Nachtrag zu dem kritischen Referat «Gestalt und Kontrast»

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Zur Psychophysik des Vergleichs und des Raumes

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Zur Komplextheorie

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Verläufe bei sexuellen Tötungen

This article summarizes main results of studies on forensic psychiatric court reports on 166 men who had been persecuted between 1963 and 1991 for a sexual offence leading to the death of the victim. Comparing perpetrators with a single victim and those with multiple victims we found similar results as in two previous studies with smaller samples: Multiple sexual homicide perpetrators showed more often sexual sadism and other paraphilias, as well as antisocial, schizoid and sadistic personality disorders. Follow-up data from the federal criminal records could be obtained for 139 offenders. Ninety perpetrators had been released after a mean detention of 12.2 years, whereas the 49 offenders who were still in prison or forensic psychiatric hospitals had been detained for a mean period of 20.6 years. The non-released offenders showed more often paraphilias as well as antisocial and sadistic personality disorders than the released perpetrators. Paraphilias and antisocial personality traits are empirically well proven risk factors for criminal recidivism with sexual reoffences. In addition, the non-released sexual homicide perpetrators had higher scores in all applied risk assessment instruments (PCL-R, HCR-20, SVR-20, Static-99). Among the released offenders only 1.1% (n=1) reoffended with a completed homicide and 2.2% (n=2) with attempted homicide. The recidivism rates with sexual and other violent reoffences in this sample of sexual homicide perpetrators were similar to those in a large meta-analysis on recidivism in sexual offenders by Hanson and Morton-Bourgon (4). Since well established risk factors had apparently been “used-up” for the decisions about release or non-release, in the follow-up data about the released offenders only age at the sexual homicide and age at the time of release were found as risk factors for recidivism with any violent (sexual or non-sexual) reoffence, i.e. the younger the offender at the time of the homicide and the younger at the time of release, the more likely is the risk of violent reoffending.     

Individual differences in cognitive plasticity: an investigation of training curves in younger and older adults

To date, cognitive intervention research has provided mixed but nevertheless promising evidence with respect to the effects of cognitive training on untrained tasks (transfer). However, the mechanisms behind learning, training effects and their predictors are not fully understood. Moreover, individual differences, which may constitute an important factor impacting training outcome, are usually neglected. We suggest investigating individual training performance across training sessions in order to gain finer-grained knowledge of training gains, on the one hand, and assessing the potential impact of predictors such as age and fluid intelligence on learning rate, on the other hand. To this aim, we propose to model individual learning curves to examine the intra-individual change in training as well as inter-individual differences in intra-individual change. We recommend introducing a latent growth curve model (LGCM) analysis, a method frequently applied to learning data but rarely used in cognitive training research. Such advanced analyses of the training phase allow identifying factors to be respected when designing effective tailor-made training interventions. To illustrate the proposed approach, a LGCM analysis using data of a 10-day working memory training study in younger and older adults is reported.     

Spatial and conjoint models based on pairwise comparisons of dissimilarities and combined effects: Complete and incomplete designs

In pairwise multidimensional scaling, a spatial representation for a set of objects is determined from comparisons of the dissimilarity of any two objects drawn from the set to the dissimilarity of other pairs of objects drawn from that set. In pairwise conjoint scaling, comparisons among the joint effects produced by pairs of objects, where the objects in a pair are drawn from separate sets, are used to determine numerical representations for the objects in each set. Monte Carlo simulations of both pairwise dissimilarities and pairwise conjoint effects show that Johnson's algorithm can provide good metric recovery in the presence of high levels of error even when only a small percentage of the complete set of pairwise comparisons are tested.     

Factor influencing suicide intent in gay and bisexual suicide ideators: differing models for men with and without human immunodeficiency virus.

Of 778 gay and bisexual men (none with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome [AIDS]), 27% (n = 212) reported suicidal ideation over the previous 6 months. Covariance structure models were used to explore predictors of suicide intent among (n = 112) suicide ideators with (n = 100) and without (n = 112) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Current AIDS-related stressors (deaths and illnesses and perceived AIDS risk) and past levels of adaptive functioning (social isolation and depression) were significantly more powerful predictors of suicide intent among HIV-positive than among HIV-negative ideators. Biological AIDS risk predicted neither suicide intent, current distress, nor perceived AIDS risk. Pathways to suicide intent appear to be psychologically, rather than biologically, mediated. Among HIV-positive ideators, AIDS-related death and illness events predicted suicide intent but not current distress symptoms. Some suicidal ideation in response to AIDS-related events may be an effort to cope rather than a manifestation of psychological distress.     

AIDS-related factors predictive of suicidal ideation of low and high intent among gay and bisexual men.

AIDS-related stressors were studied in relationship to suicidal ideation and suicide intent among 778 gay and bisexual men (none with AIDS). Over the previous six months, 27% (n = 212) reported suicidal ideation. Subjects who reported suicidal ideation (compared to those who did not) were more likely to report recent (last 6 months) bereavement of partner, recent ARC diagnosis, and multiple close friends with ARC. Suicide ideators were divided by a median split on a self-report scale of suicide intent into low (n = 105) and high (n = 107) intent suicide ideators. News of HIV seropositivity was specifically related to low intent suicidal ideation. High intent suicidal ideation was associated with having a partner with AIDS or ARC, or multiple close friends with AIDS, or having ARC. Generally speaking, while temporally discrete AIDS-related events were associated the report of suicidal ideation, ongoing stressors which may more greatly challenge adaptational capacities were more associated with high intent suicidal ideation.     

Task-set inhibition in chunked task sequences

Exploring the hierarchical control relationship between different levels of representation and processing is important for understanding how the mind controls itself. In the present study, the relationship between chunking (a sequence-level process) and task-set inhibition (a task-level process) in the performance of task sequences was investigated to evaluate the hypothesis that within-chunk facilitation reduces then−2 repetition cost (slower performance forn−2 task repetitions than forn−2 task switches) attributed to task-set inhibition. An experiment is reported in which subjects were induced to chunk sequences such thatn−2 repetitions occurred within or between chunks. Direct evidence of chunking was obtained, andn−2 repetition cost was smaller whenn−2 repetitions occurred within chunks than between chunks. These findings are consistent with an elaborated hypothesis that attributes the reduction inn−2 repetition cost to priming of task goals rather than direct modulation of task-set inhibition.