Gender and coping: The dual-axis model of coping

Examined a dual-axis model of coping that included both action (active vs. passive) and social dimensions (prosocial vs. antisocial) of coping strategies among a combined sample of students and community residents. We developed an assessment device to represent the model and allow investigation. Mixed support for the model and instrument were noted. Women were more prosocial than men in their coping, but no less active. Men were more likely to use antisocial and aggressive, but less assertive coping strategies than women. More prosocial, action coping strategies were also more likely to be related to greater sense of mastery and more liberal gender-role orientation. Antisocial and passive strategies tended to be related to lower mastery and more traditional gender-role orientation. Active coping was related to lower emotional distress for men and women, but both prosocial and antisocial coping were related to greater emotional distress for men, suggesting that men may have a narrower band of beneficial coping strategies than do women. This research was made possible, in part, by a grant from the National Institute of Health (R01-HD24901-01) and by support of the Kent State Applied Psychology Center, which was established through the support of the Ohio Board of Regents.     

Domestic dogs’ (Canis familiaris) choices in reference to agreement among human informants on location of food

When interacting with others, informants may offer conflicting information or information of varying accuracy. Recent research suggests that young children do not trust all informants equally and are selective in both whom they solicit for information and whose claims they support. We explored whether domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) are similarly sensitive to agreement among informants. To this end, we utilized a common human gesture, pointing, to which recent research suggests dogs are sensitive. We conducted two experiments in which an experimenter secretly hid food in one of two clear containers while the dog was distracted. Next, a small group moved to indicate the food's location using stationary points positioned above the containers. In Experiment 1, two experimenters moved to stand behind the non-baited container, while a third experimenter moved to stand behind the baited container. Then, all directed one static point at the container in front of them. Experiment 2 exactly resembled Experiment 1 with the exception that the single experimenter standing behind the baited container directed two static points at the container (one with each hand). Dogs chose the container indicated by the majority in Experiment 1 significantly more often than chance, but chose the container indicated by the minority in Experiment 2 significantly more often than chance. This suggests that the number of points, not the number of people, more strongly influenced dogs' choices.     

Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and structural invariance with age of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)—French version

The parent and teacher forms of the French version of the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) were used to evaluate executive function in everyday life in a large sample of healthy children (N = 951) aged between 5 and 18.

Several psychometric methods were applied, with a view to providing clinicians with tools for score interpretation. The parent and teacher forms of the BRIEF were acceptably reliable. Demographic variables (such as age and gender) were found to influence the BRIEF scores. Confirmatory factor analysis was then used to test five competing models of the BRIEF's latent structure. Two of these models (a three-factor model and a two-factor model, both based on a nine-scale structure) had a good fit. However, structural invariance with age was only obtained with the two-factor model.

The French version of the BRIEF provides a useful measure of everyday executive function and can be recommended for use in clinical research and practice.     

How Antisocial and Prosocial Coping Influence the Support Process Among Men and Women in the U.S. Postal Service

The influence of antisocial and prosocial copingon the acquisition of social support and on subsequentpsychological distress among 67 male and 47 femalepostal employees was examined allowing genderdifferences in coping to be studied in a single worksetting. Seventy seven percent of the respondents wereEuropean American, 18% were African American, and theremaining 5% were of varying ethnicities including:Asian American and Latin American. Employingstructural equation modeling, women were found to useprosocial coping as a coping response significantly morethan men, and men were found to use antisocial coping as a coping response significantly more thanwomen. Prosocial strategies were related to increasedworkplace social support in both the short-term andlong-term. Antisocial coping strategies were related to less support from co-workers in theshort-term. Contrary to predictions, antisocial copingstrategies were not related to decreased support acrosstime. Finally, increased social support was related to less psychological distress within eachassessment period.     

Phonological similarity in free and serial recall: The effect of increasing retention intervals

The phonological similarity effect (or acoustic confusion effect) consists of poor serial recall performance for lists composed of similar‐sounding words compared to lists of dissimilar‐sounding items. Building on the work of Nairne and Kelley (1999), the extent to which this classical verbal short‐term memory effect changes over the course of a retention interval was investigated. The impact of the phonological similarity on memory performance over time was compared in three paradigms: order reconstruction, serial recall, and free recall. Participants were presented with two blocks of 15 lists composed of five monosyllabic words, one block containing phonologically similar words and the other phonologically distinct words. Recall occurred either after 2, 8, or 24 seconds retention interval filled with a digit shadowing task. Our results confirmed and extended those of Nairne and Kelley. In order reconstruction and serial recall tasks, a classical phonological similarity effect (i.e., decrement in performance with similar lists) was observed for the 2‐s retention interval. This effect disappeared after a brief period of digit shadowing (i.e., 8‐s delay) and a beneficial effect of similarity was observed for the 24‐s retention interval. In the free recall task, the phonological similarity produced better performance whatever the delay between presentation and recall. Those results are discussed in the light of Nairne's (1990a) feature model and confirm the role of item‐specific and inter‐item processes in order reconstruction, serial recall, and free recall. L'effet de similarité phonologique se manifeste par une performance de rappel plus faible lorsque les listes sont composées de mots dont la sonorité est proche que lorsque les mots sont de sonorité éloignée. Sur la base de la recherche de Nairne et Kelley (1999), nous nous sommes intéressés à la manière dont évolue cet effet classique de mémoire à court terme verbale dans le temps, C'est‐à‐dire à L'issue d'intervalles de rétention de durées variables. L'impact de la similarité phonologique sur la performance mnésique a été évaluée sur la base de trois paradigmes, la reconstruction de L'ordre, le rappel sériel et le rappel libre. Les participants ont été soumis à deux blocs de 15 listes comportant 5 mots monosyllabiques, un bloc comprenant des mots similaires phonologiquement et un bloc comprenant des mots dissimilaires phonologiquement. Le rappel est demandé après un intervalle de rétention d'une durée de 2, 8 ou 24 secondes durant lequel une tâche de shadowing de chiffres est proposée. Nos résultats confirment et étendent ceux obtenus par Nairne et Kelley. Pour les tâches de reconstruction de L'ordre et de rappel sériel, un effet de similarité phonologique classique (i.e., chute des performances pour les listes similaires) est observé avec un intervalle de rétention de 2 secondes. Cet effet disparaît après une courte période consacrée au shadowing de chiffres (i.e., 8 secondes) et un effet bénéfique de la similarité est observé pour un intervalle de rétention de 24 secondes. En rappel libre, la similarité phonologique provoque une amélioration des performances quel que soit le délai entre présentation et rappel. Ces résultats sont discutés à la lumière du modèle des traits de Nairne (1990a). Ils confirment le rôle des traitements spécifiques à L'item et des traitements inter‐items lors de tâches telles que la reconstruction de L'ordre, le rappel sériel et libre. El efecto de la similitud fonológica (o efecto de confusión acústica) se manifiesta en fallas en el recuerdo de series para las listas compuestas por palabras que tienen sonidos similares en comparación con aquéllas que poseen elementos distintos. Con base en el trabajo de Nairne en Kelley (1999), se investigó la medida en la que este efecto clásico de memoria reciente cambia a lo largo del curso de un intervalo de retención. El impacto de la similitud fonológica sobre el desempeño de la memoria a lo largo del tiempo se comparó en tres paradigmas, reconstrucción del orden, recuerdo de series y recuerdo libre. Se presentó a los participantes dos bloques de 15 listas compuestas por 5 palabras monosilábicas, un bloque contenía palabras fonológicamente similares y, el otro, palabras fonológicamente distintas. El recuerdo ocurrió después de un intervalo de retención de 2, 8 ó 24 segundos lleno de una tarea digital de sombreado. Los resultados confirmaron y extendieron los de Nairne en Kelley. En las tareas de reconstrucción del orden y en la recuerdo de series, se observó un efecto clásico de similitud fonológica para el intervalo de retención de 2 segundos (es decir, disminución de la ejecución con listas similares). Este efecto desapareció después de un breve periodo de sombreado digital (es decir, un retraso de 8 segundos) y se observó un efecto benéfico de similitud para el intervalo de retención de 24 segundos. En la tarea de recuerdo libre, la similitud fonológica produjo mejor ejecución independientemente del retraso entre la presentación y el recuerdo. Tales resultados se discuten a la luz del modelo de Nairne (1990a) y confirman el papel que desempeñan los procesos de reactivo específico e interreactivo en la reconstrucción del orden, y en el recuerdo de series y libre.     

Assessing the effectiveness of drawing an autobiographical memory as a mood induction procedure in children

The objective of our study was to examine the effectiveness of a new version of the autobiographical recall procedure (i.e., drawing a happy personal event) in eliciting a positive mood in 6-, 8-, and 10-year-old children and to compare the drawing condition to the more classical telling condition. The mood of children was assessed before and after induction using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) and across the two emotional dimensions of valence and arousal. The results showed that the drawing condition was as effective as the telling condition for inducing a positive mood. Furthermore, in the drawing condition, children reported feeling calmer than in the telling condition, suggesting that drawing was more likely to help children regulate their emotional state. The drawing procedure could be used in future research aiming to induce positive moods in school-aged children, to help further investigate the relationship between cognition and emotion.     

Response inhibition difficulties in preterm children aged 9–12 years: Relations with emotion and behavior

Previous studies with children have demonstrated inhibition difficulties associated with prematurity, but the question of potentially catching up with a delay in inhibition processes before adolescence still remains. Moreover, preterm adolescents are more at risk than their term-born peers for presenting behavioral problems such as emotional difficulties and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In addition to examining response inhibition, this study addressed, for the first time, the impact of an emotional context on response inhibition abilities and its relation to behavioral problems in late school-aged preterm children. Fifty-eight preterm children aged 9–12 years were compared with 61 controls on two versions of a stop-signal task, the Delay Frustration Task, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results showed general difficulties in inhibiting a response, rather than a specific impact of emotional context in preterm children. Compared with controls, these children exhibited more and longer button presses in a delay situation, as well as faster go reaction times associated with lower probability of inhibition in the stop-signal tasks. These difficulties reflected impulsivity and were associated with higher hyperactivity/inattention and conduct problems. Additionally, intrauterine growth restriction was found to be an additional perinatal risk factor for hyperactivity/inattention symptoms. These findings suggest that remaining inhibition difficulties in the preterm population at preadolescence could reveal increasing behavioral issues.     

The semantic‐similarity effect in children: Influence of long‐term knowledge on verbal short‐term memory

The present research was designed to highlight the relation between children's categorical knowledge and their verbal short‐term memory (STM) performance. To do this, we manipulated the categorical organization of the words composing lists to be memorized by 5‐ and 9‐year‐old children. Three types of word list were drawn up: semantically similar context‐dependent (CD) lists, semantically similar context‐independent (CI) lists, and semantically dissimilar lists. In line with the procedure used by Poirier and Saint‐Aubin (1995) , the dissimilar lists were produced using words from the semantically similar lists. Both 5‐ and 9‐year‐old children showed better recall for the semantically similar CD lists than they did for the unrelated lists. In the semantic similar CI condition, semantic similarity enhanced immediate serial recall only at age 9 but contributed to item information memory both at ages 5 and 9. These results, which indicate a semantic influence of long‐term memory (LTM) on serial recall from age 5, are discussed in the light of current models of STM. Moreover, we suggest that differences between results at 5 and 9 years are compatible with pluralist models of development.     

ATTACHMENT IN INFANTS WITH CLEFT LIP AND/OR PALATE: MARGINAL SECURITY AND ITS CHANGES OVER TIME

This study examines the attachment quality and how this changed over time among infants who had cleft lip and palate (CLP), by conducting a prospective longitudinal study addressing the effects of this type of perinatal event on the parent–infant relationship and the emotional development of the infants. At 12 months of age, the Strange Situation Paradigm (SSP; M. Ainsworth, M.C. Blehar, E. Waters, & T. Wall, 1978) was administered to a sample of 38 CLP infants (born between 2003 and 2010) and 17 healthy controls. At 4 years of age, the Attachment Story Completion Task (ASCT; I. Bretherton, D. Ridgeway, & J. Cassidy, 1990) was administered to 32 individuals from the CLP sample and 14 from the control group. As reported in the literature, CLP infants display secure attachment behaviors as frequently as do control infants (55%). However, a more detailed analysis of the attachment scales revealed that CLP infants show more avoidance and less proximity seeking. In addition, a closer examination of the subcategories of attachment styles revealed that most CLP infants (71%) displayed distal attachment strategies such as the B1/B2 or A1/A2 subcategories. At 4 years old, CLP infants clearly displayed more deactivation and less security than did the control sample. Moreover, when detailing the evolution of attachment individually, almost 60% of the CLP children showing distal strategies at 12 months became deactivated or disorganized when they reached 4 years. Indeed, subtle differences in attachment behaviors at 12 months old—which can be considered marginally secure at that age—may reveal attachment vulnerabilities, which seem to be more apparent over the course of development.     

Gestational age and gender influence on executive control and its related neural structures in preterm-born children at 6 years of age

Within preterm-born children, being born male and at a lower gestational age (GA) have both been associated with a heightened risk for developmental difficulties. However, in this population little is known about the combined effect and the influence of these risk factors on cortical structures and executive control. In the present study, 58 preterm-born children (GA ranging from 24.0 to 35.1 weeks) were administered the computerized Child Attention Network Task at 6 years of age. Brain magnetic resonance imaging was performed and analyzed using Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM) in all children. At a behavioral level, boys born <28 weeks of GA had significantly less executive control than preterm-born girls <28 weeks (p = .001) and preterm-born boys ≥28 (p = .003). The reduced executive control in preterm-born boys <28 weeks gestation was related to lower cortical densities in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The current study links the higher incidence of reduced executive control in preterm-born boys to a higher degree of prematurity (low GA) and identifies brain structural abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex related to these deficits. The implications of these results are discussed.