Evaluación de patrones de aprendizaje como cambio

Resumen

Como resumen de este artículo queremos manifestar que no son frecuentes las publicaciones que pretenden una armonización entre conceptualizaciones-reconceptualizaciones de contenidos de cambio, diseños de recogida de datos y métodos de tratamiento de datos. Menos frecuentes todavía son las publicaciones orientadas a conectar tipos y clases de diseños de recogida de datos con instrumentos de medida, a causa del hecho histórico de que, mientras que los diseños de recogida de datos han sido dominio casi exclusivo de los experimentalistas, los psicómetras se han centrado en los instrumentos de medida.

También queremos manifestar que el fin de este artículo es el de contribuir a esta armonización desde el contexto del método científico como marco de referencia de los distintos componentes que entran en juego.     

Los efectos placebo en la psicología experimental y clínica

RESUMEN

Este trabajo comienza planteando que el término “placebo” se ha convertido en un cajón de sastre en el que los autores engloban diferentes, y a menudo opuestas y dispares, concepciones. Después de destacar la atención creciente a los efectos placebo en la psicología actual y la tendencia a la convergencia entre distintos enfoques en psicoterapia, la autora aborda las divergencias y dificultades para definir placebo aludiendo a concepciones de diferentes autores y centrándose en el planteamiento de Grünbaum (1985). Avia coincide con Brody (1985) en que el problema de nuestro desconocimiento sobre qué sea placebo afecta, recíprocamente, a nuestra falta de conocimiento sobre lo que debe considerarse terapia, ofreciendo algunas reflexiones en torno a posibles explicaciones de este fenómeno y destacando la débil frontera que separa éstas de las explicaciones sobre ciertas variables cognitivas. La autora concluye la presentación de este dossier afirmando que será a partir de la elaboración teórica y el trabajo de investigación como podremos profundizar en el conocimiento del fenómeno placebo.     

Role of psychosocial risk factors in predicting maternal and paternal depressive symptomatology during pregnancy

The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of several psychosocial risk factors in predicting depressive symptomatology during pregnancy in mothers and fathers, respectively. A total of 146 primiparous mothers and 105 primiparous fathers reporting a psychosocial risk condition were recruited independently from maternity and child health services, during the second trimester of pregnancy. All parents were evaluated for depressive symptomatology, anxiety, and perceived social support. Two hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the role of psychosocial factors in predicting depressive symptomatology during pregnancy, in mothers and fathers. Marital dissatisfaction, personal history of depression, and personal trait anxiety were identified as significant predictors of depressive symptomatology during pregnancy, both in mothers and in fathers. Family history of substance abuse, conflictual relationship with the parents in the past year, and bereavement in the past year were identified as significant factors contributing to elevated depressive symptoms during pregnancy in mothers, but not fathers. In this study, several psychosocial risk factors were consistently related to an increase in maternal and paternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy; some of these factors seem to be specifically related to maternal depressive mood.     

The latency complex: the dead hand of anti‐development

It is common knowledge that the same phenomena can be viewed in a variety of ways. This paper considers the implications of a constellation observed in some adult patients who have increasingly reminded the author of some of the children of latency age with whom he has also worked. In the literature these patients may also have been thought about in terms of ‘defences of the self’ (Fordham), patients who are ‘difficult to reach’ (Joseph), ‘psychic retreats’ (Steiner), and those who make ‘attacks on linking’ (Bion). They may equally be considered in terms of schizoid, narcissistic or borderline personalities, or as showing features on the autistic spectrum, such as mindlessness and extreme obsessionality. Writers such as Helene Deutsch with her concept of an ‘as‐if personality’, Winnicott with his ‘false self’, and Rosenfeld, discussing the split‐off parts of the personality in narcissistic patients, have also offered much to think about in their consideration of some of these phenomena. This paper proposes yet another vertex – the author's own imaginative conjecture – that is by no means mutually exclusive of any of these others.     

Infant illness severity and family adjustment in the aftermath of NICU hospitalization

Up to 15% of parents have an infant who will spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). After discharge, parents may care for a medically fragile infant and worry about their development. The current study examined how infant illness severity is associated with family adjustment. Participants included parents with infants who had been discharged from the NICU 6 months to 3 years prior to study participation (N = 199). Via a Qualtrics online survey, parents reported their infants’ medical history, parenting stress, family burden, couple functioning, and access to resources. Multivariable regression analyses revealed that more severe infant medical issues during hospitalization (e.g., longer length of stay and more medical devices) were associated with greater family burden, but not stress or couple functioning. Infant health issues following hospitalization (i.e., medical diagnosis and more medical specialists) were associated with greater stress, poorer couple functioning, and greater family burden. Less time for parents was associated with increased stress and poorer couple functioning. Surprisingly, parents of infants who were rehospitalized reported less stress and better couple functioning, but greater family burden. Family-focused interventions that incorporate psychoeducation about provider−patient communication, partner support, and self-care may be effective to prevent negative psychosocial sequelae among families.     

Dreaming under fire: the psyche in times of continuous stress

Continuous stress and trauma are manifested in dreams, the study of which can expand our knowledge concerning unconscious reactions to trauma and efforts of coping with continuous traumatic situations. In our research we asked people living under continuous threat of rocket attacks to record their dreams and their associations to them during four consecutive weeks. We collected 609 dreams from 44 women and 18 men (age range 14-62). The dreams submitted were analysed according to the Jungian approach in the light of the information and associations presented by the subjects. Full dream series of dreamers from each group were analysed in an attempt to capture the depth-psychological experience of living and dreaming under fire. The most frequent themes found were: ‘concrete vs. symbolic', ‘togetherness', ‘active ego', ‘fear and anxiety', ‘shadow' and ‘personal issue'. The subjects were divided into three age groups. Differences between the occurrences of themes were examined. On the unconscious level our results showed that the adolescents group seemed to be the most vulnerable to the stress situation (preponderance of concrete dreams), the mature adults group was the least influenced by it (preponderance of symbolic dreams and of the ‘personal issue' theme) and the young adults group made the greatest psychological efforts for coping (preponderance of ‘active ego' theme). We noted few anima figures appearing in the men's dreams, while animus figures appeared in the women's dreams. In another study undertaken immediately after one of the recent wars in Gaza we collected dreams of Israelis living in the south of Israel who were under heavy daily rocket attacks, and dreams of Palestinians living in the West Bank. The most significant difference we found between the groups was a preponderance of symbolic dreams among the Palestinians, as opposed to a preponderance of concrete trauma dreams among the Israeli group living on the Gaza border. In both groups we found archetypal symbols of evil. In conclusion, dreams can help us detect emotional distress, even when subjects seem ‘ok'. Early detection and working with dreams can help prevent the severity of delayed PTSD.     

Entrevista con P. Mounoud

RESUMEN

El profesor Mounoud -uno de los investigadores más activos de la Sección de Psicología de la Universidad de Ginebra- comienza recordando el papel capital que jugaron sus años de trabajo con Piaget e Inhelder, además de explicar las fuentes de desacuerdo que en los años setenta le llevaron a “simbolizar” la disidencia teórica dentro de la escuela piagetiana. Intercalando diversas consideraciones en torno a la teoría de Piaget, la entrevista se centra en las investigaciones evolutivas de este autor neopiagetiano abordando cuestiones tales como la importancia del preformismo, la función del medio ambiente, su concepción de representación o la vinculación entre estructuras y contenidos. Mounoud explica también, entre otros, su concepto de desfase horizontal, la defensa del desarrollo cognitivo como construcción de representaciones o su idea de empobrecimiento de las capacidades del niño, finalizando con algunas alusiones acerca del futuro de la Psicología científica.     

La investigación en Psicología Diferencial cognoscitiva: Estrategias de Primera Generación

Resumen

En el presente artículo se tratan de enmarcar las tradiciones de investigación en psicología diferencial, a través de una clasificación de estrategias de investigación. Estas estrategias de investigación cubrirán el espectro empírico de la psicología diferencial cognoscitiva. Se analizan las que hemos dado en denominar Estrategias de Primera Generación: estrategias de correlatos, estrategias heurísticas (estrategia de simulación matemática), y estrategias de comparación de grupos. La característica más sobresaliente de estas estrategias de primera generación es que su rango de aplicadón está limitado a actividades cognoscitivas esperíficas. Este análisis de las estrategias de primera generación conecta con las guías teóricas expuestas por los autores en otro lugar.     

Los procesos de atribución causal

RESUMEN

El interés por los procesos de atribución, por las explicaciones -razones- que las personas dan para su conducta y la de los demás, es una de las características más sobresalientes de los modelos recientes en la Psicología Social. Heider, hace veinticinco años, ya se había fijado en la gran significación de los procesos de atribución causal en las relaciones interpersonales, pero hasta hace bastantes años después no se recogieron los frutos de aquel interés señalado por Heider. En este trabajo se realiza una revisión de diversos modelos de atribución y se señala, desde una posición crítica, algunas de sus inconsistencias.