Somatic disease and psychological disorder

We present an iterative algorithm that uses randomness and statistical techniques to improve existing methods for recognizing protein structural motifs. Our algorithm is particularly effective in situations where large numbers of sufficiently diverse examples of the motif are not known. These are precisely the situations that pose significant difficulties for previously known methods. We have implemented our algorithm and we demonstrate its performance on the coiled coil motif. We test our program LearnCoil on the domain of 3-stranded coiled coils and subclasses of 2-stranded coiled coils. We show empirically that for these motifs, our method overcomes the problem of limited data.     

Asthma of unknown origin as a psychological group.

Data from 30 adolescent and adult asthmatics suggest "that patients with asthma of unknown origin are psychologically different from asthmatics whose illness can be demonstrated to have an allergic basis." It is suggested that psychosomatic groups may be psychologically heterogeneous. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some social psychological effects of group decision rules.

This study examined the effects of group decision rules and decision outcomes on satisfaction with the outcomes, perceived fairness of the rules, and amount of rejection between majority members and deviates. Two hundred and seventy male subjects were led to believe that they belonged to groups, each of which consisted of a four-person majority and a lone deviate. The groups ostensibly made decisions by using a majority, dictatorial, or unanimity rule. Principal findings of the study were as follows: Subjects were more satisfied with decisions with which they agreed than with decisions with which they disagreed. The perceived fairness of the decision rules was primarily a function of the representativeness of the decision. Subjects felt the rule was fairer when it resulted in a decision that was representative of the preferences of most group members than when it resulted in a decision that was unrepresentative. Finally, mutual rejection occurred between majority members and the lone deviate. The strongest rejection, however, was by majority members toward the deviate in instances when, under the dictatorship and unanimity rules, the deviate was able to impose an unrepresentative decision on the majority. Findings are discussed partly in terms of the effects of outcomes on the perceived legitimacy of decision rules and the resulting feelings toward group members held to be responsible for implementation of the rules. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empirically supported individual and group psychological treatments for adult mental disorders.

The experimental literature on individual and group psychological treatments for adult disorders is reviewed. For each of the 11 disorders or problems covered, treatments that fall into the following categories, as defined by D. L. Chambless and S. D. Hollon (1998), are identified: efficacious and specific, efficacious, and possibly efficacious. Behavioral and cognitive–behavioral treatments dominate the lists, especially in the anxiety disorders, with notable exceptions. Reasons for the hegemony of the behavioral and cognitive modalities are discussed, and some limitations of the empirically supported treatment concept are addressed. Continued research is recommended on Aptitude?×?Treatment interactions, cost–benefit ratios, and generalization of treatments to a variety of patient populations, therapists, and treatment settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improving the professional self-efficacy cognitions of immigrant doctors with Balint groups

The City of North York Public Health Department (NYPHD) operates a school-based dental programme that provides preventive and treatment services to children according to evidence-based practice guidelines. This programme and private dental practices (PDP) represent the only sources of dental care for children in North York. The purpose of our study was to compare the oral health and family characteristics of clients from the NYPHD and PDP using a dental examination and a parent interview. Results showed that NYPHD and PDP clients had similar levels of fluorosis, calculus, and periodontal health, but NYPHD clients had experienced greater levels of decay. Clients of the NYPHD and PDP also had significantly different family characteristics, many of which were significantly associated with the presence of one or more decayed primary or permanent teeth. Multivariate logistic regression identified mother's immigration history, past caries experience, and parents' rationale for scheduling their child's dental appointments as the principle risk makers for dental decay. When compared with PDP clients, the NYPHD serves higher-needs children who otherwise might not receive care.     

Group entitativity and group perception: Associations between physical features and psychological judgment.

Two experiments tested whether the perceived entitativity of groups (i.e., cohesiveness) influences judgments about those groups, in terms of both their observable physical properties and underlying psychological traits. Entitativity was manipulated with groups whose members were similar or dissimilar in skin color. Experiment 1 demonstrated that beliefs about entitativity elicited more accurate judgments of skin color for entitative than nonentitative social groups, although memory for individual members of entitative groups was relatively impoverished. Experiment 2 revealed that entitative groups were viewed as not only physically similar but also psychologically homogeneous and elicited strong negative trait and behavioral judgments. Together, these findings suggest that physical properties (e.g., similarity) can create perceptions of psychological "groupness" that have important consequences for group perception. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The cultural shaping of depression: Somatic symptoms in China, psychological symptoms in North America?

The expectation that Chinese people present distress somatically is a central prediction of cultural psychopathology and has been the subject of considerable theoretical speculation. At the same time, empirical studies have been infrequent and have yielded mixed results. The authors examined symptom presentation in Chinese (n = 175) and Euro-Canadian (n = 107) outpatients, using spontaneous problem report, structured clinical interview, and symptom questionnaire methods. All 3 methods yielded cross-culturally equivalent somatic and psychological symptom subscales. Chinese outpatients reported more somatic symptoms on spontaneous problem report and structured clinical interview compared with Euro-Canadians, who in turn reported more psychological symptoms on all 3 methods. The relation between culture and somatic symptom presentation was mediated by a tendency toward externally oriented thinking. Difficulties with identifying emotions or describing them to others did not differ significantly across cultures, supporting a nonpathological interpretation of observed differences. Psychological symptom effects were larger and more consistent than somatic symptom effects; because other studies have confirmed the ubiquity of somatic presentations worldwide, these results suggest that Western psychologization may be more culturally specific than is Chinese somatization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of group psychological interventions on distress in infertile women.

Infertile women express higher levels of distress than fertile women, with distress peaking between the 2nd and 3rd year. The purpose of this study was to determine whether group psychological interventions could prevent this surge. One hundred eighty-four women who had been trying to conceive between 1 and 2 years were randomized into either a cognitive-behavioral group, a support group, or a control group. All experimental participants attended a 10-session group program. Participants completed psychological questionnaires at intake and again at 6 and 12 months. Substantial attrition occurred, particularly in the control group. The cognitive-behavioral and support participants experienced significant psychological improvement at 6 and 12 months compared with the control participants, with the cognitive-behavioral participants experiencing the greatest positive change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A structured stress-reduction group approach modified for victims of psychological trauma.

Victims of violence frequently experience high levels of physiological arousal and disruptions in mastery, attachment, and meaning, sometimes evolving into posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Treatment in the early hours and days after the traumatic event suggest that approaches emphasizing self-care and stabilization of the victim are helpful. The authors present a structured stress-reduction group approach modified to meet the needs of victims of violence. Preliminary findings suggest the efficaciousness of this approach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Environmental press and psychological need as related to academic success of minority group students.

Investigated the relationship between environmental press and psychological needs for both the most academically successful and the least successful black, Mexican-American, and American-Indian undergraduates (N = 138). Ss completed the College Characteristics Index (CCI) and the Stern Activities Index as measures of press and psychological need. Scores on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety scale and the Rotter Internal-External Control Scale were used to study the extent to which anxiety and achievement motivation affected academic success. Scholastic Aptitude Test scores were used as measures of academic success. Congruent relationships were found between nonintellectual environmental presses and psychological needs on emotional expression and dependency need factors for both academically successful and least successful Ss. Significant negative correlations on the Ego Achievement and Play-Work scales of the CCI suggest a press in the campus atmosphere for intellectualism without a corresponding psychological need. Implications for counseling minority students are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Somatic mutation in the neonatal mouse

Several mechanisms that diversify the adult immune repertoire, such as terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-dependent N region addition, are not available to the neonatal mouse. One important process that contributes to protective immunity in the adult is somatic mutation, which plays a major role in the generation of high affinity memory B cells. It is not clear whether B cells in the neonatal mouse can activate the somatic mutation machinery. To investigate this, we immunized neonates with poly(L-Tyr,L-Glu)-poly-D,L-Ala-poly-L-Lys complexed with methylated BSA, or (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl coupled to chicken gamma-globulin. Eight to fourteen days after priming, V(D)J rearrangements of known V(H) genes (V(H)SM7 family) were screened for mutations using a temperature-melt hybridization assay and oligonucleotide probes specific for complementarity-determining regions I and II; possible mutations were confirmed by sequence analysis. More mutations per sequence were found in heavy chains from neonates immunized with (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl coupled to chicken gamma-globulin than in those from neonates immunized with poly(L-Tyr,L-Glu)-poly-D,L-Ala-poly-L-Lys complexed with methylated BSA. Mutations were found in heavy chains lacking N regions, suggesting that B cells of the putative fetal lineage can somatically mutate and diversify an initially limited repertoire. Since neonates immunized as early as 1 or 2 days after birth had mutations, the somatic mutation machinery can be activated soon after birth, suggesting that early vaccination should result in affinity maturation and protective immunity in the neonate.     

Views from a distant shore: A social psychological perspective on group psychotherapy.

A brief commentary is offered on M. McCallum and W. E. Piper's (see record 1999-08068-001) article that describes their research on the effectiveness of a group psychotherapy program for treating patients with personality disorders. One set of comments examines the strengths and weaknesses of that article, whereas another set identifies potential linkages between the article and social psychological work on small groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding why the justice of group procedures matters: A test of the psychological dynamics of the group-value model.

Procedural justice research has documented many positive consequences of fair decision-making procedures and treatment by authorities. However, it is unclear why these effects of procedural justice occur. The group-value model proposes that fair procedures matter because they communicate two symbolic messages about group membership: (1) whether individuals are respected members of a group and (2) whether they should feel pride in the group as a whole. These messages are conveyed by 3 relational aspects of the actions of authorities: actions that indicate neutrality, trustworthiness, and status recognition. Results from 4 different studies provide evidence that (1) relational aspects of fair procedures communicate group-relevant information and (2) this information mediates the influence of procedural judgments on group-oriented behaviors and feelings of self-esteem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring the psychological underpinnings of the moral mandate effect: Motivated reasoning, group differentiation, or anger?

When people have strong moral convictions about outcomes, their judgments of both outcome and procedural fairness become driven more by whether outcomes support or oppose their moral mandates than by whether procedures are proper or improper (the moral mandate effect). Two studies tested 3 explanations for the moral mandate effect. In particular, people with moral mandates may (a) have a greater motivation to seek out procedural flaws when outcomes fail to support their moral point of view (the motivated reasoning hypothesis), (b) be influenced by in-group distributive biases as a result of identifying with parties that share rather than oppose their moral point of view (the group differentiation hypothesis), or (c) react with anger when outcomes are inconsistent with their moral point of view, which, in turn, colors perceptions of both outcomes and procedures (the anger hypothesis). Results support the anger hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Somatic androgyny and cognitive abilities.

Examined somatic androgyny and IQ in 3 longitudinal studies, conducted at the Institute of Human Development, in order to determine how robust the androgyny–ability relationships reported in recent studies are, and whether these relationships are found after sexual maturity is attained. Results do not reveal significant relationships between androgyny and abilities at either adolescence or middle adulthood, although trends are in the predicted directions. There were no systematic findings from analyses separating aspects of somatic androgyny that are more likely to be primarily under control of the sex hormones as opposed to those that are probably subject to other genetic and/or environmental influences. These results are discussed in terms of factors that might moderate androgyny–ability relationships. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Somatic mutation favors the evolution of diploidy

Explanation of diploidy have focused on advantages gained from masking deleterious mutations that are inherited. Recent theory has shown that these explanations are flawed. Indeed, we still lack any satisfactory explanation of diploidy in species that are asexual or that recombine only rarely. Here I consider a possibility first suggested by Efroimson in 1932, by Muller in 1964 and by Crow and Kimura in 1965: diploidy may provide protection against somatic, not inherited, mutations. I both compare the mean fitness of haploid and diploid populations that are asexual and investigate the invasion of "diploidy" alleles in sexual populations. When deleterious mutations are partially recessive and somatic mutation is sufficiently common, somatic mutation provides a clear advantage to diploidy in both asexual and sexual species.     

Leader personality traits and employee voice behavior: Mediating roles of ethical leadership and work group psychological safety.

The antecedents and consequences of ethical leadership were examined in a study of 894 employees and their 222 immediate supervisors in a major financial institution in the United States. The leader personality traits of agreeableness and conscientiousness were positively related to direct reports’ ratings of the leader’s ethical leadership, whereas neuroticism was unrelated to these ratings. Ethical leadership influenced followers’ voice behavior as rated by followers’ immediate supervisors. This relationship was partially mediated by followers’ perceptions of psychological safety. Implications for research on ethical leadership and means to enhance ethical behavior among leaders and nonleaders are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

试论地震灾害的心理危机干预

地震灾害因其不可预测性、突发性以及巨大的破坏性,对民众的生命财产安全以及心理健康都会造成严重的损害.地震作为重大的应激事件,不论对受灾群众、医护救援人员还是媒体工作者来说都会产生应激反应.如果未能得到及时有效的心理危机干预,这种应激反应就会变成应激障碍,会给受害者造成长期的、难以磨灭的心理创伤.地震灾害对于不同群体危害的影响程度不同,分层次提出相应的心理危机干预方法,进行及时有效的心理危机干预,有助于灾后的心理重建,使受灾群众尽早脱离灾难带来的消极影响.积极开展灾后心理危机干预工作,对维护和促进人类身心健康有重要意义.     

Is psychological research really as good as medical research? Effect size comparisons between psychology and medicine.

Researchers have looked at comparisons between medical epidemiological research and psychological research using effect size r in an effort to compare relative effects. Often the outcomes of such efforts have demonstrated comparatively low effects for medical epidemiology research in comparison with effect sizes seen in psychology. The conclusion has often been that relatively small effects seen in psychology research are as strong as those found in important epidemiological medical research. The author suggests that many of the calculated effect sizes from medical epidemiological research on which this conclusion has been based are flawed. Specifically, rather than calculating effect sizes for treatment, many results have been for a Treatment Effect × Disease Effect interaction that was irrelevant to the main study hypothesis. A technique for developing a “hypothesis-relevant” effect size r is proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)