Social attention and real-world scenes: the roles of action, competition and social content

The present study examined how social attention is influenced by social content and the presence of items that are available for attention. We monitored observers' eye movements while they freely viewed real-world social scenes containing either 1 or 3 people situated among a variety of objects. Building from the work of Yarbus (1965/1967) we hypothesized that observers would demonstrate a preferential bias to fixate the eyes of the people in the scene, although other items would also receive attention. In addition, we hypothesized that fixations to the eyes would increase as the social content (i.e., number of people) increased. Both hypotheses were supported by the data, and we also found that the level of activity in the scene influenced attention to eyes when social content was high. The present results provide support for the notion that the eyes are selected by others in order to extract social information. Our study also suggests a simple and surreptitious methodology for studying social attention to real-world stimuli in a range of populations, such as those with autism spectrum disorders.     

Die stationäre Behandlung von Zwangsstörungen mit multimodaler Verhaltenstherapie

The results of a 1-year-follow-up study concerning the treatment of 30 in-patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are presented. This prospective study was carried out at the Psychosomatic Hospital Windach. Beside a multimodal setting the central treatment component was flooding and response prevention. Group analysis showed significant improvements in all measures (BDI, STAI-X1, Y-BOCS and self-ratings). The results of the follow-up indicate, that more than 70% of the patients maintained their positive treatment response over 1 year (symptom improvement >30%). The average reduction of symptoms was 42%. Average treatment duration was 12 weeks. A high initial depression score (BDI >18) predicted a worse outcome.     

DOES GOD PLAY DICE? INSIGHTS FROM THE FRACTAL GEOMETRY OF NATURE

Abstract Albert Einstein and Huston Smith reflect the old metaphor that chaos and randomness are bad. Scientists recently have discovered that many phenomena, from the fluctuations of the stock market to variations in our weather, have the same underlying order. Natural beauty from plants to snowflakes is described by fractal geometry; tree branching from trunks to twigs has the same fractal scaling as our lungs, from trachea to bronchi. Algorithms for drawing fractals have both randomness and global determinism. Fractal statistics is like picking a card from a stacked deck rather than from one that is shuffled to be truly random. The polarity of randomness (or freedom) and law characterizes the self‐creating natural world. Polarity is in consonance with Taoism and contemporary theologians such as Paul Tillich, Alfred North Whitehead, Gordon Kaufman, Philip Hefner, and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Joseph Ford's new metaphor is replacing the old: “God plays dice with the universe, but they're loaded dice.”     

Evaluation of a Brief Group Based Psychological/Educational Treatment Programme for Women with an Iatrogenic Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Thirty-two women with an iatrogenic chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were assigned to a treatment or waiting list control group and completed the SF-36, GHQ30, Battles SE, and two in-house questionnaires. A series of mixed model ANOVAs indicated a significant Group × Time effect for SF-36 physical functioning (F = 9.01, p < .01) and a series of repeated measures ANOVAs (treatment group only) indicated a significant time effect for a sustained improvement in psychological well-being (F = 8.01, p < .01) at 3 months posttreatment. Furthermore, most women posttreatment felt more positive and informed about their illness, had more confidence, and reported a greater ability to control and cope with their lives. Psychological/educational treatment programmes show promise for increasing adjustment and coping in women with an iatrogenic HCV infection and may be modified for use in other HCV cohorts.     

An introduction to pentecostalisms

Pentecostalism is the result of an interesting amalgamation of different traditions: black and oral cultures, middle‐class and proletarian languages, catholic and evangelical spiritualities. These traditions are contextualized in Western, Latin American, Asian and African contexts which produce a bewildering pluralism. This “post‐modern religion” is not only a challenge to Pentecostal theologians but also to the ecumenical community.     

For Goodness Sake: How Religious Stories Work to Make Us Good and the Goodness that They Make

Studies in Philosophy and Education -     

Power in relationships of women with depression

To identify marital power difficulties specifically associated with depression, twenty couples in which the female partner was depressed were compared on a range of interpersonal power variables with twenty healthy control couples and also with twenty couples in which the female partner had a disorder other than depression (specifically panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA)). Couples in the depressed group had two features that distinguished them from couples in both the PDA and control groups and which were independent of relationship dissatisfaction. In the depressed group, both partners reported more physical assault in the year prior to the study and depressed women were more dissatisfied with their control of surplus spending money. Couples in the depressed group had a series of features that distinguished them from couples in both the PDA and control groups but which were due in part to relationship dissatisfaction. Depressed women were less committed to their relationships. Both partners in depressed couples reported more demand–withdraw transactions and less mutual constructive communication within their relationships. Depressed women reported more dissatisfaction with decision-making and greater dissatisfaction in childcare task distribution.     

Psychosocial Variables as Predictors of Psychological Stress–Induced Ischemia in the Laboratory

This study examined ischemic reactivity to a psychological stress protocol and whether psychological variables could reliably classify individuals as ischemic reactors. Participants were 54 male Veterans Administration patients who had or were suspected of having CAD. Psychological inventories were administered prior to a psychological stress protocol consisting of a surgical video, the Stroop Color–Word task, an arithmetic task, and discussion of a stressful event. Cardiac functioning was evaluated using an ECG Holter monitor and 23.53% of participants were classified as reactors. Mean differences between reactors and nonreactors were found for State Anger, Health Locus of Control—Powerful Others (MHLC-PO), and Depression. State Anger and MHLC-PO emerged as significant predictors of reactor status in logistic regression analyses. Models based on individual scale items suggested three items could be used to achieve higher classification rates. Implications for revising screening procedures for determining risk and possible mechanisms underlying psychological stress–induced ischemia are discussed.     

Is the past prologue for some more than others? The hobo syndrome and job complexity

The current study examines the relationship between an individual's history of changing jobs and future turnover (the so-called “hobo syndrome”). Relying on self-consistency theory, it was hypothesized that the relationship between job mobility history and turnover is moderated by job complexity. Using a sample of 393 employees from two healthcare organizations, multiple methods were used to assess the variables of interest. Job mobility history was assessed with a biodata questionnaire collected before employees were hired. Job complexity was measured objectively by a job complexity index calculated from O*NET data. Turnover was assessed with actual turnover data collected over an 18-month post-hire period. Consistent with our hypothesis, results using event history analyses revealed that previous job changes were positively related to turnover likelihood. Additionally, job complexity moderated the relationship between previous job changes and turnover likelihood, such that previous job changes were more positively related to turnover in complex jobs. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.