Are we there yet? Stasis and progress in forensic psychology.

Progress in forensic psychology has been rapid in some areas and nonexistent in others. By contrasting technological and conceptual scientific progress in three areas--the legal disposition of mentally ill offenders, risk appraisal, and theories of individual differences in antisocial behaviour--I attempt to identify some determinants of progress. Conceptual progress appears to depend even more heavily than technological progress on developments in the more advanced sciences, supporting the idea that consilience plays a vital heuristic role in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disability: how successful are we in determining disability?

In this report, we describe the cloning and characterization of Boo, a novel anti-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family. The expression of Boo was highly restricted to the ovary and epididymis implicating it in the control of ovarian atresia and sperm maturation. Boo contains the conserved BH1 and BH2 domains, but lacks the BH3 motif. Like Bcl-2, Boo possesses a hydrophobic C-terminus and localizes to intracellular membranes. Boo also has an N-terminal region with strong homology to the BH4 domain found to be important for the function of some anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 homologues. Chromosomal localization analysis assigned Boo to murine chromosome 9 at band d9. Boo inhibits apoptosis, homodimerizes or heterodimerizes with some death-promoting and -suppressing Bcl-2 family members. More importantly, Boo interacts with Apaf-1 and forms a multimeric protein complex with Apaf-1 and caspase-9. Bak and Bik, two pro-apoptotic homologues disrupt the association of Boo and Apaf-1. Furthermore, Boo binds to three distinct regions of Apaf-1. These results demonstrate the evolutionarily conserved nature of the mechanisms of apoptosis. Like Ced-9, the mammalian homologues Boo and Bcl-xL interact with the human counterpart of Ced-4, Apaf-1, and thereby regulate apoptosis.     

How are model protein structures distributed in sequence space?

The figure-to-structure maps for all uniquely folding sequences of short hydrophobic polar (HP) model proteins on a square lattice is analyzed to investigate aspects considered relevant to evolution. By ranking structures by their frequencies, few very frequent and many rare structures are found. The distribution can be empirically described by a generalized Zipf's law. All structures are relatively compact, yet the most compact ones are rare. Most sequences falling to the same structure belong to "neutral nets." These graphs in sequence space are connected by point mutations and centered around prototype sequences, which tolerate the largest number (up to 55%) of neutral mutations. Profiles have been derived from these homologous sequences. Frequent structures conserve hydrophobic cores only while rare ones are sensitive to surface mutations as well. Shape space covering, i.e., the ability to transform any structure into most others with few point mutations, is very unlikely. It is concluded that many characteristic features of the sequence-to-structure map of real proteins, such as the dominance of few folds, can be explained by the simple HP model. In analogy to protein families, nets are dense and well separated in sequence space. Potential implications in better understanding the evolution of proteins and applications to improving database searches are discussed.     

A sustainable future for humanity? How can psychology help?

The sustainability of human life on Earth in the future is in danger. Human actions are producing many harmful and possibly irreversible changes to the environmental conditions that support life on Earth. This article summarizes major threats to Earth's environment, including global warming, ozone layer destruction, exhaustion of fisheries and agricultural land, and widespread exposure to toxic chemicals. Unless they are overcome, these changes will make human life increasingly miserable and eventually may make Earth nearly uninhabitable for future generations. These threats are caused by patterns of human behavior, particularly overpopulation and overconsumption. Urgent changes to human lifestyles and cultural practices are required for the world to escape ecological disaster, and psychologists should lead the way in helping people adopt sustainable patterns of living. Specific steps toward that goal are proposed in this and the following four articles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Can after-the-fact designs test functional hypotheses, and are they needed in psychology?

While various methodological psychologists have traditionally claimed that ex-post facto or after-the-fact investigational designs cannot test functional hypotheses of "causal" type, it is maintained in the present paper that they can under certain circumstances. To the usual objection that the "treated" groups in after-the-fact studies have not been equated by randomization or matching to the "control" groups, it is argued that where suitable data are available, judicious matching can be done and conceivable regression effects avoided or discounted. While admittedly probable functional determinants ("causes") are preferably investigated by classical experimental designs, there are important fields, such as the study of the effects of physical disorders and investigations of the actual determinants in real-life situations, in which an appropriate series of after-the-fact analyses is essential for the testing of the alleged causal connections. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How pervasive are relative age effects in secondary school education?

Relative age effects (RAEs; R. H. Barnsley, A. H. Thompson, & P. E. Barnsley, 1985) convey school attainment (dis)advantages depending on whether one is relatively older or younger within annually age-grouped cohorts. In the present study, the authors examined the pervasiveness of RAEs by examining (a) attainment in 4 secondary school subjects, (b) attainment consistency across subjects, (c) pupils enrolled in gifted and talented programs, (d) pupils referred for learning support or identified as having special educational needs, and (e) whether RAEs were related to pupil attendance. For 2004–2005, attainment, program participation, and attendance data for 657 pupils (aged 11–14) at a secondary school in North England were analyzed. Relatively older pupils (i.e., September–November born) attained significantly higher in subjects (except for English), were more likely to attain consistently high scores across subject areas, and be enrolled in gifted and talented programs. In contrast, relatively younger pupils (i.e., January–August born) were overrepresented in learning support referrals and identified as having special educational needs, and were more likely to be among the lowest 20% of attainment and attendees, attending on average school 6 days less. RAEs are pervasive and systematic across the curriculum, implicating maturational and psychological mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bias in binge eating disorder: How representative are recruited clinic samples?

The aim of this study was to investigate sampling bias as it affects recruited clinic samples of binge eating disorder (BED). Demographic and clinical characteristics of a recruited clinic sample were compared with a community sample. The 2 groups met the same operational definition of BED and were assessed using the same primarily interview-based methods. Ethnicity, severity of binge eating, and social maladjustment were found to increase treatment seeking among participants with BED rather than levels of psychiatric distress or comorbidity. These findings suggest that previous studies using recruited clinic samples have not biased estimates of psychiatric comorbidity in BED. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent abstinence and condom use: are we sure we are really teaching what is safe?

Previous anatomical studies demonstrated vagal innervation to the ovary and distal colon and suggested the vagus nerve has uterine inputs. Recent behavioral and physiological evidence indicated that the vagus nerves conduct sensory information from the uterus to the brainstem. The present study was undertaken to identify vagal sensory connections to the uterus. Retrograde tracers, Fluorogold and pseudorabies virus were injected into the uterus and cervix. DiI, an anterograde tracer, was injected into the nodose ganglia. Neurectomies involving the pelvic, hypogastric, ovarian and abdominal vagus nerves were performed, and then uterine whole-mounts examined for sensory nerves containing calcitonin gene-related peptide. Nodose ganglia and caudal brainstem sections were examined for the presence of estrogen receptor-containing neurons in "vagal locales." Labeling of uterine-related neurons in the nodose ganglia (Fluorogold and pseudorabies virus) and in the brainstem nuclei (pseudorabies virus) was obtained. DiI-labeled nerve fibers occurred near uterine horn and uterine cervical blood vessels, in the myometrium, and in paracervical ganglia. Rats with vagal, pelvic, hypogastric and ovarian neurectomies exhibited a marked decrease in calcitonin gene-related peptide-immunoreactive nerves in the uterus relative to rats with pelvic, hypogastric, and ovarian neurectomies with intact vagus nerves. Neurons in the nodose ganglia and nucleus tractus solitarius were immunoreactive for estrogen receptors. These results demonstrated: (1) the vagus nerves serve as connections between the uterus and CNS, (2) the nodose ganglia contain uterine-related vagal afferent neuron cell bodies, and (3) neurons in vagal locales contain estrogen receptors.     

Rediscovering differential psychology?

Comments on the original article, "Many forms of culture," by A. B. Cohen (see record 2009-04471-003). Cohen offered an eye-opening review of how culture means much more than ethnicity within a nation or differences between nations. After developing a much-expanded definition of culture, he concluded, “I have lamented the fact that psychology has focused on some important cultural differences, but not others” (Cohen, 2009, p. 202), and he went on to explain how deeply this expanded definition can impact our psychological research. Without naming it, Cohen (2009) apparently rediscovered the now-forgotten concept of “differential psychology,” which actually surpasses his own expanded definition of culture. Anastasi (1937) defined differential psychology simply as “the scientific study of differences between groups” (p. 59). One look at her book’s table of contents shows that this definition goes far beyond race and ethnicity, to include all sorts of group differences based on gender, social class, education, religion, age, and family. These all qualify as cultural differences under Cohen’s (2009) expanded definition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How should we revise diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders in the DSM-V?

This article reviews literature on the validity and performance characteristics of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders (SUDs) and recommends changes in these criteria that should be considered for the next edition of the DSM (DSM-V). Substantial data indicate that DSM-IV substance abuse and substance dependence are not distinct categories and that SUD criteria are best modeled as reflecting a unidimensional continuum of substance-problem severity. The conceptually and empirically problematic substance abuse diagnosis should be abandoned in the DSM-V, with substance dependence defined by a single set of criteria. Data also indicate that various individual SUD criteria should be revised, dropped, or considered for inclusion in the DSM-V. The DSM-V should provide a framework that allows the integration of categorical and dimensional approaches to diagnosis. Important areas for further research are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How interchangeable are different estimators of effect size?

The computation of effect sizes is a key feature of meta-analysis. In treatment outcome meta-analyses, the standardized mean difference statistic on posttest scores (d) is usually the effect size statistic used. However, when primary studies do not report the statistics needed to compute d, many methods for estimating d from other data have been developed. Little is known about the accuracy of these estimates, yet meta-analysts frequently use them on the assumption that they are estimating the same population parameter as d. This study investigates that assumption empirically. On a sample of 140 psychosocial treatment or prevention studies from a variety of areas, the present study shows that these estimates yield results that are often not equivalent to d in either mean or variance. The frequent mixing of d and other estimates of d in past meta-analyses, therefore, may have led to biased effect size estimates and inaccurate significance tests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reinnervated lateral antebrachial cutaneous neurosome flaps in oral reconstruction: are we making sense?

Eight patients who underwent a partial glossectomy and associated floor of the mouth resection for squamous cell carcinoma were reconstructed with a sensate radial forearm flap in which the lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve was anastomosed to the (divided) lingual nerve. The patients were compared prospectively with matched controls who received noninnervated forearm flaps for the same defect. A "blinded" therapist performed detailed sensory testing at least 6 months following surgery. In all modalities examined, the sensate proved superior to the nonsensate flap and not statistically different from the opposite side of the tongue. Two-point discrimination and pressure sensitivity were much greater in the innervated forearm flaps than in the forearms from which they came. The results are discussed with reference to the density of sensory receptors, the degree of cortical representation, and the subcortical anatomy of the neurosensory tracts. It appears that the density of sensory receptors is not directly related to the sensory potential in a given tissue transfer and that this potential is more related to the cortical fidelity of the recipient nerve. A historical matched cohort of 10 patients receiving pectoralis flaps for similar defects also was examined. Although the follow-up was longer, reinnervation was of a very low order--even worse than with noninnervated forearm flaps. This work supports the concept that sensory reinnervation should be attempted whenever possible following ablative oral surgery. This would include suture or grafting of major sensory nerves as well as the reinnervation of flaps.     

Time to abandon small-sample cohort research in health psychology?

Comments on the original article, "Avoidant coping as a predictor of mortality in veterans with end-stage renal disease" by E. J. Wolf and D. L. Mori (see record 2009-06704-009), in which the authors report that among 61 patients with endstage renal disease (ESRD), avoidant coping more than doubled the odds of mortality in multivariable analysis. The authors concluded that evaluating coping style in patients with ESRD would be clinically useful and that interventions targeting avoidant coping should be investigated. In this commentary, the current authors note that Wolf and Mori’s (2009) finding was based on a sample where only 23 patients died over 9 years, and results were evaluated using a Cox regression model with six covariates, a ratio of only 3.8 outcome events per variable—well below recommended thresholds (e.g., Babyak, 2004; Peduzzi et al., 1995). Beyond this, the model did not assess key variables typically included in studies of ESRD outcomes (e.g., transplant status, cardiovascular problems). Wolf and Mori chose to focus on the relationship between avoidant coping and mortality. However, bivariable correlations and confidence intervals reported or generated from data in the article showed that the association between avoidant coping and mortality (r=.28, 95% CI [.03 to .50]) was not significantly stronger than two other correlations that were in the opposite direction of what would have been expected: hypertension with mortality (r=?.39, 95% CI [?.15 to ?.59]) and medication compliance with mortality (r=.16, 95% CI [?.10 to .40]). Oddities of this sort are often encountered in very small datasets and, as a result, stronger evidence must be accrued from larger, more robust samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Radiation therapy: are we getting value for money?

Intra-osseous ganglia are among the more frequent causes of cystic lesions of the carpus and may be responsible for diffuse pain, possibly be related to biological activity of the lesions, or when the ganglia opens into the adjacent joint. A CT-scan is useful to determine their exact location and the presence of a cortical defect. Although not this feature is completely established, they seem to arise de "novo" from the bone although their fluid content is reminiscent of those of soft-tissue ganglia. Surgical curettage with bone grafting is only indicated when pain persists despite a period of rest.     

What's social about social psychology? Where's the person in personality research?

Content analyses of research published in the 1982 volumes of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology indicate that social psychologists have largely failed to study subjects drawn from meaningfully defined social groups, to consider social structural variables, to study genuine social interaction, to observe social influences on psychological functioning, or to ask Ss about social issues. It is maintained that with few exceptions, personality researchers have failed to study groups other than college students, to use biographical materials or personal documents, to devise appropriate experimental treatments, to study persons over time, or even to retain the individual as a unit of analysis. Currently, the 2 fields of social and personality psychological research appear to be linked mainly by their deficiencies and appear to have little content worth sharing. Reexamination of each field's traditions and priorities is urgently needed. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How are depression and autobiographical memory retrieval related to culture?

This study investigated how culture influences the association between autobiographical memory retrieval and depression. Thirty clinically depressed patients and 30 controls, 15 each from Britain and Taiwan, completed the English and Chinese versions of the Autobiographical Memory Cueing Task (AMT). Overall, the depressed individuals from both cultural groups retrieved significantly fewer specific and more categoric autobiographical memories than their matched, nondepressed controls. Within the control groups, the British participants retrieved significantly more specific autobiographical memories and fewer categoric memories than their Taiwanese counterparts. These results suggest that difficulty in retrieving specific autobiographical memories typical of depression may be a cognitive bias that occurs across cultures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

How fast are feedforward postural adjustments of the abdominal muscles?

Abdominal muscles can be activated during rapid but complex motor responses known as feedforward postural adjustments. Exactly how the latency of feedforward adjustments compares with other responses of varying levels of voluntary input and motoneurone excitability remains unclear. Surface electrodes were placed bilaterally over abdominal muscles and over right anterior deltoid (AD) and orbicularis oculi (OO) muscles in eight healthy volunteers. Latencies were obtained during feedforward postural adjustment, acoustic startle reflex, and voluntary activation (respiratory and nonrespiratory) to soft and startling acoustic stimuli. Results showed voluntary activation was fastest for respiratory tasks during mid- or end-expiration. Voluntary activation was also faster when triggered by startling stimuli compared with soft stimuli. These responses were slower than feedforward postural adjustments in all subjects. Feedforward adjustments were slower than acoustic startle reflexes but were somewhat flexible as their amplitude depended on amplitude of AD activation and therefore matched parameters of the movement task. The latency for feedforward postural adjustments of abdominal muscles suggests organization at a low level of the nervous system with limited central processing to match postural responses to movement demands. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is clinical psychology a science?

"Science is a matter of degree of systematic logical organization of phenomena; clinical psychology is a science to a degree that will rise in proportion to such systematization," but its development depends upon creative thinking and a vital matrix of pervasive, sympathetic, and qualitative experiences. A "science of personal human behavior seems more feasible in the domain of deviant (neurotic, psychic) behavior than in mentally healthy behavior. One may predict and logically systematize compulsive (neurotic) behavior, whereas the mentally healthy man is more spontaneous, free, and creative in his personal behavior—hence, in detail, less predictable or logically organizable. A science of clinical psychology seems more realizable (as to detailed prediction) than a science of general healthy personalityp" (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Elementary psychology for eighth graders?

An elementary psychology course was offered at Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York in 1954. Teaching methods included lectures, discussions and oral reports. The major topics studied included heredity and environment, personality types, frustrations and how to deal with them, the psychology of advertising, extrasensory perception, telepathy, parent-child relations, boy-girl relations, and family problems and how to solve them. Community reactions are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)