Did I do it or did I only imagine doing it?

Conducted 5 experiments with 180 undergraduates to investigate the memory and decision process involved in distinguishing between memories of doing and imagining doing. Ss were presented with items (typically line drawings) and told to trace or imagine tracing the outline or simply look at them. Ss were then tested for their ability to recognize the item and to identify the activity performed on it. Selected findings indicate that, although the accuracy of activity identification varied, type of activity did not affect item recognition. Tracing and imagining were more confusable in memory than were tracing and looking. The pattern of item recognition and activity identification remained the same whether or not Ss expected to be tested for their memory of the activity performed. Memory for imagining was more susceptible to confusion or multiple interpretation than was memory for tracing or looking, suggesting that accuracy of image identifications is affected by the number and the nature of the alternative activities under consideration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Retraction cholesteatoma of the sinus tympani

Posteromedial retraction of the tympanic membrane, between the oval window superiorly and the round window niche inferiorly, results in the formation of an epithelium-lined pocket within the sinus tympanic recess. Failure to recognize posterior invagination of the tympanic membrane intraoperatively leads to inadvertent tearing of the tympanomeatal flap at the level of the annulus with epithelial seeding of the middle ear and probably cholesteatoma recurrence. This article focuses on the clinical manifestations and radiographic findings suggestive of sinus tympanic epithelial retraction of the pars tensa and provides direct correlation between human cross-sectional temporal bone anatomy and otomicroscopy. The surgical management of these challenging lesions includes initial endaural access, external meatal bone removal posteromedial to the tympanic annulus and anterior to the vertical portion of the facial nerve, and middle ear ventilation after marsupialization of the epithelial retraction. Although early tympanic membrane retraction can be treated with a ventilation tube, deep epithelial pockets may require additional surgical treatment. A method for the management of sinus tympanic cholesteatomas is demonstrated.     

“I believe it is wrong but I still do it”: A comparison of religious young men who do versus do not use pornography.

While researchers have found a negative association between religiosity and pornography use, little, if any, research has examined the specific aspects of religiosity that might be related to the use of pornography. Therefore, the purpose of this study of religious young men was to compare those who view pornography with those who do not on indices of (a) family relationships, (b) religiosity (i.e., beliefs, past/present personal religious practices, and past family religious practices), and (c) personal characteristics (identity development, depression, self-esteem, and drug use). Participants were 192 emerging-adult men ages 18–27 (M age = 21.00, SD = 3.00) attending a religious university in the Western United States. While they all believed pornography to be unacceptable, those who did not use pornography (compared to those who did) reported (a) higher levels of past and recent individual religious practices, (b) past family religious practices, (c) higher levels of self-worth and identity development regarding dating and family, and (d) lower levels of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How to do it: making audit work

The orthodontic Audit Working Party of the Faculty of Dental Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of England, in collaboration with the Centre for Medical Education, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee developed an audit project entitled 'Clinical Audit: Scenarios for Evaluation and Study'. The aim of the project was to contribute to the construction of clinical guidelines for orthodontists. This article, the first of a short series, describes the background to and general results of the study. Further articles will study individual aspects of the project.     

How do I diagnose and treat wound infection?

ACRP30--adipocyte complement-related protein of 30 kDa or AdipoQ--is an abundant serum protein, secreted exclusively from fat cells, which is implicated in energy homeostasis and obesity [1,2]. ACRP30 is a close homologue of the complement protein C1q, which is involved in the recognition of microbial surfaces [3-5] and antibody-antigen complexes [6,7] in the classical pathway of complement. We have determined the crystal structure of a homotrimeric fragment from ACRP30 at 2.1 A resolution. The structure reveals an unexpected homology to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family. Identical folding topologies, key residue conservations, and similarity of trimer interfaces and intron positions firmly establish an evolutionary link between the TNF and C1q families. We suggest that TNFs--which control many aspects of inflammation, adaptive immunity, apoptosis and energy homeostasis--arose by divergence from a primordial recognition molecule of the innate immune system. The evolutionary connection between C1q-like proteins and TNFs illuminates the shared functions of these two important groups of proteins.     

"I didn't do it:" Responsibility biases in open and closed groups.

Group members often take more responsibility for the group's outcomes than others give to them. Extending evidence that egocentrism can be muted when group members are individuated (the "unpacking effect"), the authors predicted that members of open groups would be less egocentric than members of closed groups. In open groups, the possibility of membership fluctuation reduces collectiveness, breaking the group into individuals, which in turn lessens egocentrism. The authors tested these predictions in a study of groups of students working on a task relevant to their academic success. Members claimed more personal responsibility when they worked in closed groups relative to open groups (egocentrism), and lack of cohesion mediated the open- versus closed-group link to responsibility allocations. Moreover, members of open groups did not take more responsibility after a success than a failure, whereas those in closed, successful groups claimed more credit than members of failure groups (self-serving bias). The discussion suggests that open groups, although often thought to create conflict as members compete, may contribute to a reduction in both egocentrism and self-serving responsibility allocations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How not to do research: or How I escaped alive from a social service agency.

Relates a personal experience of being in charge of a research project in a social service agency. Problems encountered included lack of office space and equipment, hiring of assistants, and conflicting views of project personnel. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The sick sinus syndrome. What causes it?

The basic disorder in sinoatrial disease is a functional and/or anatomical defect in the sinus node and the atrium respectively. The clinical feature includes palpitations, angina pectoris, heart failure, giddiness and systemic emboli. Associated diseases are coronary heart disease, hypertension, diphtheria, myocarditis or rheumatic fever. Diagnosis is primarily made by clinical symptoms and conventional or long term ECG-monitoring. However, impaired sinus node function including sinusbradycardia, sinus arrest, sinoatrial block and the bradycardia-tachycardia syndrome cannot easily be assessed, when rhythm disturbances are occurring intermittently, as the recording of electrical activity of sinus node pacemaker cells is not available in man. Therefore methods of provocative atrial stimulation (rapid atrial stimulation, premature atrial stimulation) have been developed for (indirect) estimation of sinus node recovery time and sinoatrial conduction time. Treatment depends on symptoms. In most cases implantation of an electric pacemaker is mandatory since drug treatment usually is unsatisfactory. The natural history of the sinoatrial disease is imperfectly known but probably covers 5--10 years.     

Reducing effort to protect perceived ability: "They'd do it but I wouldn't."

Researchers have proposed that when students expect a failure that will indicate their incompetence, they intentionally reduce effort so that failure can be attributed to low effort, rather than low ability. Impaired performance has been found when students anticipate feedback that would indicate incompetence, but there is not clear evidence that the impairment results from a calculated reduction in effort. It was hypothesized that this self-protective mechanism makes better sense to observers than to people in a position to use it. In three experiments, college students (Ns?=?123, 70, 60) were asked how they or a hypothetical student would behave in a situation where they anticipated demonstrating low ability. They rejected the notion that they might not work hard but expected others to reduce effort. Thus, if students reduce effort when their perceived ability is threatened, it may not reflect an intentional strategy designed to maintain perceived ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How do I judge my outcome when I do not know the outcome of others? The psychology of the fair process effect

On the basis of fairness heuristic theory, the authors provide an explanation of the frequently replicated fair process effect (the finding that perceived procedural fairness positively affects how people react to outcomes). The authors argue that, in many situations, people may find it difficult to assess whether their outcome is fair or unfair and satisfying or unsatisfying because they only have information about their own outcome and they do not know the outcomes of others and that, in these situations, people use the fairness of the procedure as a heuristic substitute to assess how to judge their outcome. The results of 2 experiments corroborate the authors' line of reasoning. Findings are discussed in terms of recent developments toward an integration of the procedural and distributive justice domains.     

Why do I like thee: Is it your performance or my orders?

Examined the extent to which employee evaluations are determined by the leader's influence tactics and the assessments of followers' motives rather than by their performance. 113 business majors were randomly assigned to act as authoritarian or democratic leaders of 5-person work groups that manufactured model airplanes. Measures of leader influence tactics, leader assessments of the extent to which followers were either internally or externally motivated to work effectively, and leader evaluations of followers were gathered at the end of the work session. The number of airplane models produced was used as the performance measure. It was found that (a) the democratic leaders perceived the followers as internally motivated to work effectively, (b) the leaders' perception of the followers as internally motivated was strongly related to favorable evaluations of the followers, and (c) the leaders' employee evaluations were not related to the followers' performance. Findings are discussed in terms of previous research that has linked the use of power to evaluations of followers. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computer-assisted instruction: What it can and cannot do.

Reviewed current research in computer-assisted instruction to determine which of the 7 paradigms were valid uses of the computer in the instructional process. The 7 modes were drill and practice, tutorial, dialogue, simulation and gaming, retrieval and reorganization of information, problem solving with computational and display tools, and artistic design and composition. Criterion statements are presented to judge the relative merits of each paradigm. Application of these criteria resulted in the tutorial mode, the simulation and gaming mode, the information retrieval and reorganization mode, and the problem solving mode being accepted as valid uses of the computer. Nonvalid uses were the drill and practice mode, the dialogue mode, and as an artist's aid. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Male menopause. How to define it, how to treat it

There has been a recent explosion of articles in the medical literature and newsbites on television and in the lay press regarding male menopause. Yet, many men are not familiar with the changes in sexuality that accompany aging. Primary care physicians therefore need to be well informed about the concept of male menopause and the dos, don'ts, and unknowns of treating it with testosterone.     

Respiratory kinesitherapy. For whom? Why do it?

Intussusception of the appendix vermiformis in adults is an uncommon event. The combination of a mucinous cystadenoma with an intussuscepted appendix is extremely rare. Clinical symptoms are nonspecific; in most cases the correct diagnosis is not made before surgical exploration. With the radiologic and endoscopic presentation of a polypoid lesion of the caecum, a neoplasm is often considered. Endoscopic appendectomy or disinvagination by enema have been described. Thus the definitive therapy is surgery and depends on the histological diagnosis.