bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EGYPTIAN BY ASSOCIATION: CHARITABLE STATES AND SERVICE SOCIETIES, CIRCA 1850–1945
Authors: Pollard Lisa
Published: April 2014

In this article I argue that the Egyptian state emerged as a welfare provider in the mid-20th century, first by depending on the services of charitable societies to feed, educate, and provide medical assistance to the poor, and later by imitating and harnessing the activities of charitable societies. Drawing on correspondence between the state and service societies from the 1880s to 1945, when King Faruq (r. 1936–52) granted the Egyptian Ministry of Social Affairs (MOSA) the authority to define and to circumscribe the activities of social welfare organizations, the article illustrates the interactions of and the similarities between private and state-sponsored charity. The article further suggests that the establishment of MOSA helped to consolidate the hegemony of the Egyptian state over society and, at the same time, exemplified a dialectical process of state formation engaged in by Egyptian heads of state, service organizations, and the Egyptians whose needs they served.
SOUND MINDS IN SOUND BODIES: TRANSNATIONAL PHILANTHROPY AND PATRIOTIC MASCULINITY IN AL-NADI AL-HOMSI AND SYRIAN BRAZIL, 1920–32
Authors: Fahrenthold Stacy
Published: April 2014

Established in 1920, al-Nadi al-Homsi in São Paulo, Brazil was a young men's club devoted to Syrian patriotic activism and culture in the Americanmahjar(diaspora). Founded by a transnational network of intellectuals from Homs, the fraternity committed itself to what it saw as a crucial aspect of Syrian national independence under Amir Faysal: the development of a political middle class and a masculine patriotic culture. Al-Nadi al-Homsi directed this project at Syrian youth, opening orphanages, libraries, and schools in both Syria and in Brazil. In these spaces, men and boys congregated to celebrate a polite male culture centered on secular philanthropy, popular education, and corporeal discipline through sports. This article argues that during the 1920s and 1930s, al-Nadi al-Homsi's politics of benevolence was part of a larger social milieu that drew analogies between strong Syrian minds and bodies and a sovereign, independent Syrian homeland.
Gender and Ottoman Social History
Authors: Tuğ Başak
Published: April 2014

Starting with Said's critique of Orientalism but going well beyond it, poststructuralist and postcolonial critiques of modernity have challenged not only one-dimensional visions of Western modernity—by “multiplying” or “alternating” it with different modernities—but also the binaries between the modern and the traditional/premodern/early modern, thus resulting in novel, more inclusive ways of thinking about past experiences. Yet, while scholars working on the Middle East have successfully struggled against the Orientalist perception of the Middle East asthetradition constructed in opposition to the Western modern, they often have difficulties in deconstructing the traditionwithin, that is, the premodern past. They have traced the alternative and multiple forms of modernities in Middle Eastern geography within the temporal borders of “modernity.” However, going beyond this temporality and constructing new concepts—beyond the notion of tradition—to understand the specificities of past experiences (which are still in relationship with the present) remains underdeveloped in the social history of the Middle East.
A COMMENT ON MORIEL RAM'S REVIEW OF AVI RAZ, THE BRIDE AND THE DOWRY: ISRAEL, JORDAN, AND THE PALESTINIANS IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE JUNE 1967 WAR (IJMES 45 [2013]: 629–31)
Authors: Raz Avi
Published: April 2014

In his review of my book, The Bride and the Dowry: Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians in the Aftermath of the June 1967 War, Moriel Ram offers praise and criticism. At the risk of sounding ungrateful for the praise, I find his review to be based on careless reading and thus unfounded, thereby doing disservice to readers of IJMES.
Nematode Hsp90: highly conserved but functionally diverse
Authors: GILLAN VICTORIA , DEVANEY EILEEN
Published: April 2014

Nematodes are amongst the most successful and abundant organisms on the planet with approximately 30 000 species described, although the actual number of species is estimated to be one million or more. Despite sharing a relatively simple and invariant body plan, there is considerable diversity within the phylum. Nematodes have evolved to colonize most ecological niches, and can be free-living or can parasitize plants or animals to the detriment of the host organism. In this review we consider the role of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) in the nematode life cycle. We describe studies on Hsp90 in the free-living nematodeCaenorhabditis elegansand comparative work on the parasitic speciesBrugia pahangi, and consider whether a dependence upon Hsp90 can be exploited for the control of parasitic species.
Sir Ian Gourlay
Authors: Savours Ann
Published: April 2014

Sir Ian Gourlay had a distinguished career in the Royal Marines. He was born on 13 November 1920 and died on 17 July 2013, aged 92. During World War II, he took part in the landings in North Africa and fought in the Adriatic, in Italy and in Yugoslavia. He was appointed Commandant-General from 1971 to 1975, during which years he organised the change in training from jungle and desert warfare to the Arctic, in order to defend NATO's northern flank against possible Soviet aggression. He retired in 1975 from the Royal Marines, when he became Director General of the United World Colleges, at the request of Lord Mountbatten. During his fifteen years in office, this educational foundation for the world-wide development of international understanding expanded considerably. On its website on 30 September 2013, UWC's Executive Director recorded that the movement was transformed by Sir Ian, who proved to be an inspiration to very many people.
Trusting relationships in international politics: No need to hedge
Authors: KEATING VINCENT CHARLES , RUZICKA JAN
Published: April 2014

How can trusting relationships be identified in international politics? The recent wave of scholarship on trust in International Relations answers this question by looking for one or the combination of three indicators – the incidence of cooperation; discourses expressing trust; or the calculated acceptance of vulnerability. These methods are inadequate both theoretically and empirically. Distinguishing between the concepts of trust and confidence, we instead propose an approach that focuses on the actors' hedging strategies. We argue that actors either declining to adopt or removing hedging strategies is a better indicator of a trusting relationship than the alternatives. We demonstrate the strength of our approach by showing how the existing approaches would suggest the US-Soviet relationship to be trusting when it was not so. In contrast, the US-Japanese alliance relationship allows us to show how we can identify a developing trusting relationship.
Factors associated with diarrhoea in young children and incidence of symptomatic rotavirus infection in rural West Bengal, India
Authors: PANDA S. , DEB A. K. , CHAWLA-SARKAR M. , RAMAMURTHY T. , GANGULY S. , PRADHAN P. , CHAKRABORTY A. , DESAI S. , GUPTE M. D. , DHERE R.
Published: April 2014

Socio-behavioural factors and pathogens associated with childhood diarrhoea are of global public health concern. Our survey in 696 children aged ⩽2 years in rural West Bengal detected rotavirus as sole pathogen in 8% (17/199) of diarrhoeic stool specimens. Other organisms were detected along with rotavirus in 11% of faecal specimens. A third of the children with rotavirus diarrhoea, according to Vesikari score, had severe illness. The top four rotavirus genotypes were G9P[4] (28%), G1P[8] (19%), G2P[4] (14%) and G8P[4] (8%). In the multivariate model, the practice of ‘drawing drinking water by dipping a pot in the storage vessel’ [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2·21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·03–4·74,P = 0·041], and ‘children aged ⩽6 months with non-exclusive breastfeeding’ (aOR 2·07, 95% CI 1·1–3·82,P = 0·024) had twice the odds of having diarrhoea. Incidence of rotavirus diarrhoea was 24/100 child-years in children aged >6–18 months, 19/100 child-years in children aged >18–24 months and 5/100 child-years in those aged ⩽6 months. Results have translational implications for future interventions including vaccine development.
Medical and Psychosocial Needs of Olympic and Pan American Athletes after the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti: An Opportunity to Promote Resilience Through Sports Medicine and Public Diplomacy
Authors: Yim Eugene S. , Macy Robert D. , Ciottone Gregory
Published: April 2014

Introduction

On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti. Data regarding the prevalence of medical and psychosocial needs after the earthquake is scarce, complicating informed targeting of aid. The effects of the earthquake on athletes, as they differ from the general population, are especially unclear. The Center for Disaster Resilience (Boston, Massachusetts USA) and the Disaster Medicine Section at Harvard Medical School (Boston, Massachusetts USA) have partnered with Child in Hand to care for athletes training for the Pan American and Olympic games in Haiti, as well as for children from the general population. This report presents preliminary epidemiologic data illustrating the burden of medical and psychosocial needs of Haitian athletes and the general population after the earthquake of 2010.

Methods

The study was a cross-sectional, comparative study conducted a year after the earthquake. The study group comprised 104 athletes, aged 12-18 years, enrolled from the National Sports Center in Haiti. The control group (N = 104) from the general population was age- and gender-matched from orphanages and schools in and around Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Medical teams assessed illness based on history and physicals. Psychosocial teams utilized the Child Psychosocial Distress Screener (CPDS). Two-proportion z tests and two-sample t tests were used to compare the proportions of medical illnesses, mean CPDS scores, and proportion of CPDS scores indicating treatment.

Results

The most prevalent medical condition in athletes was musculoskeletal pain, which was more common than in controls (49% versus 2.9%). All other medical conditions were more common in the controls than athletes: abdominal pain (28.8% versus 4.8%); headache (22.1% versus 5.8%); fever (15.4% versus 1%); and malnutrition (18.3% versus 1.9%). In contrast, there was no significant difference in mean psychosocial scores and the proportion of scores indicating treatment between athletes and controls.

Conclusion

Elite athletes in Haiti have a low prevalence of most medical conditions after the disaster, suggesting that they may be protected from risk factors affecting the general population. However, athletes have a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal ailments and were not protected from psychosocial distress. This presents an opportunity for sports medicine physicians and mental health providers to engage in efforts to rebuild Haiti on an individual level by providing targeted care to athletes, and on a larger scale, by supporting international sports competition, which enhances human capital and facilitates public diplomacy.

YimES, MacyRD, CiottoneG. Medical and psychosocial needs of Olympic and Pan American athletes after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti: an opportunity to promote resilience through sports medicine and public diplomacy. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(3):1-5.
Children Like Dense Neighborhoods: Orthographic Neighborhood Density Effects in Novel Readers
Authors: Duñabeitia Jon Andoni , Vidal-Abarca Eduardo
Published: April 2014

Previous evidence with English beginning readers suggests that some orthographic effects, such as the orthographic neighborhood density effects, could be stronger for children than for adults. Particularly, children respond more accurately to words with many orthographic neighbors than to words with few neighbors. The magnitude of the effects for children is much higher than for adults, and some researchers have proposed that these effects could be progressively modulated according to reading expertise. The present paper explores in depth how children from 1stto 6thgrade perform a lexical decision with words that are from dense or sparse orthographic neighborhoods, attending not only to accuracy measures, but also to response latencies, through a computer-controlled task. Our results reveal that children (like adults) show clear neighborhood density effects, and that these effects do not seem to depend on reading expertise. Contrarily to previous claims, the present work shows that orthographic neighborhood effects are not progressively modulated by reading skill. Further, these data strongly support the idea of a general language-independent preference for using the lexical route instead of grapheme-to-phoneme conversions, even in beginning readers. The implications of these results for developmental models in reading and for models in visual word recognition and orthographic encoding are discussed.
Women's Access to Managerial Positions: An Experimental Study of Leadership Styles and Gender
Authors: Cuadrado Isabel , Morales J. Francisco , Recio Patricia
Published: April 2014

This study attempts to test one of the explanations of the scarce representation of women in managerial positions, specifically the one advanced by “role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders” (Eagly & Karau, 2002), which appeals to the fact that women get unfavorable evaluations if they adopt male-stereotypical leadership styles. One-hundred and thirty-six undergraduate students participated in an experiment with a 2 (Male-stereotypical vs. Female-stereotypical leadership style) × 2 (Male vs. Female leader) design. Dependent variables were leader's competence, efficacy, and evaluation in a series of traits. It was found that, regardless of sex, the leaders were considered more competent and efficient, and were evaluated more favorably, when they adopted stereotypically feminine leadership styles. Implications of these findings for women's underrepresentation as leaders in management top positions worldwide are discussed.
Variations on an old Theme: Maternity for Women with a Very Successful Professional Career
Authors: Rocha-Coutinho Maria Lúcia
Published: April 2014

In this study, relationships of middle-class women from Rio de Janeiro with their family and work are presented. A series of events during the 20th century have changed woman's identity, previously centered on the roles of mother and wife, so that, there are now other options for women. Carioca girls are currently educated to compete, seek greater professional growth, and value their independence. However, some social discourses still reinforce women's former role the in the family. The notion that the mother-child unit is basic, universal, and, psychologically, the most appropriate, both for the child's healthy development and the mother's wholeness, is still firmly rooted. Motherhood is therefore one of the most complex and problematic matters for modern Carioca woman. Fifteen women with successful professional careers, residents of the city of Rio de Janeiro, varying in age from 30 to 40, and with children from 6 months to 3 years of age, were interviewed. The interviews had an invisible structure, were recorded and transcribed. The discourse of the resultant texts was analyzed, using the categories I established. In this project, I focus on the results of the analysis of the category “View of Maternity” of the interviewed women.
Both Freud and Hoffman are Right: Anxious-Aggressive and Empathic Dimensions of Guilt
Authors: Etxebarria Itziar , Apodaca Pedro
Published: April 2014

The purpose of the study was to confirm a model which proposed two basic dimensions in the subjective experience of guilt, one anxious-aggressive and the other empathic, as well as another dimension associated but not intrinsic to it, namely, the associated negative emotions dimension. Participants were 360 adolescents, young adults and adults of both sexes. They were asked to relate one of the situations that most frequently caused them to experience feelings of guilt and to specify its intensity and that of 9 other emotions that they may have experienced, to a greater or lesser extent, at the same time on a 7-point scale. The proposed model was shown to adequately fit the data and to be better than other alternative nested models. This result supports the views of both Freud and Hoffman regarding the nature of guilt, contradictory only at a first glance.
Examining the Relationship between Binge Eating and Coping Strategies and the Definition of Binge Eating in a Sample of Spanish Adolescents
Authors: Baigrie Susana Sierra , Giráldez Serafín Lemos
Published: April 2014

The present study had two major goals: to explore the relationship between binge eating and coping strategies in a sample of Spanish adolescents and to examine the adolescents' concept of binge eating. Two hundred and fifty-nine adolescents from a secondary school completed the Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS; Frydenberg & Lewis, 1993) and the Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE; Henderson & Freeman, 1987), as well as additional questions regarding the binge-eating episodes. The results show that the adolescents who reported binge eating used more avoidance coping strategies than those who did not engage in this behavior. Adolescents took into account mainly the amount of food eaten when defining a binge with few of them mentioning loss of control in their descriptions. The results of the study have implications for the prevention of this behavior. The development of constructive ways for solving daily problems and coping with stressors may be a possible prevention strategy for this behaviour in adolescence.
Prediction of University Students' Academic Achievement by Linear and Logistic Models
Authors: Ayán Maria Noel Rodríguez , García Maria Teresa Coello
Published: April 2014

University students' academic achievement measured by means of academic progress is modeled through linear and logistic regression, employing prior achievement and demographic factors as predictors. The main aim of the present paper is to compare results yielded by both statistical procedures, in order to identify the most suitable approach in terms of goodness of fit and predictive power. Grades awarded in basic scientific courses and demographic variables were entered into the models at the first step. Two hypotheses are proposed: (a) Grades in basic courses as well as demographic factors are directly related to academic progress, and (b) Logistic regression is more appropriate than linear regression due to its higher predictive power. Results partially confirm the first prediction, as grades are positively related to progress. However, not all demographic factors considered proved to be good predictors. With regard to the second hypothesis, logistic regression was shown to be a better approach than linear regression, yielding more stable estimates with regard to the presence of ill-fitting patterns.
Unconscious Learning. Conditioning to Subliminal Visual Stimuli
Authors: Núñez Juan P. , de Vicente Francisco
Published: April 2014

The role of consciousness in Pavlovian conditioning was examined in two experiments in which visually masked neutral words were used as the conditioned stimuli (CS) and an electric shock as the unconditioned stimulus (US). The inter-stimulus interval (ISI) was established individually. A detection threshold was used in Experiment 1 and an identification threshold in Experiment 2. The primary dependent variable was the skin conductance response (SCR). Results showed that the conditioned response (CR) was acquired by 58% of participants who perceived stimuli above the identification threshold, 50% of participants who perceived stimuli below the detection threshold, and 11% of participants who perceived stimuli below the identification threshold, but above the detection threshold. These results suggest that consciousness of the CS-US contingency is not a necessary condition for acquiring a CR of the autonomous nervous system (ANS).
Women and Vulnerability to Depression: Some Personality and Clinical Factors
Authors: Carrillo Jesús M. , Rojo Nieves , Staats Arthur W.
Published: April 2014

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of sex differences and personality in vulnerability to depression. Sex differences in personality and some clinical variables are described. We also assess the value of the variables that revealed significant sex differences as predictors of vulnerability to depression. In a group of adult participants (N= 112), 50% males and 50% females (mean age = 41.30;SD= 15.09; range 17- 67), we studied sex differences in the three-factor personality model, using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Form A (EPQ-A; Eysenck & Eysenck, 1975), and in the Five-Factor Personality Model, with the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI; Costa & McCrae, 1985). The following clinical scales were used: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979), the Schizotypy Questionnaire (STQ; Claridge & Broks, 1984; Spanish version, Carrillo & Rojo, 1999), the THARL Scales (Dua, 1989, 1990; Spanish version, Dua & Carrillo, 1994) and the Adjustment Inventory (Bell, 1937; Spanish version, Cerdá, 1980). Subsequently, simple linear regression analysis, with BDI scores as criterion, were performed to estimate the value of the variables as predictors of vulnerability to depression. The results indicate that a series of personality variables cause women to be more vulnerable to depression than men and that these variables could be explained by a negative emotion main factor. Results are discussed within the framework of the psychological behaviorism theory of depression.
Composite and Preferences Scales of Morningness: Reliability and Factor Invariance in Adult and University Samples
Authors: Morales Juan Francisco Díaz , Sánchez-López María Pilar
Published: April 2014

The creation and adaptation of scales or inventories assessing specific circadian typologies has been a predominant focus within the field of chronopsychology. The present study addressed the psychometric properties of two scales of morningness-eveningness: the Morningness Composite Scale (CS; Smith, Reilly, & Midkiff, 1989) and the Early/Late Preferences Scale (PS; Smith, Folkard, Schmieder, Parra, Spelten, & Almirall, 1993). Internal consistency and factor invariance of the CS and PS were analyzed in two samples: a group of 203 university students (age range = 19-30) and a group of 125 working adults (age range = 31-65). Results indicated satisfactory internal consistency for both full scales with each age group and confirmed the factor invariance across age for the two CS factors and one of the PS factors. A higher tendency in morningness on both scales was noted in the adult sample.
On a Practitioner's Need of Further Development of Wechsler Scales. Adaptive Intelligence Diagnosticum (AID 2)
Authors: Kubinger Klaus D.
Published: April 2014

Wechsler's intelligence test-batteries are still popular yet suffer from psychometric shortcomings and lack a certain content improvement and enlargement. In this paper a new approach will be presented that suits traditional Wechsler-testing. The approach in question is the Adaptive Intelligence Diagnosticum (AID 2; Kubinger & Wurst, 2000). Due to it's “branched testing” design, AID 2 works out to be more economical and in this regard also offers other advantages, such as parallel tests and short forms. AID 2 offers a method of survey for identifying specific developmental disorders or learning disabilities. It includes an optional non-verbal instruction and a schedule for retrograde observation support of behavioral misfits. It also offers discriminative indicators for intellectual neglect vs. intellectual advancement.
The Triad of Science Foundations, Instructional Technology, and Organizational Structure
Authors: Vargas E.A.
Published: April 2014

Over the centuries and across all societies educational achievement does not improve. The attempt to improve the instructional process has concentrated on instructional technology. But these attempts have overlooked the importance of two other factors: the science that should underlie the instructional technologies and the organization that must operate those technologies. A considerable step forward in handling the problems of instructional effectiveness has been the derivation of instructional technologies based on Skinnerian science. But the instructional technologies based on Skinner's analysis of behavior are promoted as if they were to operate in an organizational vacuum. The division of labor, and its necessary coordination and control, is taken for granted. But in any large scale enterprise, the organization of the division of labor must fit the technology through which that enterprise achieves its mission. Educational technology must tie directly to a pertinent science and to a proper organizational structure. To teach effectively requires an overhaul along three lines: 1) a relevant science that reflects and encapsulates an accurate understanding of behavior; 2) a contingency-based technology of instruction that directly derives its practices upon proper scientific principles; and 3) a suitable organization based on teaching teams that operate the new instructional technology.
Multidimensional Scaling of Schematically Represented Faces Based on Dissimilarity Estimates and Evoked Potentials of Differences Amplitudes
Authors: Izmailov Chingiz A. , Sokolov Evgeni N. , Korshunova Svetlana G.
Published: April 2014

This study researches the input of the cerebral occipital and temporal cortex in the analysis of facial configuration and expressive characteristics. Analysis is based on the construction of a spherical model for the differentiation of schematically presented faces with quantitatively altering curvature of the mouth and brows. The model is designed using the method of multidimensional scaling of the dissimilarity judgments between stimuli (faces) and the amplitude of evoked potentials of differences (EPD) between abrupt stimulus changes recorded from the occipital and posterior temporal cortex. Analysis of the structure of the spherical model of facial differentiation depending on the electrode site and the latency of the EPD component within the duration of 120-240 ms has demonstrated that the activity of the occipital and posterior temporal cortex of the right hemisphere is associated with the emotional characteristics of the presented face, whereas facial configuration is reflected in the activation of both posterior temporal cortex and the occipital cortex of the left hemisphere. At all electrode sites maximum information of the emotional expression and configuration is represented in inter-peak amplitude P120-N180. With increasing latency there is increased distortion of the structure of differences in the spherical model of schematically presented faces, which is interpreted as an attenuation of electrical activity associated with the analysis of the emotional expression, which occurs more rapidly than configuration analysis.
Simulation of the filtering role of habituation to stimuli
Authors: Alonso Lola , Moreno Rafael , Vázquez Manuel , Santacreu José
Published: April 2014

In the context of a medium-term study designed to integrate the simulation of different types and processes of learning—such as classical, operant, and some cognitive types—one must start with other more elementary ones that are facilitators of the more complex types and processes. Of special interest is habituation, owing to the filtering out of irrelevant stimuli, which means that the simulated agent does not have to respond to them. This paper presents two difference functions constructed to computationally simulate the characteristics that define habituation. The behavior of these functions is described, as are differences arising from stimulus intensity and interstimulus intervals. Results are compared with existing empirical data.
Constructivism, the So-Called Semantic Learning Theories, and Situated Cognition versus the Psychological Learning Theories
Authors: Aparicio Juan José , Moneo María Rodríguez
Published: April 2014

In this paper, the perspective of situated cognition, which gave rise both to the pragmatic theories and the so-called semantic theories of learning and has probably become the most representative standpoint of constructivism, is examined. We consider the claim of situated cognition to provide alternative explanations of the learning phenomenon to those of psychology and, especially, to those of the symbolic perspective, currently predominant in cognitive psychology. The level of analysis of situated cognition (i.e., global interactive systems) is considered an inappropriate approach to the problem of learning. From our analysis, it is concluded that the pragmatic theories and the so-called semantic theories of learning which originated in situated cognition can hardly be considered alternatives to the psychological learning theories, and they are unlikely to add anything of interest to the learning theory or to contribute to the improvement of our knowledge about the learning phenomenon.
Evaluation of a Group Cue-Exposure Treatment for Opiate Addicts
Authors: Aragón Mónica Bernaldo de Quirós , Labrador Francisco J. , de Arce Fernando
Published: April 2014

Twenty-four detoxified opiate addicts were randomized to an experimental group and a control group to evaluate efficacy of a group cue-exposure treatment to reduce or extinguish classically conditioned responses to drug-related stimuli. Assessment included psychophysiological responses (skin temperature, skin conductance level—SCL—, and heart rate) to a videotape and subjective measures (subjective craving, positive and negative affect) before and after the videotape. The experimental group received a group cue-exposure program to drug-related stimuli that comprised twelve treatment sessions administered three times weekly. The treatment program significantly reduced conditioned responses to drug-related stimuli, as measured by SCL and positive affect.
Sampling Plans for Fitting the Psychometric Function
Authors: García-Pérez Miguel A. , Alcalá-Quintana Rocío
Published: April 2014

Research on estimation of a psychometric function Ψ has usually focused on comparing alternative algorithms to apply to the data, rarely addressing how best to gather the data themselves (i.e., what sampling plan best deploys the affordable number of trials). Simulation methods were used here to assess the performance of several sampling plans in yes–no and forced-choice tasks, including the QUEST method and several variants of up–down staircases and of the method of constant stimuli (MOCS). We also assessed the efficacy of four parameter estimation methods. Performance comparisons were based on analyses of usability (i.e., the percentage of times that a plan yields usable data for the estimation of all the parameters of Ψ) and of the resultant distributions of parameter estimates. Maximum likelihood turned out to be the best parameter estimation method. As for sampling plans, QUEST never exceeded 80% usability even when 1000 trials were administered and rendered accurate estimates of threshold but misestimated the remaining parameters. MOCS and up–down staircases yielded similar and acceptable usability (above 95% with 400–500 trials) and, although neither type of plan allowed estimating all parameters with optimal precision, each type appeared well suited to estimating a distinct subset of parameters. An analysis of the causes of this differential suitability allowed designing alternative sampling plans (all based on up–down staircases) for yes–no and forced-choice tasks. These alternative plans rendered near optimal distributions of estimates for all parameters. The results just described apply when the fitted Ψ has the same mathematical form as the actual Ψ generating the data; in case of form mismatch, all parameters except threshold were generally misestimated but the relative performance of all the sampling plans remained identical. Detailed practical recommendations are given.
A New Look at Cardiac Defense: Attention or Emotion?
Authors: Vila Jaime , Fernández María Carmen , Pegalajar Joaquín , Vera María Nieves , Robles Humbelina , Pérez Nieves , Sánchez María B. , Ramírez Isabel , Ruiz-Padial Elisabeth
Published: April 2014

The study of cardiac defense has a long tradition in psychological research both within the cognitive approach—linked to Pavlov, Sokolov, and Graham's work on sensory reflexes—and within the motivational one—linked to the work of Cannon and subsequent researchers on the concepts of activation and stress. These two approaches have been difficult to reconcile in the past. We summarize a series of studies on cardiac defense from a different perspective, which allows integration of the traditional approaches. This new perspective emphasizes a sequential process interpretation of the cardiac defense response. Results of descriptive and parametric studies, as well as those of studies examining the physiological and psychological mechanisms underlying the response, show a complex response pattern with both accelerative and decelerative components, with both sympathetic and parasympathetic influences, and with both attentional and emotional significance. The implications of this new look at cardiac defense are discussed in relation to defensive reactions in natural settings, the brain mechanisms controlling such reactions, and their effects on health and illness.
Pavlov in America: A Heterodox Approach to the Study of his Influence
Authors: Ruiz Gabriel , Sánchez Natividad , De la Casa Luis Gonzalo
Published: April 2014

This work presents a critical analysis of Pavlov's influence that goes beyond the conventional view: that which reduces his influence in American psychology to the behaviorism of Watson and Hull. In order to understand the nature of the Russian physiologist's influence in American psychology, we propose a distinction between three approaches to it: 1) the symbolic approach, on representing a model of the possibility of constructing an objective psychology; 2) the methodological approach, given the importance of the technique of conditional reflexes; and 3) the theoretical approach, which is derived from his theory of higher nervous activity. This perspective permits us to suggest that most of Pavlov's influence on behaviorism was of a symbolic and methodological nature—though the methodological influence also reached other authors that did not belong to the behaviorist traditions, as was the case of Mateer. As far as the theoretical influence is concerned, our work proposes that it is more visible in authors such as Gantt and Liddell, or even in authors such as Boldirev, Director of the Pavlovian Laboratory at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. The case of Gantt is especially interesting because, in addition to his important contributions, he played an essential role in the foundation of thePavlovian Society, and the journalConditional Reflex. What our work proposes is that to understand the nature of Pavlov's influence in American psychology it is necessary to take into account the very characteristics of that psychology: its pragmatic interests, its methodological rigor, the dominant systems of neo-behavioral theory and the changes that occurred after the Second World War.
The Pavlov Department of Physiology: A Scientific History
Authors: Klimenko Victor M. , Golikov Juri P.
Published: April 2014

The scientific adventure of the Ivan Pavlov Department of Physiology is traced from Pavlov's and his students pioneer work on “psychic salivation” to the times of the Biological Station at Koltushi. The development of the Department after Pavlov's death is described and the research trends of the three present laboratories (Neurobiology of Integrative Brain Functions, Psychophysiology of Emotions, and Neurodynamic Correction of Psycho Neurological Pathology) are discussed.
Pavlov's Methodological Behaviorism as a Pre-Socratic Contribution of the Melding of the Differential and Experimental Psychology
Authors: Furedy John J.
Published: April 2014

The differential/experimental distinction that Cronbach specified is important because any adequate account of psychological phenomena requires the recognition of the validity of both approaches, and a meaningful melding of the two. This paper suggests that Pavlov's work in psychology, based on earlier traditions of inquiry that can be traced back to the pre-Socratics, provides a potential way of achieving this melding, although such features as systematic rather than anecdotal methods of observation need to be added. Pavlov's methodological behaviorist approach is contrasted with metaphysical behaviorism (as exemplified explicitly in Watson and Skinner, and implicitly in the computer-metaphorical, information-processing explanations employed by current “cognitive” psychology). A common feature of the metaphysical approach is that individual-differences variables like sex are essentially ignored, or relegated to ideological categories such as the treatment of sex as merely a “social construction.” Examples of research both before and after the “cognitive revolution” are presented where experimental and differential methods are melded, and individual differences are treated as phenomena worthy of investigation rather than as nuisance factors that merely add to experimental error.
Pavlov and Associationism
Authors: Mackintosh Nicholas J.
Published: April 2014

Pavlov's contribution to experimental psychology was to invent a technique that allowed him to undertake a prolonged and systematic series of well-controlled experiments that, astonishingly enough, uncovered many if not most of the phenomena of what is rightly called Pavlovian conditioning. It was not for another 30 years or more that English-speaking psychologists began to match that achievement. Of course there have been new developments and discoveries since his time. Two examples are discussed: the important role of variable associability or attention even in simple conditioning, and the rigorous application of associative learning theory to the behavior of adult humans.
Contemporary Study of Pavlovian Conditioning
Authors: Rescorla Robert A.
Published: April 2014

Pavlov's first report on conditioning emphasized its role in allowing the animal to adjust to its environment. Contemporary theories have seen this adjustment in terms of developing accurate knowledge of the environment. Three aspects of that thinking are explored: how the animal acquires initial knowledge, how it changes its knowledge when conditions of the world change, and how it makes use of multiple knowledge representations.
Selective Processing of Food– and Body–Related Information and Autonomic Arousal in Patients with Eating Disorders
Authors: Perpiña Conxa , Leonard Thierry , Treasure Janet , Bond Alyson , Baños Rosa
Published: April 2014

Both attentional bias (using the modified Stroop Task) and autonomic reactivity (skin conductance level) to food- and body-related information were assessed in 25 patients with eating disorders (15 patients with anorexia, 10 patients with bulimia) and 18 women controls. Patients with anorexia showed the greatest interference in color-naming food-related words. However, on this occasion there were no differences in body condition, probably because of heterogeneity of clinical samples and because the control group were staff members, so the target information was very familiar to them. The groups differed in their autonomic reactivity while performing the Stroop, the patients with anorexia responded with higher skin conductance (p< .036). The discussion focuses on the differential profiles shown by samples and on the relationship between cognitive biases and autonomic arousal reactivity.
Field Dependence-Independence in Second-Language Acquisition: Some Forgotten Aspects
Authors: Tinajero Carolina , Páramo Fernanda
Published: April 2014

This study examined the role of sex and intelligence in the relationship between field dependence-independence and second language acquisition for a sample of 383 students (187 girls and 196 boys) aged between 13 and 16. The Portable Rod and Frame Test (PRFT) and the Embedded Figures Test (EFT) were used to evaluate cognitive style. A two-way covariance analysis, with intelligence as the covariate, was employed to investigate differences in second language achievement between students classified as either field-dependent or field-independent. A cluster analysis using z scores was examined to study the performance of subjects classified as either field-dependent or field-independent according to scores obtained on the EFT and the PRFT (“coincident” subjects) and those classified as field-dependent in one test and field-independent in the other (“non-coincident” subjects). No statistically significant differences between the two groups were obtained when cognitive style was defined by scores on the PRFT. When field dependence-independence was measured by scores on the EFT, field-independent girls performed better than field-dependent girls (p < .005), but this outcome was not observed for boys. These results suggest a differential contribution of the “perceptive” and “cognitive” components of field dependence-independence and a modulating role by sex.
Assessment of a Cooperative-Creative Program of Assertive Behavior and Self-Concept
Authors: Landazabal Maite Garaigordobil
Published: April 2014

This study examined the effects of a game program of assertive behavior, helpful behavior, and self-concept in children aged 8 to 10. A pretest-intervention-posttest design was used with a sample of 126 experimental and 28 control subjects. Three instruments were administered before and after intervention: the Children's Assertive Behavior Scale, Sensitivity Scale, and the Adjective Check List. Assertive behavior, helpful behavior, and self-concept were the dependent variables. Intervention consisted of a group play-session carried out once a week during the whole academic year. The program's games encourage children to cooperate and share, as well as to develop creative play. The program included presentation, communication, help, cooperation, creativity, and emotional expression games. Results of multiple variance analyses suggest that the program caused significant improvement in assertive behavior (p < .001) and self-concept (p < .01). This paper reveals empirical evidence of the positive contribution of cooperative-creative play to child development.
Attentional Biases and Vulnerability to Depression
Authors: Pérez Myriam Gallardo , Rivera Rosa Mª Baños , Fuster Amparo Belloch , Rodríguez Mª Ángeles Ruipérez
Published: April 2014

This study was designed to examine selective processing of emotional information in depression. It focuses on possible attentional biases in depression, and whether such biases constitute a cognitive vulnerability factor to suffer from the disorder or, on the contrary, they reflect a feature associated exclusively with the clinical level of depression. 81 participants were included in the study: 15 with a diagnosis of Major Depression; 17 were diagnosed as Dysthymia; 11 participants scored over 18 in the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979); 15 participants, in whom a sad mood state was induced by an experimental mood induction (Velten technique + music, or biographical recall + music); and 23 participants as a normal-control group. All participants were presented with the emotional Stroop task. The data indicated that attentional bias was only present in the group of patients with Major Depression, so it does not seem to be a cognitive vulnerability factor for this disorder.
Fitting Logistic IRT Models: Small Wonder
Authors: García-Pérez Miguel A.
Published: April 2014

State-of-the-art item response theory (IRT) models use logistic functions exclusively as their item response functions (IRFs). Logistic functions meet the requirements that their range is the unit interval and that they are monotonically increasing, but they impose a parameter space whose dimensions can only be assigned a metaphorical interpretation in the context of testing. Applications of IRT models require obtaining the set of values for logistic function parameters that best fit an empirical data set. However, success in obtaining such set of values does not guarantee that the constructs they represent actually exist, for the adequacy of a model is not sustained by the possibility of estimating parameters. This article illustrates how mechanical adoption of off-the-shelf logistic functions as IRFs for IRT models can result in off-the-shelf parameter estimates and fits to data. The results of a simulation study are presented, which show that logistic IRT models can fit a set of data generated by IRFs other than logistic functions just as well as they fit logistic data, even though the response processes and parameter spaces involved in each case are substantially different. An explanation of why logistic functions work as they do is offered, the theoretical and practical consequences of their behavior are discussed, and a testable alternative to logistic IRFs is commented upon.
Evaluation of the Amount of Therapist Contact in a Smoking Cessation Program
Authors: García María del Pilar , Becoña Elisardo
Published: April 2014

This research tested a multicomponent self-help manual that contained nicotine fading and some behavioral techniques. It also evaluated the incremental effects of using higher amounts of therapist contact on quitting rates. 114 smokers were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: (1) A 10-session multicomponent program (n = 25); (2) a 5-session multicomponent program (n = 31); (3) a 5-session multicomponent plus a self-help manual program (n = 25); and (4) a self-help-manual-only program (n = 33). A control group (n = 48) did not receive any treatment. The distinctive characteristic of the treatments was the different amount of therapist contact. Common components of the programs were a refundable deposit, self-monitoring, information on smoking, stimulus control, CO feedback, nicotine fading, and strategies to avoid withdrawal symptoms. End-of- treatment quit rates ranged from 36% (self-help manual) to 68% (10-session multicomponent program). At 12-month follow-up there were significant differences between groups, and the most effective group was the 5-session plus manual group, with an abstinence rate of 48%.
Metalinguistic Awareness and Reading Acquisition in the Spanish Language
Authors: González Juan E. Jiménez , González María del Rosario Ortiz
Published: April 2014

This research was designed to establish the importance of phonological awareness and print awareness in learning to read Spanish. A sample of 136 preliterate Spanish children (70 boys and 66 girls) whose ages ranged from 5.1 to 6.6 years (average age 5.6 years) participated in the study. The results, using path analysis, from this longitudinal study support the existence of a relationship between phonological awareness and reading. Moreover, the findings of this study reveal the importance of syllabic awareness, at least in Spanish, in the development of other levels of phonological awareness and in its early relation with reading. The results also confirm the existence of a relationship between print awareness and reading comprehension.