, Vol. 426, pp. 664-667). In addition, we aimed to confirm Ganel and Goodale's results in adults to reliably compare their processing strategies with those of children. Specifically, we tested the abilities of children and adults to perceptually classify (perception task) or grasp (action task) the width of a rectangular object while ignoring its length. We found that adults process object dimensions in interaction with one another in visual perception but independent of each other in action, thereby replicating Ganel and Goodale's results. Children processed object dimensions interactively in visual perception, and there was also some evidence for interactive processing in action. Possible reasons for these differences in object processing between children and adults are discussed.