Bobo revisited: What the research says.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 17(2) of International Journal of Play Therapy (see record 2008-14897-001). A reference was incomplete. The correct reference is Trotter, K., Eshelman, D., & Landreth, G. (2003). A place for Bobo in play therapy. International Journal of Play Therapy, 12, 117-139.] There has been some discussion in the play therapy literature regarding whether to use a Bobo doll (bop bag) in the play therapy room. The following article reviews research studies from the fields of personality, learning, and social psychology, and underlying theories to help inform and assist play therapists in their decision-making regarding Bobo. Suggestions are offered regarding future empirical research in play therapy outcomes and the choices of play materials in the playroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Leone (2008).

Reports an error in "Couple therapy from the perspective of self psychology and intersubjectivity theory" by Carla Leone (Psychoanalytic Psychology, 2008[Jan], Vol 25[1], 79-98). Throughout the article, "Couples therapy" should read as "couple therapy," and "self-psychology" should read as "self psychology." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-00996-006.) Central tenets of self-psychology and intersubjective systems theory (e.g., Stolorow & Atwood, 1992) are applied to the understanding and treatment of couple. The concepts of selfobject needs, unconscious organizing principles, and learned relational patterns are used to conceptualize common couples difficulties. A treatment approach is outlined, involving: (1) listening from within each partner's subjective perspective; (2) establishing a therapeutic dialogue through which each partner's selfobject needs, ways of organizing experience, and patterns of relating can gradually be empathically illuminated and transformed; and (3) facilitating new relational experiences with the couples therapist and eventually between the partners. Four concepts of self psychology that are particularly useful with some of the most challenging aspects of couples work are then discussed. Finally, the judicious use of directive interventions with couples is discussed as consistent with this perspective. A case example is used throughout the paper to illustrate key points. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Affect dynamics, affective forecasting, and aging": Correction to Nielsen, Knutson, and Carstensen (2008).

Reports an error in "Affect dynamics, affective forecasting, and aging" by Lisbeth Nielsen, Brian Knutson and Laura L. Carstensen (Emotion, 2008[Jun], Vol 8[3], 318-330). The first author of the article was listed as being affiliated with both the National Institute on Aging and the Department of Psychology, Stanford University. Dr. Nielsen would like to clarify that the research for this article was conducted while she was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University. The copyright notice should also have been listed as "In the Public Domain." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-06717-002.) Affective forecasting, experienced affect, and recalled affect were compared in younger and older adults during a task in which participants worked to win and avoid losing small monetary sums. Dynamic changes in affect were measured along valence and arousal dimensions, with probes during both anticipatory and consummatory task phases. Older and younger adults displayed distinct patterns of affect dynamics. Younger adults reported increased negative arousal during loss anticipation and positive arousal during gain anticipation. In contrast, older adults reported increased positive arousal during gain anticipation but showed no increase in negative arousal on trials involving loss anticipation. Additionally, younger adults reported large increases in valence after avoiding an anticipated loss, but older adults did not. Younger, but not older, adults exhibited forecasting errors on the arousal dimension, underestimating increases in arousal during anticipation of gains and losses and overestimating increases in arousal in response to gain outcomes. Overall, the findings are consistent with a growing literature suggesting that older people experience less negative emotion than their younger counterparts and further suggest that they may better predict dynamic changes in affect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Harlé et al. (2010).

Reports an error in "The impact of depression on social economic decision making" by Katia M. Harlé, John J. B. Allen and Alan G. Sanfey (Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2010[May], Vol 119[2], 440-446). In the article, the last revision received date printed on the final page of the article was incorrect due to an error in the production process. The correct publication dates are as follows: Received April 14, 2009; Revision received November 6, 2009; Accepted November 9, 2009. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2010-08841-020.) Although the role of emotion in social economic decision making has been increasingly recognized, the impact of mood disorders, such as depression, on such decisions has been surprisingly neglected. To address this gap, 15 depressed and 23 nondepressed individuals completed a well-known economic task, in which they had to accept or reject monetary offers from other players. Although depressed individuals reported a more negative emotional reaction to unfair offers, they accepted significantly more of these offers than did controls. A positive relationship was observed in the depressed group, but not in controls, between acceptance rates of unfair offers and resting cardiac vagal control, a physiological index of emotion regulation capacity. The discrepancy between depressed individuals' increased emotional reactions to unfair offers and their decisions to accept more of these offers contrasts with recent findings that negative mood in nondepressed individuals can lead to lower acceptance rates. This suggests distinct biasing processes in depression, which may be related to higher reliance on regulating negative emotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Helker and Ray (2009).

Reports an error in "Impact of child teacher relationship training on teachers’ and aides’ use of relationship-building skills and the effects on student classroom behavior" by Wendy Pretz Helker and Dee C. Ray (International Journal of Play Therapy, 2009[Apr], Vol 18[2], 70-83). There was an error in the abstract. In the current abstract the fourth sentence reads: Using a repeated measures design, results revealed that children in the experimental group (n 19) demonstrated a significant decrease (p .04) in Externalizing Problems between measurements 1 and 3 compared to children in the active control group (n 13). However, the fourth sentence should have read “Results of ANCOVA revealed a statistically significant difference (p .04) with a large effect size in externalizing scores between the experimental (n 19) and active control groups (n 13) at the end of treatment but no difference at the 10-week non-intervention follow-up.” (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2009-05645-003.) This study examined the impact of Child Teacher Relationship Training on educators’ use of relationship-building skills in the classroom and the effect on student behavior. Preschool-age children (3–4 years old) who scored in the Borderline/Clinical range on at least one scale of the Child Behavior Checklist-Caregiver/Teacher Report Form (C-TRF) qualified for the study (N = 32). In this quasi-experimental design, 12 teacher aide dyads (N = 24) were assigned to the experimental (n = 12) or active control groups (n = 12). Using a repeated measures design, results revealed that children in the experimental group (n = 19) demonstrated a significant decrease (p = .04) in Externalizing Problems between measurements 1 and 3 compared with children in the active control group (n = 13). A statistically significant relationship was found between educators’ higher use of relationship-building skills and students’ decrease in externalizing behaviors (p     

"Solving XOR": Correction to Grand and Honey (2008).

Reports an error in "Solving XOR" by C. Grand and R. C. Honey (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 2008[Oct], Vol 34[4], 486-493). Figure 2 in the article was printed incorrectly due to an editing error. The correct version of Figure 2 is provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-14849-005.) Three experiments examined the way in which exclusive-or (XOR) problems are solved by rats. All rats first received food-rewarded positive and negative patterning problems with two stimulus sets: either A+, B+, AB- and C-, D-, CD+, or A-, B-, AB + and C+, D +, and CD-. Subsequently, rats received revaluation trials in which A was paired with shock and C was not, prior to generalization test trials with B, D, AB, and CD (Experiments 1 & 2); or received A→shock trials prior to tests with B and CD (Experiment 3). There was greater generalized fear to B than to either D (Experiments 1 & 2) or AB (Experiment 2) and CD (Experiments 2 & 3). These results are inconsistent with configural, connectionist models, but are consistent with an alternative connectionist model that can represent the logical structure of XOR problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Mikels et al. (2010).

Reports an error in "Following your heart or your head: Focusing on emotions versus information differentially influences the decisions of younger and older adults" by Joseph A. Mikels, Corinna E. L?ckenhoff, Sam J. Maglio, Laura L. Carstensen, Mary K. Goldstein and Alan Garber (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 2010[Mar], Vol 16[1], 87-95). The wrong author order was listed. The correct order is presented in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2010-06152-007.) Research on aging has indicated that whereas deliberative cognitive processes decline with age, emotional processes are relatively spared. To examine the implications of these divergent trajectories in the context of health care choices, we investigated whether instructional manipulations emphasizing a focus on feelings or details would have differential effects on decision quality among younger and older adults. We presented 60 younger and 60 older adults with health care choices that required them to hold in mind and consider multiple pieces of information. Instructional manipulations in the emotion-focus condition asked participants to focus on their emotional reactions to the options, report their feelings about the options, and then make a choice. In the information-focus condition, participants were instructed to focus on the specific attributes, report the details about the options, and then make a choice. In a control condition, no directives were given. Manipulation checks indicated that the instructions were successful in eliciting different modes of processing. Decision quality data indicate that younger adults performed better in the information-focus than in the control condition whereas older adults performed better in the emotion-focus and control conditions than in the information-focus condition. Findings support and extend extant theorizing on aging and decision making as well as suggest that interventions to improve decision-making quality should take the age of the decision maker into account. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Belmonte (2008).

Reports an error in "Does the experimental scientist have a "theory of mind?" by Matthew K. Belmonte (Review of General Psychology, 2008[Jun], Vol 12[2], 192-204). In the article, "Does the Experimental Scientist Have a 'Theory of Mind'?" by Matthew K. Belmonte (Review of General Psychology, 2008, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 192-204), a reference was listed in incorrect order. The reference, "Lévi-Straus, C. (1926). La pensée sauvage [The Savage Mind]. Paris: Plon." should have followed, "Lesslie, A. M., & Thaiss, L. (1992). Domain Specificity in conceptual development: Neuropsychological evidence from autism. Cognition, 43, 225-251." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-07086-011.) The concept of a "theory of mind" was widely used in developmental and evolutionary psychology and neuroscience in the wake of Premack and Woodruff's 1978 article "Does the Chimpanzee Have a Theory of Mind?" and Baron-Cohen, Leslie, and Frith's 1985 follow-up "Does the Autistic Child Have a 'Theory of Mind?'" The subsequent confluence of cognitive science and narrative theory brought "theory of mind" to literary critics. Only a very small set of people, however, have read both the neuropsychological and the literary texts on "theory of mind"; as a result of this lack of interdisciplinary expertise, the term has acquired subtly differing senses in the literary and neuroscientific communities. Because of this terminological slippage, neuroscientists and literary critics who argue in terms of "theory of mind" may believe that they are speaking with each other when they actually are speaking past each other. If proponents of cognitive literary theory are to realize the interdisciplinary fusion to which we aspire, then we must ensure that we speak in the same idiom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Building a firm foundation in play therapy research: Response to Phillips (2010).

This article is a response to Phillips’s (see record 2010-01037-002) article titled “How Firm Is Our Foundation? Current Play Therapy Research.” Strengths of Phillips’s article are identified as (a) recognition of evidence-based standards in scientific literature, (b) challenge for methodologically sound studies, and (c) clear recommendations for future research. Responses to his concerns were addressed by (a) identifying credible scientific evidence of recent play therapy research studies, (b) providing a balanced interpretation of Bratton, Ray, Rhine, and Jones’s (2005) meta-analysis, and (c) replying to metaquestions in play therapy research. The authors conclude that play therapy researchers have made steady progress in building a firm foundation of play therapy research and continue to do so. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Fortier et al. (2008).

Reports an error in "Delay discrimination and reversal eyeblink classical conditioning in abstinent chronic alcoholics" by Catherine Brawn Fortier, Elizabeth M. Steffen, Ginette LaFleche, Jonathan R. Venne, John F. Disterhoft and Regina E. McGlinchey (Neuropsychology, 2008[Mar], Vol 22[2], 196-208). The lifetime drinking data listed in Table 1 on p. 198 was not correctly calculated and underestimated lifetime exposure to alcohol. The corrected lifetime variables from that table are included. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-02526-007.) Evidence has shown that alcoholism leads to volume reductions in brain regions critical for associative learning using the eyeblink classical conditioning paradigm (EBCC). Evidence indicates that cerebellar shrinkage causes impairment in simple forms of EBCC, whereas changes in forebrain structures result in impairment in more complex tasks. In this study, the ability of abstinent alcoholics and matched control participants to acquire learned responses during delay discrimination and discrimination reversal was examined and related to severity of drinking history and neuropsychological performance. During discrimination learning, one tone (CS+) predicted the occurrence of an airpuff (unconditioned stimulus), and another tone (CS-) served as a neutral stimulus; then the significance of the tones was reversed. Alcoholics who learned the initial discrimination were impaired in acquiring the new CS+ after the tones reversed; this is a function that has previously been linked to forebrain structures. It is suggested that a factor important to alcoholic addiction may be the presence of alcoholic-related associative responses that interfere with the ability to learn new more adaptive associations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Amodio et al. (2008).

Reports an error in "Individual differences in the regulation of intergroup bias: The role of conflict monitoring and neural signals for control" by David M. Amodio, Patricia G. Devine and Eddie Harmon-Jones (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2008[Jan], Vol 94[1], 60-74). In this article, there was an error in Figure 4. The corrected figure is provided in this erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2007-19165-005.) Low-prejudice people vary considerably in their ability to regulate intergroup responses. The authors hypothesized that this variability arises from a neural mechanism for monitoring conflict between automatic race-biased tendencies and egalitarian intentions. In Study 1, they found that low-prejudice participants whose nonprejudiced responses are motivated by internal (but not external) factors exhibited better control on a stereotype-inhibition task than did participants motivated by a combination of internal and external factors. This difference was associated with greater conflict-monitoring activity, measured by event-related potentials, when responses required stereotype inhibition. Study 2 demonstrated that group differences were specific to response control in the domain of prejudice. Results indicate that conflict monitoring, a preconscious component of response control, accounts for variability in intergroup bias among low-prejudice participants. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moving from cognition to behavior: What the research says.

In 1994, R. G. Lord and P. E. Levy proposed a variant of control theory that incorporated human information processing principles. The current article evaluates the empirical evidence for their propositions and updates the theory by considering contemporary research on information processing. Considerable support drawing from diverse literatures was found for propositions concerning the activation of goal-relevant information, the inhibition of goal-irrelevant information, and the consequences of goal completion. These effects were verified by meta-analytic analyses, which also supported the meaningfulness of such effects on the basis of their unstandardized magnitudes. The authors conclude by proposing new directions for this version of control theory by invoking recent theorizing on goal emergence and the importance of velocity and acceleration information for goal striving and by reviewing research in cognitive neuroscience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Searching for the second generation of American women psychologists": Correction to Johnston and Johnson (2008).

Reports an error in "Searching for the second generation of American women psychologists" by Elizabeth Johnston and Ann Johnson (History of Psychology, 2008[Feb], Vol 11[1], 40-72). The authors would like to indicate that Inez Beverly Prosser's academic degree was incorrectly listed as EdD in the Appendix. Prosser's correct degree is PhD. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-04777-003.) As a consequence of the groundbreaking work of E. Scarborough and L. Furumoto (1987), the contributions of the pioneering first generation of American women psychologists are now well recognized within the history of psychology; however, the generation that followed the pioneers is less well known. The lack of recognition that most women psychologists of the interwar era experienced during the majority of their working lives resulted from sexism institutionalized through practices such as anti-nepotism rules that effectively excluded many married women from the academy, informal hiring practices operating in "old-boy network" fashion, and exclusion from certain key graduate training centers. Yet, many women were productive psychologists during this era and contributed to the growth and expansion of the discipline. Examination of published literature generated biographical information for 107 eminent women; C. A. Murchison's (1932b) Psychological Register provided a less detailed but more inclusive inventory to yield data on a total of 320 women. This article recounts our systematic search for this "lost generation" and emphasizes the extent and diversity of their contributions to psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Play, aggression, the preschool child, and the family: A review of literature to guide empirically informed play therapy with aggressive preschool children.

Preschool-aged children displaying high levels of aggression repeatedly have been shown to be at significant risk for continued behavior problems and other social and emotional challenges throughout their lifetimes. The present literature review seeks to summarize and integrate findings across the fields of developmental psychology, family studies, child development, and play therapy to inform play therapists' practices with this population. Specifically, findings from research in these fields hold substantial implications for empirically informed ways in which play therapists can include parents within play therapy processes. Affective quality of parent- child interactions emerges as the common theme across all existing literature and is emphasized as a critical focus for play-based therapeutic intervention. Topics for future research by play therapists focusing on this population are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Principles, principals, and process (P3): A model for play therapy ethics problem solving.

Little has been written about ethical issues faced by those providing play therapy. Play therapists working in a variety of settings need specific guidance on professional ethical issues relating to privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, therapist competence, multiple relationships, and treatment outcome. Basic ethical principles of child psychotherapy are reviewed for application to play therapy. An ethical decision making model, the Principles, Principals, Process Model (P3 Model) is proposed for applying historical ethical principles to clinical situations. Specific clinical examples illustrate the application of the P3 Model for play therapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Planes, trains, automobiles--and tea sets: Extremely intense interests in very young children": Correction to DeLoache, Simcock, and Macari (2007).

Reports an error in "Planes, trains, automobiles--and tea sets: Extremely intense interests in very young children" by Judy S. DeLoache, Gabrielle Simcock and Suzanne Macari (Developmental Psychology, 2007[Nov], Vol 43[6], 1579-1586). The DOI for the supplemental materials was printed incorrectly. The correct DOI is as follows: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.43.6.1579.supp. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2007-16709-024.) Some normally developing young children show an intense, passionate interest in a particular category of objects or activities. The present article documents the existence of extremely intense interests that emerge very early in life and establishes some of the basic parameters of the phenomenon. Surveys and interviews with 177 parents revealed that nearly one third of young children have extremely intense interests. The nature of these intense interests is described, with particular focus on their emergence, commonalities in the content of the interests, and the reactions of other people to them. One of the most striking findings is a large gender difference: Extremely intense interests are much more common for young boys than for girls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The lasting effect of words on feelings: Words may facilitate exposure effects to threatening images": Correction to Tabibnia, Lieberman, and Craske (2008).

Reports an error in "The lasting effect of words on feelings: Words may facilitate exposure effects to threatening images" by Golnaz Tabibnia, Matthew D. Lieberman and Michelle G. Craske (Emotion, 2008[Jun], Vol 8[3], 307-317). The URL provided for the supplemental materials was incorrect. The correct URL is provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-06717-001.) Previous studies have shown that mere words, particularly affective words, can dampen emotional responses. However, the effect of affective labels on emotional responding in the long term is unknown. The authors examined whether repeated exposure to aversive images would lead to more reduction in autonomic reactivity a week later if the images were exposed with single-word labels than without labels. In Experiment 1, healthy individuals were exposed to pictures of disturbing scenes with or without labels on Day 1. On Day 8, the same pictures from the previous week were exposed, this time without labels. In Experiment 2, participants were spider fearful and were exposed to pictures of spiders. In both experiments, although repeated exposure to aversive images (without labels) led to long-term attenuation of autonomic reactivity, exposure plus affective labels, but not nonaffective labels, led to more attenuation than exposure alone. Thus, affective labels may help dampen emotional reactivity in both the short and long terms. Implications for exposure therapy and translational studies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Early withdrawal from mental health treatment: Implications for psychotherapy practice": Correction to Barrett et al (2008).

Reports an error in "Early withdrawal from mental health treatment: Implications for psychotherapy practice" by Marna S. Barrett, Wee-Jhong Chua, Paul Crits-Christoph, Mary Beth Gibbons and Don Thompson (Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 2008[Jun], Vol 45[2], 247-267). The fourth author’s name was mistakenly left out of the author byline and table of contents. The correct author listing for this article is presented in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-07317-011.) Despite more than 50 years of research on client attrition from therapy, obstacles to the delivery and success of treatments remain poorly understood, and effective methods to engage and retain clients in therapy are lacking. This article offers a review of the literature on attrition, highlighting the methodological challenges in effectively addressing the complex nature of this problem. Current interventions for reducing attrition are reviewed, and recommendations for implementing these interventions into psychotherapy practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Emery, Hale, and Myerson (2008).

Reports an error in "Age differences in proactive interference, working memory, and abstract reasoning" by Lisa Emery, Sandra Hale and Joel Myerson (Psychology and Aging, 2008[Sep], Vol 23[3], 634-645). The original article contained an incorrect DOI. The correct DOI is as follows: 10.1037/a0012577. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2008-13050-014.) It has been hypothesized that older adults are especially susceptible to proactive interference (PI) and that this may contribute to age differences in working memory performance. In young adults, individual differences in PI affect both working memory and reasoning ability, but the relations between PI, working memory, and reasoning in older adults have not been examined. In the current study, young, old, and very old adults performed a modified operation span task that induced several cycles of PI buildup and release as well as two tests of abstract reasoning ability. Age differences in working memory scores increased as PI built up, consistent with the hypothesis that older adults are more susceptible to PI, but both young and older adults showed complete release from PI. Young adults' reasoning ability was best predicted by working memory performance under high PI conditions, replicating M. Bunting (2006). In contrast, older adults' reasoning ability was best predicted by their working memory performance under low PI conditions, thereby raising questions regarding the general role of susceptibility to PI in differences in higher cognitive function among older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)