Disrupted memory inhibition in dementia of Alzheimer’s type

Cognitive inhibition has been suggested to deteriorate in Alzheimer’s disease. While numerous studies with different experimental paradigms found evidence on impaired inhibition in attention and memory, evidence in favour of intact memory inhibition has been reported with regard to the phenomenon of retrieval-induced forgetting (Moulin et al., 2002). Here, we adapted the previously used paradigm in order to reduce the contribution of non-inhibitory processes and examined whether retrieval-induced forgetting could still be observed in a sample of participants with diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease. In contrast to the previous finding, we found that retrieval-induced forgetting only occurred in an age-matched control group. These results suggest that inhibitory deficits in Alzheimer’s disease also generalize to memory inhibition that resolves interference occurring during retrieval, whereas effects of retrieval-induced forgetting may still occur when non-inhibitory causes, such as, blocking by previously retrieved content, are not precluded.     

Towards a Relationally and Action‐orientated Social Psychology of Homelessness

Homelessness is a pressing social and health concern that literally embodies broader inequities in society. This article provides an introduction to research in social psychology on homelessness and an emerging research agenda that situates the contributions of social psychologists within the broader social science effort. Attention is given to the consequences of homelessness, definitional issues, the relevance of a turn to place and interpersonal and intergroup relationships, and the importance of an action‐orientated agenda for responding to the complexities of homelessness.     

Goal orientation of team leaders: Its effects on performance and group interaction in software development projects

Abstract

Goal orientation is an action style implying the development of long-range and precise goals, and persistent pursuit of these goals. Goal orientation is not only important for a person's own performance but also for the performance of others in a co-operative work setting. This applies particularly to team leaders, whose goal orientation was predicted to correlate with both team performance and quality of group interaction within the team. In a sample of 44 team leaders and 141 other team members of software development projects it was found that team leaders' goal orientation is related to the quality of the development process, the quality of the final product, and the interaction within the team. This is true both for team leaders' estimates of the dependent variables and for aggregated scores of the team members' estimates. Interaction effects between team members' and team leaders' goal orientation were also found.     

Self-bias modulates saccadic control

We present novel data on the role of attention in eliciting enhanced processing of stimuli associated with self. Participants were required to make pro- or anti-saccades according to whether learned shape–label pairings matched or mismatched. When stimuli matched participants were required to make an anti-saccade, and when the stimuli mismatched a pro-saccade was required. We found that anti-saccades were difficult to make to stimuli associated with self when compared to stimuli associated with a friend and a stranger. In contrast, anti-saccades to friend-stimuli were easier to make than anti-saccades to stranger-stimuli. In addition, a correct anti-saccade to a self-associated stimulus disrupted subsequent pro-saccade trials, relative to when the preceding anti-saccade was made to other stimuli. The data indicate that self-associated stimuli provide a strong cue for explicit shifts of attention to them, and that correct anti-saccades to such stimuli demand high levels of inhibition (which carries over to subsequent pro-saccade trials). The self exerts an automatic draw on attention.     

Teaching and Learning Guide for: Towards an Emplaced,Relationally‐Focused and Action‐Orientated Social Psychology of Homelessness

This guide accompanies the following article: Hodgetts, D., Stolte, O., and Groot, S. (2014 ), Towards a Relationally and Action‐orientated Social Psychology of Homelessness . Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8 : 156–164. doi: 10.1111/spc3.12096     

Migrants straddling the “here” and “there”: Explorations of habitus and hybrid identities among Sri Lankan migrants in New Zealand

Migrant settlement is of particular interest to the field of psychology due to a notable increase in the movement of people over the past few decades. This article explores the ways in which Sri Lankan migrants in New Zealand establish a sense of continuity between the host nation and country of origin. The theoretical framework for this research is informed by elements of ethnographic and indigenous research. We provide a rich understanding of migrant experiences that foregrounds the agency and resilience of migrants, and acknowledges the complexities of the notion of identity and migrant settlement. We explore complex, fluid, and hybrid cultural identities as experienced by Sri Lankan migrants and their negotiations of space and place, material practices, and objects of significance, such as an educational institution, antique dinnerware, and furniture with colonial origins. The present research thereby, argues for the need to acknowledge both the historical and current contexts that shape migrants' sense of habitus and cultural identities.     

Cortisol and behavioral reaction of low and high sensation seekers differ in responding to a sport-specific stressor

Background/objectives: Sensation seeking is closely related to practicing high-risk sports. This domain offers individuals an opportunity to achieve an increased level of arousal. Moreover, stress reactivity implies interindividual differences in the capacity to respond to a stressor. The purpose of this study was to examine whether high sensation seekers (HSS) compared to low sensation seekers (LSS) experience lower levels of stress on a physiological and psychological basis. Stress was induced in a sport-specific experimental paradigm with a climbing task through a jump into the rope.

Methods: Two extreme groups (n?=?28 male athletes) were examined in a mixed-factorial design (between: HSS vs. LSS; within: repeated measurements of several variables related to stress reactivity - cortisol, heart rate, anxiety).

Results: In response to the stressor HSS compared to LSS released a significantly lower amount of cortisol and needed less time for the climbing task. Heart rate and anxiety were not significant.

Conclusions: Individuals seem to react physiologically differently to a sport-specific stressor, depending on their level of sensation seeking. HSS seem to be less strained, and seem to perform better. These findings might be relevant not only for the evaluation of (sport-) psychological interventions but also for other contexts (e.g., special forces).     

The effect of spatial attention on invisible stimuli

The influence of selective attention on visual processing is widespread. Recent studies have demonstrated that spatial attention can affect processing of invisible stimuli. However, it has been suggested that this effect is limited to low-level features, such as line orientations. The present experiments investigated whether spatial attention can influence both low-level (contrast threshold) and high-level (gender discrimination) adaptation, using the same method of attentional modulation for both types of stimuli. We found that spatial attention was able to increase the amount of adaptation to low- as well as to high-level invisible stimuli. These results suggest that attention can influence perceptual processes independent of visual awareness.     

Über Sättigung gesehener Bewegungsrichtung

Ohne Zusammenfassung Mit 4 Textabbildungen. D. 30. Herrn Dr.Duncker und Herrn Dr.Wallach danke ich für die Stellung des Themas, ihnen und Herrn Dozent Dr.Metzger für viel Rat und Hilfe bei der Durchführung der Arbeit.