The uterine environment enhances cognitive competence

Genetically identical mouse embryos were transferred into same-strain uteri (transfer controls) or into hybrid uteri. A third group was not transferred. When adult, the mice were given a series of behavioral tests. In-strain transfer controls differed from non-transfer mice only on two activity measures, and did not differ on any cognitive variable. In contrast, mice reared in hybrid uteri were found to be superior to in-strain transfer mice on discrimination learning. Lashley maze learning and Morris maze learning; they also showed better adaptation in an avoidance learning shuttlebox. To our knowledge this is the first study showing that the uterine environment can have a general enhancing effect upon cognitive competence across a broad range of behaviors.     

The cognitive interview enhances long-term free recall of older adults.

The Cognitive Interview, a retrieval-based mnemonic technique, has received only limited attention in its application with older adults, and based on previous findings, its benefit to older adults is unclear. The authors found that the Cognitive Interview effectively increased older adults' recall relative to standard recall instructions at a 3-week delay. These findings demonstrate the benefit of a standardized (rather than the prototypically interactive) Cognitive Interview as applied to perceptually impoverished, text-based stimuli. Both theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mother- and father-rated competence, child-perceived competence, and cognitive distortions: unique relations with children''s depressive symptoms

The development of external sensory organs on the notum of Drosophila is promoted by the proneural genes achaete and scute. Their activity defines proneural cell clusters in the wing imaginal disc. Ectopic expression, under control of the GAL4 system, of the proneural gene lethal of scute (l'sc) causes the development of ectopic bristles. Persistent ectopic expression of l'sc is not sufficient to impose a neural fate on any given cell. This implies that mutual inhibition, mediated by the Notch signaling pathway, occurs among the cells of the ectopic proneural cluster. Consequently, the dominant, quantifiable phenotype associated with ectopic expression of l'sc is modified by mutations in genes known to be involved in neurogenesis. This phenotype has been utilized to screen for dominant enhancers and suppressors that modify the number of ectopic bristles. In this way, about 100,000 progeny of EMS or X-ray-treated flies have been analyzed to identify autosomal genes involved in regulation of the neural fate. In addition 1200 chromosomes carrying lethal P-element insertions were screened for modifiers. Besides mutations in genes expected to modify the phenotype, we have isolated mutations in six genes not known so far to be involved in neurogenesis.     

Perceived competence in supervisory roles: A social cognitive analysis.

Using Bandura's (1997) model of competency development, we evaluated the level and sources of supervisory self-efficacy among experienced Canadian psychology supervisors (N = 155) employed in academic and clinical settings. Multiple-regression analyses showed that a set of 7 measures representing training, experience, context, and aptitude accounted for substantial variance in self-efficacy in the roles of teacher, counselor, and consultant. Unique contributors included directive aptitude (all roles), nurturant aptitude (counselor and consultant roles), and perceived workplace support (teacher role). Implications for supervisory practice and training are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapist competence in cognitive therapy for depression: Predicting subsequent symptom change.

Objective: The efficacy of cognitive therapy (CT) for depression has been well established. Measures of the adequacy of therapists' delivery of treatment are critical to facilitating therapist training and treatment dissemination. While some studies have shown an association between CT competence and outcome, researchers have yet to address whether competence ratings predict subsequent outcomes. Method: In a sample of 60 moderately to severely depressed outpatients from a clinical trial, we examined competence ratings (using the Cognitive Therapy Scale) as a predictor of subsequent symptom change. Results: Competence ratings predicted session-to-session symptom change early in treatment. In analyses focused on prediction of symptom change following 4 early sessions through the end of 16 weeks of treatment, competence was shown to be a significant predictor of evaluator-rated end-of-treatment depressive symptom severity and was predictive of self-reported symptom severity at the level of a nonsignificant trend. To investigate whether competence is more important to clients with specific complicating features, we examined 4 patient characteristics as potential moderators of the competence-outcome relation. Competence was more highly related to subsequent outcome for patients with higher anxiety, an earlier age of onset, and (at a trend level) patients with a chronic form of depression (chronic depression or dysthymia) than for those patients without these characteristics. Competence ratings were not more predictive of subsequent outcomes among patients who met (vs. those who did not meet) criteria for a personality disorder (i.e., among personality disorders represented in the clinical trial). Conclusions: These findings provide support for the potential utility of CT competence ratings in applied settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex-based models of androgyny: A further cognitive elaboration of competence differences.

Study 1, with 95 undergraduates, examined tolerance for ambiguity, the degree to which people suspend the attribution of meaning to unclear stimulation. Sex-role development was assessed through masculinity and femininity scales derived from the Adjective Check List. Androgynous females were less tolerant of ambiguity than nonandrogynous females, a difference not found for males. Study 2, with 530 undergraduates, confirmed the reliability of these effects. Study 3, with 426 undergraduates, also included the administration of the Chapin Social Insight Test and a measure of ability to read facial expressions. Data suggest that low ambiguity tolerance mediates social competence only in androgynous females. Female androgynes with a lower tolerance for ambiguity (a) showed high facial-affect decoding skill and (b) demonstrated high social cognition that would allow decoded information to be used for competent social action. Low tolerance for ambiguity was found to facilitate a positive relation between facial-decoding skill and social cognition only for androgynous females. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapist competence ratings in relation to clinical outcome in cognitive therapy of depression.

This study reports on the relationship of therapist competence to the outcome of cognitive-behavioral treatment in the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program. Outpatients suffering from major depressive disorder were treated by cognitive-behavioral therapists at each of 3 U.S. sites using a format of 20 sessions in 16 weeks. Findings provide some support for the relationship of therapist competence (as measured by the Cognitive Therapy Scale) to reduction of depressive symptomatology when controlling for therapist adherence and facilitative conditions. The results are, however, not as strong or consistent as expected. The component of competence that was most highly related to outcome is a factor that reflects the therapist's ability to structure the treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contact with the dominant culture and cognitive competence in Canadian Indians and Whites.

Tests of 3 different kinds of cognitive competence were administered to 49 White 1st-3rd graders, 48 Indian classmates of the Whites who lived on a reserve, and 63 Indian 1st-3rd graders attending a residential school with isolation from both White and Indian societies. The Whites surpassed both Indian groups on abstract verbal reasoning in the English language, surpassed only the residential-school group on nonverbal reasoning, and scored at about the same level as the Indian Ss on concrete nonverbal skills. The 2 groups of Indian Ss obtained similar mean scores on all 3 tests. Findings suggest a continuum of contact with the dominant White society that interacts with the cognitive competencies sampled by tests, lowest mean scores resulting from testing the components that are most strongly culture-based, in children most isolated from the dominant society. The data also raise the possibility of qualitatively different "intelligences" in the 2 racial groups. (French summary) (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The evaluation of clinical competence

This review examined new approaches to the definition and evaluation of clinical competence. Competence may be defined in terms of the components of the process of clinical performance or in terms of the outcomes of clinical performance. No single test method is capable of providing a valid and reliable evaluation of all defined aspects of clinical competence. Both in this country and overseas, new test methods and examinations are being developed and the implications which they will have for Australian medical schools are discussed.     

Mother–infant interaction and the development of individual differences in children's cognitive competence.

Assessed the antecedents of individual differences in children's cognitive/language competence at age 24 mo using multivariate methods at ages 6, 13, and 24 mo in 121 Ss. Assessments included detailed observations of mother–children interaction, standardized tests of child cognitive development (including the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment and the Bayley Mental Scale of Infant Development), and examiner and maternal ratings of child sociability. There were meaningful patterns of continuity in the child and especially mother behavior factors across ages, and mother–child warm, verbal interactions at each age were associated with a composite index of child competence at 24 mo. A path analysis showed that altogether, 40% of the variance in competence outcome was explained by the 4 variables in the model (interaction at 3 ages and SES). The analysis also showed that the original bivariate correlation between interaction at 6 mo and later competence could be explained by continuity in interaction qualities at 6 and 24 mo rather than as a direct effect. However, the 13-mo interaction showed both a direct path to competence and an indirect one via age 24-mo interaction. SES had a modest significant correlation with competence, but in the path analysis this was dissipated in nonsignificant paths to the interaction variables. Partial correlations suggested that child developmental competence and sociability at earlier ages did not mediate the relationships between mother–infant interaction and later child competence. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of fetal genotype and uterine environment on placental development in equids

Measurement of the concentrations of equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) in the serum of pregnant mares and Jenny donkeys carrying normal intraspecies and hybrid interspecies pregnancies suggested that the production of this hormone may be influenced by parental gene imprinting. Specifically, a differential expression of maternal and paternal genes may control the size and secretory activity of the structures that secrete eCG, the fetal endometrial cups. However, bisection of an interspecies mule embryo followed by transfer of the resulting demi-embryos and other intact mule embryos to horse and donkey recipients resulted in striking differences in the size, secretory activity and lifespan of the endometrial cups in two types of surrogate mother. This finding has therefore demonstrated the ability of uterine factors to alter profoundly the development and characteristic phenotype of the specialized invasive chorionic girdle portion of the equine trophoblast that gives rise to the endometrial cups.     

Inherited inadequate uterine environment leading to mental retardation: negative evidence in pedigree data

The frequency of mental retardation in the offspring of maternal aunts of retarded probands is compared with the frequency in offspring of other aunts or uncles of the same probands. There is no support for inherited uterine inadequacy as an explanatory factor for mental retardation.     

Effects of age on virtual environment place navigation and allocentric cognitive mapping.

This study assessed age differences in navigational behavior in a virtual Morris water maze (vMWM) and examined the ability of older adults to develop cognitive maps after vMWM experience. Compared with younger participants, older volunteers traversed a longer linear distance to locate the hidden platform. On the probe trial, younger volunteers spent a greater proportion of their total distance traveled in proximity to the platform and had more platform intersections. Analysis of map reproductions demonstrated that older participants used proximal objects to locate the goal but did not use room-geometry cues to aid navigation. These findings demonstrate age-related deficits on a laboratory measure of place learning and suggest that deficiencies in allocentric mapping may contribute to these deficits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal IQ and home environment as determinants of early childhood intellectual competence: A developmental analysis.

Children at risk for sociocultural mental retardation were studied longitudinally from birth to 4 yrs of age. Maternal IQs were assessed before the children's births, and children's IQs and home environments were assessed at regular intervals during the 1st 4 yrs of life. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to separate the contributions of maternal IQ and home environment to child IQ at 24, 36, and 48 mo. When the effect of maternal IQ was controlled, home environment's association with child IQ was significant only at 48 mo. When the effect of home environment was controlled, maternal IQ's association with child IQ was significant only at 24 mo. Taken together, the 2 predictors explained 11, 17, and 29% of the variance in child IQ at the 3 respective times. The overall pattern suggested a monotonic increase in the predictability of child IQ within the context of a shift in the relative importance of maternal IQ and home environment as predictors. The integration of the study of behavioral genetics with the study of the process of intellectual development requires an ontogenetic perspective. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A question of competence: The effects of competence and task feedback on intrinsic interest.

Examined whether competence information is the feedback feature that affects intrinsic motivation and whether perceived competence is the process responsible in 2 studies in which 174 undergraduates compared competence feedback with meaningful task feedback. In Study 1, positive competence feedback and task feedback were manipulated independently. Findings indicate that although positive feedback resulted in the highest level of perceived competence, both positive and task feedback enhanced interest individually. In Study 2, an ego-involvement manipulation emphasized competence prior to task engagement. Path-analytic techniques were used to identify 2 processes that mediated the effects of positive, negative, and task feedback on interest: perceived competence and personal valuation. Results indicate that perceived competence enhanced enjoyment only when performance quality was stressed by the ego-involvement manipulation. When competence was not made salient, subsequent interest depended more on the degree the individual personally valued involvement. Both studies indicate that competence information can affect both perceived competence and personal valuation. Feeling competent itself enhanced intrinsic motivation only if attaining competence was a primary goal of the task. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of mothers' perceptions of children's competence: The moderating role of mothers' theories of competence.

There is much evidence that parents' perceptions of children's competence affect the development of children's academic functioning. In the current research, the possibility that this is moderated by parents' theories about the stability of competence was examined. In a 2-wave, 1-year study of 126 children (9 to 12 years old) and their mothers, children's academic functioning (i.e., grades, perceptions of competence, attributions for performance, and mastery orientation) and affective functioning (i.e., self-esteem and depressive symptoms) were examined. Among mothers with relatively high entity theories, their perceptions acted as self-fulfilling prophecies foreshadowing children's academic and affective functioning over time. However, among mothers with relatively low entity theories, mothers' perceptions did not predict children's academic and affective functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The competence of adolescents as trial defendants.

The significance of adolescents' capacities as defendants has increased as a consequence of new laws that promote the transfer of juveniles for trial in criminal court. Basic and applied developmental research is reviewed to examine evidence for adolescents' capacities to participate as defendants in their criminal court trials (defined in law as competence to stand trial). Research is reviewed in 4 areas: (a) adolescents' understanding of the legal process; (b) their appreciation of the significance of legal circumstances for their defense; (c) their ability to communicate information to counsel; and (d) their reasoning and judgment in making decisions as defendants. The results suggest a greater risk of impairments in trial competence abilities for adolescents than for adults. Possible ways to respond to adolescents who are less prepared to participate in trials are offered. Tentative recommendations are made for policy and law that would increase protections against trying adolescents in criminal court when their trial competence is impaired. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Declining perceptions of competence: A consequence of changes in the child or in the educational environment?

Eighty middle-class, ethnically diverse kindergarten and fourth graders rated their current academic competence and predicted their future academic attainment. Half of the children were in classrooms in which normative evaluation was highly salient; the other half were in classrooms in which normative evaluation was deemphasized. The kindergarten children in classrooms in which normative evaluation was salient rated their competence and future attainment lower than did kindergarten children in classrooms in which evaluation was not salient. The salience of normative evaluation did not affect the fourth graders' self-perceptions of competence, and it did not affect their predictions regarding their future attainment. The results suggest that developmental change in children's judgments about their competence must be understood in terms of an interaction between age and classroom environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)