Emotion-Induced Retrograde Amnesia and Trait Anxiety.

Emotional arousal can both enhance and impair memory. Considering that both emotional memory and trait anxiety (TA) have been associated with adrenergic activity, the authors investigated whether there is an association between 2 opposite emotional memory biases and the TA. The authors used a procedure recently put forward by B. A. Strange, R. Hurlemann, and R. J. Dolan (2003) to elicit an emotion-induced retrograde amnesia (ERA) coupled to an emotional memory enhancement (EME). The authors contrasted the association between these emotional memory biases and the TA in several conditions involving different levels of encoding and types of recall. The results presented here indicated a significant interaction of the TA with EME and ERA and the dependency of these biases on the consciously controlled use of memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Signal Anxiety, Defense, and the Pleasure Principle.

Freud equivocated between 2 notions of defense: defense as directed against unpleasure and defense as the blocking of the energy or cathectic potential of the drive. This preserved the quantitative-energic-biological model of anxiety in defense in the 2nd theory of anxiety, rather than developing fully the experiential- qualitative-psychological model of anxiety introduced by the structural theory. The pleasure principle and not anxiety supplies the motive for defense. Signal anxiety, as the epitome of unpleasure, is the basic goal of defense and not the drives, ideas, other affects, or the superego. Defending against these is the means of accomplishing that goal. Signal anxiety is an ego function with appraisal, alarm, and defensive phases. There are metapsychological and technical implications of this approach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anxiety, Consciousness, and Self-Acceptance: Placing the Idea of Making the Unconscious Conscious in an Integrative Framework.

This article examines critically the role of insight and of making the unconscious conscious in the light of contemporary understandings in psychoanalysis, in the broader discipline of psychotherapy, and in research on cognition and consciousness. Developments that led to reconceptualizations based on appreciation of the crucial role of anxiety and defenses are reviewed. Consciousness is seen to be better viewed as a matter of degree of accessibility and articulation than as a sharp division between conscious and unconscious. The implications of these considerations for a broader, more comprehensive, and more integrative therapeutic approach are examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Test of the Tripartite Model of Depression and Anxiety in Older Adult Psychiatric Outpatients.

This study examined the tripartite model of depression and anxiety in 131 psychiatric outpatients, ages 55-87. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that a 3-factor model provided an adequate fit to the observed data, that the 3-factor model was empirically superior to 1- or 2-factor models, and that the 3-factor structure obtained in the current sample of older adult outpatients converged with that obtained on a separate, younger 'sample. Negative affect was significantly related to depression and anxiety symptoms and syndromes, and positive affect was more highly related to depression than anxiety symptoms and syndromes. Ways for taking into account possible age-associated differences in emotion in older adults and thus improving the conceptual model of anxiety and depression are briefly noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment State of Mind, Learning Dispositions, and Academic Performance During the College Transition.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation among attachment state of mind, students' learning dispositions, and academic performance during the college transition. Sixty-two students were involved in a short-term longitudinal study and were interviewed with the Adult Attachment Interview. Students' learning dispositions were assessed at the end of high school (Time 1) and halfway through their 1st semester in college (Time 2). Academic records were collected at Time 1 as well as at the end of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd college semesters. Autonomous students showed better learning dispositions throughout the transition and were less likely than dismissing and preoccupied students to experience a decrease in these dispositions between Time 1 and Time 2. In addition, dismissing students obtained the lowest average of grades in college, and this association was mediated by changes in quality of attention during the transition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Executive Function and Theory of Mind: Stability and Prediction From Ages 2 to 3.

Several studies have demonstrated a relation between executive functioning (EF) and theory of mind (ToM) in preschoolers, yet the developmental course of this relation remains unknown. Longitudinal stability and EF-ToM relations were examined in 81 children at 24 and 39 months. At Time 1, EF was unrelated to behavioral measures of ToM but was significantly related to parent report of children's internal-state language, independent of vocabulary size. At Time 2, behavioral batteries of EF and ToM were significantly related (r=.50, p     

Child Anxiety Treatment: Outcomes in Adolescence and Impact on Substance Use and Depression at 7.4-Year Follow-Up.

Research suggests that the sequelae of childhood anxiety disorders, if left untreated, can include chronic anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. The current study evaluated the maintenance of outcomes of children who received a 16-week cognitive-behavioral treatment for primary anxiety disorders (generalized, separation, and social anxiety disorders) an average of 7.4 years earlier. The 86 participants (ages 15 to 22 years; 91% of the original sample) and their parents completed diagnostic interviews and self- and parent-report measures. According to the diagnostic interviews, a meaningful percentage of participants maintained significant improvements in anxiety at long-term follow-up. With regard to sequelae, positive responders to anxiety treatment, as compared with less positive responders, had a reduced amount of substance use involvement and related problems at long-term follow-up. The findings are discussed with regard to child anxiety and some of its sequelae. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structure of Anxiety and Depression in Urban Youth: An Examination of the Tripartite Model.

In this study, the authors examined the validity of the tripartite model of anxiety and depression (L. A. Clark & D. Watson, 1991) in a community epidemiological sample of 467 urban African American youth. Participants completed the Baltimore How I Feel (N. S. Ialongo, S. G. Kellam, & J. Poduska, 1999), a measure of anxiety and depressive symptoms, in Grades 6 and 9. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a 3-factor model representing the tripartite model fit the data well and better than competing models. Longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis revealed configural invariance of the tripartite factor structure. However, a predicted divergence among dimensions over time was not evidenced. High correlations among the tripartite dimensions suggest that anxiety and mood symptoms may not differentiate in urban youth. Results are discussed in terms of the ethnicity and urban context of this community sample. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Slips of the tongue, sleights of the hand: Observations on psychotherapy in sign language.

Clinical material from psychoanalytic psychotherapy conducted with deaf individuals in sign language is used to explore psychoanalytic constructs such as slips of the tongue, conflict, affective experience, and the therapeutic function of empathy. The author proposes that communication in sign language, a multidimensional, visual-gestural language, may afford unique opportunities to see aspects of psychological functioning in process in a way not possible through spoken languages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Was Babbage's Analytical Engine Intended to Be a Mechanical Model of the Mind?

In the 1830s, Charles Babbage worked on a mechanical computer he dubbed the Analytical Engine. Although some people around Babbage described his invention as though it had authentic mental powers, Babbage refrained from making such claims. He does not, however, seem to have discouraged those he worked with from mooting the idea publicly. This article investigates whether (1) the Analytical Engine was the focus of a covert research program into the mechanism of mentality; (2) Babbage opposed the idea that the Analytical Engine had mental powers but allowed his colleagues to speculate as they saw fit; or (3) Babbage believed such claims to be fanciful, but cleverly used the publicity they engendered to draw public and political attention to his project. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structural Divisions of Personality and the Classification of Traits.

Structural models divide the personality system and its associated traits into distinct areas. Four structural models are examined in regard to how well they do this. Three of the models--the trilogy of mind, Freud's structural model, and the recently introduced systems set--divide personality and its traits on conceptual bases. The last model, the 5-factor model, divides personality on an empirical basis. Two demonstration studies showed that expert judges who used the trilogy of mind and the systems set could reliably classify traits according to each set's conceptual divisions. The systems set provided a more reliable, comprehensive organization of traits than the trilogy of mind and generated a division of traits that contrasted provocatively with the 5-factor division. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subjectivity, emotional resonance, and the sense of the real.

The assumption of being inextricably embedded in one's own subjective perspective, on the one hand, and yet of being able to attune affectively to the subjective emotional states of another, on the other hand, underscores central theoretical contradictions in the study of subjectivity and intersubjectivity. More closely examining the nature and experience of subjectivity, including the notion of human "sameness" and relatedness, provides one way to reconcile these theoretical and practical contradictions. It is concluded that one's embeddedness in one's subjectivity actually facilitates the reciprocal and mutual processes of emotional resonance and unconscious communication. In this light, the notion of the "sense of the real" is understood and elaborated in the context of an additional dimension of therapeutic action in psychoanalysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empirical Validation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale in Patients With Social Anxiety Disorder.

The Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE; M. R. Leary, 1983a) is often used to assess fear of negative evaluation, the core feature of social anxiety disorder. However, few studies have examined its psychometric properties in large samples of socially anxious patients. Although the BFNE yields a single total score, confirmatory factor analysis indicated a 2-factor solution to be more appropriate, with the 1st factor consisting of all straightforwardly worded items (BFNE-S) and the 2nd of all reverse-scored items (BFNE-R). Support was obtained for the convergent and discriminant validity of the BFNE and BFNE-S, but not the BFNE-R. These results suggest that standard scoring of the BFNE may not be optimal for patients with social anxiety disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fear, risk assessment, and playfulness in the juvenile rat.

The effects of predatory odors on play were assessed in juvenile rats. When rats were exposed directly to a collar previously worn by a cat, play was abolished and remained suppressed for up to 6 days. Providing rats with an opportunity to hide did not alter cat odor's ability to reduce their play. Rat play was also suppressed shortly after they were exposed to cat odor in their home cage, and a substantial amount of risk assessment behavior was present up to 24 hr later. Trimethylthiazoline, a component found in fox feces, only reduced play during exposure. These data suggest that predatory odor-induced reductions in play may provide a useful model for gaining insight into the consequences of fear and anxiety in young animals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inside the Mind Reader's Tool Kit: Projection and Stereotyping in Mental State Inference.

Mental state inferences--judgments about what others think, want, and feel--are central to social life. Models of "mind reading" have considered main effects, including social projection and stereotyping, but have not specified the conditions that govern when these tools will be used. This article develops such a model, claiming that when perceivers assume an initial general sense of similarity to a target, they engage in greater projection and less stereotyping. Three studies featuring manipulations of similarity support this claim. Moreover, reaction time results shed light on the mechanisms underlying these effects. The proposed model gives a new view of the mind reader's tool kit and, more generally, raises questions about moderators of stereotyping and projection in social judgment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapy processes and outcomes of psychological interventions for women diagnosed with gynecological cancers: A test of the generic process model of psychotherapy.

Objective: Little attention has been paid to the role of nonspecific therapy processes in the efficacy of psychological interventions for individuals diagnosed with cancer. The goal of the current study was to examine the three constructs from the generic model of psychotherapy (GMP): therapeutic alliance, therapeutic realizations, and therapeutic openness/involvement in the treatment outcome of women with gynecological cancers attending either a 7-session supportive counseling intervention or a coping and communication skills intervention. Method: Two hundred and three women completed measures of alliance, realizations, and openness after Intervention Sessions 2, 3, and 6, as well as measures of depressive symptoms after these sessions and 6 months after the pre-intervention assessment (posttreatment). Results: Consistent with the GMP, in early sessions, therapeutic bond predicted openness in terms of positive affect experienced during sessions, and both aspects of openness (positive and negative affect), in turn, predicted more therapeutic realizations. Therapeutic realizations predicted perceptions of greater session progress, and greater therapeutic bond predicted more therapeutic realizations. When early session GMP variables were used to predict later GMP processes and outcomes and posttreatment outcomes, early therapeutic bond predicted later session therapeutic realizations directly and indirectly via emotional arousal, emotional arousal predicted session progress, session progress predicted lower postsession depressive symptoms, and depressive symptoms as rated after Session 6 predicted depressive symptoms 3 months posttreatment. However, a number of additional associations among GMP processes were found. Conclusions: Our results suggest that therapy processes played a role in predicting both short- and long-term treatment outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual Differences in Working Memory Capacity and Dual-Process Theories of the Mind.

Dual-process theories of the mind are ubiquitous in psychology. A central principle of these theories is that behavior is determined by the interplay of automatic and controlled processing. In this article, the authors examine individual differences in the capacity to control attention as a major contributor to differences in working memory capacity (WMC). The authors discuss the enormous implications of this individual difference for a host of dual-process theories in social, personality, cognitive, and clinical psychology. In addition, the authors propose several new areas of investigation that derive directly from applying the concept of WMC to dual-process theories of the mind. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Avoiding Death or Engaging Life as Accounts of Meaning and Culture: Comment on Pyszczynski et al. (2004).

Terror management theory emphasizes that self-esteem consists of a sense of meaning and significance, which serves mainly to defend against death awareness. The current authors counter that people's search for meaning and significance cannot be wholly reduced to defensive processes because it also reflects intrinsic developmental processes. Sociometer theory similarly offers a mainly defensive account of self-esteem, and its exclusive focus on belongingness versus exclusion ill equips it to deal with the multiple needs underlying self-esteem. The current authors suggest that self-esteem resulting from defenses against anxiety (whether about death or exclusion) is akin to contingent self-esteem, whereas true self-esteem is based in ongoing satisfaction of needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)