Impaired discriminative fear-conditioning resulting from elevated fear responding to learned safety cues among individuals with panic disorder

Classical fear-conditioning is central to many etiologic accounts of panic disorder (PD), but few lab-based conditioning studies in PD have been conducted. One conditioning perspective proposes associative-learning deficits characterized by deficient safety learning among PD patients. The current study of PD assesses acquisition and retention of discriminative aversive conditioning using a fear-potentiated startle paradigm. This paradigm was chosen for its specific capacity to independently assess safety- and danger learning in the service of characterizing putative anomalies in each type of learning among those with PD. Though no group difference in fear-potentiated startle was found at retention, acquisition results demonstrate impaired discriminative learning among PD patients as indexed by measures of conditioned startle-potentiation to learned safety and danger cues. Importantly, this discrimination deficit was driven by enhanced startle-potentiation to the learned safety cue rather than aberrant reactivity to the danger cue. Consistent with this finding, PD patients relative to healthy individuals reported higher expectancies of dangerous outcomes in the presence of the safety cue, but equal danger expectancies during exposure to the danger cue. Such results link PD to impaired discrimination learning, reflecting elevated fear responding to learned safety cues.     

Worries about Pritchard’s safety

I take issue with two claims that Duncan Pritchard makes in his recent book, Epistemic Luck. The first concerns his safety-based response to the lottery problem; the second his account of the relationship between safety and intellectual virtue.     

影响直升机飞行员飞入IMC的心理因素——一项基于三十年间NTSB事故报告的研究

通过对美国30年间直升机事故的探索,我们发现与目视气象条件相比较,发生于仪表气象条件下的事故的危害性更大。而在119起与直升机飞行员飞入仪表气象条件有关的事故中,有90起（76%）是飞行员有意飞入的,有29起（24%）是飞行员无意飞入的。进一步的分析发现,动机是影响飞行员有意飞入的首要因素,情景评估是影响飞行员无意飞入的首要心理因素。最后基于相关研究,我们利用模型图比较分析了影响飞行员飞有意和无意入仪表气象条件的心理机制。     

Communicating safety with drivers via dynamic message signs

In recent years numerous transportation agencies have begun displaying creative safety messages like “get your head out of your apps” on dynamic message signs (DMS). DMS have been used traditionally to provide real-time information about travel times, weather conditions, construction, and incidents. Applying emotional and consequential concepts from protection motivation theory, which has a track record of leading to behavioral changes from public awareness campaigns, this study evaluates how the use of safety messages on DMS impacts driver perceptions. We find that emotions, but not consequences, impact self-reported driving behavior. Further, while drivers reported negative emotions would change their driving habits, positive messages were recalled far more often. Cell phone related messages were recalled most frequently despite being rarely displayed along roadways in Michigan where the study is conducted. Thus, the results support the use of positively themed messages with consequences that drivers perceive as realistic.     

Validating an older adult driving behaviour model with structural equation modelling and confirmatory factor analysis

The Multilevel Older Persons Transportation and Road Safety (MOTRS) model postulates a role for demographic, functional, and psychosocial factors in driving self-regulation. This study formally tested the constructs of the MOTRS model, and its ability to account for variation in older adult’s driving self-regulation. Four exogenous constructs dealing with sociodemographic and driving-related variables (driving space, dependency on other drivers, health, and driving performance) and three endogenous constructs of psychosocial appraisals (driving confidence, attitudes and beliefs towards driving) were used to predict driving self-regulation. A sample of 277 Australian drivers, aged 65 years or over, completed standardised questionnaires to assess these variables. Structural equation modelling was used to evaluate one of the model’s assumptions. Findings established that sociodemographic and driving-related factors influence older adults’ driving self-regulation by impacting psychosocial variables. A re-specified model accounted for 75% of the variance in self-reported driving self-regulation. When other variables were considered, attitude towards driving was the strongest single predictor of driving self-regulation. These findings provide an initial partial validation of the MOTRS model. The results indicate that psychosocial variables are important determinants of driving self-regulation by older adults. This model could guide future research into older adults’ driving self-regulation.     

The effects of safety knowledge and psychological factors on self-reported risky driving behaviors including group violations for e-bike riders in China

ObjectivesIt is unknown that how safety knowledge and psychological factors affect e-bike rider safety. Also, group violation behaviors, which are commonly observed in the field, have been rarely examined for e-bike riders in China. In this paper, the effects of safety knowledge and psychological factors on self-reported risky driving behaviors including group violations were examined.MethodsA questionnaire was developed to acquire information of e-bike riders in Guilin, Guangxi Province. Explanatory factor analysis was used to examine the reliability of the questionnaire and exclude redundant measurement items. Then, a Structure Equation Model was developed to examine the relationships among safety knowledge, safety attitude, risk perception and risky driving behaviors. After that, multiple regression models were fitted to examine the effect of safety knowledge on each type of risky driving behavior, as well as factors associated with group violations. At last, ANOVA tests were conducted to identify significant differences among e-bike rider groups in safety knowledge, safety attitude, and risk perception.ResultsSafety knowledge was found significantly associated with risky driving behaviors for e-bike riders in China, including aggressive driving, erroneous driving, and group violations. E-bike riders severely lack safety knowledge, especially that of traffic rules, including unmarried riders, under-educated riders, riders without driver’s license, younger riders, and riders with little riding experience. Group violations were largely found among e-bike riders, and to be associated with safety knowledge of traffic rules, risk-taking attitude, and riding experience of e-bike riders.ConclusionsThe findings could add some new safety implication and be beneficial for developing safety policies and interventions for e-bikes.     

胸腔闭式引流术后感染相关因素的探讨与对策

胸腔闭式引流术是一项有创性操作,多种因素可能会引起胸膜腔及肺内感染。为了预防及处理胸腔闭式引流术后的相关性感染,我们从临床角度讨论更换胸腔闭式引流瓶的间隔时间、胸腔闭式引流管口的消毒、胸腔引流液逆流的预防、胸腔引流管的更换以及由于留置胸腔闭式引流引起的肺内感染的处理等问题,为临床医护人员对该项操作提供参考和对策。     

An investigation of monitoring for sleep-related threat in primary insomnia

In Study 1, individuals with primary insomnia (n=32) and good sleepers (n=38), recruited from a university population, completed a semi-structured interview. The interview assessed monitoring for sleep-related threat, negative thoughts and safety behaviours, at night and during the day. Compared to good sleepers, individuals with insomnia reported more frequent monitoring at night and during the day, more negative thoughts associated with monitoring at night and during the day, and the use of more safety behaviours associated with monitoring at night. A path analysis showed that the total monitoring frequency was significantly positively related to the score for total negative thoughts, which in turn, was significantly positively related to the total number of safety behaviours used. Study 2 aimed to test the generalisability of these findings in a clinical sample of individuals with primary insomnia (n=23). The results indicated that the clinical sample also engaged in monitoring for sleep-related threat, experienced negative thoughts and used safety behaviours. Further, more severe insomnia was associated with more negative thoughts and the use of more safety behaviours associated with monitoring at night. Together, these results are consistent with the proposal that monitoring for sleep-related threat functions to maintain insomnia by triggering negative thoughts and the use of safety behaviours. Future research is required to verify the proposed causal status of monitoring, using prospective designs and experimental manipulations.     

Elusive narrators in literature and film

Subjunctivitis is the doctrine that what is distinctive about knowledge is essential modal in character, and thus is captured by certain subjunctive conditionals. One principal formulation of subjunctivism invokes a ``sensitivity condition' (Nozick, De Rose), the other invokes a ``safety condition' (Sosa). It is shown in detail how defects in the sensitivity condition generate unwanted results, and that the virtues of that condition are merely apparent. The safety condition is untenable also, because it is too easily satisfied. A powerful motivation for adopting subjunctivism would be that it provides a solution to the problem of misleading evidence, but in fact, it does not.     

Linking challenge and hindrance stress to safety performance: The moderating effect of core self-evaluation

The buffering effect of core self-evaluation (CSE) in stress research has received academic attention. However, most research in this area focused on its moderating effect on well-being. In the present study, we take a closer look at the moderating role of CSE in the relationship between challenge/hindrance stress and safety performance. Results indicated that challenge and hindrance stress were both negatively related to safety performance. More importantly, CSE acted as a buffer in the negative relationships between challenge stress and safety compliance and between hindrance stress and safety participation. Contrary to our prediction, the negative relationship between hindrance stress and safety participation was stronger for people higher on CSE. Based on our findings, we discuss the theoretical implications for personality and safety research.