Peer-facilitated cognitive dissonance versus healthy weight eating disorders prevention: A randomized comparison

Research supports the efficacy of both cognitive dissonance (CD) and healthy weight (HW) eating disorders prevention, and indicates that CD can be delivered by peer-facilitators, which facilitates dissemination. This study investigated if peer-facilitators can deliver HW when it is modified for their use and extended follow-up of peer-facilitated CD as compared to previous trials. Based on pilot data, we modified HW (MHW) to facilitate peer delivery, elaborate benefits of the healthy-ideal, and place greater emphasis on consuming nutrient dense foods. Female sorority members (N = 106) were randomized to either two 2-h sessions of CD or MHW. Participants completed assessment pre- and post-intervention, and at 8-week, 8-month, and 14-month follow-up. Consistent with hypotheses, CD decreased negative affect, thin-ideal internalization, and bulimic pathology to a greater degree post-intervention. Both CD and MHW reduced negative affect, internalization, body dissatisfaction, dietary restraint, and bulimic pathology at 14 months.     

Constrained action selection in children with developmental coordination disorder

The effect of advance ('precue') information on short aiming movements was explored in adults, high school children, and primary school children with and without developmental coordination disorder (n=10, 14, 16, 10, respectively). Reaction times in the DCD group were longer than in the other groups and were more influenced by the extent to which the precue constrained the possible action space. In contrast, reaction time did not alter as a function of precue condition in adults. Children with DCD showed greater inaccuracy of response (despite the increased RT). We suggest that the different precue effects reflect differences in the relative benefits of priming an action prior to definitive information about the movement goal. The benefits are an interacting function of the task and the skill level of the individual. Our experiment shows that children with DCD gain a benefit from advance preparation in simple aiming movements, highlighting their low skill levels. This result suggests that goal-directed RTs may have diagnostic potential within the clinic.     

Blocking of spatial learning between enclosure geometry and a local landmark

In a virtual environment, blocking of spatial learning to locate an invisible target was found reciprocally between a distinctively shaped enclosure and a local landmark within its walls. The blocking effect was significantly stronger when the shape of the enclosure rather than the landmark served as the blocking cue. However, the extent to which the landmark blocked enclosure-shape learning was not influenced by increasing the physical salience of the landmark. The outcomes are the first to suggest that cue-interaction effects, commonly found in human and animal contingency learning experiments, are also found in human spatial learning based on landmarks and enclosure walls. The data are discussed in terms of spatial reference frames.     

Family Intervention Effects on Co-occurring Early Childhood Behavioral and Emotional Problems: A Latent Transition Analysis Approach

This study used latent transition analysis (LTA) to examine changes in early emotional and behavioral problems in children age 2 to 4 years resulting from participation in a family-centered intervention. A sample of 731 economically disadvantaged families was recruited from among participants in a national food supplement and nutrition program. Families with toddlers between age 2 and 3 were randomized either to the Family Check-Up (FCU) or to a nonintervention control group. The FCU’s linked interventions were tailored to each family’s needs. Assessments occurred at age 2, 3, and 4. The FCU followed age 2 and age 3 assessments. Latent class analyses were conducted on mother reports of behavior and emotional problems from age 2 to 4 to study transitions among the following four groups: (a) externalizing only, (b) internalizing only, (c) comorbid internalizing and externalizing, and (d) normative. LTA results revealed that participation in the FCU increased the likelihood of transitioning from either the comorbid or the internalizing class into the normative class by age 4. These results suggest family interventions in early childhood can potentially disrupt the early emergence of both emotional and behavioral problems.     

Expect the unexpected: failure to anticipate similarities leads to an intergroup forecasting error

People often expect interactions with outgroup members to go poorly, but little research examines the accuracy of these expectations, reasons why expectations might be negatively biased, and ways to bring expectations in line with experiences. The authors found that intergroup interactions were more positive than people expected them to be (Pilot Study, Study 1). One reason for this intergroup forecasting error is that people focus on their dissimilarities with outgroup members (Study 1). When the authors focused White participants' attention on the ways they were similar to a Black participant, their intergroup expectations changed to match their positive experiences (Studies 2 & 3). Regardless of focus, Whites expected to have pleasant intragroup interactions, and they were accurate (Study 4).     

Cognitive and Behavioural Effects of Genetic Testing for Thrombophilia

Very few studies have examined the impact of genetic testing for thrombophilia on health behaviours, perceptions of control over risk factors for venous thromboembolism, or health services utilization. Through a postal questionnaire we compared first degree relatives with thrombophilia (carriers) most of whom had received counseling, to those without (non-carriers) with respect to: (a) perceived causes of venous thromboembolism; (b) perceived control; (c) health behaviour changes; and (d) use of health care services. 44/51 for carriers and 26/47 for non-carriers completed questionnaires. Carriers were more likely to believe their risk of venous thromboembolism 'is a little higher' or 'much higher' than average (p < 0.001) but some continued to believe their risk 'is the same as' or 'lower than' average. 16%-32% of carriers did not recognize major risk factors. Stress, worry, or depression, negative attitude, and over-exertion were over-interpreted as risks. 37.2% did not appreciate that thrombophilia increases risk. Behaviour changes were uncommon. There is a need for research on education and strategies to improve knowledge in thrombophilia carriers.     

The relationship between susceptibility to false memories, dissociativity, and paranormal belief and experience

One hundred participants completed a News Coverage Questionnaire concerning personal memories of where they were, what they were doing and who they were with when footage of dramatic news events was first shown on television, as well as asking them to recall details of the footage itself. These news items included four events that are known to have been captured on film and one item concerning non-existent footage of the bombing of a nightclub in Bali. Overall, 36% of respondents reported false memories of the alleged footage of the Bali bombing. Participants reporting false memories were found to score significantly higher than those who did not report such memories on the Australian Sheep–Goat Scale, on various subscales of the Anomalous Experiences Inventory (Belief, Experience and Ability) and on the Dissociative Experiences Scale, supporting the hypothesis that believers in the paranormal may be more susceptible to false memories than non-believers.     

Odour perception: an object-recognition approach

Object recognition is a crucial component of both visual and auditory perception. It is also critical for olfaction. Most odours are composed of 10s or 100s of volatile components, yet they are perceived as unitary perceptual events against a continually shifting olfactory background (i.e. figure-ground segregation). We argue here that this occurs by rapid central adaptation to background odours combined with a pattern-matching system to recognise discrete sets of spatial and temporal olfactory features-an odour object. We present supporting neuropsychological, learning, and developmental evidence and then describe the neural circuitry which underpins this. The vagaries of an object-recognition approach are then discussed, with emphasis on the putative importance of memory, multimodal representations, and top-down processing.     

Psychometric Properties of the Beck Depression Inventory-II in a Clinically-Identified Sample of Mexican American Adolescents

We examined the internal consistency reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and factor structure of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) in a sample of 131 Mexican American youth. The BDI-II demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability (α=.90) and solid convergent and divergent validity with various clinical scales of the Adolescent Psychopathology Scale. Two factors, Cognitive-Somatic and Affective, emerged from an exploratory factor analysis and suggested that depressive symptomology may manifest somewhat differently in Mexican American youth. In sum, results provide tentative support for the use of the BDI-II as a measure of depression for this sample.