Perceived Social Support and Caregiver Strain in Caregivers of Children with Tourette’s Disorder

The research on Tourette’s disorder (TD), a neuropsychological disorder consisting of motor and phonic tics, has largely focused on individuals with TD and not on the caregivers of children with TD. We investigated the effects of several variables on caregiver strain of caregivers of children with TD, including perceived social support, caregiver characteristics, and characteristics of the child’s disorder. An online survey was completed by 140 caregivers of children with TD between the ages of 6 to 18 years. We performed a path analysis to examine the outcome of caregiver strain in relation to the research variables. Our results indicated that caregiver age, symptom severity of the child’s TD, and perceived social support accounted for variance in caregiver strain, and that perceived social support was a partial mediator of child’s symptom severity and caregiver strain. Symptom severity and caregiver strain were also related to the presence of other comorbid disorders, such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), anxiety, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when compared to children either having no other comorbid disorders or other types of disorders.     

大学生合作学习的问题解决过程及其对问题解决水平的影响

以认知风格为依据,将合作学习小组分为场依存同质组、场独立同质组以及异质组。通过小组对开放问题以及逻辑问题的解决,考察不同认知风格个体、不同类型小组的问题解决过程。同时考察问题解决过程对问题解决水平的影响。结果表明：（1）个体在解决不同类型问题时的过程体验不同。（2）问题解决过程在个体的认知风格和逻辑问题解决水平之间起调节作用。（3）不同类型小组的问题解决过程不同。（4）合作是影响小组合作学习效果的重要因素之一。     

Antecedents of Internet Retailing Loyalty: Differences Between Heavy Versus Light Shoppers

Purpose  The purpose of this study was to explore the moderating effects of heavy versus light shoppers on antecedents of customer’s satisfaction and loyalty toward an Internet retailer. Design/Methodology/Approach  A model discusses the different mechanisms in building an effective exchange relationship with light versus heavy shoppers was developed and tested using Internet book store as the study object. With the assistance of a marketing research firm, an Internet-based survey was employed to gather information on 375 users of Internet bookstores in Taiwan. Findings  The results showed that price/value had a stronger effect on overall satisfaction for light versus heavy shoppers, while trust had a stronger effect on overall satisfaction for heavy versus light shoppers. The study also found that consumers’ irreplaceable asset generated from past transaction with a focal Internet retailer had strong effects on their loyalty responses. Implications  Understanding of the moderating role of heavy versus light shoppers on satisfaction and loyalty formation helps to advance our theoretical understanding of the different routes of satisfaction and loyalty formation for different shoppers. The results of this study can help to inform the practitioners that price may play a role in drawing light shoppers, while perceived trust of the Internet store is more important in retaining heavy shoppers. It also demonstrated the importance of building asset specificity in increasing customer loyalty. Originality/Value  This is one of the first studies to provide evidence of the moderating effects of heavy versus light shoppers on satisfaction and loyalty formation. It explained and tested empirically the different mechanisms of satisfaction and loyalty formation between two groups of consumers.     

Negative self-evaluations and the relation to performance level in socially anxious children and adolescents

The current study investigated whether negatively biased self-evaluations of nervousness and social skills are related to how well an individual actually performs, that is performance level. Sixty-eight high socially anxious and 68 control participants (age range 9–17 years) gave a 5 min speech in front of a pre-recorded audience of same age peers and a teacher. Participants' evaluations immediately after the task were measured on a number of performance dimensions. Three independent observers also evaluated recordings of the speech performances. Participants were further divided into good and bad performers based on their actual performance level as judged by the observers. Self-evaluations of the high socially anxious participants were negatively biased for nervous appearance regardless of how well they actually performed. In contrast, a negative bias for social skills only occurred in the high anxious participants with a good performance. The social skill evaluations of the poor performers appear warranted. Taking actual performance level into account may help to clarify the exact nature of a negative bias in socially anxious youth and has clear implications for the choice of treatment approach.     

Mindfulness Meditation for Symptom Reduction in Fibromyalgia: Psychophysiological Correlates

Objectives Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome, is often accompanied by psychological distress and increased basal sympathetic tone. In a previous report it was shown that mindfulness-based stress-reduction (MBSR) reduced depressive symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia with gains maintained at two months follow-up (Sephton et al., Arthr Rheum 57:77–85, 2007). This second study explores the effects of MBSR on basal sympathetic (SNS) activation among women with fibromyalgia. Methods Participants (n = 24) responded to a television news appearance, newspaper, and radio advertisements. Effects on anxiety, depressive symptoms, and SNS activation measures were tested before and after MBSR using a within-subjects design. Results The MBSR treatment significantly reduced basal electrodermal (skin conductance level; SCL) activity (t = 3.298, p = .005) and SCL activity during meditation (t = 4.389, p = .001), consistent with reduced SNS activation. Conclusions In this small sample, basal SNS activity was reduced following MBSR treatment. Future studies should assess how MBSR may help reduce negative psychological symptoms and attenuate SNS activation in fibromyalgia. Further clarification of psychological and physiological responses associated with fibromyalgia may lead to more beneficial treatment.     

d-Serine facilitates the effects of extinction to reduce cocaine-primed reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior

Male Sprague Dawley rats were allowed to self-administer cocaine (0.5 mg/kg) during 90 min sessions for a period of 15 days. On day 16, rats were either held abstinent in their home cage environment or experienced an extinction session in which the active lever had no programmed consequences. Facilitating N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activity with the coagonist d-serine (100 mg/kg i.p.) before or following the extinction session significantly reduced the subsequent cocaine-primed reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior tested on day 17. d-Serine significantly reduced drug-primed reinstatement only when combined with extinction, and its effectiveness when administered following the training session suggested that an enhancement of consolidation of extinction learning had occurred. In contrast, d-serine treatment did not reduce sucrose-primed reinstatement, indicating that the beneficial effects of this adjunct pharmacotherapy with extinction training were specific to an addictive substance (cocaine) and did not generalize to a natural reward (sucrose).     

不同自尊者对自我相关信息的记忆偏好

研究主要采用4(自尊类型)×2(词汇效价)混合设计,探讨了178名不同自尊水平或不同自尊类型大学生对自我相关信息的记忆偏好。结果发现:(1)高外显自尊者比低自尊者有更积极的记忆偏好,消极记忆偏好差异不显著;高内隐自尊者则比低自尊者有更弱的积极回忆偏好及更弱的消极回忆偏好。(2)就作为组内差异存在的记忆偏好而言,所有被试均有积极偏好;就作为组间差异存在的记忆偏好而言,脆弱的高自尊者有更强的积极偏好,但低自尊者也没有表现出明显的消极偏好。结果提示不同自尊者对自我相关信息有不同记忆偏好。     

小学四年级儿童简算策略获得的认知过程研究

研究策略获得的过程是了解认知机制的重要途径。本研究采用口语报告和教学实验的结合研究,采用策略意识和策略状况两个维度的评价指标考察,结果表明：策略运用从低到高体现出8级认知序列,策略获得者在策略的掌握过程中有四种认知状态：策略运用初期的倒退状态、策略从不熟练向熟练发展过渡的不稳定状态、策略运用的不彻底状态、有较强的策略意识但缺乏条件化知识的刻板状态。这四种状态反映出,学习者在策略获得过程中策略运用缺陷的常见状况。     

普通高校高水平运动员职业生涯规划的SWOT分析

“教体结合”模式已经成为高校高水平运动员培养和教育的重要形式,不仅有利于高水平运动员培养的可持续发展,而且有利于进一步提升校园文化内涵。但目前普遍存在的一个问题就是高水平运动员入校后,学训矛盾突出,职业生涯规划也难以开展,有待进一步探索。本文借鉴人力资源管理职业生涯规划理论和市场营销SWOT理论为基础,以SWOT分析为工具探讨如何科学实施高水平运动员职业生涯规划。     

不同复述条件下命名难度对图形记忆的影响

采用学习 -再认的方法对自由复述、部分特征的言语命名复述和视觉表象复述三种实验条件下图形的记忆效果进行了研究。结果表明 ,(1)图形记忆中存在明显的难度效应 ,难以命名图形的再认正确率高于易命名图形 ,反应时低于易命名图形。 (2 )被试在复述图形时 ,更倾向于选择那些难以命名的特征作为复述对象 ,以便把整个图形都记住。 (3)易命名图形的言语命名复述成绩好于视觉表象复述 ;而难以命名图形则不存在这种差异。两者自由选择时 ,将加快记忆提取的速度