Contingency judgments by depressed college students: Sadder but not always wiser.

Three experiments with 296 undergraduates examined depressed and nondepressed (Beck Depression Inventory) Ss' perceptions of control over outcomes in a task similar to the one introduced by L. B. Alloy and L. Y. Abramson (see record 1981-02686-001). In Exp I, when Ss completed a contingency learning task with no one else present, nondepressed Ss perceived themselves to have more control over frequently occurring response-independent outcomes than did depressed Ss, which replicated Alloy and Abramson's finding. When Ss completed the task in the presence of an observer, depressed students perceived themselves to have more control than did nondepressed Ss. In Exp II, the observer effects found in Exp I were replicated; the present authors also showed that, when response-independent outcomes occurred relatively infrequently, depressed and nondepressed Ss who completed the task in the presence of an observer did not reliably differ in their estimates of personal control. In Exp III, the pattern of results found in Exps I and II was replicated under conditions in which observers were present while Ss received frequently occurring outcomes. Overall findings demonstrate that the consistently accurate personal control estimates of depressed Ss that have been found across a variety of situations break down when Ss complete a contingency learning task in the presence of an observer, and outcomes occur independently of response at a high frequency. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Another failure to demonstrate displacement of aggression.

"Some subjects were allowed to succeed and others were arbitrarily failed on certain performance tests. Pretest, posttest, and change scores for attitudes towards minority groups failed to show any significant differences between the experimental groups. The findings are interpreted as casting doubt on the scapegoat hypothesis of prejudice." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depending on my mood: Mood-driven influences on text comprehension.

Reading comprehension is a critical component of success in educational settings. To date, research on text processing in educational and cognitive psychological domains has focused predominantly on cognitive influences on comprehension and, in particular, those influences that might be derived from particular tasks or strategies. However, there is growing interest in documenting the influences of emotional factors on the processes and products of text comprehension, because these factors are less likely to be associated with explicit reading strategies. The present study examines this issue by evaluating the degree to which mood can influence readers' processing of text. Participants in control, happy-induced, or sad-induced groups thought aloud while reading expository texts. Happy, sad, and neutral moods influenced the degree to which readers engaged in particular types of coherence-building processes in the service of comprehension. Although reading strategies clearly influence processing, understudied factors that are less explicitly goal-driven, such as mood, can similarly impact comprehension activity. These findings have important implications for the role of mood on reading instruction and evaluation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The stability of mood variability: A spectral analytic approach to daily mood assessments.

Many researchers index mood variability by a within-Ss standard deviation computed from mood ratings provided by single Ss on several occasions. I argue that this index is theoretically limited because it refers mainly to the average extremity of mood change and not the frequency of change and that time-series techniques be used to better represent emotional variability. The studies here illustrate how one class of time-series techniques—spectral analysis—can be applied to daily mood measures to index the frequency of mood shifts. The convergent validity of spectral estimates of mood change frequency is assessed relative to self-report and parental-report measures of emotional reactivity. The divergent validity of the spectral estimates of mood change frequency is assessed by examining their relation to the within-subjects standard deviation computed from daily mood assessments. Results suggest that the spectral approach provides an adequate index of mood change frequency that is independent of mood change extremity, helps clarify the meaning of emotional variability, and provides a new class of analytic strategies for inclusion in the idiographic-nomothetic paradigm. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A higher plant seven-transmembrane receptor that influences sensitivity to cytokinins

BACKGROUND: All organisms perceive and respond to a profusion of environmental and endogenous signals that influence growth, development and behavior. The G-protein signalling pathway is a highly conserved mechanism for transducing extracellular signals, and the superfamily of receptors that have seven transmembrane (7TM) domains is a primary element of this pathway. Evidence that heterotrimeric G proteins are involved in signal transduction in plants is accumulating, prompting speculation that plant 7TM receptors might exist. RESULTS: Using information in the dbEST database of expressed sequence tags, we isolated an Arabidopsis thaliana gene (GCR1) that encodes a protein with seven predicted membrane-spanning domains and other features characteristic of 7TM receptors. The protein shows 18-23% amino-acid identity (46-53% similarity) to, and good colinear alignment with, 7TM receptors from three different families. Its highest sequence identity is with the Dictyostelium cAMP receptors. GCR1 is expressed at very low levels in the roots, stems and leaves of Arabidopsis; it is a single-copy gene which maps close to the restriction fragment length polymorphism marker m291 on chromosome 5. Transgenic Arabidopsis expressing antisense GCR1 under the control of the constitutive cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter have reduced sensitivity to cytokinins in roots and shoots, yet respond normally to all other plant hormones. This suggests a functional role for GCR1 in cytokinin signal transduction. CONCLUSIONS: GCR1 encodes the first 7TM receptor homologue identified in higher plants and is involved in cytokinin signal transduction. This discovery suggests that 7TM receptors are ancient and predate the divergence of plants and animals.     

Induced mood and the illusion of control.

Examined the directionality of the relationship between realism in judging personal control and depression. Depressed and elated mood states were induced transiently in 40 naturally nondepressed and 40 depressed females (Beck Depression Inventory and the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List), and the impact of these transient mood states on susceptibility to the illusion of control was assessed. Naturally nondepressed Ss gave accurate judgments of control while naturally depressed Ss showed an illusion of control and overestimated their impact on an objectively uncontrollable outcome. Mood induction groups showed predicted changes in self-reported affect and a behavioral measure of depression. These results are in contrast to those of L. B. Alloy and L. Y. Abramson (1979). An implication of the present findings may be that therapeutic interventions for depression that successfully remediate depressive symptoms may also increase depressed individuals' susceptibility to the illusion of control. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

All's well that ends well, but it's a sad tale that begins at the end: A reply to Glaser.

Suggests that R. Glaser (see record 1984-32635-001) carries forward the trend in cognitive psychology to shift the emphasis in theories of expertise from domain-general processes to domain-specific knowledge (DSK). Learning, problem finding, and cognitive monitoring are discussed in this context. It is concluded that processes of degrees of domain generality are critical to the acquisition and utilization of DSK, just as DSK is critical to the acquisition and utilization of further DSK. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping with daily events and short-term mood changes: An unexpected failure to observe effects of coping.

This study examined the relationship between coping efforts and stress-related mood changes. Men and women with high levels of work or marital stress reported stress and coping efforts approximately once an hour for 2 days using an electronic diary. Stress episodes were identified as a stress-free time followed by a stressor at the next time point. Analyses examined how appraisals and coping influenced pre- to poststress mood change and how problem appraisals were related to coping efforts. Greater mood changes were associated with appraisals of high stress and high disruptiveness. Appraisals of high control and high desirability were associated with more planning, direct action, and fewer acceptance coping efforts. Coping failed to predict any pre- to poststressor mood changes. Possible explanations for the overall failure of coping to predict momentary mood changes are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential hypnotic responsivity of smokers, phobics, chronic-pain control patients: A failure to confirm.

Examined the recent claims that hypnotic responsivity may be related to such presenting symptomatology as phobias or chronic pain. A retrospective analysis comparing the differential responsivity of 386 consecutive patients on the Hypnotic Induction Profile and Tellegen Absorption Scale was carried out. Ss were categorized as phobics (95), smokers (226), and chronic-pain sufferers (65). Phobic Ss were subclassified as monophobic (54) or polyphobic (41). No significant differences were found in hypnotic responsivity or the related capacity for absorption among patient categories. The importance of distinguishing between treatment responsivity and hypnotic responsivity is discussed. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A left-ear advantage for forced-choice judgements of melodic contour.

Listeners (29 undergraduates) heard a sequence of 5 tones presented monaurally, and then made a forced-choice judgment about the sequence's contour (i.e., its pattern of upward and downward shifts in pitch between successive tones). The forced-choice method ensured that contour judgments were independent of absolute-pitch or interval cues. Performance was better for sequences presented to the left ear (right hemisphere) than it was for sequences presented to the right ear left hemisphere). This finding provides support for claims of a right-hemisphere bias for the processing of melodic contour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A policy-capturing approach to individual decision-making: A demonstration using professors' judgements of the acceptability of psychology graduate school applicants.

Examined the policy-capturing approach of individual decision making, by studying the decision making policies of 19 university professors (aged 28–63 yrs). Ss were given 60 profiles of hypothetical applicants to graduate school. Each profile contained the applicant's Graduate Record Examination verbal and quantitative scores, grade point average over their last 15 courses, grade in a full-year statistics course, and the aggregated percentile. Ss rated the applicants with regard to the probability that they would accept them into graduate school. Results show that the Ss were generally consistent in how they used the various pieces of cue information to arrive at a final judgment, demonstrating high levels of reliability. Some Ss employed complex policies when forming their judgments. There were no individual difference variables accounting for significant variance in a variety of criterion variables. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On growing wiser: Learning from the employment problems of other disciplines.

Examines the factors controlling demand for PhDs in psychology as well as other disciplines. A crest in student enrollment in universities, as well as cutbacks in federal research and development and industrial funding are considered. It concluded that PhD preparation in psychology should be less rigorously specialized, more real-life problem oriented, more research and development and program evaluation oriented, and more flexible. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unconscious influences revealed: Attention, awareness, and control.

Recent findings of dissociations between direct and indirect tests of memory and perception have renewed enthusiasm for the study of unconscious processing. The authors argue that such findings are heir to the same problems of interpretation as are earlier evidence of unconscious influences, namely, one cannot eliminate the possibility that conscious processes contaminated the measure of unconscious processes. To solve this problem, the authors define unconscious influences in terms of lack of conscious control and then describe a process dissociation procedure that yields separate quantitative estimates of the concurrent contributions of unconscious and consciously controlled processing to task performance. This technique allows one to go beyond demonstrating the existence of unconscious processes to examine factors that determine their magnitude. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive control: Dynamic, sustained, and voluntary influences.

The cost of incongruent stimuli is reduced when conflict is expected. This series of experiments tested whether this improved performance is due to repetition priming or to enhanced cognitive control. Using a paradigm in which Word and Number Stroop alternated every trial, Experiment 1 assessed dynamic trial-to-trial changes. Incongruent trials led to task-specific reduction of conflict (trial n + 2) without cross-task modulation (trial n + 1), but this was fully explained by repetition priming. In contrast, an increased ratio of incongruent words did lead to sustained task-specific enhancement, above and beyond repetition priming (Experiment 2). Experiments 3 and 4 assessed the voluntary modulation of cognitive control: A cue predicted the congruency of the incoming trial, allowing participants to establish the correct mindset (Word Stroop in Experiment 3, Flanker task in Experiment 4). Preparing oneself to process an incongruent word (or flanker) enhanced conflict resolution in the subsequent Number Stroop, an example of cross-task modulation. Taken together, these experiments reveal the multifaceted aspects of conflict resolution: Trial-to-trial changes are often due to repetition priming; sustained modulations brought about by task demands are task specific; and voluntary modulations are task general. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Grasping spatial relationships: failure to demonstrate allocentric visual coding in a patient with visual form agnosia

The aim of this multicenter, double-masked study was to compare the efficacy and safety of two different doses of inhaled fluticasone propionate dry powder--50 micrograms and 100 micrograms--administered BID via a multidose powder inhaler with those of placebo in the treatment of children with persistent asthma. After a 2-week run-in period, 263 patients were randomized to treatment with twice-daily placebo (n = 92), fluticasone 50 micrograms (n = 85), or fluticasone 100 micrograms (n = 86) for 12 weeks. One hundred sixty-six (63%) patients were male, and 224 (85%) were white, with a mean age of 8 years. Two hundred twenty-one (84%) patients were atopic, and 167 (63%) had been asthmatic for 1 to 5 years. Baseline mean morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) values were 207 L/min, 199 L/min, and 194 L/min, and baseline percentages of predicted normal values were 86%, 80%, and 81% for the groups receiving placebo, fluticasone 50 micrograms, and fluticasone 100 micrograms, respectively. At the end of the first week of treatment, patients in both fluticasone groups had significantly greater improvements in morning PEF than did those receiving placebo. Patients experienced mean increases of 4 L/min, 22 L/min, and 26 L/min with placebo, fluticasone 50 micrograms, and fluticasone 100 micrograms, respectively. At the end point (the last evaluable visit), patients in both fluticasone groups continued to have significantly greater improvements in morning PEF than did patients receiving placebo. Patients experienced mean increases of 17 L/min, 50 L/min, and 57 L/min with placebo, fluticasone 50 micrograms, and fluticasone 100 micrograms, respectively. Changes in the percentage of predicted values by end point were 8%, 20%, and 26% with placebo, fluticasone 50 micrograms, and fluticasone 100 micrograms, respectively. The probability of remaining in the study, according to predefined withdrawal criteria, indicated a significant treatment difference in favor of fluticasone. Withdrawal criteria were met by 63%, 42%, and 29% of patients receiving placebo, fluticasone 50 micrograms, and fluticasone 100 micrograms, respectively. This study clearly demonstrates the superiority of fluticasone 50 and 100 micrograms BID over placebo in the treatment of persistent asthma in children.     

Elevated positive mood: A mixed blessing for abstinence.

The present study, a secondary analysis of published data (B. Hitsman et al., 1999), assessed (a) the influence of initial positive mood (PM) on smoking cessation and (b) whether smokers low in PM benefited from fluoxetine versus placebo for cessation. Euthymic adult smokers (N = 103) received 10 weeks of cessation treatment. Analyses showed a Time × PM interaction, indicating that higher baseline PM predicted decreased abstinence during treatment but increased abstinence afterward, mediated by time to dropout. Dichotomous initial PM interacted with drug, suggesting a benefit of fluoxetine for low-PM smokers. Results indicate that lower pretreatment PM may inhibit long-term cessation. Smokers with lower baseline PM may benefit from treatment that increases PM. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Induction of depressed mood: A test of opponent-process theory.

To test whether R. L. Solomon's (see record 1980-26727-001) opponent-process theory of acquired motivation can be applied to the induction of depressed mood, 100 female undergraduates completed the Depression Adjective Check Lists before, during, and after a depression-induction procedure or 1 of 2 control conditions. Results are not totally consistent with the opponent-process interpretation, suggesting that this model may not be applicable to depressed mood. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Worker control: A reply to Ronan.

Argues that W. W. Ronan (1980) presents a one-sided picture of "work force control" by the "entrepreneur–capitalist–management group" and discredits the contributions of many psychologists to workers' well-being. Ronan's contentions that (1) psychological concepts are applied to programs that are motivated by management's desire to avoid unionization, (2) psychological experiments and interventions are unilaterally imposed on workers by management, and (3) economic benefits of psychological interventions should be shared equally with workers are discussed. It is concluded that psychologists have every reason to be proud of their colleagues' contributions to making companies more profitable while improving the work environment for employees. (1 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ego disjunction: A failure to replicate Trehub's results.

Previous research had demonstrated a linear relationship between ego disjunction (the result of incompatible, conflicting needs, as measured by the EPPS) and severity of psychopathology. These results were not cross-validated. The MMPI turned out to be more effective than the EPPS in discriminating psychotics from nonpsychotics. Explorations for these findings are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)