Effects of positive mood on attention broadening for self-related information

Studies on cognitive effects of positive emotions have associated positive emotions to broadened attention. Given the widely investigated relationship between self-focused attention and mood, it is important to investigate the effect of positive mood on visuospatial attention for self-related information. We used a performance-based measure to assess fluctuations in attentional broadening from self-related contrasted to not-self-related information. In Experiment 1, we checked that the self-related versus not-self-related stimuli did not evoke differential attention effects in general. In Experiment 2, we manipulated mood and found that an increase in positive mood was associated with a relative broadening of attention for self-related information. These results suggest that the meaning of the target of attention provides an interesting dimension for further investigation into the relation between positive emotions and attentional broadening.     

Dimensionality of stress experiences: Factorial structure of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) in a population‐based Swedish sample

We investigated the factorial structure of the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ‐recent; Levenstein, Prantera, Varvo et al., 1993) in a large (N = 1516; 35–95 years) population‐based Swedish sample (Nilsson, Adolfsson, Bäckman et al., 2004; Nilsson, Bäckman, Erngrund et al., 1997). Exploratory principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted on a first, randomly drawn subsample (n = 506). Next, the model based on the PCA was tested in a second sample (n = 505). Finally, a third sample (n = 505) was used to cross‐validate the model. Five components were extracted in the PCA (eigenvalue > 1) and labeled “Demands,” “Worries/Tension,” “Lack of joy,” “Conflict,” and “Fatigue,” respectively. Twenty‐one out of the 30 original PSQ items were retained in a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model that included the five (first‐order) factors and, additionally, a general (second‐order) stress factor, not considered in prior models. The model showed reasonable goodness of fit [χ²(184) = 511.2, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.904; RMSEA = 0.059; and SRMR = 0.063]. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses supported the validity of the established model. The results are discussed in relation to prior investigations of the factorial structure of the PSQ.     

Book reviews

Results from past studies show that the central executive, as conceptualised in the working memory model of Baddeley and Hitch (), plays an important role in simple mental arithmetic. According to this model the central executive is viewed as a unitary system. Recent research, however, suggests that the “central executive” can be fractionated in more autonomous executive functions, such as inhibition, response selection, planning, and input monitoring. In four experiments we studied the role of two possible executive functions (input monitoring and response selection) in solving simple sums. Subjects solved one‐digit sums (e.g., 5 + 7) in a single‐task condition as well as in dual‐task conditions. The results show that secondary tasks, which require a choice, impair the calculation of simple sums. On the other hand, an increased degree of input monitoring in the secondary tasks does not seem to impair the calculation of the sums. These findings show that response selection is strongly involved in simple arithmetic and may be one of the core executive processes in mental arithmetic.     

Friend or foe? The role of latent inhibition in predator and non-predator labelling by coral reef fishes

In communities of high biodiversity, the ability to distinguish predators from non-predators is crucial for prey success. Learning often plays a vital role in the ability to distinguish species that are threatening from those that are not. Many prey animals learn to recognise predators based on a single conditioning event whereby they are exposed to the unknown predator at the same time as alarm cues released from injured conspecifics. The remarkable efficiency of such learning means that recognition mistakes may occur if prey inadvertently learn that a species is a predator when it is not. Latent inhibition is a means by which prey that are pre-exposed to an unknown species in the absence of negative reinforcement can learn that the unknown animal is likely not a threat. Learning through latent inhibition should be conservative because mistakenly identifying predators as non-predators can have fatal consequences. In this study, we demonstrated that a common coral reef fish, lemon damselfish, Pomacentrus moluccensis can learn to recognise a predator as non-threatening through latent inhibition. Furthermore, we showed that we could override the latent inhibition effect by conditioning the prey to recognise the predator numerous times. Our results highlight the ability of prey fish to continually update the information regarding the threat posed by other fishes in their vicinity.     

Did Franz Boas witness an act of cannibalism?

Franz Boas has been used as an authority for the existence of cannibalism among the Kwakiutl of British Columbia, as cited in Patterns of Culture. There is reason to think, however, that all his evidence is hearsay, and that he himself never witnessed an act of cannibalism. One indication is that he eliminated all references to such acts in his final overview, published posthumously as Kwakiutl Ethnology.     

The role of response selection and input monitoring in solving simple arithmetical products

Several studies have already shown that the central executive, as conceptualized in the working memory model of Baddeley and Hitch (1974), is important in simple mental arithmetic. Recently, attempts have been made to define more basic processes that underlie the "central executive." In this vein, monitoring, response selection, updating, mental shifting, and inhibition have been proposed as processes capturing executive control. Previous research has shown that secondary tasks that require a choice decision impair the calculation of simple sums, whereas input monitoring has not been found to be a sufficient condition to impair the calculation of sums (Deschuyteneer & Vandierendonck, 2005). In the present article, we report data on the role of input monitoring and response selection in solving simple arithmetical products. In four experiments, participants solved one-digit products (e.g., 5 x 7) in a single-task, as well as in a dual-task, condition. Just as for solving simple sums, the results show a strong involvement of response selection in the calculating of simple products, whereas input monitoring does not seem to impair the calculation of such products. These findings give additional evidence that response selection may be one of the processes needed for solving simple mental arithmetic problems.     

Understanding bilingual memory: models and data

Bilingual memory research in the past decade and, particularly, in the past five years, has developed a range of sophisticated experimental, neuropsychological and computational techniques that have allowed researchers to begin to answer some of the major long-standing questions of the field. We explore bilingual memory along the lines of the conceptual division of language knowledge and organization, on the one hand, and the mechanisms that operate on that knowledge and organization, on the other. Various interactive-activation and connectionist models of bilingual memory that attempt to incorporate both organizational and operational considerations will serve to bridge these two divisions. Much progress has been made in recent years in bilingual memory research, which also serves to illuminate general (language-independent) memory processes.     

Risk-induced neophobia: does sensory modality matter?

Recent studies have documented that exposure to high levels of background risk can induce neophobic predator avoidance in prey animals, whereby they respond to any novel cue with an anti-predator response. Such phenotypically plastic predator avoidance may allow prey to maximize anti-predator benefits in variable risk environments. It remains poorly understood whether risk assessment information from different sensory modalities can be integrated to induce generalized, cross-sensory system neophobic responses. Here, we directly test this hypothesis by exposing juvenile convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata) to high- versus low-risk environments using either conspecific alarm cue (chemosensory risk) or a model avian predator (visual/mechanical risk) and testing their response to a novel chemosensory cue (Experiment 1) or visual cue (Experiment 2). Our results suggest that regardless of the sensory modality used to increased perceived risk, cichlids pre-exposed to high-risk conditions exhibited increased predator avoidance in response to any novel visual or chemical cue. As expected, cichlids pre-exposed to low-risk conditions did not display any neophobic responses. Our results suggest that induced neophobia is not cue specific; rather, it may function as a generalized response to perceived predation risk.     

Multiple family therapy for anorexia nervosa: concepts, experiences and results

Multiple family therapy (MFT) is an increasingly popular treatment approach for adolescents suffering from anorexia nervosa and their families. This paper describes the ingredients and different phases of this treatment, and outlines its indications and contra‐indications. Relationship patterns in families containing anorectic teenagers are examined, with a special emphasis on identifying areas for change in family relationships. Results with regard to the overall acceptability of the approach are presented.