From a fixation on sports to an exploration of mechanism: The past,present, and future of hot hand research

We review the literature on the hot hand fallacy by highlighting the positive and negative aspects of hot hand research over the past 20 years, and suggesting new avenues of research. Many researchers have focused on criticising Gilovich et al.'s claim that the hot hand fallacy exists in basketball and other sports, instead of exploring the general implications of the hot hand fallacy for human cognition and probabilistic reasoning. Noting that researchers have shown that people perceive hot streaks in a gambling domain in which systematic streaks cannot possibly exist, we suggest that researchers have paid too much attention to investigating the independence of outcomes in various sporting domains. Instead, we advocate a domain-general mechanistic approach to understanding the hot hand fallacy, and conclude by suggesting approaches that might refocus the literature on the important general implications of the hot hand fallacy for human probabilistic reasoning.     

Violence and the Sacred in the Fiction of Julia Kristeva

Abstract

This article examines the relatively neglected fiction of Julia Kristeva, especially her ‘gothic roman noir’ The Old Man and the Wolves, in relation to her theories of violence and abjection. It focuses on the various kinds of excitement and anxiety provoked by notions of border-crossing and metamorphosis in her fiction, and explores her critique of the banality of secular modernity and her nostalgic evocations of sacred space. I also discuss the paradox of her problematic use of detective fiction—a direct product of secular modernity—as a vehicle for this critique.     

The Speech and Vocalization Patterns of Boys with ADHD Compared with Boys with Dyslexia and Boys Without Learning Disabilities

The domain-specific hypothesis of L. Cosmides (1989) and L. Cosmides and J. Tooby (1989, 1992) positing that conditional logic has its origin in the evolution of social exchange and in the detection of potential cheaters was tested against a more domain-general hypothesis positing that adult reasoning is logical and that errors in conditional reasoning arise from misunderstandings, not from a lack of logicality. The results of 5 experiments with undergraduate students (n = 682 for Experiments 1-4; n = 188 for Experiment 5), which involved a series of selection tasks that yielded specific predictions about participant performance, were not consistent with the cheater detection hypothesis. Findings supported the misunderstandings hypothesis and imply that adults possess general-purpose logical competence versus domain-specific modules.     

Correction of a Technical Error in the Golf Swing: Error Amplification Versus Direct Instruction

Performance errors drive motor learning for many tasks. The authors' aim was to determine which of two strategies, method of amplification of error (MAE) or direct instruction (DI), would be more beneficial for error correction during a full golfing swing with a driver. Thirty-four golfers were randomly assigned to one of three training conditions (MAE, DI, and control). Participants were tested in a practice session in which each golfer performed 7 pretraining trials, 6 training-intervention trials, and 7 posttraining trials; and a retention test after 1 week. An optoeletronic motion capture system was used to measure the kinematic parameters of each golfer's performance. Results showed that MAE is an effective strategy for correcting the technical errors leading to a rapid improvement in performance. These findings could have practical implications for sport psychology and physical education because, while practice is obviously necessary for improving learning, the efficacy of the learning process is essential in enhancing learners' motivation and sport enjoyment.     

Child psychotherapy then and now

The following is the text of an introductory presentation given on the occasion of the 40th Birthday Conference of the Journal of Child Psychotherapy. It provides an historical overview of the Journal's development, and in particular compares and contrasts the first two issues of the Journal with the two most recent. The importance of research is emphasised.     

Some questions concerning states of fragmentation: unintegration,under-integration,disintegration, and the nature of early integrations

The paper attempts some clarifications and differentiations concerning (1) Bick's classic distinction between states of helpless unintegration and states of defensive disintegration; (2) the difference between a state and a phase, and Bick's apparent challenge to some aspects of object relations thinking. The paper then lists some types of early pre-depressive and pre-Oedipal integrations and integrators: these include, as well as various kinds of containment, the role of the interested, interesting, and occasionally reclaiming object.     

Uncovering and managing unconscious ways of ‘looking’: A case study of researching educational care

Abstract

In this paper the author argues for the importance of those working as counsellors with children and adolescents to have specialist training. She outlines the need for many more properly trained counsellors to be available to children, and emphasizes the need for them to have detailed knowledge of children's emotional development. The argument is throughout illustrated with clinical examples. She draws attention to the differences between working with children and adolescents as opposed to adults, with an exploration of the special skills that need to be developed if working with younger clients. Reference is made to the differences in the contract and the thinking about the family. She explores the importance of including in a specialist training infant observation and the consideration of group and institutional dynamics.     

Psychodynamic counselling in a university setting: A space for thinking together over emotional problems

Abstract

The authors describe their experience as psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapists at the Counselling Service for University Students of the Office for Student Affairs, Naples. In this service they have provided, for the last fourteen years, to any student who applies to it, up to four individual sessions, with the possibility of follow-up sessions, should the client ask for them after a few months. Both the procedure and the aims of the interventions are similar to those described by psychotherapists working at the Tavistock Clinic (Copley 1976; Salzberger-Wittenberg 1977) and the Brent Consultation Centre (Hurry 1986; Novick 1987) of London. The technique is an adjustment of the psychoanalytic one and the therapist undertakes a careful listening to the student's verbal and non-verbal communications. The main objective of the intervention is to enter into an alliance with the adult parts of the client in order to examine together his/her personal difficulties. A case report is presented, in order to exemplify both an emotional conflict which can interfere with academic success and the technique of the intervention.     

自然阅读与校对阅读的知觉广度研究

采用经典的移动窗口技术,以Eyelink2000型眼动仪为工具,探讨了自然阅读和校对阅读两种不同的任务对中文阅读知觉广度的影响,结果表明：（1）与校对阅读条件相比,自然阅读条件下的阅读速度更快、眼跳幅度更大。（2）自然阅读条件下被试的知觉广度为注视点右侧2-3个字;校对阅读条件下被试的知觉广度仅为注视点1个字的空间。结果说明,读者在校对阅读和自然阅读条件下采用了不同的阅读策略,阅读知觉广度的大小受任务要求的影响。