Cross-cultural differences in the perception of the emotional content of speech: A study of the development of sensitivity in Canadian and Mexican children.

Examined and compared the ability of Canadian and Mexican children to identify the emotional content of vocal expressions. Ss were 10 males from each country at each age 6-11 yrs. 10 male Canadian and 10 male Mexican undergraduates also served as Ss. Canadian and Mexican actresses, speaking any words they wished in their respective languages, simulated the emotions of happiness, sadness, love, and anger. After the initial recording, speech samples were arranged in random order and then rendered unintelligible by means of an electronic filtering device (which removed semantic content while leaving intact the tonal qualities of speech). When the filtered vocal expressions were played to Ss, a progressive increase with age in ability to identify correctly the emotions expressed was found. Further, the Mexican Ss overall were significantly more sensitive than the Canadian Ss. However, Ss from both countries judged the speech samples from Mexican actresses more accurately than those from Canadian actresses. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The complexities of complex span: Explaining individual differences in working memory in children and adults.

Two studies are presented that investigated the constraints underlying working memory performance in children and adults. In each case, independent measures of processing efficiency and storage capacity are assessed to determine their relative importance in predicting performance on complex span tasks, which measure working memory capacity. Results show that complex span performance was independently constrained by individual differences in dornain-general processing efficiency and domain-specific storage capacity. Residual variance, which may reflect the ability to coordinate storage and processing, also predicted academic achievement. These results challenge the view that complex span taps, a limited-capacity resource pool shared between processing and storage operations. Rather, they are consistent with a multiple-component model in which separate resource pools support the processing and storage functions of working memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age-related differences in the course of cognitive skill acquisition: The role of regional cortical shrinkage and cognitive resources.

This study examined the impact of age-related differences in regional cerebral volumes and cognitive resources on acquisition of a cognitive skill. Volumes of brain regions were measured on magnetic resonance images of healthy adults (aged 22-80). At the early stage of learning to solve the Tower of Hanoi puzzle, speed and efficiency were associated with age, prefrontal cortex volume, and working memory. A similar pattern of brain-behavior associations was observed with perseveration measured on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. None of the examined structural brain variables were important at the later stages of skill acquisition. When hypertensive participants were excluded, the effect of prefrontal shrinkage on executive aspects of performance was no longer significant, but the effect of working memory remained. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Appropriate use of antibiotics for URIs in children: Part II. Cough, pharyngitis and the common cold. The Pediatric URI Consensus Team

This article summarizes the principles of judicious antimicrobial therapy for three of the five conditions--cough, pharyngitis, the common cold--that account for most of the outpatient use of these drugs in the United States. The principles governing the other two conditions, otitis media and acute sinusitis, were presented in the previous issue. This article summarizes evidence against the use of antibiotic treatment for illness with cough or bronchitis in children, unless the cough is prolonged. Although empiric treatment may be started in patients with pharyngitis when streptococcal infection is suspected, the authors recommend withholding antibiotic treatment until antigen testing or culture is positive. There is never any indication for antibiotic treatment of the common cold; it is important to understand the natural history of colds, because symptoms such as mucopurulent rhinitis or cough, even when they persist for up to two weeks, do not necessarily indicate bacterial infection.     

The dissertation in professional psychology programs: I. A survey of clinical directors on requirements and practices.

Examined dissertation policies and practices in 40 Vail-model, clinical psychology programs. A survey of their training directors revealed that 90% of programs required a dissertation, but only 25% dictated that the dissertation be empirical. Traditional experimental and correlational designs accounted for 66% of completed dissertations, and 34% reflected less traditional methodologies. All but the dissertation (ABD) rates averaged 24% 2 yrs after students' expected graduation. Dissertation methodologies were unrelated to ABD rates. Results were discussed with regard to potential obstacles to dissertation research and the need for training programs to encourage appropriate and innovative methodologies to answer relevant questions in the field of clinical psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of patient attitude and staff indulgence on improvement in schizophrenics: A test of impression management theory.

Tested the theory that schizophrenic behavior reflects manipulative management of one's environment rather than a cognitive or emotional deficit, by comparing 40 male schizophrenics with positive and negative attitudes toward hospitalization on amount of change shown on 6 personality inventories and on length of hospitalization. Results contradict the theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical management of anxiety disorders in psychiatric settings: Psychology's impact on evidence-based treatment of children and adults.

The role of psychologists in psychiatric settings has evolved over the past century from primarily conducting psychological evaluations to being the vital and integral link (sometimes the only such link) to the delivery of scientifically sound assessment and treatment methods. Consequently, the role of the psychologist, with respect to the scientist-practitioner model, has expanded to include collaborator with, consultant to, and teacher of our colleagues in psychiatry. In the integrated areas of research and treatment of anxiety disorders, psychologists have been at the forefront of developing, evaluating, and disseminating empirically supported methods for the range of these conditions in children, adolescents, and adults. Issues common to psychologists practicing in psychiatric settings are discussed in this article, specifically with reference to the tasks and issues encountered by the anxiety specialist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of purpose of appraisal and individual differences in stereotypes of women on sex differences in performance ratings: A laboratory and field study.

We investigated the effects of purpose of appraisal and individual differences in stereotypes of women on the evaluations of male and female ratees in two studies. In Study 1, 52 female and 51 male undergraduate students with traditional or nontraditional stereotypes of women evaluated written vignettes of either male or female ratees. Raters were informed that their evaluations would be used for scale development (experimental purposes) or for merit pay and promotion decisions (administrative decisions). Analyses revealed that female ratees were evaluated less accurately by raters with traditional stereotypes of women than by raters with nontraditional stereotypes of women. Such differences occurred, however, only when appraisals were made for administrative decisions. In Study 2, 810 raters with traditional or nontraditional stereotypes of women evaluated the teaching effectiveness of eight male and six female professors. Analyses indicated that women were evaluated more favorably by raters with nontraditional stereotypes of women than by raters with traditional stereotypes of women. Implications of the findings for sex differences in appraisal, future research, and organizational effectiveness are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The development of competence in favorable and unfavorable environments: Lessons from research on successful children.

The development of competence holds great interest for parents and society alike. This article considers implications from research on competence and resilience in children and adolescents for policy and interventions designed to foster better outcomes among children at risk. Foundations of competence in early development are discussed, focusing on the role of attachment relationships and self-regulation. Results from studies of competence in the domains of peer relations, conduct, school, work, and activities are highlighted. Lessons are drawn from studies of naturally occurring resilience among children at risk because of disadvantage or trauma and also from efforts to deliberately alter the course of competence through early childhood education and preventive interventions. Converging evidence suggests that the same powerful adaptive systems protect development in both favorable and unfavorable environments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Socialization and development in a changing economy: The effects of paternal job and income loss on children.

Research on the impact of paternal job and income loss on the child is reviewed. Although some direct effects have been found, most effects are indirect and mediated through the changes that economic loss produces in the father's behavior and disposition. Fathers who respond to economic loss with increased irritability and pessimism are less nurturant and more punitive and arbitrary in their interactions with the child. These fathering behaviors increase the child's risk of socioemotional problems, deviant behavior, and reduced aspirations and expectations. The child also may model the somatic complaints of the father. The child's temperament, physical attractiveness, relationship with the mother, and degree of contact with the father are discussed as factors that condition the father's treatment of the child following economic loss. Economic hardship also may influence the child's development indirectly through the events that it potentiates (e.g., divorce) and discourages (e.g., marriage). High maternal support and experiences that encourage maturity and autonomy appear to be critical sources of psychological resilience in children who have experienced economic hardship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The verbal threat information pathway to fear in children: The longitudinal effects on fear cognitions and the immediate effects on avoidance behavior.

Verbal information has long been assumed to be an indirect pathway to fear. Children (aged 6-8 or 12-13 years) were exposed to threat, positive, or no information about 3 novel animals to see the long-term impact on their fear cognitions and the immediate impact on avoidance behavior. Their directly (self-report) and indirectly (implicit association task) measured attitudes toward the animals changed congruent with the information provided, and the changes persisted up to 6 months later. Verbal threat information also induced behavioral avoidance of the animal. Younger children formed stronger animal- threat and animal-safe associations because of threat and positive verbal information than older children, but there were negligible age effects on self-reported fear beliefs and avoidance behaviors. These results support theories of fear acquisition that suppose that verbal information affects components of the fear emotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cross-cultural differences in the refusal to accept a small gift: The differential influence of reciprocity norms on Asians and North Americans.

Asians are more likely than North Americans to refuse a small gift that is offered to them by a casual acquaintance. Five experiments confirmed this difference and explored the reasons for its occurrence. Asians, who are inclined to think of themselves in relation to others, are more likely than North Americans to invoke a reciprocity norm in exchanging gifts with casual acquaintances, and they refuse a gift in order to avoid the feeling of indebtedness they would experience if they cannot reciprocate. North Americans, however, who are inclined to think of themselves independently of others, are more likely to base their acceptance of the gift on its attractiveness without considering their obligation to reciprocate. These cultural differences are not evident when the gift is offered by a close friend with whom individuals have a communal relationship. Implications of our findings for miscommunication between members of different cultures are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

International surveillance of bloodstream infections due to Candida species: frequency of occurrence and antifungal susceptibilities of isolates collected in 1997 in the United States, Canada, and South America for the SENTRY Program. The SENTRY Participant Group

An international program of surveillance of bloodstream infections (BSIs) in the United States, Canada, and South America between January and December 1997 detected 306 episodes of candidemia in 34 medical centers (22 in the United States, 6 in Canada, and 6 in South America). Eighty percent of the BSIs were nosocomial and 50% occurred in patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit. Overall, 53.3% of the BSIs were due to Candida albicans, 15.7% were due to C. parapsilosis, 15.0% were due to C. glabrata, 7.8% were due to C. tropicalis, 2.0% were due to C. krusei, 0.7% were due to C. guilliermondii, and 5.8% were due to Candida spp. However, the distribution of species varied markedly by country. In the United States, 43.8% of BSIs were due to non-C. albicans species. C. glabrata was the most common non-C. albicans species in the United States. The proportion of non-C. albicans BSIs was slightly higher in Canada (47.5%), where C. parapsilosis, not C. glabrata, was the most common non-C. albicans species. C. albicans accounted for 40.5% of all BSIs in South America, followed by C. parapsilosis (38.1%) and C. tropicalis (11.9%). Only one BSI due to C. glabrata was observed in South American hospitals. Among the different species of Candida, resistance to fluconazole (MIC, > or = 64 microg/ml) and itraconazole (MIC, > or = 1.0 microg/ml) was observed with C. glabrata and C. krusei and was observed more rarely among other species. Isolates of C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, and C. guilliermondii were all highly susceptible to both fluconazole (99.4 to 100% susceptibility) and itraconazole (95.8 to 100% susceptibility). In contrast, 8.7% of C. glabrata isolates (MIC at which 90% of isolates are inhibited [MIC90], 32 microg/ml) and 100% of C. krusei isolates were resistant to fluconazole, and 36.9% of C. glabrata isolates (MIC90, 2.0 microg/ml) and 66.6% of C. krusei isolates were resistant to itraconazole. Within each species there were no geographic differences in susceptibility to fluconazole or itraconazole.     

Comments on the article by Prof. J. Dunovsky: The European Council and policy issues relating to children in the future and in the Czech Republic

The three methods of stored skin by vitrification and slow cooling and vitrification+slow cooling were studied in order to improve the viability of stored skin. The results showed that the viability (oxygen consumptions and succinate dehydrogenase) of skin cryopreserved by vitrification was superior than by slow cooling and vitrification+slow cooling. The viability of homograft stored by vitrification was 61% compared with that for other two groups of 51.7% and 49.2% (P < 0.05). So the skin stored by this vitrification may be suitable for clinical use.     

The efficacy of using music in children of divorce groups: Impact on anxiety, depression, and irrational beliefs about divorce.

This study examined the efficacy of a children of divorce group using music as an intervention in comparison to a more traditional psychoeducational children of divorce group. It was predicted that children of divorce groups that utilized music would have a significantly greater impact on the children's levels of anxiety, depression, and irrational beliefs about divorce after the group ended and at a 3-month follow-up assessment. Both interventions significantly decreased cognitive and social anxiety and all irrational beliefs about divorce, except hope of reunification. Depression did not decrease for all participants but when the relationship between depression and irrational beliefs was examined, irrational beliefs were found to be mediators of depression for children of divorce. These results suggest that current interventions for children of divorce do decrease anxiety and irrational beliefs in general, but specifically addressing irrational beliefs may also decrease depressive symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Properties of circulating IgA molecules in Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura nephritis with focus on neutrophil cytoplasmic antigen IgA binding (IgA-ANCA): new insight into a debated issue. Italian Group of Renal Immunopathology Collaborative Study on Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura in adults and in children

BACKGROUND: The presence and the pathogenetic role of circulating IgA reacting with neutrophil cytoplasmic antigens (IgA-ANCA) in patients with Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura (HSP) is still debated. This study was aimed to investigate some characteristics of serum IgA and macromolecular IgA in HSP patients, focusing on IgA-ANCA. METHODS: Eighty-seven HSP patients with biopsy proved renal involvement (51 adults and 36 children) enrolled in a multicentre study of the Italian Group of Immunopathology were investigated. RESULTS: Significantly high levels of IgA immune complexes were found in both adults (P < 0.05) and children (P < 0.01), while the binding of IgA to jacalin, was significantly low in children with HSP (P < 0.01) only. Two series of ELISA were done for IgA-ANCA, in two different laboratories. Increased binding to PMN crude extracts (P < 0.01) without any modification in IgA binding to proteinase 3 was found by either specific ELISA. Conversely, the binding of IgA to myeloperoxidase (MPO) was found to be significantly (P < 0.05) increased with positive values in 25% of patients by one assay only. Three of four sera with positive IgA-MPO ANCA exhibited binding in Western-blot studies with the MPO preparation used in ELISA to a 28-kDa species. D-galactose and N-acetyl-glucosamine decreased the binding of serum IgA to MPO more in HSP than in controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The conflicting reports on IgA-ANCA may reflect some atypical characteristics of the reaction which can be detected only by some ELISAs. We suggest that not an antigen-antibody reaction but a lectinic interaction due to abnormal composition of IgA carbohydrate side chains may account for the IgA-ANCA reaction in patients with HSP nephritis.