Constructing the past: An existential-phenomenological analysis

Beginning with a critical overview of more typical therapeutic assumptions regarding linear causality and the fixedness and constancy of the past, this paper argues from a perspective that emphasises 1) the distinction between the past per se and the remembered past; and 2) the fluidity of the remembered past. the author then presents an alternative argument, derived from existential-phenomenological analysis, that the principal function of the remembered past is to both reflect and validate the currently maintained and future-directed self-construct. Some initial implications for psychotherapy and counselling raised by this hypothesis are discussed both generally and via a brief case vignette.     

Catching With Both Hands: An Evaluation of Neural Cross-Talk and Coordinative Structure Models of Bimanual Coordination

Kelso, Southard, and Goodman (1979) and Marteniuk and MacKenzie (1980) have each proposed a different theoretical model for bimanual coordination. In the model of Kelso et al., a close temporal relationship between the hands in a bimanual task is predicted, even when each hand is required to move different distances. In Marteniuk and MacKenzie's model, separate motor commands are issued so that each limb will arrive simultaneously at the specified movement endpoint, leading to low temporal associations between limbs. In most previous work on bimanual coordination, manual aiming tasks with differing constraints have been used by subjects in individual studies. In this study, the usefulness of existing models for predicting performance in a real-world catching task in which the required movement pattern was constrained by ball flight characteristics was examined. Eleven university students caught tennis balls with both hands in the following 3 conditions: Condition 1. Ball projected to the right shoulder area (left hand moved a greater distance than the right); Condition 2. Ball projected to center of the chest area, (both hands moved same distance); and Condition 3. Ball projected to left shoulder area (right hand moved a greater distance). Kinematic data (time to peak velocity, movement initiation time) indicating significant cross-correlations between the left and right limbs in all 3 conditions concurred with the data of Kelso et al. (1979) on manual aiming. Timing appeared to be an essential variable coordinating bimanual interceptive actions. Although the limbs moved at different speeds when each was required to move different distances, times to peak velocity showed strong associations, suggesting the presence of a coordinative structure.     

Effects of Visual Information and Task Constraints on Intersegmental Coordination in Playground Swinging

The authors investigated how and to what extent visual information and associated task constraints are negotiated in the coordinative structure of playground swinging. Participants (N = 20) were invited to pump a swing from rest to a prescribed maximal amplitude under 4 conditions: normal vision, no vision, and 2 visual conditions involving explicit phasing constraints. In the latter conditions, participants were presented with a flow pattern consisting of a periodically expanding and contracting optical structure. They were instructed to phase the swing motion so that the forward turning point coincided with either the maximal size (enhanced optical flow) or the minimal size (reduced optical flow) of the presented flow pattern. Removal of visual information clearly influenced the swinging behavior, in that intersegmental coordination became more stereotyped, reflecting a general stiffening of the swinger. The conditions involving explicit phasing requirements also affected the coordination, but in an opposite way: The coordination became less stereotyped. The two phasing instructions had differential effects: The intersegmental coordination deviated more from normal swinging (i.e., without phasing constraints) when optical flow was enhanced than when it was reduced. Collectively, those findings show that visual information plays a formative role in the coordinative structure of swinging, in that variations of visual information and task constraints were accompanied by subtle yet noticeable changes in intersegmental coordination.     

Variation in Coordination of a Discrete Multiarticular Action as a Function of Skill Level

The authors investigated coordination modes that emerged as a function of the interaction between skill level and task constraints in a multiarticular kicking action. Five skilled, 5 intermediate, and 5 novice participants attempted to satisfy specific height and accuracy constraints in kicking a ball over a barrier. Skilled and intermediate groups demonstrated a functional coordination mode involving less joint involvement at the proximal joints and greater joint involvement at distal joints, mimicking a chip-like action in soccer. Conversely, the novice group tended to produce larger ranges of motion throughout the kicking limb in a driving-like kicking action. Key differences were also found for task outcome scores, joint angle-angle relations, and ball-trajectory plots between the skilled and intermediate groups and the novice group. Findings from this study demonstrated that joint involvement during this discrete multiarticular action is a function of skill level and task constraints rather than a consequence of a global freezing-freeing strategy suggested in some previous research. The authors also highlight the merit of using a model of the acquisition of coordination in examining how coordination modes for multiarticular actions differ as a function of skill.     

Perception—Action Coupling during Bimanual Coordination: The Role of Visual Perception in the Coalition of Constraints That Govern Bimanual Action

Constraints pertaining to interlimb coordination have been studied extensively in the past decades. In this debate, F. Mechsner (2004) has taken a provocative position by putting primary emphasis on perceptual principles that mediate coordinative stability. Whereas the present authors agree that the role of perceptual principles is of critical importance during coordination, they take issue with Mechsner's extreme position and with the evidence forwarded to support a purely perceptual-cognitive approach to bimanual coordination. More specifically, the authors emphasize that current knowledge about brain function argues against a dualism between perception and action, criticize the presented evidence that posture manipulations during coordination provide decisive evidence against motoric and muscular constraints, and report on potential pitfalls associated with the use of visual transformation procedures to support complex coordination patterns.     

Examining the Effects of Postural Constraints on Estimating Reach

The tendency to overestimate has consistently been reported in studies of reachability estimation. According to one of the more prominent explanations, the postural stability hypothesis, the perceived reaching limit depends on the individual's perceived postural constraints. To test that proposition, the authors compared estimates of reachability of 38 adults (a) in the seated posture (P1) and (b) in the more demanding posture of standing on one foot and leaning forward (P2). Although there was no difference between conditions for total error, results for the distribution and direction of error indicated that participants overestimated in the P1 condition and underestimated in the P2 condition. It therefore appears that perceived postural constraints could be a factor in judgments of reachability. When participants in the present study perceived greater postural demands, they may have elected to program a more conservative strategy that resulted in underestimation.     

Binary Choice Reaction Time as a Function of the Relationship between Durations and Forms of Responses

In a choice between responding with the left or right hand, some kinds of differences between the movements increase RT (Reaction Time) while others do not. Of the first kind are differences in form, while differences in the finger used are of the latter kind. In previous experiments differences in form were confounded with differences in duration. Since there is some indication that a difference in duration is sufficient to lengthen RT, both characteristics were varied separately. It turned out that a difference in form (duration being constant) has essentially the same effects as a difference in duration (form being constant): Mean RT is longer, variability of RT and MT (movement time) is larger, and frequency of choice errors is smaller than in choice between identical movements. These effects, which seem to be associated with choice between movements of different temporal patterns, are interpreted in terms of advance specification of movement parameters. Additional results on the relationship between response duration and RT suggest that RT does not depend on duration (or velocity) per se, but on how much the duration deviates from quickest performance.     

Heart failure patients’ desires for spiritual care,perceived constraints,and unmet spiritual needs: relations with well-being and health-related quality of life

Little information is available about HF patients’ desires regarding having their healthcare providers address their spiritual concerns, feeling constrained in doing so, and the extent to which their spiritual needs go unmet. Nearly half of our sample reported high levels of unmet spiritual needs and reported moderately strong desires to have their doctor or other healthcare professional attend to their spiritual needs, and moderately strong feelings of constraint in doing so. Spiritual constraint and unmet spiritual needs were associated with poorer spiritual, psychological and physical well-being, but these effects varied, depending on patients’ desire to discuss spiritual needs. These findings have important implications for clinical management of HF patients.     

违实语义的加工机制

违实句(counterfactuals)是传递与事实相反意义的语句,广泛存在于人们的日常生活中并被用以表达对已知事实的另外假设。研究发现,相对于事实语义,违实语义能够激活双重心理表征/空间(虚拟vs.现实),需消耗更多的认知加工资源。本文分别从句法结构和语境制约两个层面详细探讨了违实语义的加工机制。语境方面,双重语义表征构建与消解的时间进程受到语境相关性的制约,充足的语境信息可以消解事实表征的干扰。句法方面,汉语违实标记的缺失使得汉语母语者更加依赖语境与语用来表达、理解违实义,但尚不明确其在线加工机制与印欧语违实义加工有何异同。后续研究应扩大语言研究范围,关注违实语义加工的个体差异,进一步厘清双重语义表征构建与消解的时间进程及其对语篇加工的影响。     

心理治疗的会谈间体验对治疗效果的影响——来自追踪研究的证据

采用多层线性分析方法,在短程心理咨询的连续会谈中检验来访者的会谈间体验对咨询效果的影响。以36名个案、151次会谈为样本,结果发现,来访者的症状总体呈线性下降趋势;不同来访者症状变化的速率存在个体差异,会谈间体验的情绪因子能解释症状变化速率总变异的40.79%。结论：在短程心理咨询中,来访者想起咨询会谈或/和咨询师时的情绪体验能显著预测咨询效果。