The effects of total sleep deprivation on semantic priming: Event-related potential evidence for automatic and controlled processing strategies

There is general consensus that performance on a number of cognitive tasks deteriorates following total sleep deprivation. At times, however, subjects manage to maintain performance. This may be because of an ability to switch cognitive strategies including the exertion of compensatory effort. The present study examines the effects of total sleep deprivation on a semantic word priming task. Word priming is unique because it can be carried out using different strategies involving either automatic, effortless or controlled, effortful processing. Twelve subjects were presented with word pairs, a prime and a target, that were either highly semantically associated (cat…dog), weakly associated (cow…barn) or unassociated (apple…road). In order to increase the probability of the use of controlled processing following normal sleep, the subject’s task was to determine if the target word was semantically related to the prime. Furthermore, the time between the offset of the prime and the onset of the target was relatively long, permitting the use of an effortful, expectancy-predictive strategy. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 64 electrode sites. After normal sleep, RTs were faster and accuracy higher to highly associated targets; this performance advantage was also maintained following sleep deprivation. A large negative deflection, the N400, was larger to weakly associated and unassociated targets in both sleep-deprived and normal conditions. The overall N400 was however larger in the normal sleep condition. Moreover, a long-lasting negative slow wave developed between the offset of the prime and the onset of the target. These physiological measures are consistent with the use of an effortful, predictive strategy following normal sleep but an automatic, effortless strategy following total sleep deprivation. A picture priming task was also run. This task benefits less from the use of a predictive strategy. Accordingly, in this task, ERPs following the target did not differ as a function of the amount of sleep.     

Development and Open Trial of a Depression Preventive Intervention for Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at elevated risk for experiencing unipolar depressive symptoms and disorders. The current study describes the development of a behaviorally oriented depression preventive intervention tailored for adolescents with ADHD targeting variables empirically shown to mediate ADHD and depression (i.e., reward responsivity, emotion regulation, and family support). Eight adolescents with a history of ADHD and currently elevated depressive symptoms and their parents participated in an open trial of the Behaviorally Enhancing Adolescents’ Mood (BEAM) program. Adolescents and their parents reported high satisfaction with BEAM. Staff reported BEAM was easy to implement with high adherence. Following BEAM, there were significant reductions in parent-report of adolescents’ depressive symptoms and emotion regulation at posttreatment and the 6-week follow-up and adolescent-report of reward responsivity at posttreatment. Case vignettes are also provided to illustrate implementation of the BEAM program. In spite of the small sample, lack of a control group, and some discrepancies across informants, results overall support the feasibility and acceptability of the BEAM program, and suggest it has promise in reducing depressive symptoms in adolescents with ADHD.     

Yielding behavior and traffic conflicts at cyclist crossing facilities on channelized right-turn lanes

Channelized right-turn lanes (CRTLs) improve traffic flow efficiency, enabling right-turning drivers to bypass traffic lights at signalised intersections (for right-hand drive countries). Many CRTLs provide crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. Previous studies examining the safety performance of CRTLs indicate that they increase overall safety levels but hint that safety issues regarding vulnerable road users exist. This study investigated these issues through site-based observations of yielding behavior and evaluated the effect of the priority rule on cyclists’ safety in two CRTL designs. Four locations in Belgium were selected for video observations: two where the priority rule favoured cyclists and two where motorists had priority.With regard to yielding, four types of crossing behavior were identified and defined. Independent of the priority rule, cyclists crossed the conflict zone first in most interactions without taking the initiative to cross first. Underlying reasons for motorists willingly giving away their right-of-way could not be determined, but possible courtesy or fear of inflicting injuries at vulnerable road users might be at hand. A safety evaluation was performed using two traffic conflict indicators (TTC_min and the TA value). High correlations between the two indicators were found (r² > 0.83), but no conclusions about the safest priority rule for cyclists could be drawn. The results hinted, however, that locations with motorist priority and cyclists crossings from right to left (from the driver’s point of view) yields the highest proportion of safety critical events.     

The Psychology of Men's Health

Abstract

Although numerous measures of coping have been presented in the literature, many suffer from methodological flaws. This article argues that efforts to improve coping assessment should not be limited to enhancing psychometric quality, since methodological shortcomings reflect more basic underlying conceptual problems of the coping constud. TWO types of problems in coping assessment are discussed, based on a review of well-known coping measures. The first concerns conceptual issues, such as the process versus trait approach to cop ing and the lack of clear theoretical guidelines for systematic exploration of the appropriate measurement level and number of coping dimensions. He second concerns the issue of developing appropriate techniques to evaluate psychometric properties of proass measures of coping. Several recommendations for improving the quality of coping assessment are suggested.     

Psychometric Properties of the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System in The Netherlands

Abstract

The current study explored the psychometric properties of a parent-child interaction observation system, the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS) in the Netherlands. Participants included 31 Dutch mother-child dyads and 86?U.S. mother-child dyads for a community sample (2–7?years; 50% boys). Good one-week test-retest reliability was demonstrated among the Dutch sample. Similarities were found between Dutch and U.S. samples on most interaction codes, but mothers in the U.S. sample used more directive behaviors (e.g., commands) in some situations. Findings suggest that the DPICS is a reliable measure of mother-child interactions in the Dutch population. Cultural issues regarding the use of the DPICS are discussed.     

主动脉夹层患者手术前心理危机的危害及其干预对策

主动脉夹层患者手术前的心理危机对其治疗有极大的负影响。本文作者首先列举了主动脉夹层患者手术前心理危机的主要危害,并详细分析了其心理危机的产生原因,然后针对性地提出了该类患者手术前心理危机可能的干预对策,同时列举一些采取了这些心理干预取得显著疗效的医院,充分证明心理干预在该类患者治疗中的重要性,最后面对目前该类患者手术前...     

国际健康目标与卫生改革的新导向——重视预防保健的作用

由于认识到卫生系统的大部分资源主要花费在疾病的治疗上,这种资源配置不当不仅导致巨额医疗费用负担和低效率,并没有获得好的健康结果;因此,近年许多发达国家的健康目标与卫生改革出现了一个新的导向,日益重视预防保健的作用;并采取优先选择的方式,确保资源优先配置给对人群健康最需要、资源投入最具有成本效果的保健服务。这种改革已取得了一些成效。这一改革导向对我国正在进行的医药卫生体制改革的制度设计与政策开发提供了启示。     

System‐perpetuating asymmetries between explicit and implicit intergroup attitudes among indigenous and non‐indigenous Chileans

The present research demonstrates a dissociation between explicit and implicit intergroup evaluation in the reciprocal attitudes between indigenous (Mapuche) and non‐indigenous Chileans. In both social groups, the explicit measures of attitudes towards the respective in‐group and out‐group were compared with the Implicit Association Test scores. The results indicate that the members of the low‐status minority might explicitly express a moderate evaluative preference for their in‐group but might implicitly devalue it. Conversely, the members of the high‐status majority might implicitly devalue their out‐group but might explicitly express no bias. These results are theoretically framed in terms of system justification, conventional stereotypes and motivated correction processes.     

RIASEC interest and confidence cutoff scores: Implications for career counseling

One strategy commonly used to simplify the joint interpretation of interest and confidence inventories is the use of cutoff scores to classify individuals dichotomously as having high or low levels of confidence and interest, respectively. The present study examined the adequacy of cutoff scores currently recommended for the joint interpretation of the Strong Interest Inventory (SII: Donnay, Morris, Schaubhut, & Thompson, 2005) and the Skills Confidence Inventory (SCI: [Betz, Borgen et al., 1996] and [Betz et al., 2005]). Cutoff score criteria were evaluated based on a sample of college students and employed adults (n = 1000), and cross-validated with a second sample of college students (n = 1, 149) who completed an experimental measure of RIASEC interests and confidence. Results were interpreted in the context of social cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) by testing predictions regarding the relative frequency of individuals with either matched or mismatched levels of interest and confidence.     

Are problems prevalent and stable in non-clinical populations? Problems and test-retest stability of a patient-generated measure,PSYCHLOPS (Psychological Outcome Profiles), in a non-clinical student sample

In straightened times counselling must evidence the changes it promotes on reputable measures. Patient-generated measures complement nomothetic measures and may be nearer the ethos of counselling in eliciting individuals' problems. Scores from such measures from non-clinical samples are rarely reported, making their test-retest stability uncertain. We report the prevalence and stability of self-reported problems using PSYCHLOPS (Psychological Outcome Profiles) in a non-clinical student population. PSYCHLOPS is a four-item, self-administered, patient-generated instrument. PSYCHLOPS was completed twice, 7–10 days apart. A wide range of problems was reported and showed satisfactory test-retest stability: Pearson, 0.66; Spearman, 0.68; intra-class correlation coefficient, 0.70. This is reassuring as instability would undermine PSYCHLOPS as a sensitive change measure.