Behavior of Swedish primary and secondary caretaking fathers in relation to mother's presence.

Parents from 27 Swedish families were observed at home interacting with their infants (aged 8–12 mo) in 2 different social situations—(a) with the father, mother, and infant present and (b) the father alone with infant. 12 of the fathers had been primary caretakers for more than 1 mo (mean?=?3 mo); these families were designated as shared childcare. Men who took little or no parental leave and were never primary caretakers were from families designated as traditional. Results indicate that in the 3-person social context mothers were more likely to engage in distal bidding with their infants (vocalize, smile, laugh) and display affection toward their infants than fathers, regardless of the fathers' past histories of caregiving. By contrast, when the fathers were alone with their infants, effects of the fathers' caregiving histories did occur. In this situation, fathers from traditional families were more likely to display affection toward and play with their infants. In contrast to previous studies, it is suggested that differential involvement in childcare has significant effects in fathers' behavior. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age differences in entropy: primary versus secondary memory

We report a spatial-memory scanning experiment that was used to measure age differences in entropy. A target grid consisting of four adjacent letters followed by the presentation of a single probe letter was presented on each trial. Half of the trials presented the probe stimulus in the same spatial position was the target letter (i.e., the probe letter was always a member of the positive set), and half of the trials transposed the target letter one, two, or three spaces of the right or left of the original target display position (i.e., different trials). The experiment involved blocks of primary-memory and secondary-memory tasks. Reaction-time and error-rate data, as well as entropy analyses and the fitting of an entropy model (based on Allen, Kaufman, Smith, and Propper, in press) to the empirical data indicated that older adults showed higher entropy levels than young adults. These results are interpreted in a "computational temperature" framework in which older adults' higher computational temperatures result in less efficient spatial, episodic memory functioning.     

Compliance and self-assertion: Young children's responses to mothers versus fathers.

To provide data on the development of compliance and self-assertion toward mothers and fathers, 2-, 4-, and 6-yr-old children were observed in their homes. Compared with younger children, older children were more compliant, more likely to use logical argument, and less likely to ignore or to show defiance. Two-year-olds showed more ignoring of their fathers, whereas 4-yr-olds were more ignoring of their mothers and showed greater compliance to their fathers. Regardless of age, boys showed higher levels of compliance to their fathers, whereas girls did not respond differentially to mothers or fathers. Girls were, however, more likely to state their desires and preferences and to use logical argument. Further analyses suggested that none of the gender differences in child response were apparent artifacts of differences in parental treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reconstructing fathers.

Comments on the L. B. Silverstein and C. F. Auerbach (see record 1999-05337-001) examination of the essentialist perspective on fathering, family structure, and child development. The author advocates J. Westman's (1994) proposal for parental licensure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impulsive versus realistic thinking: An examination of the distinction between primary and secondary processes in thought.

The nature of the distinction between primary and secondary processes, as described by Freud, has relevancy for both a cognitive psycholoy and a psychology of motivation. Several issues arising from an examination of the 2 processes are examined. Possible empirical approaches to the basic problems are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Short-term versus long-term effects of adrenal hormones on behaviors.

Hypothesizes that short-term exposures to stress facilitate performances of serially repetitive, overlearned tasks and impair performances of perceptual restructuring tasks, while long-term exposures to stress produce the opposite behavioral effects. These effects are attributed, in part, to the length of exposure of the central nervous system to stress-elicited adrenal hormones (epinephrine and cortisol). Short-term exposures are believed to induce states of central adrenergic dominance that favor performances of serially repetitive, overlearned tasks at the expense of perceptual restructuring tasks. Longer exposures are thought to result in a shift to central cholinergic dominance that favors the opposite pattern of performances. A physiological model is presented that accounts for the shift from central adrenergic to central cholinergic dominance. Experimental procedures derived from the model promote the reversal of some of the behavioral and physiological effects of a long-term stressor. (5 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primary versus secondary and central versus consequence-related control in HIV-positive men.

Examined 2 dimensions of perceived control (primary vs secondary and central vs consequence-related) in a sample of 104 HIV-positive men. Two hypotheses regarding the use of primary control (acting to achieve specific outcomes) and secondary control (acceptance) were supported: The use of both primary and secondary control was associated with better adjustment. Secondary control served a protective role at lower levels of primary control, but was not associated with adjustment at higher levels of primary control. The 2 hypotheses regarding central control (over the infection) and consequence-related control (over consequences of the infection) were also supported. Perceptions of consequence-related control were higher than perceptions of control over HIV and more strongly associated with low depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interests of fathers and sons.

"Estimation of 'true' resemblance must represent resemblance between fathers and sons, as such, and not resemblance between all men, or even the general resemblance between men in any two samples under consideration. Correlations between chance pairs have been deducted from correlations between true pairs to provide a more accurate measure of resemblance. Father-son resemblance must be construed to mean resemblance in certain respects but not in all respects… . An interest profile should express a pattern of interests even better than a single scale. On such a basis one may explain the higher resemblance between profiles (.40) than between scores on interest scales (.30 to .35) and the definitely higher correlation between profiles than between items (.27)." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social organization, physical environment, and infant–caretaker interaction.

Examined the relationships of the infant–caretaker interaction with the home's social organization and physical environment in rural Malay and Chinese families living in Malaysia. 12 families in each group were observed every 4–6 wks until the target infant's 1st birthday. Most infant–caretaker interaction in the nuclear Malay family occurred in areas physically separate from work and cooking facilities, which were compatible with infant crawling and exploration. The extended family in the Chinese home interacted with the infant in a large room that contained cooking, storage, and work areas. These differences in the social and the physical environments paralleled differences in infant–caretaker interaction between Malays and Chinese, including the role of alternate caretakers in the management of infant crying, the distribution and context of physical contact, and the proximity regulation between infant and mother. Findings are discussed in terms of the integration of behavioral characteristics, patterns of social organization, and arrangement of the physical environment that constitutes a culture's caretaking practices. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of adult age on primary and secondary memory search.

Conducted 2 experiments with 25 19–29 yr olds, 26 62–85 yr olds, 30 18–32 yr olds, and 30 61–81 yr olds to compare young and elderly adults on the ability to search lists of words stored in primary memory (PM) and in secondary memory (SM). Exp I indicated that age differences in search performance were greatest under SM conditions. Older Ss, unlike the younger ones, appeared biased toward responding that probe items were not members of the memory sets stored in SM. As a result of this apparent bias, older Ss committed a large number of errors on trials in which the probe was a member of the memorized list (i.e., positive probe trials) yet few errors on the trials in which the probe was not a member of the list ( i.e., negative probe trials). The responses of older Ss to negative probe trials were more rapid than were those to positive probe trials. In Exp II, this pattern of responding was examined. It is concluded that age differences were involved in the ability to encode memory sets and transfer them from PM to SM as well as in the ability to retrieve information from SM prior to conducting a memory search. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexually deviant behavior in expectant fathers.

A group of 91 expectant fathers examined in a court psychiatric clinic is compared with a group of 91 nonexpectant married males equated for age, race, and yr. of arrest. The hypothesis that sexually deviant reactions are more frequent in expectant fathers is statistically substantiated. Other findings are reported and discussed including the frequent occurrence of sexual offenses during the wife's 1st pregnancy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial functioning in children of alcoholic fathers.

T. Jacob and K. Leonard (1986) reported that children of alcoholic fathers were comparable to children of depressed fathers in their psychosocial functioning. These results, however, were based on a relatively homogeneous sample. In the current study, previous results were extended by examining a sample of alcoholic fathers who were not screened for additional paternal psychiatric disorders or for major maternal psychopathology. Children in the unscreened and screened samples could not be distinguished in their functioning, and the majority of children of alcoholic fathers were functioning in the normal range of the Child Behavior Checklist. Given the heterogeneous adjustment in children of alcoholic fathers, the authors examined a range of factors that might protect against or exacerbate the risk associated with paternal alcoholism. Maternal depression and certain demographic characteristics were associated with poorer child functioning, particularly for male children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diabetes care for Medicare beneficiaries. Attitudes and behaviors of primary care physicians

OBJECTIVE: To obtain information related to primary care physician (PCP) attitudes, knowledge, and practice patterns, as well as perceptions about barriers to care and the use of materials to assist in the delivery of diabetes care for elderly patients in the office setting. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A survey was mailed to a random sample (n = 900) of PCPs (internal medicine, family practice, and general practice physicians and endocrinologists) from the states of Alabama, Iowa, and Maryland who met selection criteria and provided diabetes care to > or = 25 Medicare beneficiaries during calendar year 1993. RESULTS: Respondents provided self-reported information regarding diabetes care for elderly patients. PCP respondents (n = 370) considered blood glucose control to be the most important treatment goal. Most respondents (92%) considered acceptable GHb values to be those < 8%. Blood pressure measurement and foot inspections for the detection of ulcers and infection were the most commonly reported routine procedures performed as part of an office visit. Laboratory tests reported to be frequently ordered included GHb, serum creatinine, and proteinuria tests. Patient nonadherence to the treatment regimen was reported to be the most common barrier to care. The majority of respondents reported using two treatment aids in caring for patients with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provide some evidence that PCP self-reported attitudes, knowledge, and practice patterns in delivering diabetes care for elderly patients in the office setting more closely reflect current recommended practice than reported in previous physician surveys. Opportunities for improvement still exist.     

Beyond nature versus nurture: DF analysis of nonshared influences on problem behaviors.

J. C. DeFries and D. W. Fulker's (see record 1986-23496-001) regression model (later termed "DF analysis" by R. Plomin and R. Rende [see PA, Vol 78:18462]) used kinship pair data to separate heredity and shared environmental influences. This article extends DF analysis to include measured indicators of the nonshared environment. These indicators represent specific sources of environmental influence that cause related children to be different from one another. Two studies are presented which used twin, full-sibling, half-sibling, and cousin pairs from over 7,000 5–12 yr old children in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Study 1 was a validity analysis of kinship height and weight data. Study 2 was a DF analysis of problem behavior scores. Spanking, reading, and quality of the home environment were shown to account for nonshared variance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The association between psychopathology in fathers versus mothers and children's internalizing and externalizing behavior problems: A meta-analysis.

In light of the selective focus on maternal (vs. paternal) psychopathology as a risk factor for child development, this meta-analysis examines the relative strength of the association between psychopathology in mothers versus fathers and the presence of internalizing and externalizing disorders in children. Associations were stronger between maternal than paternal psychopathology and the presence of internalizing (but not externalizing) problems in children, with all average effect sizes being small in magnitude. Relations were moderated by variables that highlight theoretically relevant differences between psychopathology in mothers versus fathers (e.g., age of children studied, type of parental psychopathology) and by variables related to methodological differences across studies (e.g., method of assessing psychopathology in parents and children, type of sample recruited, familial composition). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discriminating between pre- versus post-theraplay treatment Marschak Interaction Methods using the Marschak Interaction Method Rating System.

The Marschak Interaction Method (MIM) is a play-based observation used to evaluate parent–child relationship quality. This study examined the ability of the Marschak Interaction Method Rating System (MIMRS) to effectively discriminate between MIMs completed pre- versus post-Theraplay treatment. Eleven parent–child dyads received at least 8 Theraplay sessions. Achenbach Child Behavior Checklists (CBCLs) completed by parents before and after treatment demonstrated significant improvement in child behaviors. Interrater reliability for MIMRS = .75. Results of dependent-samples t test revealed strong effect sizes (Cohen's d) on the total MIMRS score (?1.07) and the nurture and challenge dimensions (?1.50, ?0.76, respectively). Although these results are preliminary and modest in terms of sample size, the MIMRS was successful in capturing change in the parent–child relationship following Theraplay treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Proximal median and ulnar resections. Results of primary and secondary repairs

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Recovery after median and ulnar nerve proximal repair is widely appreciated. The place and time for secondary functional reconstruction remains controversial. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From January 1983 to January 1990, 66 patients suffering from proximal injury of the median or ulnar nerves underwent nerve repair. Forty-five patients had a postoperative follow-up of more than 24 months: 24 isolated ulnar nerve lesions, 12 isolated median nerve lesions, and 9 combined median and ulnar nerve lesions. Ten patients were given a primary microsurgical nerve suture in our department. Thirty-eight patients underwent a delayed or secondary nerve repair of one or both nerves: 8 secondary nerve sutures, and 35 nerve grafts in 31 patients. RESULTS: Muscular strength, sensitivity, motion, and pain were better after primary nerve sutures (when technically possible) or after shortly delayed secondary sutures, although 40 per cent of patients treated with nerve grafts get final "good" or "very good" results. The time between the injury and nerve repair was the most significant prognosis factor. Results of ulnar nerve repairs at the elbow were statistically better with anterior transposition as compared to in situ repairs (p < 0.005). Fourteen patients required secondary functional reconstruction. Tendon transfers were performed at least 24 months after nerve repair. DISCUSSION: Nerve repair of proximal lesion to the median or ulnar nerves depends on the type of injury, but is advised even when delayed. Residual deficit following nerve repair should require functional transfers depending on hand sensitivity and extrinsic function.     

Sexual orientation of adult sons of gay fathers.

The sexual development of children of gay and lesbian parents is interesting for both scientific and social reasons. The present study is the largest to date to focus on the sexual orientation of adult sons of gay men. From advertisements in gay publications, 55 gay or bisexual men were recruited who reported on 82 sons at least 17 yrs of age. More than 90% of sons whose sexual orientations could be rated were heterosexual. Furthermore, gay and heterosexual sons did not differ on potentially relevant variables such as the length of time they had lived with their fathers. Results suggest that any environmental influence of gay fathers on their sons' sexual orientation is not large. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Infants' social-constructive interactions with mothers and fathers.

Four parent–infant joint-action variables were derived by combining parents' vocal or object-stimulation behaviors with infants' vocal or object-directed behaviors observed in the home setting. Measures of simultaneous vocalization, joint-object play, parent-vocalize/infant-object play, and infant-vocalize/parent-object stimulation were constructed to represent social-construction experiences in which shared actions between infants and parents are thought to contribute to infants' cognitive development. The analyses (based on 66 infants and their parents) focused on the normative changes and stability of individual differences of these measures from 6 to 12 months and their relations with 30-month cognitive-development status. The durations of all measures increased with age. All joint-action measures showed consistency across time, and the 12-month mother–infant (but not father–infant) joint-action measures were strongly related with 30-month McCarthy scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Continuing the dialogue about fathers and families.

Responds to comments by J. McDonagh, D. Popenoe, M. Daly and M. Wilson, D. T. Lykken, and D. Blankenhorn (see records 2000-15774-013, 2000-15774-014, 2000-15774-015, 2000-15774-017, and 2000-15774-018, respectively) concerning the L. B. Silverstein and C. F. Auerbach (see record 1999-05337-001) examination of the essentialist perspective on fathering, family structure, and child development. Silverstein and Auerbach believe that data can only be observed and interpreted from the point of view of the researcher's values. From their perspective, the empirical research has shown that there are many different family structures within which child development can flourish. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)