Confidence in protection: Comment on Goldberg et al. (1999).

S. Goldberg, J. E. Grusec, and J. M. Jenkins (see record 1999-15264-001) presented a provocative and compelling argument for a narrow definition of infant–mother attachment that is true to J. Bowlby's (1969) original theory. In particular, S. Goldberg et al. emphasized protection as the central feature of attachment and considered the importance of such a narrow definition for empirical precision in studies of the interactional antecedents of attachment. This comment considers a number of questions raised by S. Goldberg et al.'s article, including practical, theoretical, and developmental issues stemming from an attachment-as-protection perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in behavioral and hormonal response to social threat: Commentary on Taylor et al. (2000).

Taylor and colleagues proposed that women uniquely respond to stressors by tending to children and befriending other women rather than by fighting or fleeing (S. E. Taylor et al., 2000). In this article, the authors expand Taylor et al.'s evolutionary frame and incorporate several unique aspects of human social dynamics. First, humans are characterized by extensive paternal investment, and thus men's tending is predicted and observed in some stressful contexts. Second, the dynamics of women's befriending suggest an evolutionary elaboration of the mechanisms that support reciprocal altruism. Third, coalitional male-male competition indicates that men's befriending is a predicted component of their fight-or-flight response. Finally, men's tending should result in the evolution of female-female competition over this form of parental investment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dopamine, effort, and decision making: Theoretical comment on Bardgett et al. (2009).

Forebrain dopamine (DA) systems are thought to be a critical component of the brain circuitry regulating behavioral activation, work output during instrumental behavior, and effort-related decision making. Tasks that offer animals choices between alternatives that require different degrees of effort can be used to assess effort-related choice behavior. Rats treated with DA antagonists, or with accumbens DA depletions, tend to show reduced selection of instrumental behaviors with high response requirements, and instead they choose to engage in food-seeking behaviors that involve less effort. The accompanying article by Bardgett et al. (see record 2009-04037-002) describes a novel effort-discounting task that involves the modification of a previously developed T-maze choice procedure (Salamone et al., 1994). Each arm of the maze contained different magnitudes of food reinforcement, and in order to obtain the higher magnitude reward, the rats had to climb a barrier in that arm of the maze. With training, rats were able to climb successively higher barriers to obtain the larger amount of food, and the choice between the high barrier arm and the no-barrier arm with the smaller reward served as a template for assessing the effects of dopaminergic drugs. D1 and D2 family antagonists, as well as the DA releasing agent amphetamine, were able to produce a bidirectional modulation of choice behavior, while drugs that act on D3 receptors were ineffective. These studies illustrate features of the neurochemical regulation of effort-related decision making, and may have implications for the understanding of both natural and pathological features of motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Models of intelligence in late life: Comment on Hultsch et al. (1999).

The authors comment on D. F. Hultsch, C. Hertzog, B. J. Small, and R. A. Dixon's (1999) report of the latest results of the Victoria Longitudinal Study, which are presented as a test of the engagement hypothesis, and on their reanalysis of the data from the Veterans Study (Pushkar Gold et al., 1995), which proposes an alternative model of intellectual function. Differences between the methodologies, variables, and concepts of engaged lifestyle in the 2 studies lead to different tests of the engagement hypothesis and different conclusions. Failure to report specified paths and unjustified assumptions lessen the credibility of the Hultsch et al. model for the Veterans Study data. The authors conclude that their original model, which indicates a small but significant effect of engaged adult lifestyle on the maintenance of intellectual verbal abilities in later life, provides a better explanation of the Veterans Study data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The investigation of exposure and cognitive therapy: Comment on Tarrier et al. (1999).

This article outlines concerns relating to the N. Tarrier et al. (1999) investigation (see record 1999-00242-002) comparing imaginal exposure and cognitive therapy. Specifically, the authors offer N. Tarrier et al. the opportunity to operationally define and clarify the claim that more patients treated by imaginal exposure worsened during treatment. Equally, in light of N. Tarrier et al.'s low effect sizes in relation to past research the authors also highlight the need to utilize accountable treatment integrity checks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Possible confounds and their resolution in multivariate genetic analyses: Comment on Bussell et al. (1999).

Assumptions behind the twin, sibling, and stepsibling design used in the Nonshared Environment in Adolescent Development study are considered. The D. A. Bussell et al. (see record 1999-15302-007) analyses of behavior in relationships indicate effects of both genetic and common-environment factors. Possible real and artifactual sources of the common environment include assortative mating, sibling interaction, failure of the equal environments assumption, and contaminated measures. Another potential source, specific to this study, is the effect of an individual in the mutual ratings of relationship with sibling, which would lead to a larger common-environment effect across variables than within variables. This alternative model did not indicate that there was a mutual rating effect. Univariate analyses confirm that the common-environment effect is present for both sibling and parent–child relationships. Most other potential sources of common environment, such as sibling interaction, do not account for the data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Why aggregated learning follows the power law of practice when individual learning does not: Comment on Rickard (1997, 1999), Delaney et al. (1998), and Palmeri (1999).

The power law of practice is often considered a benchmark test for theories of cognitive skill acquisition. Recently, P. F. Delaney, L. M. Reder, J. J. Staszewski, and F. E. Ritter (1998), T. J. Palmeri (1999), and T. C. Rickard (1997, 1999) have challenged its validity by showing that empirical data can systematically deviate from power-function fits. The main purpose of the present article is to extend their explanations in two ways. First, the authors empirically show that abrupt changes in performance are not necessarily based on a shift from algorithm to memory-based processing, but rather and more generally, that they occur whenever a more efficient task strategy is generated. Second, the authors show mathematically and per simulation that power functions can perfectly fit aggregated learning curves even when all underlying individual curves are discontinuous. Therefore, the authors question conclusions drawn from fits to aggregated data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the problem of detecting effects of lifestyle on cognitive change in adulthood: Reply to Pushkar et al. (1999).

The authors respond to issues raised about data from the Victoria Longitudinal Study and further explain concerns regarding evidence for the engagement hypothesis. Discussion focuses on the use of social stratification variables such as occupational prestige and educational attainment as measures of an engaged lifestyle. It is argued that (a) tests of the hypothesis should focus on the relationship of behaviors and activities thought to be proximal beneficial influences on adult cognitive development; (b) persuasive evidence for engagement effects from existing data require demonstration of effects of intellectual activities that are statistically independent of associations of social status with intellectual and cognitive development; and (c) currently available longitudinal data do not provide definitive evidence regarding the benefits of an engaged lifestyle on cognitive change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trials and tribulations in the meta-analysis of treatment differences: Comment on Wampold et al. (1997).

A fair test of the Dodo bird conjecture that different psychotherapies are equally effective would entail separate comparisons of every pair of therapies. A meta-analysis of overall effect size for any particular set of such pairs is only relevant to the Dodo bird conjecture when the mean absolute value of differences is 0. The limitations of the underlying randomized clinical trials and the problem of uncontrolled causal variables make clinically useful treatment differences unlikely to be revealed by such heterogeneous meta-analyses. To enhance implications for practice, the authors recommend an intensified focus on patient–treatment interactions, cost-effectiveness variables, and separate meta-analyses for each pair of treatments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Searching for secure bases in attachment-focused group therapy: Reaction to Kilmann et al. (1999).

The appropriateness of P. R. Kilmann et al.'s (see record 1999-13879-006) treatment intervention is reviewed in light of attachment theory. As is widely known, J. Bowlby wrote extensively about childhood antecedents of later psychopathology. Not so widely known are Bowlby's insights regarding an attachment–theoretical understanding of therapy and therapeutic change. Bowlby's therapeutic perspective is described, beginning with the notion of the secure base and its special relevance for therapy, followed by a discussion of general and specific goals for successful therapy. Kilmann et al.'s treatment is then analyzed with respect to Bowlby's ideas, with suggestions for future research on attachment-focused intervention with individuals experiencing relationship difficulties. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Commentary: The h-index, graduate student applicants, and comparing rankings: A critique of Carleton et al. (2010).

The recent paper by Carleton et al. (2010) is applauded for drawing attention of the psychological community in Canada to the h-index as a measure of overall research activity based on refereed publication and citation rates, and the relatively new h-index metric as a combination of the two. However, given a goal of their paper is to provide information to graduate student applicants about the relative standing of departments, it is important to consider strengths and weaknesses of their methodology, and this paper provides a critique of some of these issues. Issues aside, however, further analysis of their data shows that their academic productivity rankings derived objectively from the Web of Knowledge are related to relevant aspects of the well-known McLean's rankings of Canadian universities. Why research activity metrics of psychology departments might be related to the overall reputation of a university is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

What is the outcome we seek?: A commentary on Keith et al. (2002).

The article by J. R. Keith et al. (2002) raises several issues that are frequently pertinent when neuropsychological tools are used as outcomes measures. These issues include whether the main interest is the mean change on a neuropsychological measure, the number of people who show a significant change on that measure, or both. Also at issue is whether the outcome of interest is either cognitive change or cognitive impairment. A corollary is determining when the failure to produce a practice effect is of clinical significance. Finally, it may be time to move beyond asking whether coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) influences neuropsychological outcome. Rather, the pertinent question may now be, under what conditions and for which people does CABG have the least neuropsychological impact? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Examining the beneficial components of groups: Commentary on Estabrooks and Carron (2000) and Terry et al. (2000).

This article discusses specific areas of cohesion research and expands the focus by examining other research on the beneficial components of therapeutic group processes. Exploring the P. C. Terry et al (see record 2000-12222-004) article and other outcome-based studies in the field provides direction for future research on group cohesion and other therapeutic factors. Similarly, the excellent piece of measurement development by P. A. Estabrooks and A. V. Carron (see record 2000-12222-003) generates discussion of issues in relation to other group measurement research. Cautions about producing research with limited generalizability are discussed in the context of unifying a broad spectrum of group investigations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fear, Conditioning, and Aging: Theoretical Comment on LaBar et al. (2004).

Age-related impairments in associative learning have been found in studies using classical conditioning of motor responses. However, it is as yet unclear whether conditioning of fear responses is similarly affected by aging. K. S. La Bar et al. (2004; see record 2004-19432-004) aimed to address this issue by studying age effects on fear conditioning applying a discrimination paradigm. Considering these results, this commentary discusses methodological issues in investigating fear conditioning as well as similarities and differences between associative learning of motor and autonomic responses with respect to neuronal substrates, susceptibility to aging, and the role of awareness of stimulus contingencies in mediating aging effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dopamine and reward: Comment on Hernandez et al. (2006).

Many lines of evidence suggest that the dopaminergic projection from the midbrain tegmentum to the forebrain must play a critical role in mediating the behavioral effects of natural and artificial rewards, with brain stimulation reward and addictive drugs included in the latter category. However, a closer look reveals many incongruities. The work of G. Hernandez et al. (2006; see record 2006-09890-013) resolves several puzzles. It implies that the dopaminergic projection does not carry the signal that encodes the magnitude of a brain stimulation reward. It suggests that the elevation in the tonic levels of dopamine consequent on brain stimulation reward modulates the registration of the magnitude of the reward. This reconciles the psychophysical evidence with the pharmacological, electrophysiological, and anatomical evidence. However, some serious puzzles do remain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Phonological, orthographic, and lexical codes: Comment on Carello et al. (1994).

In a series of experiments, N. Sebastián-Gallés (1991) showed lexical involvement in reading in Spanish (a language that has a shallow orthography). These results were assumed to be inconsistent with the model of prelexical phonology in reading. C. Carello et al (1994) disagree; they argue that the results of Sebastián-Gallés parallel previous data found in Serbo-Croatian (which also has shallow orthography). However, the results cannot be explained within the prelexical model, nor do the Sebastián-Gallés data parallel previous ones. Finally, some general problems with current models of prelexical reading are identified. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Amyloid, hyperactivity, and metabolism: Theoretical comment on Vloeberghs et al. (2008).

Recent data suggest that amyloid precursor protein transgenic mice consume excess calories relative to nontransgenic mice, yet they weigh less. Potential explanations include increased locomotor activity or increased basal metabolism. Mechanisms that might underlie the latter explanation include transmembrane pores produced by assemblies of Aβ modifying proton or ion gradients across membranes. Alzheimer's disease also results in weight loss. If amyloid were found to induce a hypermetabolic state, this would suggest an alternative mechanism for the pathology found in the disease and provide opportunities for therapeutic strategies not yet considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

More differences about gender differences in marriage: A reply to Beach, Davey, and Fincham (1999).

S. R. H. Beach, A. Davey, and F. D. Fincham (see record 1999-15264-018) suggest that my (L. A. Kurdek, 1998; see record 1998-11410-003) failure to replicate their finding that the prospective links between depressive symptoms and marital quality differ between husbands and wives was due, in part, to the selection of a time lag that was too long and a sample that was homogenous on risk factors. Accordingly, the author reexamined the prospective links between depressive symptoms and marital quality using only a 1-year time lag and an expanded sample (N?=?406) that included spouses in first marriages and remarriages with appreciable variability on depressive symptoms. There was still no evidence that husbands and wives differed in the pattern of these prospective links. The author also addresses concerns that the growth-curve analyses did not provide a good fit to the observed data, speculates about reasons for the differences in findings, and makes recommendations for future longitudinal work in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reclaiming the individual from Hofstede's ecological analysis--A 20-year odyssey: Comment on Oyserman et al. (2002).

D. Oyserman, H. M. Coon, and M. Kemmelmeier (2002) (see record 2002-00183-001) challenge the stereotype that European Americans are more individualistic and less collectivistic than persons from most other ethnic groups. The author contends that this stereotype took firm empirical root with G. Hofstede's (1980) monumental publication identifying the United States as the most individualistic of his then 40 nations. This empirical designation arose because of challengeable decisions Hofstede made about the analysis of his data and the labeling of his dimensions. The conflation of concepts under the rubric of cultural individualism plus psychologists' unwarranted psychologizing of the construct then combined with Hofstede's empirical location of America to set a 20-year agenda for data collection. Oyserman et al disentangle and organize this mass of studies, enabling the discipline of cross-cultural psychology to forge ahead in more productive directions, less reliant on previous assumptions and measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding anger: Comment on Deffenbacher, Oetting, et al. (1996), Deffenbacher, Lynch, et al. (1996), and Kopper and Epperson (1996).

The articles in the Special Section (J. L. Deffenbacher, E. R. Oetting, et al., 1996; J. L. Deffenbacher, R. S. Lynch, et al., 1996; B. A. Kopper & D. L. Epperson, 1996) further our empirical knowledge of different aspects of anger. This comment discusses each study's contributions and offers suggestions for future research. In particular, it is argued that we have neglected to address the sociocultural context of anger and therefore need to conduct cross-cultural analyses of anger. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)