Concavities as basic features in visual search: evidence from search asymmetries

Concave cusps and negative curvature minima play an important role in many theories of visual shape perception. Cusps and minima are taken to be part boundaries, used to segment an object into parts. Because of their important role in determining object structure and because there is some evidence that object structure is processed in parallel, it might be expected that concave cusps and negative curvature minima are processed preferentially. We tested this conjecture in several visual search experiments. Visual search for a target with a concave cusp among totally convex distractors yields nearly flat slopes (< 10 msec/item) for both present and absent trials. Reversing the roles of the target and the distractor results in inefficient search. The same asymmetry is found when the concave cusp is replaced by other types of concavity. We conclude, therefore, the concavities can serve as basic features in visual search experiments. This conclusion implies that the unit of selection in a visual search task is an object, rather than a location.     

Intra-individual variability in task performance after cognitive training is associated with long-term outcomes in children

The potential benefits and mechanistic effects of working memory training (WMT) in children are the subject of much research and debate. We show that after five weeks of school-based, adaptive WMT 6–9 year-old primary school children had greater activity in prefrontal and striatal brain regions, higher task accuracy, and reduced intra-individual variability in response times compared to controls. Using a sequential sampling decision model, we demonstrate that this reduction in intra-individual variability can be explained by changes to the evidence accumulation rates and thresholds. Critically, intra-individual variability is useful in quantifying the immediate impact of cognitive training interventions, being a better predictor of academic skills and well-being 6–12 months after the end of training than task accuracy. Taken together, our results suggest that attention control is the initial mechanism that leads to the long-run benefits from adaptive WMT. Selective and sustained attention abilities may serve as a scaffold for subsequent changes in higher cognitive processes, academic skills, and general well-being. Furthermore, these results highlight that the selection of outcome measures and the timing of the assessments play a crucial role in detecting training efficacy. Thus, evaluating intra-individual variability, during or directly after training could allow for the early tailoring of training interventions in terms of duration or content to maximise their impact.     

Hardware design style: The vital element

This is a tutorial in the application of digital integrated circuits to laboratory experimental design. For appropriate experiments, a hardware controller may be the most economical as well as the most enjoyable approach. By and large, the hardware profession has done a poor job of providing clear, straightforward principles of hardware design; therefore, the design process is often viewed as a “black art” accessible only to specialists. The computer software profession has begun to realize the vital need for systematic approaches to problem solving. We hope to contribute to a similar movement in the digital hardware design area.     

Paths to community empowerment: Organizing at home

This study examines how low-income minority communities build on their strengths to improve material conditions and how these actions lead to further empowerment at the individual and group level, and increase engagement with civic life. Based on earlier qualitative research, low-income limited equity housing co-ops were chosen as research. Using quantitative questionnaire data, a path model was tested in which variables were organized into four levels.Level One: Attributes of the person and the context were conceptualized asexogenous variables leading to activities first at the co-op level.Level Two:co-op activities were thought to affect living conditions in the building and evaluations of co-op ownership, which comprisedLevel Three,quality of life in the building. All preceding levels were thought to influenceempowerment, as measured atLevel Four through an attitudinal measure of empowerment, and reported participation in civic activities in the broader community. The model, which emphasizes the collective and material nature of empowerment in addition to the psychological, seems justified by the data. It is especially significant that the aggregate measure of perceived participation of others predicted building quality, and that the aggregate measure of building quality went on to influence empowerment and voting behavior. Personal participation in building activities also proved a good predictor of empowerment, indicating that empowerment operates at both the individual and the group level. Furthermore, increased empowerment at the level of attitude did influence civic activities, in conjunction with personal characteristics and perceived neighborhood qualities. (Tests of causality in the opposite direction were not significant.) Our findings confirm the importance of all three components of empowerment, as articulated by Zimmerman and his colleagues (1992), that is, empowerment at the psychological, interactional, and behavioral level. It extends the conceptualization by introducing the group level of analysis. We thank the Robert F. Wagner Sr. Center for Urban Public Policy at the City University of New York Graduate School and University Center and the Fund for the City of New York for early support and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation for current support. We acknowledge the invaluable participation in the original project of Heléne Clark, Eric Glunt, Bill Roane, and April Tyler. We also thank the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their helpful and extremely thorough comments and suggestions.     

“Am I Going Crazy,Doc?”: A Self Psychology Approach to Therapeutic Assessment

In this case study, we explore the effectiveness of Therapeutic Assessment with a severely disturbed 25-year-old man, referred by his therapist, following Finn's (2007; Finn & Tonsager, 1992, 1997) model. This patient–therapist pair had been working together for approximately 2 months, but the therapy had ceased to progress. The therapist requested a clearer picture of his patient's affective functioning, interpersonal functioning, and self-functioning that might facilitate more effective treatment. Through a collaborative assessment process informed by the principles of Kohutian self psychology, the evaluator and patient slowly formed a working alliance that proved useful for the eventual communication to the patient of his psychologically tenuous reality. This case illustrates the utility of a collaborative, multimethod Therapeutic Assessment with a severely ill patient and the use of Therapeutic Assessment by a less experienced clinician.     

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to treat multiple chemical sensitivities: a randomized pilot trial

Skovbjerg, S., Hauge, C. R., Rasmussen, A., Winkel, P. & Elberling, J. (2012). Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy to treat multiple chemical sensitivities: A randomized pilot trial. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 233–238. Multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) is a medically unexplained and socially disabling disorder characterized by negative health effects attributed to exposure to common airborne chemicals. Currently, there is no evidence‐based treatment. The objectives of the study were to assess the feasibility of an 8‐week mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy program (MBCT) for adults with MCS and to evaluate possible effects on psychological distress and illness perception. The study design was a randomized clinical trial. The MBCT programme comprised 8 weekly sessions of 2½ hours. Forty‐two adults were screened for eligibility and 37 were included. Mean age of the participants was 51.6 years, 35 (94.6%) were female and 21 (56.8%) were unemployed. Measures of psychological distress and illness perceptions were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks and at 3 months follow‐up. No significant differences in effect measures were found between the groups. However, those who completed the MBCT program generally reported benefiting in terms of improved coping strategies and sleep quality. The positive verbal feedback from the participants in the MBCT group suggests that a larger randomized clinical trial on the effect of MBCT for MCS could be considered.     

Partner unsupportive responses, avoidant coping, and distress among women with early stage breast cancer: patient and partner perspectives.

This 18-month longitudinal study examined the associations among partner unsupportive behavior, avoidant coping, and distress experienced by 219 women with early stage breast cancer. The role of patient and partner ratings of unsupportive behavior were evaluated. Results indicated that patient and partner ratings of unsupportive behavior were highly correlated. Growth curve modeling suggested that unsupportive behavior, from both patient and partner perspectives, predicted more avoidant coping and distress. When partner and patient perceptions were placed in the same model, patient perceptions mediated the association between partners' ratings of their unsupportive behavior and patient distress. Avoidance also mediated the association between unsupportive behavior and distress, extending prior cross-sectional findings. Results highlight the long-term detrimental effects of partners' unsupportive behavior on the quality of life of women with early stage breast cancer.