Is autism an amnesic disorder? Evidence from the California Verbal Learning Test.

An amnesic disorder has been postulated as an important etiological consideration in autism. A comparison was therefore made between 21 matched pairs of high-functioning autistic Ss and controls on 33 variables derived from the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). 27 of these variables did not discriminate between the autistic Ss and controls. The 6 discriminating variables were free recall of Trial 5 of List A, free recall of List B, total intrusions for List A during the immediate- and short-delay recall trials, and the semantic-cluster and global-cluster ratios for List B. However, the mean scores for the autistic Ss were worse than those of the controls on 30 of the 33 CVLT variables. These findings fail to support the amnesic theory of autism but are consistent with reduced neural connectivity and deficits in information processing involved in the formation of cognitive strategies for efficient organization of information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale in cancer patients: feasibility as a screening tool

The impact of a traumatic brain injury on the family of the injured person is just beginning to be explored. In the current study, 61 primary caregivers were contacted at 1 year following injury. They completed the Relative and Friend Support Index, Social Support Index, Trauma Complaints List and the Life Change Question. The majority of caregivers indicated at least mild negative life change following the brain injury. Greater social support was correlated with less life change and greater injury severity was correlated with negative life change. Neither of these relationships was found to be significant at the 0.05 level. A significant positive correlation was found between caregivers' perception of deficits and the degree of negative life change. Perceived deficits accounted for the greatest amount of variance in life change followed by relative and friend support when all variables were entered into a stepwise regression. Further analyses indicated that the most significant factor of the Trauma Complaints List in predicting life change may be problems with cognition, which accounted for a significant amount of the variance in life change. Implications for counselling and further research regarding caregivers of persons with brain injury are discussed.     

The influence of list format and category headers on age differences in understanding medication instructions

We examined whether instructions are better understood and remembered when they contain organizational cues. Our previous research found that older and younger adults organize medication information in similar ways, suggesting that they have a schema for taking medication. In the present study, list formats (vs. paragraphs) emphasized the order of information and category headers emphasized the grouping of information specified by this schema. Experiment 1 examined whether list and header cues improve comprehension (answer time and accuracy) and recall for adults varying in age and working memory capacity (measured by a sentence span task). List instructions were better understood and recalled than paragraphs, and reduced age differences in answer time and span differences in accuracy. Headers reduced paragraph comprehension for participants with lower levels of working memory capacity, presumably because they were not salient cues in the paragraphs. Experiment 2 investigated if headers were more effective when more saliently placed in paragraphs and lists, and if list and header cues helped readers draw inferences from the instructions. List formats again reduced age differences in comprehension, especially reducing the time needed to draw inferences about the medication. While headers did not impair comprehension, these cues did impair recall. The present study suggests that list-organized instructions provide an environmental support that improves both older and younger adult comprehension and recall of medication information.     

Internet use and social support in women with breast cancer.

Many Web sites offer information to breast cancer patients, who are increasingly using these sites. The authors investigated the potential psychological benefits of Internet use for medical information by breast cancer patients. Of the 251 women approached, 188 were successfully interviewed (74.9%). Forty-two percent used the Internet for medical information related to breast health issues and did so for an average of 0.80 hr per week. The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List and the UCLA Loneliness Scale, with results controlled for covariates, showed that Internet use for breast health issues was associated with greater social support and less loneliness than Internet use for other purposes or nonuse. Breast cancer patients may obtain these psychological benefits with only a minimal weekly time commitment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Illness perceptions, coping and functioning in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and psoriasis

The present cross-sectional study analyzed the extent to which illness perceptions and coping strategies (as measured by the Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Utrecht Coping List, respectively) are associated with levels of daily functioning, as indicated by the Medical Outcomes Study SF-20, and disease-specific measures in 244 adults: 84 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); 80 with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD); and 80 with psoriasis. The results of stepwise regression analyses indicated that a strong illness identity, passive coping, belief in a long illness duration, belief in more severe consequences, and an unfavorable score on medical variables were associated with worse outcome on disease-specific measures of functioning and on general role and social functioning. Coping by seeking social support and beliefs in controllability/curability of the disease were significantly related to better functioning. The implications of these findings for future interventions and research are discussed.     

Amount of postcue encoding predicts amount of directed forgetting.

In list-method directed forgetting, participants are cued to intentionally forget a previously studied list (List 1) before encoding a subsequently presented list (List 2). Compared with remember-cued participants, forget-cued participants typically show impaired recall of List 1 and improved recall of List 2, referred to as List 1 forgetting and List 2 enhancement. In 3 experiments, we examined how amount of postcue encoding influences directed forgetting. Two results emerged dissociating List 1 forgetting from List 2 enhancement. First, an increase in amount of postcue encoding led to an increase in List 1 forgetting but did not affect List 2 enhancement. Second, the forget cue influenced all List 1 items but affected only early List 2 items. A 2-mechanism account of directed forgetting is suggested, according to which List 1 forgetting reflects reduced accessibility of List 1 items, and List 2 enhancement arises from a reset of encoding processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depressive affect: A test of behavioral hypothesis.

Behavioral hypotheses about depression suggest that depression is a function of rate of reinforcement. Initial level of depression and locus of control were hypothesized to enhance this effect. 96 normal volunteer female Ss (62 nursing students and 34 high school students) were separated into groups on the basis of median splits on MMPI D and Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale scores, and were given either 80 or 20% positive reinforcement on a pseudosocial intelligence task. The lower rate of reinforcement resulted in more depressive behavior as measured by the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, self-confidence ratings, and response latencies. Partial support was obtained for the enhancement of the reinforcement effect with initially more depressed Ss. No locus of control effects were found. Ss who were more depressed initially underestimated the amount of positive feedback they received. Results are discussed in terms of behavioral accounts of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A stress process model of caregiving for individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To test a stress process model of caregiving for persons with traumatic brain injury. Design: A correlational study using path analysis. Participants: One hundred eight caregivers affiliated with community- or Web-based support groups. Main Outcome Measures: The Modified Caregiver Appraisal Scale, the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief Version, the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, and the COPE. Results: The normed fit index, comparative fit index, and parsimony ratio indicated a good fit for the model, suggesting that coping, social support, and caregiving appraisal contribute to quality of life. A more parsimonious model was respecified and achieved a better fit with fewer paths and variables. Conclusions: Empirical support was found for the proposed caregiving stress process model, which appears to provide useful information for future research and clinical interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the arbitrary distinction between states and traits.

Posits that the distinction between state and trait is an arbitrary one and presents a delineation and analysis of factors that have contributed to the propagation of the distinction. Observational, philosophical, and empirical sources of evidence are cited. Three beliefs are examined: (a) that a label can refer to both a state and a trait; (b) that whether an instrument measures state or trait depends on the accompanying instructions; and (c) that state and trait are so inextricably tied that a measure of state is used to derive an index of trait. Overlap among terms used in the Profile of Mood States, the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, the Adjective Check List, Cattell's (1943) list of personality labels, and the Allport-Odbert (1936) categories is presented. Empirical illustrations are cited in support of the contention that the state–trait distinction can be used to explain almost any personality research finding post hoc. (61 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-disclosure as a function of state and trait anxiety.

Examined the influence of state and trait anxiety on self-disclosure in 48 male college freshmen rated as debilitative or facilitative test-anxious on the Achievement Anxiety Test. Ss participated in a verbal learning experiment under high and low anxiety conditions; self-disclosure was elicited by a personal information questionnaire. The effectiveness of the manipulations was checked using scores on the Anxiety factor of the Mood Adjective Check List. Ss' responses to the questionnaire items were assessed for breadth or amount of self-disclosure, depth or intimacy of self-disclosure, and positive–negative self-evaluation by content analysis of their statements. Results confirm the hypothesis that individuals experiencing state anxiety disclose less than "normals." Findings are discussed in light of various conceptual approaches to anxiety. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hypnotic age regression: A test of the functional ablation hypothesis.

The hypothesis that responses acquired after the time to which S is hypnotically age regressed are functionally ablated was tested by utilizing a modification of the retroactive interference paradigm with a paired associates task. 5 preselected female Ss learned List A (S1-R1). 2 wk. later they learned List B (S1-R2) whereupon they were hypnotically age regressed to the date of original learning, when R1 strength was high, and given further S1-R1 trials. Appropriate A-A and A-B-A comparison groups (N = 10 each) were employed. The findings that the hypnotic age regression procedures failed to preclude the occurrence of interlist intrusions in the relearning of S1-R1 does not support the hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Associative interference and premorbid adjustment in schizophrenia.

The effects of associative interference on the verbal learning performance of 60 male process and reactive schizophrenics and 30 normals were studied using a mixed list with high and moderate interlist interference and new learning conditions. Schizophrenics made more errors than normals in the interference conditions but not in the new learning. Reactive schizophrenics made as many errors as the process group with high interference but significantly fewer under moderate interference. Process schizophrenics gave significantly more List 1 intrusions in List 2 learning than reactives or normals. Results support predictions from the qualitative differences theory of cognitive deficit. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is the dopamine sensitive adenylate cyclase in the rat substantia nigra coupled with ''autoreceptors''?

The Depression Adjective Check List, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a battery of factor analytically derived cognitive tests sensitive to anxiety or depression were administered to 50 women between the ages of 30 and 45 during the 4 days prior to the onset of menstruation and again 2 weeks later. Testing sessions were scheduled on the basis of a previously completed Menstrual Distress Questionnaire. There were significant increases in anxiety and depression during the premenstruum. However, no statistically significant differences were found in cognitive test performance, and correlation data failed to support any consistent relationship between premenstrual mood and cognitive function. Moreover, no significant correlations were found between premenstrual complaints on the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire and either cognitive test performance or mood scores obtained during the premenstrual testing sessions. It was concluded that the magnitude of the premenstrual mood change was not great enough to affect intellectual function. Alternative explanations of the absence of decrements in performance are discussed.     

Repetition versus imagery instructions in the immediate- and delayed-retention of picture and word paired-associates.

22 undergraduates learned 2 paired-associate lists each consisting of 18 picture pairs and 18 word pairs. 1/2 of the items in each list were studied by repetition, the remainder by imagery. Recall improved from List 1 to List 2 on the immediate test but there was no difference in lists on retest 1 wk. later. On both immediate and delayed tests picture pairs were recalled better than word pairs and imagery study proved superior to repetition study. Informing Ss of their study method for each stimulus at time of recall did not affect performance. Results lend further support to the superiority of pictorial memory over verbal memory and provide evidence supporting an hypothesis that imagery study is a more efficient learning strategy than is repetition study. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dynamic mental representations.

This article pursues the possibility that perceivers are sensitive to implicit dynamic information even when they are not able to observe real-time change. Recent empirical results in the domains of handwriting recognition and picture perception are discussed in support of the hypothesis that perception involves acquiring information about transitions, whether the stimuli are static or dynamic. It is then argued that dynamic information has a special status in mental representation as well as in perception. In particular I propose that some mental representations may be dynamic, in that a temporal dimension is necessary to the representation. Recent evidence that mental representations may exhibit a form of momentum is discussed in support of this claim. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Eye movements to pictures reveal transient semantic activation during spoken word recognition.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 32(2) of Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition (see record 2007-16796-001). The note to Appendix B (Stimuli Used in Experiment 2) on p. 14 contained errors. The fourth sentence, "For example, for participants receiving List A, lock was the target, key was the semantically related object, deer was the target's control, and apple was the related objects control" should read as follows: "For example, for participants receiving List A, logs was the target, key was the semantic onset competitor, and apple was the competitor's control."] Two experiments explore the activation of semantic information during spoken word recognition. Experiment 1 shows that as the name of an object unfolds (e.g., lock), eye movements are drawn to pictorial representations of both the named object and semantically related objects (e.g., key). Experiment 2 shows that objects semantically related to an uttered word's onset competitors become active enough to draw visual attention (e.g., if the uttered word is logs, participants fixate on key because of partial activation of lock), despite that the onset competitor itself is not present in the visual display. Together, these experiments provide detailed information about the activation of semantic information associated with a spoken word and its phonological competitors and demonstrate that transient semantic activation is sufficient to impact visual attention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sources of regulatory information for pharmacists

Sources of regulatory information of use to pharmacists are summarized. Regulatory information is provided by government, legal, pharmaceutical industry, nongovernment, and investigational drug sources. Databases and trade and professional organizations also provide such information. Information on legislative statutes and regulations can be found in the Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, and List of CFR Sections Affected. Many other government reports are also available. Various law reports are published by state and federal courts; legal textbooks, journals, and newsletters also provide pharmacy law information. Pharmaceutical industry sources supply information on U.S. drug approvals, pharmaceutical companies, and FDA enforcement actions, whereas nongovernment regulatory sources provide comprehensive regulatory and drug information. Investigational drug sources enable pharmacists to keep abreast of new drug development. Databases provide a wide variety of information, and trade newsletters supply information of interest to the organization. Knowledge of appropriate references will allow pharmacists to keep abreast of regulations that may affect them and new developments in their area of expertise.     

Matching stress inoculation's treatment components to client's anxiety mode.

65 speech-anxious undergraduates (determined by the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker) were classified as experiencing primarily cognitive or somatic symptoms of anxiety as measured on the Cognitive–Somatic Anxiety Questionnaire. Ss received cognitive restructuring, coping relaxation, a combined cognitive–somatic treatment (stress inoculation), or no treatment. Indices of anxiety (e.g., the Anxiety scale of the Affect Adjective Check List) were obtained. The cognitive indices of anxiety provided the strongest support for the "matching" hypothesis, in that matched treatments resulted in more facilitative patterns of cognitions relevant to the stressor. All treatments were more effective than the no-treatment control in reducing behavioral indicants of anxiety, although a self-report measure of speech anxiety failed to show such treatment effects. Results are discussed in the context of treating focused anxieties by attending to the individual's concerns in the anxiety-arousing situation. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Item-specific encoding produces an additional benefit of directed forgetting: Evidence from intrusion errors.

List-method directed forgetting involves encoding 2 lists, between which half of the participants are told to forget List 1. When participants are free to study however they want, directed forgetting impairs List 1 recall and enhances List 2 recall in the forget group compared with a control remember group. In a large-scale experiment, the current work demonstrated that when item-specific encoding instructions were enforced during learning, directed forgetting impaired List 1 recall, but it did not enhance List 2 recall. This pattern was found regardless of whether encoding was incidental or intentional. Whenever directed forgetting did not enhance List 2 recall, it nevertheless reduced cross-list intrusions. These results indicate that directed forgetting can help differentiate memories from one another, thereby reducing intrusions from irrelevant competing memories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The postinformation effect and reductions in retroactive interference.

In a 2-list interference paradigm, G. H. Bower and T. Mann (see record 1993-04371-001) found reduced retroactive interference when they informed people who had just learned that all of the List 2 items shared a feature that was not shared with List 1 items. Although the reliability of this postinformation effect has been challenged (e.g., G. H. Bower et al; 1996), the authors of the present study obtained the effect in 3 experiments and also showed that the speed of recall was enhanced by providing such a postinformation cue to learners. Boundary conditions for the occurrence of the postinformation effect are discussed, as well as the role of source monitoring in producing it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)