Facioscapulohumeral neuromuscular syndromes--problems of differential and early diagnosis and genetic counseling

Among 20 kinships affected by facioscapulohumeral and scapulohumeroperoneal neuromuscular syndromes 6 probands with autosomal dominant transmission and 5 obviously sporadic cases revealed myopathic changes on biopsy and were classified to have facioscapulohumer (operone)al muscle dystrophies. 5 autosomal dominant cases and one sporadic case with neurogenic muscle changes and 3 other non-dystrophic phenocopies emphasize the necessity of muscle biopsy for nosological assignment. Definite correlations between mode of inheritance, clinical and morphological findings could not be found. Pathological ultrasound and EMG findings in parents and children of seemingly sporadic cases suggest to assume autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete penterance in such cases.     

Toward an understanding of social consequences of “feminine immodesty” about personal achievements

Two studies examine the hypothesis that females who are immodest about their achievements are perceived more negatively than are males who are immodest. The assumptions that there are social consequences of immodesty, and that women and girls believe there to be such consequences, have been raised in self-presentational explanations of women's tendencies to undervaluate and underestimate their performances. This study provides a test of this assumption is a sample of 236 high school students and 144 teachers. Each judged the intelligence, personality, popularity, and adjustment of a very successful (hypothetical) high school student who was presented as male or female, mdoest or immodest. Two replications allowed this assumptions to be tested for diverse areas of success. Results showed consistent and negative social consequences of immodesty, which were, however, differentially worse for girls in only one of four tests. Other significant effects revealed that the characteristics of the judges was a factor. The findings are interpreted in the context of assumptions in both the popular culture and the research literature that feminine immodesty may be perceived differently than immodesty on the part of males. Directions for future research to elucidate these findings are offered.The help of Mr. W. Alden, Assistant Superintendent, and the teachers at Mt. Greylock High School is gratefully acknowledged. We would also like to thank the Massachusetts teachers who participated in the study during their annual convention, as well as the high school students who participated. This study was supported by research funds from the Bronfman Science Center, Williams College.     

Tracing the evolution of knowledge structures

The goal of the research described here is to understand the evolution of knowledge structures as novices learn to use text editors. Two groups of individuals were trained to use one of two text editing systems: the IBM Displaywriter and UCSD-Pascal. Individuals rated the similarity among pairs of editing commands before and after training. Before training, subjects’ similarity ratings are characterized by heavy reliance on natural language denotations of command names. After training, subjects’ similarity ratings are explainable in terms of a small set of identifiable properties of underlying knowledge structures that are typical of experts’ knowledge about a text editor. These properties reflect functional features of command actions, and the psychological salience of a property for a given individual is related to editing performance.     

Maximizing split-half reliability estimates for projective techniques

Hand Test data from comparable sets of clinical samples were analyzed for reliability using the usual odd-even split and then also calculating all possible (126) split-half combinations. Maximum stable reliabilities were obtained which were substantially superior to the odd-even method. It was concluded that projective tests are probably more internally reliable than has heretofore been reported.     

Quality circles in the United States: a conceptual reevaluation

Faced with industrial decline, American managers have begun searching for strategies for increasing productivity. Recent attention has focused on Japanese management practices, particularly on quality circles (QCs). Drawing upon social science research, this article evaluates the assumptions behind QCs implemented in the United States. The authors present a conceptual analysis that indicates possible reasons for the differing rates of success for QCs in Japan and the U.S. The article also makes suggestions for the effective implementation of American QCs.     

A possible association between HLA B-27 and vulnerability to schizophrenia

The frequency of HLA B-27 has been found to be increased in schizophrenic patients, especially in those with a positive family history of schizophrenia. In the present study, psychiatrically healthy arthropathic patients bearing HLA B-27 were found to have significantly higher P scores as compared to arthropathic patients without this antigen. Psychoticism could be seen as a trait of the personality at high-risk for schizophrenia. Thus, the present finding suggests an association between HLA B-27 and the genetic vulnerability to some forms of schizophrenia.     

German Muslims and the ‘Integration Debate’: Negotiating Identities in the Face of Discrimination

Based on five focus groups (total N?=?56) with German Muslims, we analyze discourses on the experience of discrimination and feelings of national and religious attachment. The focus groups took place in mid to late 2010 in four German cities. Whereas only few participants describe personal discrimination by non-Muslim Germans, almost all participants complain about being collectively discriminated and rejected. This perception triggers processes of confirming their original cultural identity, primarily their Muslim affiliation and of strengthening the boundary towards the wider society. The analysis of the discourse shows the participants to fall back into an essentialized way of thinking that makes their ethnic being incompatible with being German; and they resort to their Muslim roots as a cultural resource for identity construction and self-worth. Others cope with their feeling of rejection by engaging in local politics and sports activities that allows them to attribute themselves a hyphenated identity as Turkish-Germans. The findings are discussed in terms of social identity, psychological essentialism, transnationalized religion, and boundary making.     

Attentional asymmetries in a visual orienting task are related to temperament

Spatial asymmetries are an intriguing feature of directed attention. Recent observations indicate an influence of temperament upon the direction of these asymmetries. It is unknown whether this influence generalises to visual orienting behaviour. The aim of the current study was therefore to explore the relationship between temperament and measures of spatial orienting as a function of target hemifield. An exogenous cueing task was administered to 92 healthy participants. Temperament was assessed using Carver and White's (1994) Behavioural Inhibition System and Behavioural Activation System (BIS/BAS) scales. Individuals with high sensitivity to punishment and low sensitivity to reward showed a leftward asymmetry of directed attention when there was no informative spatial cue provided. This asymmetry was not present when targets were preceded by spatial cues that were either valid or invalid. The findings support the notion that individual variations in temperament influence spatial asymmetries in visual orienting, but only when lateral targets are preceded by a non-directional (neutral) cue. The results are discussed in terms of hemispheric asymmetries and dopamine activity.