Cognitive profile of fragile X premutation carriers with and without fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome.

Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) develops in a subset of fragile X premutation carriers and involves gait ataxia, action tremor, Parkinsonism, peripheral neuropathy, autonomic disorders, and cognitive impairment. The study was designed to define the nature of cognitive deficits affecting male premutation carriers with and without FXTAS. A sample of 109 men underwent motor, cognitive, genetic, and neurologic testing, as well as brain magnetic resonance imaging. Subjects were classified into 3 groups: (a) asymptomatic premutation carriers, (b) premutation carriers with FXTAS, and (c) normal controls. Men with FXTAS performed worse than controls on mental status, intelligence, executive cognitive functioning (ECF), working memory, remote recall of information, declarative learning and memory, information processing speed, and temporal sequencing, as well as 1 measure of visuospatial functioning. Language and verbal comprehension were spared. Asymptomatic carriers performed worse than controls on ECF and declarative learning and memory. This comprehensive examination of cognitive impairment in male premutation carriers suggests that FXTAS involves substantial executive impairment and diffuse deficits in other cognitive functions. Longitudinal research currently underway will provide insight into the progression of the disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When customers lash out: The effects of customer interactional injustice on emotional labor and the mediating role of discrete emotions.

Using affective events theory to integrate multifoci justice and emotional labor (EL), this lab study examined the effects of customer interactional justice on EL perceived by both the self and others. Participants played the role of customer-service representatives in a workplace simulation and were exposed to either interactionally fair or unfair customers. Results showed that unfairly treated participants engaged in higher levels of EL and found it more difficult to comply with display rules than did participants who were fairly treated. The above link was partially mediated by anger. Our findings suggest that customers are a viable source of justice, and customer behavior impacts the effort required of service workers to adhere to organizationally sanctioned emotional display rules. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing worry in older adults: Confirmatory factor analysis of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and psychometric properties of an abbreviated model.

The assessment of worry among older adults typically has involved measures designed with younger cohorts. Because of special concerns in assessing older adults, modifications to existing instruments may be necessary. Addressing equivocal factor analytic data on the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) among younger adults, the authors conducted confirmatory factor analyses to evaluate the generalizability of previous models to older adults with generalized anxiety disorder. Data fit poorly with established single- and two-factor models. The single-factor model was modified, resulting in the elimination of 8 items, strong fit indices, high internal consistency, adequate test-retest reliability, and good convergent and divergent validity. Further psychometric work is required to assess whether the revised model is a more parsimonious method to assess late-life anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dating violence prevention with at-risk youth: A controlled outcome evaluation.

This study evaluated a community-based intervention to help at-risk teens develop healthy, nonabusive relationships with dating partners. Participants were 158 14-16-year-olds with histories of child maltreatment who were randomly assigned to a preventive intervention group or a no-treatment control group. They completed measures of abuse and victimization with dating partners, emotional distress, and healthy relationship skills at bimonthly intervals when dating someone. Intervention consisted of education about healthy and abusive relationships, conflict resolution and communication skills, and social action activities. Growth curve analyses showed that intervention was effective in reducing incidents of physical and emotional abuse and symptoms of emotional distress over time. Findings support involvement of youths in reducing the cycle of violence as they initiate dating in midadolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Morphological Development in Children's Writing.

This study focused on the development of children's control of morphological markers in their writing. The authors examined inflectional and derivational morphological forms within narratives written by 247 3rd and 4th graders. The majority of 3rd and 4th graders used inflectional forms consistently and accurately in their writing. In contrast, fewer students used derived forms, and significantly more 4th than 3rd graders used them accurately. Results indicate that children's control of morphological structures in their writing mirrors that in their speech: Inflectional morphology is largely mastered by age 9 or 10, but skills with derivational morphology continue to develop in middle childhood. The relationships among written morphological accuracy, reading, and spelling were also examined. Written morphological accuracy predicted reading and spelling performance at both grade levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contrast tests of interaction hypothesis.

This article argues for the use of contrasts to test a priori interaction hypotheses in 2-way analysis of variance designs. It focuses on 3 underused types of interaction contrast tests: a "matching" pattern for cognate levels of row and column factors; the "qualitative quadratic" for monotonic profiles of means in the same direction but with opposed concavities; and a "differential curvilinearity" test for differences in the curvature of two profiles with the same direction of concavity. The circumstances that best capitalize on the potential advantages of a priori contrast tests are indicated and an effect size measure for contrasts is presented. Investigators are urged to examine residuals after accounting for the variation attributable to the chosen contrast for patterns that may provide hints for more textured hypotheses in further research. If a posteriori contrasts are used, their effect sizes should be noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A unified theory of implicit attitudes, stereotypes, self-esteem, and self-concept.

This theoretical integration of social psychology's main cognitive and affective constructs was shaped by 3 influences: (a) recent widespread interest in automatic and implicit cognition, (b) development of the Implicit Association Test (IAT; A. G. Greenwald, D. E. McGhee, & J. L. K. Schwartz, 1998), and (c) social psychology's consistency theories of the 1950s, especially F. Heider's (1958) balance theory. The balanced identity design is introduced as a method to test correlational predictions of the theory. Data obtained with this method revealed that predicted consistency patterns were strongly apparent in the data for implicit (IAT) measures but not in those for parallel explicit (self-report) measures, Two additional not-yet-tested predictions of the theory are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social ecological model of illness management in high-risk youths with type 1 diabetes.

In this study, the authors tested a social ecological model of illness management in high-risk, urban adolescents with Type 1 diabetes. It was hypothesized that management behaviors would be associated with individual adolescent characteristics as well as family, peer, and provider relationships. Questionnaires were collected from 96 adolescents in poor metabolic control and their primary caregivers. Variables in each system were correlated with illness management. Multiple regression demonstrated that higher externalizing symptoms, poorer family relationships, lower satisfaction with providers, and greater age contributed to the variance in illness management. Internalizing symptoms and peer relationships were no longer significant in the model. Results support a social ecological model of illness management in high-risk youths. Interventions grounded in social ecological theory are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)