Experience-dependent neuropsychological recovery and the treatment of alcoholism.

Accumulating research has shown that some cognitive deficits in recently abstinent alcoholics (e.g., cognitive flexibility, acquisition of novel skills) improve only with remediation in contrast to the spontaneous, time-dependent rebound seen for other tasks. In principle, this facilitated or experience-dependent recovery should enhance acquisition of the content of alcoholism treatment programs, but this relationship has yet to be tested empirically; previous research assessed recovery using only neuropsychological tasks presented by an experimenter. The current investigation focused on treatment-relevant remediation (acquisition of the content of a relapse-prevention [RP] program) using tasks administered by self-guided workbooks. Four groups of male alcoholics received pre- and posttesting. Between the 2 testing sessions, the groups received neuropsychological remediation tasks (n?=?15), ecologically relevant tasks (n?=?15), attention-placebo tasks (n?=?16), or no intervention (n?=?15). Results showed that exposure to both types of remediation produced significant cognitive recovery, with skills transferring to posttest neuropsychological measures and RP acquisition. Hence, cognitive remediation may facilitate alcoholism treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing performance, competence, and executive capacity in infant play: Relations to home environment and security of attachment.

Developed a measure of executive capacity, defined as the difference between infants' most sophisticated level of functioning displayed first in free and then in elicited play. Several hypotheses were tested regarding the relationship of these performance and competence measures of child functioning to security of attachment to mother and father and to scores on the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment. In Study 1, it was predicted that (1) home environment (HE) would relate more systematically to highest level of exploration displayed in free play (called performance) than to executive capacity, and (2) the HE/executive-capacity association would exceed the HE/highest-level-of-free-play association. These predictions were confirmed with 60 12-, 15-, and 18-mo olds. In Study 2, it was predicted that infants evaluated as securely attached to their parents would be more free to attend to the environment beyond the attachment figure in play and thus would display a smaller gap between the most sophisticated play exhibited in free and elicited play. Data gathered from 61 infants at 12 and 13 mo of age support this hypothesis. Discussion focuses on the utility of the executive capacity construct as a measure for studying the effects of early experience and the stability of individual differences between infancy and subsequent developmental periods. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevalence and correlates of eating disordered behaviors among undergraduate women.

Measures of weight management habits, body image, self-esteem, and degree of endorsement of sociocultural norms regarding thinness were administered to 682 undergraduate women. The 643 nonanorexic, nonobese subjects were then classified into one of six categories representing severity along an eating-behaviors continuum. The results indicated a high prevalence of both dieting and bingeing behaviors. Although only 3% were classified as bulimic, 61% were classified as having some intermediate form of eating-behavior problem. Only 33% of the subjects reported what could be considered normal eating habits. The degree of disturbed eating was strongly correlated with lowered self-esteem, more negative body image, greater tendency to endorse sociocultural beliefs regarding the desirability of female thinness, obsessive thoughts concerning weight and appearance, and interference of weight and appearance concerns with other life domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prospective differential prediction of adolescent alcohol use and problem use: Examining the mechanisms of effect.

This prospective study tested the assertion that psychopathology would predict both adolescent alcohol use and problem use, whereas socialization factors would predict only use, and explored mechanisms by which predictors led to problem use in a community sample of families (N?=?216). Externalizing symptoms, parental alcoholism, peer influences, and parental support were indirectly related to negative consequences through their effects on use level. Externalizing symptoms, internalizing symptoms, peer influences, and parental approval of use directly predicted consequences, controlling for the indirect effects through use level. Internalizing pathology potentiated the relation between consumption and consequences, whereas parental support and control mitigated this relation. Collectively, findings provided mixed support for the assertion that psychopathology would predict both use and problem use, whereas socialization factors would predict only use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological health and problem-solving self-appraisal in older adults.

This study investigated relations between psychological health and problem-solving self-appraisal in 97 adults aged 65–96 years. Participants completed the Problem-Solving Inventory (P. P. Heppner, 1988) and two measures of psychological health encompassing both well-being and distress dimensions. Results of a canonical correlation analysis indicated that relations between problem-solving self-appraisal and psychological health were complex and sometimes contradictory. On the one hand, as problem-solving self-appraisal became more favorable (more confidence, more control, and increased approaching of problems), well-being increased and distress decreased. Conversely, perceptions of avoidant problem solving and decreased control were also associated with some increases in psychological health. Research and counseling implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training in counseling ethnic minorities and race-based availability of graduate school resources.

Psychology interns were surveyed concerning their perceptions of training received on ethnic minority issues and the availability of resources during graduate training. Respondents reported mediocre preparation for counseling ethnic minority clients. Few had courses on counseling ethnic minorities and these issues were not incorporated into most core courses. The majority reported both encouragement to examine their biases regarding ethnicity (as defined by J. M. Casas, 1984) and the presence of experts in these issues during training. A few program type and internship setting differences were found. In terms of resources, both White students and students of other races reported having support for their dissertations and access to role models and mentors, with a few differences emerging in source of mentoring. Differences in funding between White students and students of other races were also identified. Implications for training programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitions of test-anxious children.

Compared the cognitions of 294 low, moderate, and high test-anxious (the Test Anxiety Scale for Children) 5th and 6th graders in an analog test situation. High test-anxious Ss reported significantly more task-debilitating cognitions than either moderate- or low-anxious Ss, including negative evaluations and off-task thoughts. High test-anxious Ss also reported fewer positive evaluations than low test-anxious Ss, whereas moderately anxious Ss did not differ significantly from either extreme group. It was unexpected that the moderate- and high-anxious groups reported significantly more on-task thoughts than the low-anxious group and did not significantly differ from each other. Both test anxiety and cognitions showed significant although modest relations with actual task performance after the effects of ability were partialled out. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Communication processes in structural family therapy: Case study of an anorexic family.

In examining the process of change in structural family therapy, interpersonal control patterns were observed within and across 15 sessions of inpatient treatment of a chronic anorexic family. Results showed that the primary therapist maintained a consistently active, dominant, and central position in the therapeutic system. As predicted, complementarity (Therapist one-up/Family Member one-down) was the predominant relational control pattern; with the anorexic daughter, complementarity was observed more frequently in the early and late phases of treatment than in the middle, restructuring phase. Although several hypotheses could not be adequately tested because of an unexpected low frequency of within-family interaction, there was some evidence that the therapist challenged family behaviors indicative of enmeshment and intergenerational coalitions and that changes in the family's rigid communication style may have occurred over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A pin-electrode atmospheric-pressure CO2laser

A 1.2-m-long transversely excited atmospheric-pressure (TEA) CO2laser utilizing shower discharges is described and its operating characteristics as a function of voltage examined up to 60 kV. Pulse energies in excess of 2 J, peak powers in excess of 20 MW, and efficiencies up to 15 percent have been achieved.