On the advantage of autobiographical memory pliability: implantation of positive self-defining memories reduces trait anxiety

This paper is devoted to the mechanism of the positive construction of autobiographical memory. Positive construction consists of the spontaneous transformation of memories in the direction of the subjective enhancement of self-competence in past activities to anticipate improvement over time. We speculated that trait anxiety may indicate a failure to exhibit this mechanism that results in a deficit of affirmative self-esteem. We hypothesised that the implantation of positive self-defining memories in anxiety-evoking domains would decrease trait anxiety. One hundred twenty adults recollected three negative self-defining memories. Then, half of the participants imagined episodes of desired behaviour that differed from the originally recollected ones either in discussion or in hypnosis. Thirty participants experienced a hypnotic state without any references to memories, and the rest formed the control group. Subjects from the “Memory Implantation in Hypnosis” group became unable to distinguish the originally reported memories from the imagined ones, exhibited decreased trait anxiety scores after a 4-month delay, and reported enhanced self-esteem. In contrast, the participants from the “Hypnosis with no reference to the past” group exhibited decreased scores at a short delay but later returned to their original scores. These findings highlight the power of cured episodic-like autobiographical memory for updating the self.     

Biases in attention and interpretation in adolescents with varying levels of anxiety and depression

ABSTRACT

This is the first study to investigate multiple cognitive biases in adolescence simultaneously, to examine whether anxiety and depression are associated with biases in attention and interpretation, and whether these biases are able to predict unique variance in self-reported levels of anxiety and depression. A total of 681 adolescents performed a Dot Probe Task (DPT), an Emotional Visual Search Task (EVST), and an Interpretation Recognition Task. Attention and interpretation biases were significantly correlated with anxiety. Mixed results were reported with regard to depression: evidence was found for an interpretation bias, and for an attention bias as measured with the EVST but not with the DPT. Furthermore, interpretation and attention biases predicted unique variance in anxiety and depression scores. These results indicate that attention and interpretation biases are unique processes in anxiety and depression. They also suggest that anxiety and depression are partly based on similar underlying cognitive mechanisms.     

Prospective Associations Between Sleep Disturbance and Repetitive Negative Thinking: The Mediating Roles of Focusing and Shifting Attentional Control

Although considerable evidence has linked sleep disturbance to symptoms of psychopathology, including repetitive negative thinking, few studies have examined how sleep disturbance may predict repetitive negative thinking over time. Further, no study to date has examined specific mechanisms that may account for this relationship. The present study sought to address these gaps in the literature by testing focusing and shifting attentional control as two potential mediators of the relationship between sleep disturbance and repetitive negative thinking over a 6-month period. A final sample of 445 unselected community participants completed measures of sleep disturbance and repetitive negative thinking at Time 1, measures of focusing and shifting attentional control 3 months later, and measures of repetitive negative thinking again 6 months later. Results revealed that focusing, but not shifting, attentional control mediated the relationship between sleep disturbance and repetitive negative thinking, specifically, worry, rumination, and obsessions. These findings provide preliminary evidence for focusing attentional control as a candidate mechanism that may explain the causal role of sleep disturbance in the development of repetitive negative thinking observed in various disorders.     

Vocational integrity

Luther's doctrine of vocation is about faithfully living the baptismal life. This article argues that for the Christian a theology of work—vocation—is not to be constricted to the spiritual sphere only. The Christian is called from the temporal sphere, but not out of it. As such, the Christian embraces the spiritual and temporal spheres in response to God's grace and for the good of the neighbor.     

The Relationship Between Attention,Interpretation, and Memory Bias During Facial Perception in Social Anxiety

Although cognitive theories suggest the interactive nature of information processing biases in contributing to social anxiety, most studies to date have investigated these biases in isolation. This study aimed at (a) testing the association between social anxiety and each of the threat-related cognitive biases: attention, interpretation, and memory bias; and (b) examining the relationship between these cognitive biases in facial perception. We recruited an unselected sample of 188 adult participants and measured their level of social anxiety and cognitive biases using faces displaying angry, disgusted, happy, and ambiguous versions of these expressions. All bias tasks were assessed with the same set of facial stimuli. Regression analyses showed that social anxiety symptoms significantly predicted attention avoidance and poorer sensitivity in recognizing threatening faces. Social anxiety was, however, unrelated to interpretation bias in our sample. Results of path analysis suggested that attention bias influenced memory bias indirectly through interpretation bias for angry but not disgusted faces. Our findings suggest that, regardless of social anxiety level, when individuals selectively oriented to faces displaying anger, the faces were interpreted to be more negative. This, in turn, predicted better memory for the angry faces. The results provided further empirical support for the combined cognitive bias hypothesis.     

学校归属感与青少年手机依赖的关系:学习焦虑的中介效应与同伴关系的调节效应

为探讨学校归属感对青少年手机依赖的影响及其作用机制,基于阶段环境匹配理论,本研究采用问卷法对山东省青岛市65所中学3355名高二年级学生进行调查。结果表明:(1)在控制了性别和上网时间后,学校归属感对青少年手机依赖具有显著的负向预测作用;(2)学习焦虑在学校归属感与青少年手机依赖之间起部分中介作用;(3)学校归属感对青少年手机依赖的直接作用、学习焦虑的中介作用均受到同伴关系的调节,且相对于同伴关系水平低的个体,学校归属感对手机依赖、学校归属感对学习焦虑以及学习焦虑对手机依赖的作用都在同伴关系水平高的个体中更强。本研究有利于揭示学校归属感是如何影响青少年手机依赖的,以及在何种条件下对青少年手机依赖的影响更强/更弱,对移动互联网时代预防青少年手机依赖有一定启示意义。     

大学生依恋焦虑与抑郁的关系:恋爱中关系攻击和关系质量的序列中介作用

浪漫关系中的关系攻击指通过操纵或损害关系以达到伤害浪漫关系伴侣的行为。本文以628名处于恋爱关系中的大学生为被试,探讨了依恋焦虑与抑郁之间的关系,并考察了恋爱中的关系攻击和恋爱关系质量在其中的序列中介作用。结果表明:(1)大学生依恋焦虑对抑郁有显著的正向预测作用;(2)关系攻击和关系质量在大学生依恋焦虑与抑郁之间分别发挥着单独中介作用;(3)关系攻击和关系质量在大学生依恋焦虑与抑郁之间发挥着序列中介作用。研究结果验证了依恋焦虑个体在关系中的“自我实现预言”模型,同时能够为大学生心理健康教育提供实践指导。