Evidence and rationalization

Philosophical Studies - Suppose that you have to take a test tomorrow but you do not want to study. Unfortunately you should study, since you care about passing and you expect to pass only if you...     

Change in metacognitions predicts outcome in obsessive–compulsive disorder patients undergoing treatment with exposure and response prevention

Wells' (Wells, A. (1997). Cognitive therapy of anxiety disorders: a practice manual and conceptual guide. Chichester, UK: Wiley) metacognitive model of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) predicts that metacognitions must change in order for psychological treatment to be effective. The aim of this study was to explore: (1) if metacognitions change in patients undergoing exposure treatment for OCD; (2) to determine the extent to which cognitive and metacognitive change predicts symptom improvement and recovery. The sample consisted of 83 outpatients with a diagnosis of OCD who completed exposure and response prevention treatment. The Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ-30) and the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44) were administered before treatment, after treatment, and at 12-month follow-up. Treatment resulted in significant changes in symptoms, metacognition score, responsibility and perfectionism. Regression analysis using post-treatment Y-BOCS as the dependent variable indicated that when the overlap between predictors was controlled for, only changes in metacognition were significant. Changes in metacognitions explained 22% of the variance in symptoms at post-treatment when controlling for pre-treatment symptoms and changes in mood. A further regression revealed that two MCQ-30 subscales made individual contributions. The patients had significantly higher scores compared to community controls on the MCQ-30. Patients who achieved clinical significant change had lower scores on the MCQ-30 compared to patients who did not change. The results did not change significantly from post-treatment to follow-up assessment. These findings provide further support for the importance of metacognitions in treating OCD.     

A Hierarchical Modeling Approach to Data Analysis and Study Design in a Multi-site Experimental fMRI Study

We propose a hierarchical Bayesian model for analyzing multi-site experimental fMRI studies. Our method takes the hierarchical structure of the data (subjects are nested within sites, and there are multiple observations per subject) into account and allows for modeling between-site variation. Using posterior predictive model checking and model selection based on the deviance information criterion (DIC), we show that our model provides a good fit to the observed data by sharing information across the sites. We also propose a simple approach for evaluating the efficacy of the multi-site experiment by comparing the results to those that would be expected in hypothetical single-site experiments with the same sample size.     

Childhood Parentification and Shame-Proneness: A Preliminary Study

The current study, utilizing a group of 197 undergraduate students, found that childhood parentification is associated with shame-proneness in adults (when the shared variance with guiltproneness is controlled). Parentification, the reversal of parent and child roles, requires a premature identification with the parent(s)' expectations and needs, at the expense of the development of the child's true talents and gifts, often leaving the child feeling ashamed of the true self's unrewarded strivings. This finding is linked theoretically to an earlier study that found a relationship between childhood parentification and both narcissistic and masochistic personality characteristics (Jones & Wells, 1996). A secondary finding supported a predicted relationship between guilt and shame. Clinicians are encouraged to attend to the possibilities of these connections when planning and executing treatment plans with parentified adults.     

The spatial correspondence hypothesis and orienting in response to central and peripheral spatial cues

Two experiments examined visual orienting in response to spatial precues. In Experiment 1A participants were informed that targets usually (p =.8) appeared on the same side as cues in a particular colour (e.g., red). Rapid orienting was observed, with both central and peripherally presented cues. In Experiment IB cue displays were spatially symmetric. Participants were informed that target location (left or right) was usually predicted (p =.8) by cue colour (red or green). Orienting effects were observed, but these were slower to develop and much weaker than in Experiment 1 A. In Experiment 2A and 2B the cue was a single, centrally presented letter. We compared effects of spatially symmetric (T, X, v, o) and asymmetric (d, b) letter cues. Validity effects were present for asymmetric cues, but entirely absent for symmetric cues. These finding are discussed in terms of Lambert and Duddy's (2002) proposal that spatial correspondence learning plays a critical role in spatial precueing. Implications of the results for the distinction between endogenous and exogenous orienting are also considered.     

Motion-induced blindness is influenced by global properties of the moving mask

Perceptual fluctuations experienced during motion-induced blindness (MIB) have been characterized as the result of a competition between representations of the moving mask and stationary (or slowly moving) targets (Bonneh, Cooperman, & Sagi, 2001). While there is evidence to support a local influence of the mask on target disappearance, what is not yet clear is whether the global properties of the mask can likewise impact disappearance. In the present study, we investigated the presence of a global effect of the mask on MIB by manipulating global motion properties of the mask while controlling its local motion properties surrounding the target. Results showed a significant impact of the global mask properties on the observed degree of disappearance. We also tested for a complementary local effect by comparing conditions in which we manipulated local mask properties while controlling global properties. This analysis did not yield evidence for a local effect, although this may have been due to our weaker manipulation of local mask properties compared to previous studies. Overall, the present results highlight a key role of global stimulus representations in producing the perceptual disappearances observed in MIB.