Psychology Commons^™

Goal Setting, Feedback, And Task Performance: A Laboratory Experiment, Trishita Mathew, Richard Hicks

Richard Hicks

The present study investigated the effects of goal setting and feedback on task performance among university students. The study was conducted in two phases with a total of 80 participants. Locke and Latham’s (1990) goal setting theory states that assigning a specific and difficult goal and provision of feedback leads to higher performance. It was hypothesized that when assigned a specific, difficult goal on a complex task and (1) only provided with outcome feedback, higher performance would not result and (2) when provided with both outcome and process feedback, higher performance would result. A 2 x 2, between subjects ANOVA …

Arousal, Working Memory, And Conscious Awareness In Contingency Learning, Louise D. Cosand, Thomas M. Cavanagh, Ashley A. Brown, Christopher G. Courtney, Anthony J. Rissling, Anne M. Schell, Michael E. Dawson

Thomas M. Cavanagh

Psychological Distress Among Prostate Cancer Patients: Fact Or Fiction?, Christopher Sharpley, Vicki Bitsika, David Christie

Vicki Bitsika

Although the detrimental effect upon psychological well-being of receiving a diagnosis of, or treatment for, cancer has been demonstrated across many different types of cancer, three recent reviews of the psychological health of prostate cancer patients have produced contradictory conclusions. In order to elucidate the reasons for these apparent different conclusions, each of these reviews is described, with principal methods and fi ndings summarised. Actual data, methodology used to select/reject research studies for inclusion in reviews, plus the validity of strict methodological culling of some research studies are discussed. Several extra studies and commentaries are also described, and a resolution …

Sex Therapy: Current Approaches To Treatment And Intervention, J. Campbell, Tiffani Kisler

Tiffani S. Kisler

No abstract provided.

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Neurobiology And Current Assessment Practices, Ryan Allen, Diana Robins, Scott Decker

Ryan A. Allen

This study reviews recent research related to the neurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and provides an empirical analysis of current assessment practices. Data were collected through a survey of 117 school psychologists. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS), and Gilliam Asperger's Disorder Scale (GADS) were the most frequently used measures. Among the less popular, but more intensive instruments, the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) appears to be gaining popularity within school-based evaluations. Generally, respondents approached the assessment of ASDs from a traditional psychoeducational perspective and reported the use of a very narrow range of …

Utility Of The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test-Second Edition In The Assessment Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Ryan Allen, Scott Decker

Ryan A. Allen

This study examined the use of the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test- Second Edition (BGT-II) with children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Previous research has examined the relationship of ADHD and visual-motor functioning based on overall developmental scores or specific emotional indicators. Although several studies have examined the relationship of the previous edition of the BGT-II and ADHD symptoms, psychometric issues associated with the original edition limit the validity of the results. The current study examined the utility of the BGT-II in the assessment of behaviors associated with ADHD. A group of 62 subjects diagnosed with ADHD (M= 11 yr., 5 …

Fitness And Action Monitoring: Evidence For Improved Cognitive Flexibility In Young Adults, Jason R. Themanson, Matthew B. Pontifex, Charles H. Hillman

Jason R. Themanson, Ph.D

To improve behavior, one must detect errors and initiate subsequent corrective adaptations. This action monitoring process has been widely studied, but little is known about how one may improve this aspect of cognition. To examine the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and action monitoring, we recorded the error-related negativity (ERN), an event-related brain potential believed to index action monitoring, as well as post-error behavioral indices of action monitoring from healthy young adults (18–25 years) who varied in cardiorespiratory fitness. These measures were collected during the execution of flanker tasks emphasizing response accuracy or speed to better assess the specificity of any …

New Episodes And New Onsets Of Major Depression In Borderline And Other Personality Disorders, John G. Gunderson, Robert L. Stout, Charles A. Sanislow, M. Tracie Shea, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Mary C. Zanarini, Maria T. Daversa, Carlos M. Grilo, Shirley Yen, Andrew E. Skodol

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Background: In the context of much literature and conjecture about the relationship of personality disorders (PD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), this paper uses longitudinal data to assess the frequency with which PD patients, and especially those with borderline personality disorder (BPD), have recurrences (for patients with lifetime histories), or new onsets (for patients without lifetime histories) of MDD. Methods: A sample of 478 PD patients received reliable repeated follow-up assessments over a period of 6 years. The rates of new onsets and recurrences of MDD in all PD patients, and in BPD patients compared to OPD patients were analyzed. …

Experiences With Partner Violence And Mental Health Problems: Exploring Patterns, F. Christopher, Tiffani Kisler, S. Johnson

Tiffani S. Kisler

No abstract provided.

Investigating Bimanual Coordination In Dominant And Non-Dominant Virtual Hands, Gavin Buckingham, David Carey

Gavin Buckingham

A bias in attention towards the dominant hand has been cited as a possible factor in the lateralisation of human bimanual coordination (Peters, 1981). A mirror was placed between the hands of 18 dextral participants performing rhythmic anti-phase movements. This set-up gave the appearance of a reflected virtual hand (moving in time with the un-occluded hand), in the same spatial location as the occluded left or right hand. This asymmetrical conflict between vision and action examined whether the left hand would show higher levels of error when replaced by a virtual right hand than the converse condition. Higher levels of …

Goal Setting, Feedback, And Task Performance: A Laboratory Experiment, Trishita Mathew, Richard Hicks

Trishita Mathew

The present study investigated the effects of goal setting and feedback on task performance among university students. The study was conducted in two phases with a total of 80 participants. Locke and Latham’s (1990) goal setting theory states that assigning a specific and difficult goal and provision of feedback leads to higher performance. It was hypothesized that when assigned a specific, difficult goal on a complex task and (1) only provided with outcome feedback, higher performance would not result and (2) when provided with both outcome and process feedback, higher performance would result. A 2 x 2, between subjects ANOVA …

Personality Traits And Mental Health Treatment Utilization, Christopher J. Hopwood, Brian D. Quigley, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Shirley Yen, M. Tracie Shea, Mary C. Zanarini, John G. Gunderson, Andrew E. Skodol, John C. Markowitz, Leslie C. Morey

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Recent theory and research suggest a relation between five-factor model personality traits and mental health treatment utilization, even after controlling for psychiatric disorders and global functioning. The current report further tests this hypothesis in a large clinical sample, using a wider array of treatment modalities than has been previously studied. Overall, results were limited and inconsistent. Although neuroticism was related to utilization across treatment modalities, many of these relationships resulted from its association with psychiatric diagnoses. Other traits showed limited and inconsistent relations to the use of psychosocial and psychiatric treatments.

Book Review 18 Make Room For Happiness By Steven Melemis, William C. Mcpeck

William C. McPeck

This is my review of Make Room for Happiness: 12 Ways to Improve Your Life By Letting Go of Tension. Better Health, Self-Esteem and Relationships by Steven Melemis, published by Modern Therapies in 2008.

Shame, Attachment And Masculine Lust Addiction, Alan A. Mackenzie

Alan A MacKENZIE

A Hobbsean treatise (literature review) of the role of shame and attachent in masculine lust addiction.

Alternative Models Of Network Growth: Preferential Attachment, Preferential Acquisition, And The Lure Of The Associates In Early Word Learning, Thomas Hills, Mounir Maouene, Josita Maouene, Adam Sheya, Linda Smith

Josita C Maouene

No abstract provided.

Stress-Induced Attenuation Of Acoustic Startle In Low-Saccharin-Consuming Rats., Clinton Chapman, Mitzi Gonzales, Cameryn Garrett, Nancy Dess

Clinton D Chapman

Exposure to stress can lead to either increased stress vulnerability or enhanced resiliency. Laboratory rats are a key tool in the exploration of basic biobehavioral processes underlying individual differences in the effect of stress on subsequent stressors’ impact. The Occidental low (LoS) and high (HiS) saccharin-consuming rats, which differ in emotional reactivity, are useful in this effort. In the present study, footshock affected acoustic startle amplitude 4h later among LoS but not HiS rats. Surprisingly, shock attenuated startle rather than sensitizing it, a finding not previously reported for male rats exposed to shock. Attenuation was blocked by administering the anxiolytic …

Stress-Induced Attenuation Of Acoustic Startle In Low-Saccharin-Consuming Rats., Clinton Chapman, Nancy Dess, Mitzi Gonzales, Cameryn Garrett

Clinton D Chapman

Exposure to stress can lead to either increased stress vulnerability or enhanced resiliency. Laboratory rats are a key tool in the exploration of basic biobehavioral processes underlying individual differences in the effect of stress on subsequent stressors' impact. The Occidental low (LoS) and high (HiS) saccharin-consuming rats, which differ in emotional reactivity, are useful in this effort. In the present study, footshock affected acoustic startle amplitude 4 h later among LoS but not HiS rats. Surprisingly, shock attenuated startle rather than sensitizing it, a finding not previously reported for male rats exposed to shock. Attenuation was blocked by administering the …

Teaching Accountability Using Client Feedback Software, Jacqueline Sparks, Jerome Adams, Tiffani Kisler, Dale Blumen

Tiffani S. Kisler

No abstract provided.

Stress-Induced Attenuation Of Acoustic Startle In Low-Saccharin-Consuming Rats., M. Gonzales, C. Garrett, C. D. Chapman, Nancy K. Dess

Nancy K Dess

Exposure to stress can lead to either increased stress vulnerability or enhanced resiliency. Laboratory rats are a key tool in the exploration of basic biobehavioral processes underlying individual differences in the effect of stress on subsequent stressors’ impact. The Occidental low (LoS) and high (HiS) saccharin-consuming rats, which differ in emotional reactivity, are useful in this effort. In the present study, footshock affected acoustic startle amplitude 4 h later among LoS but not HiS rats. Surprisingly, shock attenuated startle rather than sensitizing it, a finding not previously reported for male rats exposed to shock. Attenuation was blocked by administering the …

Why Don't They Learn?, Cynthia D. Fisher

Cynthia D. Fisher

Extract: Highhouse (2008) suggests that managers’ ‘‘stubborn’’ preferences for suboptimal selection practices are based on two beliefs: (1) that selection decisions can be near 100% correct and (2) that the expertise and intuition needed to make perfect decisions are developed by experience. I will suggest mechanisms by which these beliefs persist in the face of what should be contradictory feedback.

First-Year Trends In Self-Reported General Health Predict Survival In Patients With Head And Neck Cancer, Mark Jameson, Lucy Karnell, Alan Christensen

Alan J. Christensen

Objective To demonstrate that first-year trends in a self-reported subjective general health assessment tool can provide prognostic information and help predict long-term survival in patients with head and neck cancer.

Design Prospective observational cohort study.

Setting Tertiary care center.

Patients Four hundred three patients with head and neck cancer who were enrolled in a longitudinal outcomes project between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2005.

Intervention Self-reported general physical health assessments were collected using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey at diagnosis (pretreatment) and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after diagnosis.

Main Outcome Measures Actuarial 5-year …

Critical Thinking As Disciplinary Practice, Stephen Yanchar, Brent Slife, Russell Warne

Russell T Warne

Critical thinking in psychology has traditionally focused on method-centered tasks such as the assessment of method use, data analysis, and research evidence. Although helpful in some ways, this form of critical thinking fails to provide resources for critically examining the scientific analytic foundation on which it rests and, when used exclusively, prohibits sufficiently critical analysis of theory and research. An alternative view of critical thinking--that emphasizes the identification and evaluation of implicit theoretical assumptions--is advocated. It is suggested that this alternative approach improves on method-centered approaches by addressing not only implicit assumptions but also rule-following concerns. This approach is intended …

Preferential Acquisition Not Attachment In The Development Of Children’S Semantic Networks, Thomas Hills, Mounir Maouene, Josita Maouene, Adam Sheya, Linda Smith

Josita C Maouene

No abstract provided.

Selective Breeding For Differential Saccharin Intake As An Animal Model Of Drug Abuse., M. E. Carroll, A. D. Morgan, J. J. Anker, J. L. Perry, Nancy K. Dess

Nancy K Dess

A positive relationship between the consumption of sweetened dietary substances (e.g. saccharin and sucrose) and drug abuse has been reported in both the human and other animal literature. The proposed genetic contribution to this relationship has been based on evidence from behavioral, neurobiological, and linkage studies in heterogeneous and homogeneous animal populations. Initial work in several laboratories indicated that rodents that are selected for high alcohol consumption also display an increased preference for sweets compared with low alcohol-consuming animals. More recently, Sprague-Dawley rats have been selectively bred based on high saccharin (HiS) or low saccharin (LoS) consumption, and these lines …

The Utility Of The Individual Reading Evaluation And Diagnostic Reading Inventory, A Specific Reading Skills Assessment, For Treatment Design And Implementation, Andrew J. Koerner

Andrew J Koerner

This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the Individualized Reading Evaluation and Diagnosis (iRead) Inventory for accurately assessing specific decoding sub-skill weaknesses and for informing the development of targeted interventions to improve the reading abilities of students. The iRead Inventory is a curriculum-based, specific skills mastery measurement tool for assessing specific decoding weaknesses. Students read word lists targeted to specific vowel combinations to determine weaknesses with particular combinations. The study assessed whether the iRead Inventory could distinguish specific decoding sub-skill weaknesses for students and whether the iRead Inventory was effective in supporting the development of interventions to improve …

Providing Faculty Ipods To Explore Innovative Teaching And Learning, Jace Hargis, Scott A. Jensen, Carolynn S. Kohn, Matthew P. Normand, Deborah Schooler

Matthew Normand

Relative Sensitivity Of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy And Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging To Cognitive Function Among Nondemented Individuals Infected With Hiv, Robert H. Paul, Thomas M. Ernst, Adam M. Brickman, Constantin T. Yiannoutsos, David F. Tate, Ronald A. Cohen, Bradford A. Navia

Robert Paul

Developmental Trajectory Of The Granularity Of Early-Learned Verbs Clustered By Body Parts, Josita Maouene, Shohei Hidaka, Linda Smith

Josita C Maouene

No abstract provided.

Bosses’ Perceptions Of Work-Family Conflict And Women’S Upward Mobility: The Glass Ceiling Reexamined, Grace Lemmon

Grace Lemmon

No abstract provided.

Suffering In Silence: Girls With Asperger Syndrome, Lee Wilkinson

Lee A Wilkinson, PhD

No abstract provided.