Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Contribution Of Behavioral Risk Factors And Obesity To Socioeconomic Differences In Colorectal Cancer Incidence, Chyke Doubeni, Jacqueline Major, Adeyinka Laiyemo, Mario Schootman, Ann Zauber, Albert Hollenbeck, Rashmi Sinha, Jeroan Allison

Chyke A. Doubeni

BACKGROUND:Health behaviors are known risk factors for colorectal cancer and are more common in low socioeconomic status (SES) populations. We evaluated the extent to which behavioral risk factors and body mass index (BMI) explain SES disparities in colorectal cancer incidence, overall and by tumor location.

METHODS: We analyzed prospective National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study data on 506 488 participants who were recruited in 1995-1996 from six US states and two metropolitan areas and followed through 2006. Detailed baseline data on risk factors for colorectal cancer, including health behaviors, were obtained using questionnaires. SES was measured by self-reported …

When That Tune Runs Through Your Head: A Pet Investigation Of Auditory Imagery For Familiar Melodies, Andrea Halpern, Robert J. Zatorre

Andrea Halpern

The present study used positron emission tomography (PET) to examine the cerebral activity pattern associated with auditory imagery for familiar tunes. Subjects either imagined the continuation of nonverbal tunes cued by their first few notes, listened to a short sequence of notes as a control task, or listened and then reimagined that short sequence. Subtraction of the activation in the control task from that in the real-tune imagery task revealed primarily right-sided activation in frontal and superior temporal regions, plus supplementary motor area (SMA). Isolating retrieval of the real tunes by subtracting activation in the reimagine task from that in …

The Organization Of Memory For Familiar Songs, Andrea Halpern

Andrea Halpern

Investigated the organizing principles in memory for familiar songs in 2 experiments. It was hypothesized that individuals do not store and remember each song in isolation. Rather, there exists a rich system of relationships among tunes that can be revealed through similarity rating studies and memory tasks. One initial assumption was the division of relations among tunes into musical (e.g., tempo, rhythm) and nonmusical similarity. In Exp I, 20 undergraduates were asked to sort 60 familiar tunes into groups according to both musical and nonmusical criteria. Clustering analyses showed clear patterns of nonmusical similarity but few instances of musical similarity. …

Perceived And Imagined Tempos Of Familiar Songs, Andrea Halpern

Andrea Halpern

Two studies investigated the similarity of metronome settings to perceived and imagined familiar songs by subjects unselected for musical ability. In Study 1, mean tempo settings in the two tasks were about 100 beats per minute. Songs with slower perceived tempos tended to be faster in the imagery task and vice versa. In Study 2, subjects set fastest and slowest acceptable tempos for the same set of songs in the imagery mode. These settings were positively correlated with the preferred tempo for the song. Most subjects thought that there were limits on how fast or slow a song could be …

Mental Scanning In Auditory Imagery For Songs, Andrea Halpern

Andrea Halpern

Four experiments examined how people operate on memory representations of familiar songs. The tasks were similar to those used in studies of visual imagery. In one task, subjects saw a one word lyric from a song and then saw a second lyric; then they had to say if the second lyric was from the same song as the first. In a second task, subjects mentally compared pitches of notes corresponding to song lyrics. In both tasks, reaction time increased as a function of the distance in beats between the two lyrics in the actual song, and in some conditions reaction …

Implicit Memory For Music In Alzheimer's Disease, Andrea Halpern, Margaret G. O'Connor

Andrea Halpern

Short, unfamiliar melodies were presented to young and older adults and to Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients in an implicit and an explicit memory task. The explicit task was yes–no recognition, and the implicit task was pleasantness ratings, in which memory was shown by higher ratings for old versus new melodies (the mere exposure effect). Young adults showed retention of the melodies in both tasks. Older adults showed little explicit memory but did show the mere exposure effect. The AD patients showed neither. The authors considered and rejected several artifactual reasons for this null effect in the context of the many …

Musical Expertise And Melodic Structure In Memory For Musical Notation, Andrea Halpern

Andrea Halpern

Two experiments plus a pilot investigated the role of melodic structure on short-term memory for musical notation by musicians and nonmusicians. In the pilot experiment, visually similar melodies that had been rated as either "good" or "bad" were presented briefly, followed by a 15-sec retention interval and then recall. Musicians remembered good melodies better than they remembered bad ones: nonmusicians did not distinguish between them. In the second experiment, good, bad, and random melodies were briefly presented, followed by immediate recall. The advantage of musicians over nonmusicians decreased as the melody type progressed from good to bad to random. In …

Memory For Tune Titles After Organized Or Unorganized Presentation, Andrea Halpern

Andrea Halpern

Two experiments investigated the structure of memory for titles of 54 familiar tunes. The titles were presented in the form of a hierarchy, with nodes labeled by genre (e.g., Rock or Patriotic). Four groups of subjects received logical or randomized titles, and logical or randomized labels. Goodness of label and title structure had equal and additive beneficial effects on recall with a 3-min exposure of the stimuli. With a 4-min exposure, good title structure became a larger contributor to good recall. Clustering analyses suggested that subjects were mentally representing the tune titles hierarchically, even when presentation was random.

Memory For The Absolute Pitch Of Familiar Songs, Andrea Halpern

Andrea Halpern

Four experiments were conducted to examine the ability of people without "perfect pitch" to retain the absolute pitch offamiliar tunes. In Experiment 1, participants imagined given tunes, and then hummed their first notes four times either between or within sessions. The variability of these productions was very low. Experiment 2 used a recognition paradigm, with results similar to those in Experiment 1 for musicians, but with some additional variability shown for unselected subjects. In Experiment 3, subjects rated the suitability ofvarious pitches to start familiar tunes. Previously given preferred notes were rated high, as were notes three or four semitones …

Duration Discrimination In A Series Of Rhythmic Events, Andrea Halpern

Andrea Halpern

Duration discrimination of the last of a series of four clicks was investigated. Examination of psychophysical functions from eight subjects revealed evidence for a Weber’s law model relating discrimination to base interclick interval. Also, the point of subjective equality was seen to change reliably as a function of base rate.

Prospective Investigation Of A Ptsd Personality Typology Among Individuals With Personality Disorders, Meghan E. Mcdevitt-Murphy, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, John C. Markowitz, Andrew E. Skodol

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

This study investigated the replicability of a previously proposed personality typology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, and explored stability of cluster membership over a 6-month period. Participants with current PTSD (n = 156) were drawn from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS). The CLPS project tracked a large sample of individuals who met criteria for 1 of 4 target diagnoses (borderline, schizotypal, avoidant, and obsessive-compulsive) and a contrast group of individuals who met criteria for depression but no personality disorder. A cluster analysis using scales from the Schedule of Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality yielded 3 clusters: “internalizing,” “externalizing,” and …

Help-Negation For Suicidal Thoughts In Sub-Clinical Samples Of Young People, Coralie Joy Wilson

Coralie J Wilson

Across the popular and academic literature, it is widely recognised that young people with persistent suicidal thoughts are at high risk for suicide completion. It is also accepted that seeking and receiving appropriate help offers protection against the development of acute forms of suicidality, along with suicide completion. Yet, as promising as appropriate help-seeking appears for suicide prevention, a growing number of studies suggest that suicidal ideation itself may impede the help-seeking process. There is evidence that acutely suicidal samples will negate or avoid available help, and there are indications that the help-negation process may occur in samples before levels …

Neuromotor Noise, Error Tolerance And Velocity-Dependent Costs In Skilled Performance, Dagmar Sternad, Masaki O. Abe, Xiaogang Hu, Hermann Müller

Dagmar Sternad

In motor tasks with redundancy neuromotor noise can lead to variations in execution while achieving relative invariance in the result. The present study examined whether humans find solutions that are tolerant to intrinsic noise. Using a throwing task in a virtual set-up where an infinite set of angle and velocity combinations at ball release yield throwing accuracy, our computational approach permitted quantitative predictions about solution strategies that are tolerant to noise. Based on a mathematical model of the task expected results were computed and provided predictions about error-tolerant strategies (Hypothesis 1). As strategies can take on a large range of …

Avoidant Personality Disorder, Traits, And Type, Charles A. Sanislow, Katelin Da Cruz, May O. Gianoli, Elizabeth M. Reagan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

In this chapter, the evolution of the avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) diagnosis, its current status, and future possibilities are reviewed. AVPD is a chronic and enduring condition involving a poor sense of self and anxiety in social situations, and it is marked by fears of rejection and a distant interpersonal stance. AVPD may be conceptualized at the severe end of a continuum of social anxiety. In the extreme, traits, mechanisms, and symptoms become integral to chronic dysfunction in personality and interpersonal style. While AVPD is a valid diagnostic construct, the optimal organization of AVPD criteria for the diagnosis, and the …

Using The Transtheoretical Model In Primary Care Weight Management: Tipping The Decisional Balance Scale For Exercise, Janice (Jan) M. Peterson

Janice (Jan) M Peterson

Changing or modifying a behavior that is addictive or potentially harmful is difficult for most people. The Transtheoretical Model (TM) (Prochaska, Norcross, & DiClemente, 1994) incorporates a compilation of previous theories, providing a framework for the stages of progression when deciding to change a problematic behavior. The stages include: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance, and Termination. Other constructs of the model, some adapted from previous models, include the Decisional Balance (Janis & Mann, 1977), Self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977) and the Processes of Change (Prochaska, Norcross, & DiClemente, 1994, Velicer, Prochaska, Fava, Norman, & Redding, 1998). Traditionally, examining the stages of change …

Avoidant Personality Disorder, Charles A. Sanislow, Ellen E. Bartolini, Emma C. Zoloth

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Long-Term Outcomes In Borderline Psychopathology: Old Assumptions, Current Findings, And New Directions, Charles A. Sanislow, Katherine L. Marcus, Elizabeth M. Reagan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and historical variants of the diagnosis were long held to represent an intractable syndrome of psychopathology consisting of interpersonal, intrapsychic, and affective disturbances. For years, patients labeled “borderline” were regarded pejoratively due at least in part to the lack of effective treatments. Prospective data from recent naturalistic follow-along studies along with the development of treatments with empirically demonstrated efficacy have changed how BPD is viewed. It is now less common to hide the diagnosis from the patient, and BPD has become a useful label to guide the treatment process and help the patient make sense of …

Brief Report: Need For Autonomy And Other Perceived Barriers Relating To Adolescents’ Intentions To Seek Professional Mental Health Care., Coralie J. Wilson, Frank P. Deane

Coralie J Wilson

The current study examined the relationship between belief-based barriers to seeking professional mental health care and help-seeking intentions in a sample of 1037 adolescents. From early adolescence to adulthood, for males and females, the need for autonomy was a strong barrier to seeking professional mental health care. Help-seeking fears were weaker in the older age groups. Having lower perceived need for autonomy and believing that prior mental health care was helpful was significantly associated with higher intentions to seek future professional mental health care. Implications for prevention and overcoming barriers to seeking mental health care are suggested.