Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Diagnostic Utility Of Cerebral White Matter Integrity In Early Alzheimer's Disease, David K. Johnson, Willis Barrow, Raeann E. Anderson, Amith Harsha, Robyn Honea, William M. Brooks, Jeffrey M. Burns

Psychology Faculty Publications

We compared white matter integrity with brain atrophy in healthy controls and participants with very mild dementia (Clinical Dementia Rating 0 vs. 0.5) from the Brain Aging Project, a longitudinal study of aging and memory at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Structural magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) including fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity were performed on 27 patients with very mild dementia (Clinical Dementia Rating = 0.5) of the Alzheimer's type (DAT), and 32 cognitively normal subjects. Patient groups were compared across 6 volumetric measures and 14 DTI regions of interest. Very mildly demented patients showed …

Increased Incidence And Size Of The Cavum Septum Pellicidum In Children With Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, Elliott A. Beaton, Y Qin, V Nguyen, J Stoddard, J D. Pinter, T J. Simon

Psychology Faculty Publications

Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a result of a hemizygotic microdeletion that results in a variety of impairments in children including greater risk for psychiatric ailments in adulthood. We used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging to accurately quantify the length and, for the first time, volume, of the cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) in children aged 7 to 14years with 22q11.2DS and typically developing (TD) controls. Significantly greater anteroposterior length and greater CSP volumes were found in children with 22q11.2DS compared with controls. Furthermore, the largest CSP were found only in the 22q11.2DS group and with a much higher incidence than …

Mental Context Reinstatement Reduces Resistance To False Suggestions After Children Have Experienced A Repeated Event, Donna M. Jennings, Kim P. Roberts, Martine B. Powell

Psychology Faculty Publications

When children allege repeated abuse, they are required to provide details about specific instances. This often results in children confusing details from different instances and so we examined whether ‘mental context reinstatement’ (MCR) could be used to improve children’s accuracy. Children (N = 120, 6-7-year olds) participated in 4 activities over a 2-week period and were interviewed about the last (4^th) time with a standard recall or mental context reinstatement interview. They were then asked questions about specific details, and some questions contained false information. When interviewed again a day later, children in the MCR condition resisted …

Reality-Monitoring Characteristics In Confirmed And Doubtful Allegations Of Abuse, Kim P. Roberts, Michael E. Lamb

Psychology Faculty Publications

According to reality-monitoring theory, memories of experienced and imagined events are qualitatively different, and can be distinguished by children from the age of 3. Across three studies, a total of 119 allegations of sexual abuse by younger (aged 3-8) and older (aged 9-16) children were analyzed for developmental differences in the presence of reality-monitoring criteria, which should characterise descriptions of experienced events. Statements were deemed likely or unlikely to be descriptions of actual incidents using independent case information (e.g., medical evidence). Accounts by older children consistently contained more reality-monitoring criteria than those provided by younger children, and age differences were …

Sex-Related Differences In Vocal Responses To Pitch Feedback Perturbations During Sustained Vocalization, Zhaocong Chen, Peng Liu, Jeffery A. Jones, Dongfeng Huang, Hanjun Liu

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study assessed the effect of sex on voice fundamental frequency (F₀) responses to pitch feedback perturbations during sustained vocalization. Sixty-four native-Mandarin speakers heard their voice pitch feedback shifted at ±50, ±100, or ±200 cents for 200 ms, five times during each vocalization. The results showed that, as compared to female speakers, male speakers produced significantly larger but slower vocal responses to the pitch-shifted stimuli. These findings reveal a modulation of vocal response as a function of sex, and suggest that there may be a differential processing of vocal pitch feedback perturbations between men and women

Multiple Instances Of Vocal Sensorimotor Adaptation To Frequency-Altered Feedback Within A Single Experimental Session, Colin S. Hawco, Jeffery A. Jones

Psychology Faculty Publications

Vocal sensory-motor adaptation is typically studied by introducing a prolonged change in auditory feedback. While it may be preferable to perform multiple blocks of adaptation within a single experiment, it is possible that a carry-over effect from previous blocks of adaptation may affect the results of subsequent blocks. Speakers were asked to vocalize an /a/ sound and match a target note during ten adaptation blocks. Each block represented a unique combination of target note and shift direction. The adaptation response was found to be similar for all blocks, indicating that there were no carry-over effects from previous blocks of adaptation.

The Use Of Paraphrasing In Investigative Interviews, Angela Evans, Kim P. Roberts, Heather L. Price, Candyce P. Stefek

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective

Young children’s descriptions of maltreatment are often sparse thus creating the need for techniques that elicit lengthier accounts. One technique that can be used by interviewers in an attempt to increase children’s reports is ‘paraphrasing’, or repeating information children have disclosed. Although we currently have a general understanding of how paraphrasing may influence children’s reports, we do not have a clear description of how paraphrasing is actually used in the field.

Method

The present study assessed the use of paraphrasing in 125 interviews of children aged 4 to 16 years conducted by police officers and social workers. All interviewer …