Psychiatry and Psychology 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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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

Perceiving Pervasive Discrimination Over Time: Implications For Coping, Mindi D. Foster

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study suggests the effects of perceived pervasiveness may be dynamic over time. The hypothesis was that participants who perceived discrimination to be highly pervasive would initially be more likely to engage in inactive coping strategies than those who perceived low pervasiveness. However, those who continued to perceive high pervasiveness over time would ultimately show greater evidence of using active strategies than those perceiving low pervasiveness. Using a 28-day diary, women and ethnic minorities described their daily experiences of discrimination and indicated their appraisals of its pervasiveness as well as their coping strategies. Results showed that participants who initially perceived …

The Dynamic Nature Of Coping With Gender Discrimination: Appraisals, Strategies And Well-Being Over Time, Mindi D. Foster

Psychology Faculty Publications

Female introductory psychology students at a Canadian university (N = 31) participated in a lab simulation of discrimination, completed coping and well-being measures and then an online survey of well-being one year later. Expectations were that active (inactive) coping would initially be related to decreased (increased) well-being. A reverse pattern was expected for relationships between coping and well-being one year later. Results showed that among those perceiving high pervasive discrimination, active and inactive coping was related to decreased well-being immediately after the discrimination was portrayed, but among those perceiving low pervasiveness inactive coping was related to increased well-being. One year …

Can Paraphrasing Increase The Amount And Accuracy Of Reports From Child Eyewitnesses?, Angela D. Evans, Kim P. Roberts

Psychology Faculty Publications

Young children’s descriptions of sexual abuse are often sparse thus creating the need for techniques that elicit lengthier accounts. ‘Paraphrasing’, or repeating information children have just disclosed, is a technique sometimes used by forensic interviewers to clarify or elicit information. (e.g., if a child stated “He touched me”, an interviewer could respond “He touched you?”). However, the effects of paraphrasing have yet to be scientifically assessed. The impact of different paraphrasing styles on young children’s reports was investigated. Overall, paraphrasing per se did not improve the length, richness, or accuracy of reports when compared to open-ended prompts such as …

The Sensitivity Of Auditory-Motor Representations To Subtle Changes In Auditory Feedback While Singing, Dwayne Nicholas Keough, Jeffery A. Jones

Psychology Faculty Publications

Singing requires accurate control of the fundamental frequency (F₀) of the voice. This study examined trained singers’ and untrained singers’ (nonsingers’) sensitivity to subtle manipulations in auditory feedback and the subsequent effect on the mapping between F₀ feedback and vocal control. Participants produced the consonant-vowel /ta/ while receiving auditory feedback that was shifted up and down in frequency. Results showed that singers and nonsingers compensated to a similar degree when presented with frequency-altered feedback (FAF); however, singers’ F₀ values were consistently closer to the intended pitch target. Moreover, singers initiated their compensatory responses when auditory feedback …

Does Type Of Memory Practice Matter When Interviewing Children About A Single Or Repeated Event?, Sonja Brubacher, Kim Roberts, Martine Powell

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Relations Among Gender, Violence Exposure, And Mental Health: The National Survey Of Adolescents, Rochelle F. Hanson, Cameo Borntrager, Shannon Self-Brown, Dean G. Kilpatrick, Benjamin E. Saunders, Heidi S. Resnick, Ananda Amstadter

Psychology Faculty Publications

Using a nationally representative sample of 4,008 adolescents, this study examines gender differences in violence exposure, major depressive episode (MDE) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and characteristics of violence incidents. It was hypothesized that there would be gender differences in the types of violence exposure reported as well as the prevalence of MDE and PTSD; and that gender would moderate the relationship between violence exposure and mental health outcomes. Results indicated significant gender differences in rates of violence exposure, PTSD and MDE. Additionally, gender was a moderating variable in the relation between sexual assault and PTSD, but not in the …

Resting And Reactive Frontal Brain Electrical Activity (Eeg) Among A Non-Clinical Sample Of Socially Anxious Adults: Does Concurrent Depressive Mood Matter?, Elliott A. Beaton, Louis A. Schmidt, A R. Ashbaugh, D L. Santesso, M M. Antony, R E. Mccabe

Psychology Faculty Publications

A number of studies have noted that the pattern of resting frontal brain electrical activity (EEG) is related to individual differences in affective style in healthy infants, children, and adults and some clinical populations when symptoms are reduced or in remission. We measured self-reported trait shyness and sociability, concurrent depressive mood, and frontal brain electrical activity (EEG) at rest and in anticipation of a speech task in a non-clinical sample of healthy young adults selected for high and low social anxiety. Although the patterns of resting and reactive frontal EEG asymmetry did not distinguish among individual differences in social anxiety, …

Love-Variant: The Wakin-Vo I. D. R. Model Of Limerence, Albert H. Wakin, Duyen B. Vo

Psychology Faculty Publications

The purpose of the current paper is to 1) propose the Wakin-Vo I.D.R model of limerence and 2) establish grounds for the scientific query of limerence. Limerence is an involuntary interpersonal state that involves intrusive, obsessive, and compulsive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are contingent on perceived emotional reciprocation from the object of interest. The model that the authors propose holds that although limerence resembles normative love, it is a state that is necessarily negative, problematic, and impairing, with clinical implications. The model frames limerence as consisting of three functional components: initiating force, driving forces, and resultant forces. Parallels between …

Urgency Is A Non-Monotonic Function Of Pulse Rate, Frank A. Russo, Jeffery A. Jones

Psychology Faculty Publications

Magnitude estimation was used to assess the experience of urgency in pulse-train stimuli (pulsed white noise) ranging from 3.13 to 200 Hz. At low pulse rates, pulses were easily resolved. At high pulse rates, pulses fused together leading to a tonal sensation with a clear pitch level. Urgency ratings followed a nonmonotonic (polynomial) function with local maxima at 17.68 and 200 Hz. The same stimuli were also used in response time and pitch scaling experiments. Response times were negatively correlated with urgency ratings. Pitch scaling results indicated that urgency of pulse trains is mediated by the perceptual constructs of speed …

Speech Disruption During Delayed Auditory Feedback With Simultaneous Visual Feedback, Jeffery A. Jones, Danielle Streimer

Psychology Faculty Publications

Delayed auditory feedback (DAF) regarding speech can cause dysfluency. The purpose of this study was to explore whether providing visual feedback in addition to DAF would ameliorate speech disruption. Speakers repeated sentences and heard their auditory feedback delayed with and without simultaneous visual feedback. DAF led to increased sentence durations and an increased number of speech disruptions. Although visual feedback did not reduce DAF effects on duration, a promising but nonsignificant trend was observed for fewer speech disruptions when visual feedback was provided. This trend was significant in speakers who were overall less affected by DAF. The results suggest the …

Particularisation Of Child Abuse Offences: Common Problems When Questioning Child Witnesses, Martine B. Powell, Kim P. Roberts, Belinda Guadagno

Psychology Faculty Publications

Prosecuting child abusers is often difficult due to lack of particularising details. Two possible ways of addressing this difficulty are: (a) to change the justice system to better serve prosecution for repeated offences (i.e., allow generic testimony), and (b) to bolster children's testimony. As this article has illustrated, there is still considerable potential for increasing (b). Given the low prosecution rates of child abuse offences, the need for exceptional interviewer training programs coupled with resources for ongoing supervision is now critical. While there have been some major improvements in child witness investigative interviews over the past two decades, there are …

Impact Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Versus Education On Stigma Toward People With Psychological Disorders, Akihiko Masuda, Steven C. Hayes, Lindsay B. Fletcher, Paul J. Seignourel, Kara Bunting, Scott A. Herbst, Michael P. Twohig, Jason Lillis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has previously been shown to alter stigmatizing attitudes and to be relatively useful for psychologically inflexible participants. The present study is the first to bring those two findings together by comparing ACT to an education intervention for reducing stigma toward people with psychological disorders, and examining whether results differ for psychologically inflexible versus flexible individuals. A sample of college students (N=95) was randomly assigned to a 2¹/₂ h ACT or educational workshop. Measures were taken before and after the workshop and at a 1-month follow-up. ACT reduced mental health stigma …

Les 25 Ans De La Revue Canadienne De Santé Mental Communautaire: Observations Et Perspectives, Geoffrey Nelson

Psychology Faculty Publications

En tant qu’ancien rédacteur de la Revue canadienne de santé mentale communautaire (RCSMC), membre de longue date de son comité de rédaction et collaborateur régulier, j’ai accepté avec plaisir de commenter l’analyse de contenu de la RCSMC faite par Fortin-Pellerin, Pouliot-Lapointe, Thibodeau et Gagné. Je tiens d’abord à préciser que je ne prétends pas ici faire un compte rendu objectif, non seulement à cause de mon profond investissement dans la Revue, mais aussi à cause de ma partialité, de mes valeurs et de ma position privilégiée, tant personnelles que professionnelles, qui m’empêchent d’être totalement objectif. Je peux toutefois offrir, en …

Strengthening Ontario's System Of Housing For People With Serious Mental Illness, John Sylvestre, Lindsey George, Tim Aubry, Janet Durbin, Geoffrey Nelson, John Trainor

Psychology Faculty Publications

This article describes recent work to support recommendations for improving Ontario’s system of housing for people with serious mental illness. This multifaceted project engaged stakeholders in discussions concerning strategies for improving the system based on (a) values that underlie housing programs, (b) evidence of effective housing practices, (c) the current status of the system, and (d) international practices for monitoring community mental health systems. Stakeholders reviewed summaries of the work and discussed implications for improving the provincial system of housing and supports. Recommendations are made for improving the system, focusing on both regional and provincial level actions.

25 Years Of The Canadian Journal Of Community Mental Health: Reflections And Future Directions, Geoffrey Nelson

Psychology Faculty Publications

As a former senior editor, a long-term member of the editorial board, and a regular contributor to the Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health (CJCMH), I am delighted with the invitation to comment on the 25-year review of the contents of CJCMH by Fortin-Pellerin, Pouliot-Lapointe, Thibodeau, and Gagné. I want to begin by acknowledging that I cannot pretend to give an objective account of CJCMH, not only because of my deep investment in it, but also because of my personal and professional biases, values, and position of privilege. What I can offer are some reflections on CJCMH, as well as …

The Impact Of Experienced Versus Non-Experienced Suggestions On Children’S Recall Of Repeated Events, Martine B. Powell, Kim Roberts, Donald M. Thomson, Stephen J. Ceci

Psychology Faculty Publications

Three experiments were conducted to test the proposition that children’s suggestibility about an occurrence of a repeated event is heightened when an interviewer suggests false details that were experienced in non-target occurrences of the event as opposed to new details that never occurred. In each experiment, children participated in a repeated event during which specific items varied each time (e.g., the children always got a sticker but the theme of the sticker was different in each occurrence). Separate biasing and memory interviews were then conducted. In Experiment 1, the interviewer merely suggested that the false details might have occurred in …

Key Leadership Roles In The 9/11 Terrorist Attack, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Personality assessment of three al-Qaida leaders in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States – Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Mohamed Atta – provides evidence for a rudimentary model of the leadership roles required for a global-reach terrorist operation: (1) a narcissistic, charismatic leader devoid of core values beyond personal self-interest, adept at exploiting others in pursuit of his grandiose ambitions (e.g., bin Laden); (2) a strategic-thinking “true believer” without constraints of conscience regarding the level of violence he is willing to employ in his single-minded pursuit of mission (e.g., al-Zawahiri); and (3) unobtrusive, disciplined operatives …

Responding To Discrimination As A Function Of Meritocracy Beliefs And Personal Experiences: Testing The Model Of Shattered Assumptions, Mindi D. Foster, Lisa Sloto, Richard Ruby

Psychology Faculty Publications

We examined whether the model of shattered assumptions (Janoff-Bulman, 1992) could be applied to the reactions of victims of discrimination. Consistent with this model, it was hypothesized that those whose positive world assumptions are inconsistent with their negative experiences of discrimination would report more negative responses than those whose world assumptions match their experience. Disadvantaged group (both gender and ethnicity) members’ responses to discrimination (self-esteem, collective action, intergroup anxiety) were predicted from their meritocracy beliefs and personal experiences of discrimination. Regression analyses showed a significant interaction between meritocracy beliefs and personal discrimination such that among those who reported personal discrimination, …

The Consistency Of False Suggestions Moderates Children’S Reports Of A Single Instance Of A Repeated Event: Predicting Increases And Decreases In Suggestibility, Kim Roberts, Martine B. Powell

Psychology Faculty Publications

Six- to 7-year-olds (N = 130) participated in classroom activities four times. The children were interviewed about the final occurrence (target event) either a week or a month later, during which half of the event items were inaccurately described. Half of these suggestions were consistent with the theme of the detail across the occurrences (e.g., always sat on a kind of floor mat) or were inconsistent (e.g., sat on a chair). When memory for the target event was tested a day later, children falsely recognized fewer inconsistent than consistent suggestions, especially compared to a control group of children who …

A Preliminary Investigation Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy As A Treatment For Chronic Skin Picking, Michael P. Twohig, Steven C. Hayes, Akihiko Masuda

Psychology Faculty Publications

The effectiveness of a deliberately limited version of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for chronic skin picking was evaluated in a pair of multiple baseline across participants designs. Self-monitoring of skin picking showed that four of the five participants reached near zero levels of picking by post-treatment, but these gains were not fully maintained for three of the four participants at follow-up. The findings of the self-reported skin picking were generally corroborated by ratings of photographs of the damaged areas and by ratings on a validated measure of skin picking severity. All participants rated the intervention as socially acceptable, and …

A Narrative Approach To The Evaluation Of Supportive Housing: Stories Of Homeless People Who Have Experienced Serious Mental Illness, Geoffrey Nelson, Juanne Nancarrow Clarke, Angela Febbraro, Maria Hatzipantelis

Psychology Faculty Publications

We present the findings of a narrative approach to the evaluation of supportive housing for formerly homeless people who have experienced serious mental illness. According to the accounts of 11 men and 9 women, their youth and adult years were piled with personal problems, troubled relationships, and a lack of adequate social resources. Since entering supportive housing, participants noted more stability in their lives and the beginning of journeys to recover positive personal identities, restore or develop new supportive relationships, and reclaim resources vital to leading lives with dignity and meaning. The findings add to the literature on housing interventions …

The Relation Between Inhibitory Control And Children’S Eyewitness Memory, Kim P. Roberts, Martine B. Powell

Psychology Faculty Publications

The hypothesis that inhibitory control – an aspect of executive functioning – is related to children’s suggestibility was tested. Five- to 7-year-olds (N = 125) participated in a staged event, were suggestively interviewed, and were later given a recognition test. Conflict and interference measures of inhibitory control were taken and compared to children’s ability to identify details from the target event and reject details from non-target sources (i.e., false suggestions, details from prior events). Children with higher than average verbal retroactive inhibition skills were more resistant to suggestions than children with poor inhibitory control. Collectively, age and retroactive inhibition …

Moving Forward: Negotiating Self And External Circumstances In Recovery, Joanna Ochocka, Geoffrey Nelson, Rich Janzen

Psychology Faculty Publications

This article presents a framework for understanding the concept of recovery from serious mental illnesses and other life struggles. The framework is based on findings from a longitudinal, qualitative study that involved in-depth interviews with 28 people who experienced serious mental health challenges. The purpose of this article is to clarify the concept of recovery by presenting a grounded theory analysis of the components of recovery. The framework recognizes the experiences of struggle constructed through the words of study participants and captures four main components of recovery: a) a drive to move forward, b) a spiral of positive and negative …