Psychometric Properties and Clinical Cut-Off Scores of the Spanish Version of the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents

Psychotic (P) and Non-Psychotic (N-P) retardates were compared on 13 Rorschach “indicators” of psychosis using a matched pairs technique. Two of the 13 signs were found to significantly differentiate between groups with the P group demonstrating a lower F% and higher C' responding than the N-P group.     

Factores espacio-semánticos y tipicidad en conductas de clasificación e inclusión

Resumen

Este trabajo analiza la incidencia de los factores espacio-semánticos y de tipicidad en el comportamiento clasificatorio y en la relación inclusiva en niños de diferentes edades. En el experimento I, los resultados muestran, por una parte, que la mayoría de los niños, a partir de los. 6 años, tienden a construir colecciones, en vez de categorizar el material presentado mediante criterios taxonómicos, y, por otra, que el éxito infantil mejora notoriamente en las pruebas de inclusión en la condición de colección, siendo irrelevante el papel de la funcionalidad. Los resultados del experimento II confirman la relevancia de los factores espacio-semánticos, mientras que los efectos de la tipicidad se manifiestan con cierta claridad en las conductas de clasificación, pero no en las tareas de inclusión.     

Sensory substitution: an approach to the experimental study of perception / Sustitución sensorial: un abordaje para el estudio experimental de la percepción

Abstract

Sensory substitution refers to the phenomenon where object and environment information normally acquired through one sense can be obtained by another sense. For example, visual input being provided by hearing or touching. Sensory substitution devices are technological designs that transform the characteristics of one sensory modality into stimuli of another sensory modality. These devices were developed with two purposes: (1) to assist people with sensory disabilities in daily tasks; and (2) to study the involved mechanisms of brain plasticity. This article reviews studies in which sensory substitution phenomenon is employed as a methodological strategy to study visual perception. Furthermore, its use is discussed as an experimental platform to contrast new perceptual theories and underlying neurophysiological mechanisms that are currently under review.     

Argentines’ collective memories of the military Junta of 1976: differences and similarities across generations and ideology

Although memories about a nation's past usually are semantic in nature, a distinction needs to be made between lived and distant semantic collective memories. The former refers to memories of community-relevant events occurring during the lifetime of the rememberer, whereas the latter to memories of distant events. Does the content of lived and distant semantic collective memories differ? Employing both free and cued recall, we examined the memories of younger and older Argentines of the Military Junta of 1976. We also examined the effects of political ideology. Content analysis indicated that (1) lived semantic collective memories were more likely to contain personal recollections than distant semantic collective memories, even though those with distant semantic collective memories could have incorporated memories of the parent's personal experience in their recollections, (2) lived semantic collective memories contained more causal statements, and (3) those on the Right with distant semantic collective memories were more likely to claim that they “Don't know” or offer positive accounts of the Junta, suggesting a need to “defend” the reputation of those on the Right. The results are discussed in terms of the goals and plans different generations might have when recollecting their nation's past.     

Evidenzbasierte Psychotherapie der Depression

Depressive disorders are among the most frequent reasons for utilizing the health care system. Despite the availability of efficacious treatments and further advances throughout the last years, there is still a need for improving diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. A promising approach is the implementation of evidence- and consensus-based guidelines. The German “Nationale VersorgungsLeitlinie Unipolare Depression” are evidence- and consensus-based clinical practise guidelines for patients with unipolar depression. All relevant stakeholders have been involved in its development and have passed the final version at the end of 2009 to foster compliance throughout. The available evidence allows the derivation of differentiated treatment recommendations, also with regard to concomitant antidepressant medication or as alternative treatment options. In acute therapy watchful waiting over 14 days is recommended for mild depression and psychotherapy after persistence of symptoms. In cases of moderate depression, psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy are equally recommended, in cases of severe depression a combination of both is recommended.     

The Social Phobia Inventory: screening and cross-cultural validation in Spanish adolescents

Availability of brief, self-report measures to be used as screening instruments is crucial to detect correctly youth with social anxiety disorder and therefore, reach those otherwise under-detected and under-treated. A previous study revealed that the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) was potentially an appropriate measure for screening social anxiety among US adolescents. However, there is a lack of information concerning its properties as a screening test in other cultures and languages. This is the main objective of this study, although further validity of the scale is provided as well. The sample consisted of 192 adolescents (a sample composed of 114 subjects with a principal diagnosis of social anxiety disorder; and a group consisting of 78 subjects with no diagnosis of social phobia). Results suggest that the Social Phobia Inventory has demonstrated good psychometric properties and indeed may be used as a screening tool in Spanish-speaking adolescents.     

Internal structure and standardised scores of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking

The present work sets out to study the internal structure of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) and to establish standardised scores that will enable the test to be used in both a diagnostic and educational context. 649 students (319 girls and 330 boys), aged 5 to 12 years from various schools in Murcia and Alicante (SE Spain), took part in the study. The findings suggest that the psychometric characteristics of TTCT are satisfactory, and its internal structure can be attributed to three factors that are responsible for a high percentage of the variance (73.8%). The standardised score tables, which are provided for first time in this context, will be useful in the evaluation of creativity and the identification of students with high intellectual abilities.     

Dissecting the conditioned pecking response: an integrated system for the analysis of pecking response parameters.

The conventional pecking response key, although an excellent transducer of response rate, can provide minimal information on the topography, coordination, or localization of conditioned pecking. We describe the hardware and software components of a system that, in addition to recording response rates, permits simultaneous "on-line" monitoring of head acceleration, jaw movement, terminal peck location, and duration of pecking response. Head movements are monitored with a miniature accelerometer, jaw movements with a magnetosensitive transducer, and peck location with modified touch screen technology. Initial experiments with the system suggest that it will be useful in studies of response differentiation, acquisition and maintenance of complex discriminations, and interaction of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli in the control of pecking response probability and response topography.     

Conservaciones e invariantes cognitivos en el desarrollo. Aspectos psicológicos y epistemológicos

Resumen

Se analizan primeramente algunos invariantes cognitivos precoces en el desarrollo (la constancia visual del tamaño y la permanencia del objeto), para facilitar el estudio de las conservaciones en un marco conceptual y evolutivo apropiado. La dicotomía de tendencias existente entre los autores sobre esta noción de conservación se refleja igualmente en los invariantes cognitivos anteriores, debido principalmente a la presencia de determinados presupuestos epistemológicos. Concluye el trabajo defendiendo la tesis de que las discrepancias son, en principio, de carácter semántico, en el sentido de que los mismos invariantes recubrirían, según los autores, procesos cognitivos diferentes, implicando niveles distintos de procesamiento de información.     

Ambulante psychotherapeutische Versorgung depressiver Patienten

Background

The effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions in treating depressive disorders has been shown in manifold ways. However, information is missing from the point of view of psychotherapists concerning diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, their experienced difficulties and barriers, their self-assessment of their competence in the handling of depressive patients and the satisfaction with the cooperation in routine care.

Method

A cross-sectional survey of cognitive-behavioral (n=61) and psychodynamic psychotherapists (n=78) was carried out.

Results

The concordance of clinical diagnoses with diagnoses using the formal ICD-10 criteria was very low. Both groups feel themselves specifically responsible for early detection and differential diagnosis. They neither differ with regard to the frequency of cooperation contacts to other service providers nor with regard to their satisfaction with them or the experienced barriers in the care for depressed patients.

Conclusion

A good psychotherapeutic care exists with options for improvement concerning diagnostic procedures and a stronger connection network.