The role of the GABA(A) agonist muscimol on memory performance: reward contingencies determine the nature of the deficit

A matching-to-position (MTP) paradigm was altered to influence the type of associations a rat would use to solve the task. Our main behavioral manipulation was the application of the differential outcomes procedure (DOP). The DOP involves correlating each to-be-remembered event with a distinct reward condition. This procedure results in the development of unique reward expectancies that enhance and guide choice behavior. Such distinct reward expectancies are not formed when either a common or random assignment of reward is used (a non-differential outcomes procedure [NOP]). Intracerebroventricular infusions of the amnestic agent muscimol (GABA(A) agonist) or aCSF were delivered to male rats trained on a delayed MTP task that implemented either the DOP or the NOP. Muscimol impaired performance in a dose dependent fashion in both groups--but the nature of the deficit differed as a function of reinforcement contingencies. Rats trained with the DOP displayed a non-mnemonic delay-independent impairment: performance at all delay intervals was disrupted. In contrast, NOP-trained rats displayed a delay-dependent impairment demonstrating that muscimol can also have memory-disrupting effects. The difference in pattern of impairment appears to be a function of the associations formed during training and the type of cognitive strategies involved in maintaining behavior on a conditional delayed discrimination task when reinforcement contingencies are varied. Thus, these results demonstrate that increasing GABA(A) receptor activation impairs a range of associative and memory functions.     

A scale to assess the restrictiveness of educational settings

The placement of students into educational settings is perhaps one of the most debated issues in special education, particularly for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). A primary consideration in this decision is the restrictiveness of the setting, yet no scale to assess restrictiveness of educational settings exists. We undertook two surveys that asked respondents to rate the restrictiveness of 18 educational placements. The first survey was sent to a national panel of experts, the second survey was sent to supervisors of programs for students with EBD. The results of the surveys led to the development of theScale to Assess Restrictiveness of Educational Settings. This scale is designed to provide a measure of restrictiveness of educational settings that can provide data to evaluate student progress and program outcomes.     

Predictors of Placement Outcomes in Treatment Foster Care: Implications for Foster Parent Selection and Service Delivery

Treatment foster care (TFC) is a normalizing environment in which to treat those children whose particular needs are not addressed in traditional foster care and for whom an institutional setting is a restrictive and unnecessary alternative. However, when the foster care placements of these emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children fail, as they often do, the children are shifted from one home to another without the opportunity to experience permanence or emotional attachment, resulting in poor adjustment to foster care. Placement stability, which depends in part upon effective matching of foster children with potential foster families, is critical for achieving positive outcomes in TFC. Yet, there is a dearth of information to guide placement agencies in making decisions about matching foster children with families. Moreover, once a successful match has been made, it is equally vital that service delivery be of high quality so that permanence is maintained. We review research on the predictors of positive outcomes in foster care, focusing on studies involving emotionally or behaviorally disturbed children, and provide recommendations for selecting foster parents and for ensuring high quality foster care services and placement stability.     

The recovery rate of early stuttering

PurposeAcross studies there is great variability in reported rates of stuttering recovery. This study examined the impact that different definitions of recovery had on calculation of recovery rates and factors associated with recovery within the same sample of children.MethodSpeech samples and parents and child reports of their experiences of stuttering were collected from 38 children who stuttered aged 2–5 years of age (Occassion-1) and again at 9–13 years of age (Occassion-2). Four different criteria for recovery that were developed representing variations in criteria reported in previous research were applied to data from these children.Results. The majority of the participants (82%) showed very little disfluent speech (<1% syllables stuttered) at Occasion 2. Recovery rate varied greatly depending on the criteria used, ranging from 13.2%–94.7%. Definitions ordered from least to greatest recovery that were (a) parent and clinician report no stuttering and no stuttering observed (13.2 %); (b) ≤1% syllables stuttered; severity rated at ≤1; parent, clinician, and child report recovery (55.3 %); (c) ≤1% syllables stuttered; severity rated at ≤1; parent and clinician report recovery (71.1 %); (d) <3.0 % syllables stuttered (94.7 %). Five participants were considered recovered and two were considered persistent stutters across all criteria. Different factors were associated with recovery from stuttering depending on the criterion used.ConclusionThe concept of recovery from stuttering is complex and estimations of recovery rate are likely to be greatly affected by differences in definitions and measurement across studies. This has a flow-on effect in determining the factors associated with recovery from stuttering.     

The effects of negative content in social networking profiles on perceptions of employment suitability

As a step toward further understanding the relationship between social networking content and perceptions of employment suitability, the present study assessed the impact of three examples of potentially negative content. Namely, this research focused on self‐absorption, opinionatedness, and alcohol and drug use, where a sample of 436 hiring managers evaluated experimentally manipulated hypothetical Facebook candidate profiles. The results demonstrated that content related to each construct had a negative impact on person–organization fit and overall candidate evaluation. Moreover, self‐absorption had the largest negative effect. There were also significant hiring manager age interaction effects. Older hiring managers more heavily weighted less opinionated content with respect to overall candidate evaluation and content without alcohol and drug use for person–organization fit.     

Hysteresis behaviour of psychobiological variables during exercise

ObjectivesThe rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and the heart rate (HR) have been widely studied and monitored during exercise, but their hysteresis behaviour is still unexplored. Our aim was to study the hysteresis behaviour of RPE and HR in triathletes and non-athletes.DesignCross-sectional study.MethodEighteen triathletes at different competitive levels (elite n = 9, non-elite n = 9) and ten students were tested while cycling and running, using a pyramidal protocol (incremental/decremental workloads). The hysteresis area, considered positive when values of the dependent variables (RPE and HR) at the same workload were higher in the decremental phase than in the incremental phase, and vice versa for the negative areas, was calculated in all tests. The Wilcoxon matched-pairs test and Kruskal Wallis ANOVA were applied to detect intra- and inter-group differences, respectively, of RPE and HR values during the incremental and decremental phases, as well as between cycling and running.ResultsThe following results were observed: a) an incoherent relationship of RPE with HR and workload, b) positive hysteresis areas of RPE and HR in all groups during cycling and running, c) a partial negative hysteresis area of RPE, but not of HR, in the triathlete groups, d) larger hysteresis areas of RPE and HR in students than in triathletes, and e) larger hysteresis areas in cycling than in running.Conclusionsthe study of the hysteresis behaviour of RPE and HR reveals the history dependency of both variables, highlights their incoherent or non-unique relationship during a pyramidal exercise, and questions their widely assumed linear association to workload intensity. The hysteresis area is proposed as a new non-invasive marker of exercise stress and tolerance that should be further investigated.     

More than expected? Psychological outcomes from first-stage training in counselling

This study considers psychological outcomes of first-stage counselling training for nine annual student cohorts. A self-report questionnaire, with both open-ended and closed questions, was employed to investigate initial course expectations, what had been learned about self, and any perceived changes in attributes and skills and in relationships with family, friends and others. Eighty-six out of a total of 148 students returned questionnaires, a response rate of 58%. Students reported having learned more about counselling theories and skills, as they had expected initially, but results show that other important outcomes had been largely unanticipated. Many, for example, felt that, as a consequence of course participation, they had a deeper understanding, and greater acceptance, of self and that a range of attributes and skills, such as sensitivity to others and communication skills, had been enhanced. For many, these outcomes had led to improved relationships with family and friends, and also, for some, with work colleagues. It is concluded that, in this example of introductory counselling training, the course experience had led students to discover more about self and had also impacted on different facets of their lives.     

Traumatic loss and major disasters: strengthening family and community resilience

This article presents the core principles and value of a family and community resilience-oriented approach to recovery from traumatic loss when catastrophic events occur. In contrast to individually based, symptom-focused approaches to trauma recovery, this multisystemic practice approach contextualizes the distress in the traumatic experience and taps strengths and resources in relational networks to foster healing and posttraumatic growth. The intertwining of trauma and traumatic losses is discussed. Key family and social processes in risk and resilience in traumatic loss situations are outlined. Case illustrations, model programs, and intervention guidelines are described in situations of community violence and major disasters to suggest ways to foster family and community resilience.