Developmentalism And The Child In Nineteenth-Century Science

In recent years, public science events have been designed as a means to foster a dialogue between science and the public and to contribute to ongoing policy processes. Regardless of their tangible outcome, such events rely on a certain framing, reconfigure scientific knowledge and conceptualise the public in specific ways. These constructs are exemplified by a science festival that was held in the train station hall in Zurich. Novel insights can be gained from a spatial, an object and an actor-related approach borrowed from the artistic context: the discussions about the White Cube can be adapted to contribute to the analysis of the science festival. When we look into the spatial situation created to foster exchange about scientific knowledge, we find how the exhibition display is taking care of minor details. While the organisers transformed the station hall into a laboratory, they created a kind of dialogic situation that filled an authority gap as it equally enabled exchange. The objects put in place in the exemplary case helped to design a customer–supplier relationship between the public and science. Under the umbrella of the science event, a range of diverse research endeavours was homogenised and unified. The audience, finally, was invited to familiarise itself with scientific knowledge. However, they were allocated a consumer role that obliged them to remain guests in the laboratory environment of the station hall. Thus, public science events may be successful in attracting large attendance and allowing more experiences with science, but while they create novel forms of familiarisation with science for visitors, they do not necessarily remedy public doubts about science and technology.     

Prospective risk factors for subsequent exposure to potentially traumatic events

Abstract

In a sample of 1528 college students, we examined (1) whether several risk factors prospectively predicted exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) over a 2-month period and (2) whether dependent events (i.e., those more likely to depend upon one's behavior or characteristics) and independent events were predicted by different risk factors. Logistic regression analyses indicated that overall subsequent PTE exposure was higher for women, those with more previous PTEs, and those who engaged in more binge drinking. Female gender and previous PTE exposure also predicted exposure to independent events. Subsequent dependent PTE exposure was predicted by more previous PTEs and binge drinking, and was somewhat higher in ethnic minority students. Implications for prevention efforts are discussed.     

Proximal Predictors of Depressive Symptomatology: Perceived Losses in Self-Worth and Interpersonal Domains and Introjective and Anaclitic Mood States

Although much research has demonstrated a relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms, relatively little research has examined the mechanisms that may mediate this relationship. The theories of Blatt (1974), Bowlby (1980), and Gilbert (1992) each propose proximal predictors of depression. In accordance with these theories, this study examined the relationships among perceived losses in self-worth and interpersonal relationships, anaclitic (dependent) and introjective (self-critical) mood states, and depressive symptoms following a significant negative life event. A sample of 172 undergraduate students completed measures of depressive symptoms and depressive vulnerability factors and retrospectively described the worst period of their lives. They also rated the extent to which the events surrounding this worst period affected their self-worth and their relationships with close others. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that the effect of a perceived loss of self-worth on depressive symptoms was fully mediated by both introjective and anaclitic mood states, whereas the effect of a perceived loss of interpersonal relationships on depressive symptoms was fully mediated by an anaclitic mood state. Additionally, perceived losses of self-worth showed a stronger effect on introjective mood in highly self-critical individuals. Findings highlight the importance of perceived losses in both self-worth and interpersonal domains in response to adverse life events and suggest pathways through which perceived losses may affect depressive symptoms.     

Clinicians' Perspectives on Negative Effects of Psychological Treatments

Negative effects of psychological treatments is a fairly unexplored area of clinical research. Previous investigations have indicated that a portion of all patients experience negative effects in terms of deterioration and various adverse events. Meanwhile, evidence suggests that many clinicians are untrained in identifying negative effects and unaware of the current research findings. The objective of the current study is thus to investigate clinicians' own perspectives and experiences of possible negative effects of psychological treatments. An invitation to participate in an anonymous online survey consisting of 14 open-ended questions was distributed via three mailing lists used by clinicians that primarily identify themselves as cognitive behavior therapists. The responses were analyzed using a qualitative method based on thematic analysis. In total, 74 participants completed the survey. A majority agreed that negative effects of psychological treatments exist and pose a problem, and many reported having experienced both deterioration and adverse events among patients in their own practice. The thematic analysis resulted in three core themes: characteristics of negative effects, causal factors, as well as methods and criteria for evaluating negative effects. The clinicians recognize that negative effects exist, but many are unaware of the current research findings and are unfamiliar with methods and criteria for identifying and preventing deterioration and adverse events. The results provide evidence for further dissemination of the present knowledge regarding negative effects, particularly during basic clinical training, as well as the need for raising awareness of the available methods for identifying and preventing negative effects.     

Homelessness Is Traumatic: Abuse,Victimization, and Trauma Histories of Homeless Men

Homelessness is traumatic, and trauma-informed care is an emerging best practice. Using structured interviews with day shelter clients (N = 152), this study examined trauma among homeless men. The PTSD Checklist (PCL–C) was used to assess for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants’ pattern of PCL–C responses suggested that 23% to 30% screened positive for PTSD. Those with positive PTSD screens had been homeless longer and were more likely to have met time criteria for chronic homelessness. They were significantly more likely to be veterans and to report violent attacks, abuse histories, and mental health problems. Importantly, only 69% of those with positive PTSD screens acknowledged current mental health problems. These individuals were much less likely to report mental health counseling in the prior year.     

Lexical access revisited: Evidence from picture-pseudoword interference

In the present picture–word interference experiments, auditory pseudoword distractors were constructed to be semantically, phonologically, or doubly (semantically and phonologically) similar to the target. The degree and the location of segmental overlap with the target and/or the semantic alternative were varied systematically. The results reveal that different degrees of overlap with the target and/or the semantic alternative induce a fine-grained pattern of interference effects in picture naming, while the location of overlap is less influential. Implications of the present findings for models of lexical retrieval are discussed.     

Age-related positivity effects and autobiographical memory detail: Evidence from a past/future source memory task

This study investigated whether the age-related positivity effect strengthens specific event details in autobiographical memory. Participants retrieved past events or imagined future events in response to neutral or emotional cue words. Older adults rated each kind of event more positively than younger adults, demonstrating an age-related positivity effect. We next administered a source memory test. Participants were given the same cue words and tried to retrieve the previously generated event and its source (past or future). Accuracy on this source test should depend on the recollection of specific details about the earlier generated events, providing a more objective measure of those details than subjective ratings. We found that source accuracy was greater for positive than negative future events in both age groups, suggesting that positive future events were more detailed. In contrast, valence did not affect source accuracy for past events in either age group, suggesting that positive and negative past events were equally detailed. Although ageing can bias people to focus on positive aspects of experience, this bias does not appear to strengthen the availability of details for positive relative to negative past events.     

Perceived emotional and life change impact of AIDS on homosexual men in two countries

Abstract

A comprehensive self-administered life event inventory examining both general life stress and stress from events specific to the homosexual and bisexual male population was developed in order to assess the impact of AIDS and HIV infection on homo- and bisexual men. Ranking of questions revealed that while general stressors affected homosexuals similarly to heterosexuals, there were critical stressors affecting homosexuals not measured by conventional inventories. Specifically, emotional distress from receiving an HIV antibody positive result was not significantly different to that caused by a diagnosis of AIDS or ARC, the diagnosis of AIDS in a lover or the death of a lover. A sharp discrepancy in emotional distress between current safer sex behaviour and current unsafe sexual behaviour was also found, and the implications for behavioural modification in this area noted. Those who were HIV antibody positive tended to evaluate the anticipated impact of further AIDS related diagnoses as having a greater emotional impact than those who had tested negative. There would appear to be a closer relationship between emotional distress and life change in homosexual men than in heterosexual samples. The relative emotional impacts and life change assessments of AIDS and HIV infection are discussed.