Cognitive-behavioral therapy for women with lifelong vaginismus: process and prognostic factors

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) seems an effective treatment of lifelong vaginismus, but mechanisms of action have not yet been established. The present study explored whether the effect of CBT for lifelong vaginismus is mediated by changes in fear of penetration and avoidance behavior, which CBT explicitly aims to alter. A second aim of this study was to predict treatment outcome on the basis of pre-treatment variables. Participants with lifelong vaginismus were allocated at random to a 3-months CBT (n=81) or a waiting-list control condition (n=36). Full vaginal penetration with the penis of the partner constituted the primary outcome measure. Change scores in successful 'non-coital penetrative-behavior' and 'fear of coitus' were used to measure the mediating variables. Treatment resulted in an increase of intercourse (outcome), a decrease in fear of coitus, and an enhancement of successful non-coital penetration behavior, compared with no treatment. Outcome (intercourse) was partly mediated by changes in fear of coitus and changes in avoidance behavior. No treatment predictors could be detected in this study sample. It is concluded that techniques such as gradual exposure, aimed at decreasing avoidance behavior and penetration fear, constitute an important avenue of change in the treatment of lifelong vaginismus.     

Effects of a School‐Based Life Skills and HIV‐Prevention Program for Adolescents in Mexican High Schools1

A school‐based life skills and sexuality education HIV/AIDS program for adolescents was evaluated in Toluca, Mexico, through a quasi‐experimental pre–post design with 1,566 cases, divided over a control group and an experimental group. Based on a previously tested path model, 3 levels of variables were included as a guide for the contents of the program: personal variables (self‐knowledge, self‐efficacy regarding condom use, and decision making), intervening variables (subjective norms about, knowledge about HIV/AIDS, and attitudes toward condoms), and outcome variables (communication on sexuality and intentions to use condoms). Evaluation was conducted following these categories. Significant increases in all of these variables recognized as precursors of safer sex were found in the experimental group.     

Positive and negative associations underlying ambivalent attitudes

In two studies, we compared the strength of positive and negative associations of ambivalent attitudes to those of nonambivalent attitudes. In Study 1, results from an implicit association task showed that, in contrast to nonambivalent attitudes, ambivalent attitudes were characterized by strong positive and negative associations. In Study 2 responses to ambivalent attitude objects were faster following a positive as well as following a negative prime, compared to a non-word prime, whereas for neutral attitude objects prime type did not influence response times. Results provide direct evidence for the assumption that both positive and negative associations of ambivalent attitudes are relatively strong. Implications for attitude strength and attitude structure are discussed.     

Individual differences in adult decision-making competence

The authors evaluated the reliability and validity of a set of 7 behavioral decision-making tasks, measuring different aspects of the decision-making process. The tasks were administered to individuals from diverse populations. Participants showed relatively consistent performance within and across the 7 tasks, which were then aggregated into an Adult Decision-Making Competence (A-DMC) index that showed good reliability. The validity of the 7 tasks and of overall A-DMC emerges in significant relationships with measures of socioeconomic status, cognitive ability, and decision-making styles. Participants who performed better on the A-DMC were less likely to report negative life events indicative of poor decision making, as measured by the Decision Outcomes Inventory. Significant predictive validity remains when controlling for demographic measures, measures of cognitive ability, and constructive decision-making styles. Thus, A-DMC appears to be a distinct construct relevant to adults' real-world decisions.     

The role of memory for compounds in cue competition

Revisions of common associative learning models incorporate a within-compound association mechanism in order to explain retrospective cue competition effects (e.g., [Dickinson, A., & Burke, J. (1996). Within-compound associations mediate the retrospective revaluation of causality judgements. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 49B, pp. 60-80.]). These models predict a correlation between memory for compounds (as a measure for the strength of within-compound associations) and retrospective cue competition but not forward cue competition. This was indeed found in a study of [Melchers, K. G., Lachnit, H., & Shanks, D. (2004). Within-compound associations in retrospective revaluation and in direct learning: A challenge for comparator theory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 57B, pp. 25-54.]. We argue that a higher-order reasoning account of causal learning can also explain the evidence for the role of within-compound associations in cue competition. Moreover, this account predicts that if making inferences during the learning stage is impeded, a correlation between memory for compounds and forward cue competition should be found as well. The results of a new study confirmed this prediction.     

Psychometric evaluation of the Brazelton Scale in a sample of Spanish newborns

This study analyses the data obtained from a sample of 220 healthy full-term neonates evaluated with the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale, NBAS, 3rd edition. Standard scores were obtained for each of the 35 behavioral items and analysis of the main components of all the clusters was performed. Similarly to the original scale, the five following factors were obtained: Autonomic and Motor Systems, Habituation, State Organization, State Regulation, and Social Interactive. The analysis of the reliability of these groupings reveals that it is between moderate and high (the average Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .78).     

Seven psychosocial principles to explain terrorism

Research approaches leading to the understanding of the terrorist phenomenon are suggested. Seven principles explaining terrorism are analysed from a psychosocial approach: They could complete the explanations of terrorism focused in socio-structural and psychological variables, the latter being insufficient and often erroneous. Thus, terrorism is presented as a strategy of political influence, and the psychological attributes of terrorists are explained as the result of several influential social processes. We considered that terrorist attacks and campaigns correspond to strategic reasons, but we also assume that the rationality of the terrorists perspective is limited. As far as the organisational parameters are concerned, we propose an analogy with ordinary social movements, especially relating to their ideological frameworks of legitimisation and resource mobilization processes.     

Sources of somatosensory input to the caudal belt areas of auditory cortex

The auditory cortex of nonhuman primates is comprised of a constellation of at least twelve interconnected areas distributed across three major regions on the superior temporal gyrus: core, belt, and parabelt. Individual areas are distinguished on the basis of unique profiles comprising architectonic features, thalamic and cortical connections, and neuron response properties. Recent demonstrations of convergent auditory-somatosensory interactions in the caudomedial (CM) and caudolateral (CL) belt areas prompted us to pursue anatomical studies to identify the source(s) of somatic input to auditory cortex. Corticocortical and thalamocortical connections were revealed by injecting neuroanatomical tracers into CM, CL, and adjoining fields of marmoset (Callithrix jacchus jacchus) and macaque (Macaca mulatta) monkeys. In addition to auditory cortex, the cortical connections of CM and CL included somatosensory (retroinsular, Ri; granular insula, Ig) and multisensory areas (temporal parietal occipital, temporal parietal temporal). Thalamic inputs included the medial geniculate complex and several multisensory nuclei (suprageniculate, posterior, limitans, medial pulvinar), but not the ventroposterior complex. Injections of the core (A1, R) and rostromedial areas of auditory cortex revealed sparse multisensory connections. The results suggest that areas Ri and Ig are the principle sources of somatosensory input to the caudal belt, while multisensory regions of cortex and thalamus may also contribute. The present data add to growing evidence of multisensory convergence in cortical areas previously considered to be 'unimodal', and also indicate that auditory cortical areas differ in this respect.     

Kinematic cues in perceptual weight judgement and their origins in box lifting

When accepting a parcel from another person, we are able to use information about that person’s movement to estimate in advance the weight of the parcel, that is, to judge its weight from observed action. Perceptual weight judgment provides a powerful method to study our interpretation of other people’s actions, but it is not known what sources of information are used in judging weight. We have manipulated full form videos to obtain precise control of the perceived kinematics of a box lifting action, and use this technique to explore the kinematic cues that affect weight judgment. We find that observers rely most on the duration of the lifting movement to judge weight, and make less use of the durations of the grasp phase, when the box is first gripped, or the place phase, when the box is put down. These findings can be compared to the kinematics of natural box lifting behaviour, where we find that the duration of the grasp component is the best predictor of true box weight. The lack of accord between the optimal cues predicted by the natural behaviour and the cues actually used in the perceptual task has implications for our understanding of action observation in terms of a motor simulation. The differences between perceptual and motor behaviour are evidence against a strong version of the motor simulation hypothesis. A. F. de C. Hamilton and D. W. Joyce have contributed equally to this work.