bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organizing principle in 4- to 8-year-old children's drawings of embedded geometric shapes
Authors: Magnan Annie , Baldy René , Chatillon Jean-Francisque
Published: April 2003

This study looks at the way children aged 4 to 8 organize the execution of three drawings composed of simple geometric shapes (a circle, a rectangle or square, a triangle, and a diamond). In the first two experiments, we analyze the execution process used to copy and draw from memory, and we attempt to determine how this process evolves with age. The results showed that the “centripetal” execution order, where subjects drew the shapes in the outside-to-inside direction, was already prevalent in 4-year-olds. The third experiment was aimed at assessing the frequency and stability of this drawing process. We superimposed transparencies of simple geometric shapes in front of the subject's eyes. The results showed that the order in which the shapes were presented had an effect on the drawing process and how it evolved with age. They also showed that the centripetal execution principle had stabilized by the age of 8. The centripetal execution principle appears to act like the syntactic rules in the action grammar that governs elementary figure drawing.
Identification and characteristics of clusters of smokers within the early stages of change 1The study was supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG), Grant 316.95.8059.
Authors: Schmid Holger , Gmel Gerhard
Published: April 2003

The study was designed to identify and characterize homogeneous clusters of smokers within the early stages of change in smoking cessation. The stages - pre-contemplation, contemplation and preparation - were distinguished in respect of severity of addiction and sociodemographic and health-related variables. The variables used were: nicotine addiction, duration of smoking, education, marital status, sex, actual state of well-being, psychological well-being, and physical complaints. A stratified random sample of 457 was surveyed by telephone interviews. Of 136 respondents who were current smokers of cigarettes, 50 (37%) were pre-contemplators, 48 (35%) were contemplators, and 38 (28%) were preparators; these three categories differed in level of addiction (contemplators were more addicted than preparators) but not in respect of the other variables. Within the stages of change, however, cluster analysis revealed heterogeneous clusters. Each stage contained two clusters, differing in physical health and psychological well-being. In addition, within the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages, they differed in marital status and level of nicotine addiction. Despite the cross-sectional and descriptive character of the study, the results suggest it would be worthwhile to look within the stages of change for an intervention tailored to stage and cluster. Further research is needed to address the question of validation of the cluster solution.
The role of social influence and smoker identity in resistance to smoking cessation 1This research program was supported by the Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique, Switzerland. We are grateful to Juan Fabra for his help in collecting data.
Authors: Falomir Juan Manuel , Invernizzi Federica
Published: April 2003

153 secondary school students, all smokers, were either exposed to a strongly anti-smoking message originating from a high status source (persuasive message condition) or not (control condition). A questionnaire then measured a set of variables concerning several aspects of tobacco consumption (i.e., smoker identity, attitude, subjective norm, perceived lack of behavioural control, smoking behaviour, and intention to give up smoking). First, regression analysis shows that the smoker's identity plays a direct and important role in explaining current smoking behaviour and the intention not to smoke, even when other variables are controlled. Second, analyses of variance indicate that smokers with a strong identity as a smoker are defensively motivated when confronting a persuasive attempt - i.e. their perception of friends' support to smoke increases. Finally, partial correlations show that the relationship between smoker identity and intention to give up smoking is mediated by this defensive motivation. Taken together, these results suggest that smoker identity is an important factor in explaining smoker's intention to give up smoking and, when antitobacco campaigns are salient, smoker identity can affect other variables which can reverse antitobacco efforts.
When prior knowledge overrules new evidence: Adaptive use of decision strategies and the role of behavioral routines 1The paper is based on a presentation held at the 16th SPUDM conference in Leeds, 1997. The research was supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to Klaus Fiedler and Tilmann Betsch, within the Sonderforschungsbereich 504 at the Universities of Mannheim and Heidelberg. We are grateful to Frank Siebler for programming the Mouselab. Thanks are due to Susanne Haberstroh, Arndt Bröder, Bronwyn Jones and Esther Goldbloom for many helpful comments on earlier versions of the paper.
Authors: Betsch Tilmann , Brinkmann Babette Julia , Fiedler Klaus , Breining Katja
Published: April 2003

This paper focuses on behavioral routines in adaptive decision making. In an experiment consisting of two phases, participants worked on recurrent, multiattribute choice problems. In the first phase, routines were induced by relying upon the human ability to adapt to situational changes by changing decision strategies. To induce strategy change, time pressure was varied as a within factor. Payoffs were manipulated so that an adaptive change in strategy led participants to maximize choice frequency for one out of three options (routine acquisition). After a one week time lapse, participants worked on similar problems, containing the previously preferred routine option. In this second phase, payoffs favored deviation from the routine option. Results showed that choices were almost perfectly calibrated to payoffs under low time pressure. However, if time pressure increased, participants were more likely to prefer the routine option, even though search strategies were still used adaptively and evidence discouraged routine selection. Results are discussed with reference to the model of adaptive decision making ( Payne, Bettman & Johnson, 1993 ), and the MODE model of attitude-behavior relation ( Fazio, 1990 ).
Liberté d'opinion et limite normative dans une représentation sociale: le développement de l'intelligence 1Ce texte reprend l'essentiel d'un exposé présenté en juin 1998 à la Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l'Education de Genève, à l'occasion de la collation du Doctorat Honoris Causa de l'Université de Genève à l'auteur.
Authors: Flament Claude
Published: April 2003

This paper is concerned by a possible articulation between the diversity of individual opinions and the existence of consensus in social representations. It postulates the existence of consensual normative boundaries framing the individual opinions. A study by questionnaire about the social representations of the development of intelligence gives support to this notion.
Implicit stereotyping and prejudice and the primed Stroop task
Authors: Kawakami Kerry , Dion Kenneth L. , Dovidio John F.
Published: April 2003

In the present study, automatic stereotype activation related to racial categories was examined utilizing a primed Stroop task. The speed of participants' ink-color naming of stereotypic and nonstereotypic target words following Black and White category primes were compared: slower naming times are presumed to reflect interference from automatic activation. The results provide support for automatic activation of implicit prejudice and stereotypes. With respect to prejudice, naming latencies tended to be slower for positive words following White than Black primes and slower for negative words following Black than White primes. With regard to stereotypes, participants demonstrated slower naming latencies for Black stereotypes, primarily those that were negatively valenced, following Black than White category primes. These findings provide further evidence of the automatic activation of stereotypes and prejudice that occurs without intention.
“… for I am a stranger” Ethnic origin and perceived risk of victimization 1The data reported in this article were collected in the project “Victimization and Trust in the System - Business People Confronted with General Crime and Extortion”. The project was conducted by the Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony, Hannover, and was supported by a fund of the Volkswagen Foundation (Az.: II/ 70 213). The project was headed by Thomas Ohlemacher, collaborators were Eberhard Mecklenburg and the author. Furthermore the author wishes to thank Margit E. Oswald, Rainer Strobl and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper as well as Janina S. Clauss for editing the English.
Authors: Gabriel Ute
Published: April 2003

This paper focuses on the question whether perceiving oneself as a victim of ethnically motivated conflicts or offenses is particularly a problem of ethnic minorities. It is further discussed how this is connected to the generally perceived risk that members of one's own ethnic group may experience ethnically motivated crimes. The results obtained through a survey of restaurateurs across Germany (N = 3,741) in autumn/winter 1995/96 on behalf of the Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony are presented. Germans and foreigners of different ethnic origin (Greek, Italian, Turkish) who had established their own gastronomic business were asked (among other things) about their experiences of criminal victimization and their assessment of the risk. Turkish respondents assessed their ethnic group to be far more at risk than did Greek or Italian respondents, although the numbers of ethnically motivated assaults they reported were comparable.
Gender-role orientation and social expectations regarding female adolescents' coping with developmental tasks 1The preparation of this article was facilitated by a grant from the Swiss National Foundation for young researchers, financed by the local research committee of the University of Fribourg to the first author during her stay at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. We are grateful to Susan B. Cleary for editing the English version of this article.
Authors: Berger Regula P. , Grob Alexander , Flammer August
Published: April 2003

This study focuses on the importance of social developmental expectations, assessed as emotional and cognitive evaluations regarding the timing and the gender-role conformity of normative developmental tasks. Two central questions were raised. First, to what degree do the timing and the gender-role conformity affect the adults' expectations? Second, how much does the adults' own gender-role orientation (GRO), classified as traditional vs. liberal, affect their expectations? A 4 (timing modus) × 2 (developmental task) × 2 (gender-role conformity)-factorial design was administered to a sample of 140 adults of both sexes, 20 to 81 years old. Coping in time and with gender-role typical career received the most approval. Typical developmental tasks were more approved by persons with a traditional than with a liberal GRO. However, the evaluation of non-typical developmental tasks was not affected by the GRO. The possibility of a shift in normative expectations toward more liberal, diverse, and self-defined female gender-roles is discussed.
On the psychology of meaning of life 1I am grateful to Prof. Dr. Hans Werner Bierhoff, Prof. Dr. Dieter Frey, and two anonymous referees for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper. I would also like to thank Dr. Ann Robertson for her translation.
Authors: Auhagen Ann Elisabeth
Published: April 2003

This paper emphasizes the relationship between psychology and the concept of meaning of life. Among others, the following questions are treated: Which main fields exist in psychology concerning the concept of meaning of life? How can meaning of life be defined? How can meaning of life be empirically measured? Which results do studies about meaning of life provide? Which perspectives does the concept of meaning of life provide for psychology? Among other things it is concluded that meaning of life is a multidimensional construct which should be understood individually; that this construct can be assessed empirically; that meaning of life and well-being are correlated positively; that the construct meaning of life will provide many perspectives for psychology.
Die subjektive Repräsentation der Schweiz in deutsch- und französischsprachigen Landesteilen
Authors: Läge Damian , Marx Wolfgang , Sträuli Dieter
Published: April 2003

Zusammenfassung: Drei Erhebungsverfahren (Hierarchisches Sortieren, Paralleles Sortieren und Freie Aufzählung) kartieren die subjektive Landkarte der Schweiz. Die an den Universitäten Zürich und Lausanne anhand von Kantonsnamen erfassten Daten zeigen eine eher topographisch geprägte Repräsentation ihres Heimatlandes auf Seiten der Deutschschweizer, während die Westschweizer eine soziokulturelle Einteilung auf der Basis einer Stadt-Land-Dichotomie in den Mittelpunkt rücken. Die deutsch-französische Sprachgrenze, der «Rösti-Graben», wird von den Westschweizern als klarere Demarkationslinie innerhalb des eigenen Landes wahrgenommen.
Perception of point-light walker produced by eight lights attached to the back of the walker 1This study was supported by a grant-in-aid for Scientific Research (# 09610089) from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture in Japan. The article is based on a presentation at the Joint Swiss-Japanese Scientific Seminar Human Motion Perception, Eye Movements, and Orientation in Visual Space, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation in cooperation with the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science, in Gunten (Switzerland) May 19-21, 1999. The author would like to thank Marina Groner for many helpful suggestions and the statistical analysis of the contingency tables by means of a log-linear analysis.
Authors: Sumi Shigemasa
Published: April 2003

Small lights were attached to the backs of walkers at eight main points of their bodies, i.e., the shoulders, hips, knees and heels. The walkers, four men and four women aged 18 to 62, walked on a moving belt at a speed of 1.0 to 3.0 km/h. Their gaits, outlined by point-lights, were videotaped and projected on a screen. A total of 420 participants, 212 female and 208 male, were asked to judge the gender and age of the point-light walkers (PLWs). Our findings were that (1), there were 72% correct gender-identifications with the figure being 85% or more for older walkers; (2), the gaits of two young PLWs were perceived as those of old persons. The reason for this appeared to be correlative changes between the movements of the individual parts of the body, especially of shoulders and heels; (3), signal detectability (d') for gender seemed to be a useful measure of gender-identification. The above findings suggest that both back-view and side-view observations of the PLWs provide valuable information for gait perception.
Does the world rock when the eyes roll?
Authors: Mast Fred W.
Published: April 2003

When the head is inclined sideways, the eyes are counter-rotated with respect to the head (ocular-counterroll, OCR). In man, the gain of OCR in static body tilts is limited to about 10% of the angle of roll tilt, which suggests that its function is vestigial. However, it is still unclear how the residual OCR is related to the perceived orientation of visual stimuli. Wade and Curthoys (1997) claim that the brain does not “take into account” the OCR, so that the eye position directly interferes with perception of visual orientation. Alternately, it has been argued that OCR is partly compensated by an extraretinal eye-position information such as, e.g., an efference copy ( Haustein, 1992 ; Haustein & Mittelstaedt, 1990 ). The two experiments reported in this study are targeted towards critically examining this inter-relation between OCR and perceived visual orientation. The latter was assessed via the subjective visual vertical, SVV, which is determined when a subject judges the orientation of an indicator (e.g., a short line segment) as apparently vertical. The OCR was measured by using a video-oculographic system. In Experiment 1, a human centrifuge was used to test the effect of an increase of the gravito-inertial force (GIF) on SVV and OCR. Experiment 2 was inspired by the fact that OCR can also be elicited during “barbecue rotation”. Again, it was the aim to compare OCR and SVV in different body positions, such as pure roll and barbecue rotated tilts. The present study provides convincing experimental evidence that SVV is widely uninfluenced by the course of OCR. Increasing the GIF in Experiment 1 had a divergent effect on SVV and OCR; the gain of OCR increases whereas the SVV changed differently, at obtuse tilt angles even in the opposite direction. OCR and SVV were again found to dissociate in Experiment 2, which emphasizes the fact that the SVV and OCR are not controlled by the same neural mechanism, but rather use different spatial reference information.
Interhemispheric transfer evaluation in multiple sclerosis 1The authors would like to thank Claude-Alain Hauert and Christoph Michel for their assistance in the evaluation of motor tapping and Michel Habib for his suggestions and comments. This work was supported by a grant from the Swiss Society of Multiple Sclerosis.
Authors: Ortiz Nadia , Reicherts Michael , Pegna Alan J. , Garran Encarni , Chofflon Michel , Roth Serge , Annoni Jean-Marie , Landis Theodor , Mayer Eugène
Published: April 2003

Patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) have frequently been found to suffer from damage to callosal fibers. Investigations have shown that this damage is associated with signs of hemisphere disconnections. The aim of our study was to provide evidence for the first signs of interhemispheric dysfunction in a mildly disabled MS population. Therefore, we explored whether the Interhemispheric Transfer (IT) deficit is multi-modal and sought to differentiate two MS evolution forms, on the basis of an interhemispheric disconnection index. Twenty-two patients with relapsing-remitting form of MS (RRMS) and 14 chronic-progressive (CPMS) were compared with matched controls on four tasks: a tachistoscopic verbal and non-verbal decision task, a dichotic listening test, cross tactile finger localization and motor tapping. No overall impairment was seen. The dichotic listening and lexical decision tasks were the most sensitive to MS. In addition, CPMS patients' IT was more impaired and was related to the severity of neurological impairment. The different sizes of the callosal fibers, which determine their vulnerability, may explain the heterogeneity of transfer through the Corpus Callosum. Therefore, evaluation of IT may be of value as an index of evolution in MS.
Inverting line drawings of faces 1This manuscript was started in Stirling when the first author was staying there with a research Grant from the Swiss National Fond. We want to thank Alexia Knüsel and Anne Zbinden for their help in data collection and Adrian von Mühlenen who allowed to publish his face to illustrate the stimulus material. Moreover, we thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments.
Authors: Leder Helmut , Bruce Vicki
Published: April 2003

Two conditions which both disrupt faces processing, inversion and the transformation of the face into an edge-based line drawing, have each been explained at least partially in terms of a disruption of configural information. Five experiments are reported in which the combined effects of the two manipulations were investigated, to find out how the combination of both affects face processing. Moreover, two different tasks were used: sequential matching of person identity and free identification. The general pattern of result revealed that in both tasks effects of both manipulations are rather additive and thus it is concluded that both manipulations are disruptive through different sorts of information processing. It is discussed how at least two different kinds of configural information are involved in face processing. The comparison of the two tasks, identification and sequential matching, indicates that identification is the more critical condition as it cannot be based on inferences that are probably due to short-term representations of critical features - although both tasks reveal similar results.
Self-presentation strategies and social judgments - desirability and social utility of causal explanations 1I thank Gabriel Mugny and two anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this article. I am grateful to Laurent Bonnefoy, Nathalie Bulidon and Emmanuel Zentner for their assistance with data collection.
Authors: Dubois Nicole
Published: April 2003

The research reported here examined the desirability and social utility of causal explanations. The first two studies analyzed the causal explanations (internal vs. external) of desirable and undesirable events spontaneously chosen by students to make a good impression on their teachers (self-presentation paradigm). They also compared these students' self-presentational strategies (internal vs. self-serving vs. modest vs. external) with their judgments (judge-paradigm) about four student-targets, each characterized by one of the four strategies, thus including their own, to explain the causes of the same desirable and undesirable events. Study 3 explored how teachers of students in the second study judge the same four student-targets used in the previous studies. Based on the distinction between two types of values - desirability and social utility - it was hypothesized that all participants, even students who previously adopted a desirable self-serving strategy, would in the judge-paradigm prefer the internal target, given the social utility of internal explanations. The hypotheses were confirmed. The relevance of these results for a conception of social utility of internal causal explanations is discussed.
Values in transition from apprenticeship to occupational work 1This article is based on the research project “Socialization of Values in Early Adulthood - A 10 Years Comparison of Career Patterns and Quality of Life” which was a subproject of the network “Work Experience and Quality of Life in Switzerland: Work, Stress and Personality Development” funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation within the Swiss Priority Program “Switzerland: Towards the Future” (Grant No. 5004-47905 to I. Udris).
Authors: Rimann Martin , Udris Ivars , Weiss Vera
Published: April 2003

The early years after finishing an apprenticeship and entering the labor market constitute a very important phase in the life of a young person. Individual values learned and developed during the earlier life course seem to influence the decisions for choosing a specific occupational training as well as the plans and behavioral patterns during the transition. In this study the values of about 500 young people from five occupations (electronics, banking, nursing, sales, and cooking; see Kälin et al. in this issue.) were studied and analyzed at the end of the apprenticeship and again one and two years later (1997, 1998, 1999). Factor and cluster analyses revealed five value types - based on the fundamental value orientations Integration, Individuation and Social Relationships - which are specific for several sociodemographic and biographical characteristics. The value types were named as follows: The Conventionalists, the Realists, the Idealists, the Resignatives and the Social Oriented. The transition from apprenticeship to occupational work one and two years later is different according to the value types. Conventionalists and the Social Oriented show a more stable occupational career than the other types (e.g. staying in the same company and having more continued education). The Resignatives have a less concrete occupational perspective and show some ambivalence concerning plans and decisions. They seem to be in a search and orientation phase. The Realists are willing to arrange their careers with their family plans and they remain more often in the same occupation (but not necessarily in the same company). The Idealists plan more often to travel abroad to widen their occupational and personal horizons and they have more often begun to start a new training.
Job newcomers coping with stressful situations: A micro-analysis of adequate coping and well-being 1This article is based on the research project “Studying and enhancing coping of young adults entering the work force” funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation within the Swiss Priority Program “Switzerland: Towards the Future” (Grant No. 5004-47900 to M. Reicherts); the project is part of the project network “Work Experience and Quality of Life in Switzerland: Work, Stress and Personality Development”; research assistants: Sandrine Pihet, Isabelle Carrard, Barbara Kuebel; student assistants: Patrick Bonvin, Catherine Ukelo; palmtop programming: dipl.ing. Ian Law. The authors thank the Wilsdorf Foundation, Geneva, for the support.
Authors: Reicherts Michael , Pihet Sandrine
Published: April 2003

Aiming at a micro-analytic in-depth study of daily-life stress and coping and their effects on well-being, a new self-monitoring method combining event-based (stress episodes) and hourly time-based recordings (state monitoring of well-being indicators) has been developed and implemented on a palmtop computer. The study presents results of the first measures of a longitudinal design. N = 30 young adults entering the work force (nurses, cooks, electronic technicians, salesmen and bank clerks) are analyzed in this self-monitoring study, which includes training session, 15-day self-observation, and post-monitoring session. Subjects show good acceptance and compliance, and validity and reliability of the data are satisfying. Results reveal the stressful episodes recorded (compared to a student reference group) as less frequent but more “stressful”, the emotional stress reactions of the subjects as more anxious and angry. Coping behaviors evaluated through the behavior-rules approach (Reicherts, 1999) are rather functional. Agglutination of individual time series parameters reveals a marked, immediate impact of the stressful events on well-being indicators (e.g. mood, physical tension). Adequate coping has positive short-term effects in attenuating the stress impact on well-being and facilitates long-term adaptation (positive changes and well-being). Differences between occupational and non-occupational stress episodes are analyzed, and indications to enhance adequate coping of young adults are presented.
Subjektive politische Strukturen in der Deutschschweiz
Authors: Marx Wolfgang , Stähli Linda
Published: April 2003

This article attempts to explore, via nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS), the subjective structure of Swiss political parties. Free associations and hierarchical sortings of students are analyzed. The association data is described best by a one-dimensional MINISSA-solution showing the dimension left-right. The sorting data leads to a two-dimensional solution showing the dimension left-right and radicality. Differences and similarities to previous studies in Germany ( Marx & Läge, 1995 ) are discussed.
Social representations of children's rights: The point of view of adolescents
Authors: Molinari Luisa
Published: April 2003

This article deals with social representations of children's rights, analysed in a sample of Italian adolescents with differing educational experiences. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 410 Italian adolescents aged between 13 and 17 attending four different types of school: lower middle school, high school, technical college and vocational training centre. The questionnaire contained an open-ended question on the rights of children and adolescents and a structured part concerning: attribution of responsibility to five agencies (government, family, school, voluntary associations and the police force), the degree to which rights are respected in Italy, reference values and explanations for violations of rights. The results show that representations of children's rights are organised differently in the four groups of subjects as a function of the dynamic interplay of social, personal and educational experiences.
Réseaux de discrimination en psychologie: L'exemple de CHREST1
Authors: Gobet Fernand
Published: April 2003

Modelling techniques play an important role in psychological research. This article discusses the formalism of discrimination nets. Using the CHREST architecture as an example, we show how this formalism can account for behaviour in various domains, such as the acquisition of language and expertise. We conclude by discussing the advantages and disadvantages offered by discrimination nets.
Structure and predictive power of intraindividual variability in health and activity measures
Authors: Ghisletta Paolo , Nesselroade John R. , Featherman David L. , Rowe John W.
Published: April 2003

Intraindividual variability has been shown in many studies to be well structured over time and capable of predicting a wide range of behaviors. This study provides analyses of weekly variations of health and activity measurements in a sample (N = 52) of elderly persons (mean age = 77.5, SD = 7.2). The three main goals and results entailed: 1. Assessing the reliable nature of a health and an activity factor through a metric invariant confirmatory factor model; 2. Assessing the independence of intraindividual variability from level information and showing that the amount of intra-person variability during the first and second half of data collection correlate very highly; 3. Showing that intraindividual variability information of health and activity scores is superior to level information in predicting mortality.
Social interdependence theory and university instruction - Theory into practice
Authors: Johnson David W. , Johnson Roger T.
Published: April 2003

University teaching has not changed significantly for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years. The many attempts to reform university teaching have often demonstrated positive effects but have then been discontinued. One explanation for the resistance of teaching to change is that instructors fail to apply the same scientific rigor to their teaching as they do to their research. Professors as scientists and intellectuals typically ask for proof when a colleague presents a scientific conclusion, yet when it comes to what constitutes good teaching, professors often accept uncontested folklore and mythology. Many of the recommendations made about teaching, furthermore, are based more on stories and promising ideas rather than conclusions from rigorous research. What is lacking is the successful application of theory and research to instructional methods. This article presents cooperative learning as one example of theory validated by research applied to instructional practice.
Epistemic and relational conflicts in sharing identical vs. complementary information during cooperative learning
Authors: Darnon Céline , Buchs Céline , Butera Fabrizio
Published: April 2003

When interacting on a learning task, which is typical of several academic situations, individuals may experience two different motives: Understanding the problem, or showing their competences. When a conflict (confrontation of divergent propositions) emerges from this interaction, it can be solved either in an epistemic way (focused on the task) or in a relational way (focused on the social comparison of competences). The latter is believed to be detrimental for learning. Moreover, research on cooperative learning shows that when they share identical information, partners are led to compare to each other, and are less encouraged to cooperate than when they share complementary information. An epistemic vs. relational conflict vs. no conflict was provoked in dyads composed by a participant and a confederate, working either on identical or on complementary information (N = 122). Results showed that, if relational and epistemic conflicts both entailed more perceived interactions and divergence than the control group, only relational conflict entailed more perceived comparison activities and a less positive relationship than the control group. Epistemic conflict resulted in a more positive perceived relationship than the control group. As far as performance is concerned, relational conflict led to a worse learning than epistemic conflict, and - after a delay - than the control group. An interaction between the two variables on delayed performance showed that epistemic and relational conflicts were different only when working with complementary information. This study shows the importance of the quality of relationship when sharing information during cooperative learning, a crucial factor to be taken into account when planning educational settings at the university.
Self-competence, interaction style and expert social influence: Toward a correspondence hypothesis
Authors: Mugny Gabriel , Quiamzade Alain , Pigière Dominique , Dragulescu Agatta , Buchs Céline
Published: April 2003

The conditions were studied under which an expert source induces a less competent target to adopt a contrary point of view in a context of information transmission. In an experiment with a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design, university students (N = 157) had to predict (high involvement) or not (low involvement) the findings of a bogus scientific study carried by a researcher on friendship groups, and to estimate their ability (high versus low) to assess such predictions. They were then presented with bogus results from this study that contradicted their initial beliefs. The researcher presented these findings in either an authoritarian or a democratic style. The main dependent variable was the degree to which participants went beyond mere approval and adopted the information contradicting their own initial position. Results showed that information was more extensively adopted when the source was democratic and the participants a) were highly involved in their predictions and b) felt highly competent with respect to this type of task. These results confirmed predictions derived from the correspondence hypothesis according to which appropriation of knowledge is favored when relevant characteristics of the influence relationship match key expectations that individuals have concerning this relationship.
Familienprozesse bei Aufmerksamkeits- und Hyperaktivitätsstörung
Authors: Saile H. , Röding A. , Friedrich-Löffler A.
Published: April 2003

Zusammenfassung: Erziehungsverhalten der Mutter und familiäre Interaktion wurden multimethodal erhoben mit Fragebogen, Skulptur- und Beobachtungsverfahren bei insgesamt N = 36 Personen. Dabei handelt es sich um sechs Familien mit einem anhand von Verhaltens-Checklisten als hyperaktiv beschriebenen Jungen im Alter von 9 bis 12 Jahren, bei denen neben dem Kind jeweils Vater und Mutter untersucht wurden. Sechs weitere Familien dienten als parallelisierte Kontrollgruppe. Mütter hyperaktiver Kinder berichten über häufigere Verwendung von Bestrafung zur Beeinflussung des Verhaltens ihrer Kinder. Unabhängige Beobachter bestätigen dies, indem sie häufiger negatives und oppositionelles Steuerungsverhalten sowie aversive Konsequenzen bei den Müttern von hyperaktiven im Vergleich zu «unauffälligen» Kindern registrieren. Bei der Interaktion von Vater, Mutter und Kind während eines Konfliktgesprächs lassen sich in der klinischen Gruppe im Vergleich zur Kontrollgruppe mehr sozialemotional negative und weniger positive Reaktionen beobachten. Familien mit einem hyperaktiven Kind zeigen mehr Versuche des gegenseitigen Unterbrechens und geben anderen Familienmitgliedern weniger die Gelegenheit, Einfluß zu nehmen. Anhand verschiedener Meßinstrumente lassen sich für emotionale Verbundenheit und hierarchische Differenzierung bedeutsame Unterschiede zwischen den zwei Gruppen aufzeigen.
Häufigkeit der Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung bei Jugendlichen: Ergebnisse der Bremer Jugendstudie
Authors: Essau C.A. , Conradt J. , Petermann F.
Published: April 2003

Zusammenfassung: In diesem Artikel werden Häufigkeit, Komorbidität und psychosoziale Beeinträchtigung bei der Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung an 1035 Jugendlichen im Alter von zwölf bis 17 Jahren dargestellt. Die Posttraumatische Belastungsstörung sowie andere psychische Störungen wurden nach DSM-IV-Kriterien anhand des computergestützten Interviews der Münchener Version des Composite International Diagnostic Interview kodiert. Insgesamt hatten 17 Jugendliche (1,6%) irgendwann in ihrem Leben die DSM-IV-Kriterien der Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung erfüllt. Etwas mehr Mädchen als Jungen erfüllten die diagnostischen Kriterien dieser Störung, deren Häufigkeit mit dem Alter zunahm. Die Lebenszeit-Häufigkeit traumatischer Ereignisse lag weitaus höher. 233 (22,5%) aller Jugendlichen berichteten von mindestens einem traumatischen Ereignis in ihrem Leben. Am häufigsten wurden körperliche Angriffe, Verletzungen und schwerwiegende Unfälle von den Jugendlichen erlebt. Traumatische Ereignisse waren bei Jungen signifikant häufiger als bei Mädchen. Das Auftreten eines traumatischen Ereignisses war meist verbunden mit Hypervigilanz sowie wiederholter und eindringlicher psychischer Belastung bei Konfrontation mit Hinweisreizen, die einen Aspekt des Ereignisses symbolisieren oder ihm ähneln. Die Posttraumatische Belastungsstörung trat in hohem Maße komorbid mit Depressiven und Somatoformen Störungen sowie mit Störungen durch Substanzkonsum auf. Über 90% der Jugendlichen waren in ihrem Alltagsleben stark beeinträchtigt. Trotz des hohen Grades psychosozialer Beeinträchtigung nahm nur ein kleiner Teil der Fälle professionelle Hilfe in Anspruch.
An Schwächen üben oder durch Stärken ausgleichen? Vergleich zweier Strategien in der Förderung von Kindern mit einer umschriebenen Lese-Rechtschreib-Schwäche
Authors: Strehlow U. , Haffner J. , Busch G. , Pfüller U. , Rellum T. , Zerahn-Hartung C.
Published: April 2003

Zusammenfassung: In der vorgestellten Studie werden zwei Strategien zur Förderung von Kindern mit einer umschriebenen Lese-Rechtschreib-Schwäche miteinander hinsichtlich ihrer Wirksamkeit und Akzeptanz überprüft. Die eine Strategie setzt durch Üben gerade an den Schwächen der meisten Kinder in der einzelheitlichsequentiellen Verarbeitungsweise an. Sie wird im wesentlichen durch den Kieler Lese-Rechtschreib-Aufbau umgesetzt. Die andere Strategie geht dagegen von den relativen Stärken der Kinder in der ganzheitlichen Verarbeitungsweise im Sinne Kaufmans aus. Hier wird das Trainingsmaterial nach den Vorgaben Kaufmans zusammengestellt. Die Kinder beider Gruppen (N = 13 und N = 12) sind durchschnittlich begabt und erreichten einen SIF-Wert von SW = 101 im K-ABC. Entsprechend der Erwartung ist die Skala einzelheitlichen Denkens SED mit SW = 95 deutlich schwächer als die Skala ganzheitlichen Denkens SGD mit SW = 105. In der Rechtschreibleistung liegen die Kinder zu Beginn der Förderung 1,5 Standardabweichungen im Gruppenmittel unter der Klassennorm. Alle Kinder besuchen zu Beginn des Trainings die dritte Grundschulklasse. Die ganzheitliche Strategie zeigt in der Rechtschreibleistung nach einem Jahr regelmäßigen, einmal wöchentlichen Trainings signifikant bessere Ergebnisse. Unabhängig von der Strategie verbessern sich die Mädchen signifikant mehr als die Jungen. Hinsichtlich der Akzeptanz zeigt sich kein Unterschied zwischen den beiden Strategien. Dieses Ergebnis sollte nicht vorschnell verallgemeinert, sondern an anderen Stichproben überprüft werden, vor allem an Kindern in einem früheren Stadium des Erlernens der Schriftsprache, also Erst- oder Zweitkläßlern und/oder solchen mit einer ausgeprägteren umschriebenen Lese-Rechtschreib-Schwäche , als die hier geförderten Kinder aufwiesen. Dieses Ergebnis macht aber deutlich, daß aus der Identifizierung von zugrundeliegenden Schwächen nicht einfach auf die adäquate Förderungsmöglichkeit geschlossen werden kann.
Anwendbarkeit der Child Behavior Checklist bei entwicklungsgestörten Kindern
Authors: Noterdaeme M. , Minow F. , Amorosa H.
Published: April 2003

Zusammenfassung: Frage: Die Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) wird in großen, unausgelesenen Stichproben verwendet, um Verhaltensauffälligkeiten bei Kindern und Jugendlichen zu erfassen. In der hier vorgelegten Arbeit wird untersucht, inwieweit sich die CBCL eignet, um die bei einer Stichprobe entwicklungsgestörter Kinder typischerweise auftretenden Probleme zu erfassen. Methodik: Es wurden zwei Stichproben entwicklungsgestörter Kinder, bei denen Schwierigkeiten im Bereich der Sprache und der Kommunikation bestanden, untersucht. Es handelte sich um 34 Kinder mit einem frühkindlichen Autismus und 34 alters-, geschlechts- und intelligenzparallelisierte Kinder mit einer spezifischen Sprachentwicklungsstörung. Bei den zwei Stichproben wurde im Rahmen der routinemäßigen Abklärung der Symptomatik die CBCL ausgefüllt. Ergebnisse: Die Hälfte der sprachgestörten Kinder hatten im CBCL-Gesamtscore Werte im klinischen Bereich. Bei diesen Kindern sind die Probleme vor allem auf den Skalen «Aufmerksamkeitsstörungen», «Soziale Probleme» und «Zurückgezogenheit» anzutreffen. Etwa zwei Drittel der autistischen Kinder werden auf den oben genannten Syndromskalen als auffällig eingestuft. 32 der 34 autistischen Kinder erreichen auf der Skala V «Schizoid/Zwanghaft» auffällige Werte, während dies nur für ein sprachgestörtes Kind der Fall ist. Die Einzelitem-Analyse zeigt, daß in beiden Stichproben überdurchschnittlich häufig über entwicklungsbezogene Probleme (Sprechprobleme, Einnässen…) berichtet wird. Schlußfolgerungen: Die CBCL ist geeignet, um die bei entwicklungsgestörten Kindern charakteristischen Verhaltensauffälligkeiten zu erfassen. Diese Auffälligkeite n werden sowohl auf der Ebene der Syndromskalen wie auch durch Einzelitems erfaßt. Hohe Werte auf der Skala «Schizoid/Zwanghaft» sollten bei diesen Kindern Anlaß zu einer gezielten diagnostischen Abklärung eines frühkindlichen Autismus geben.
Ausschluß rezeptiver Sprachstörungen mittels des ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) *Die Daten wurden im Rahmen der Doktorarbeit von cand. med. U. Kurz erhoben.
Authors: Noterdaeme M. , Kurz U. , Mildenberger K. , Sitter S. , Amorosa H.
Published: April 2003

Zusammenfassung: Fragestellung: In einer Pilotstudie soll die Reliabilität und Validität des Beobachtungsinstruments «Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule» (ADOS) untersucht werden. Es wird überprüft, inwieweit eine differentialdiagnostische Abgrenzung zwischen Kindern mit einem frühkindlichen Autismus und Kindern mit einer umschriebenen rezeptiven Sprachentwicklungsstörung möglich ist. Methodik: Bei acht autistischen Jungen und acht alters- und IQ-parallelisierten Jungen mit einer umschriebenen rezeptiven Sprachentwicklungsstörung wurde das ADOS durchgeführt. Die Reliabilitätsüberprüfung wurde von acht Rater-Paaren vorgenommen. Die Übereinstimmung zwischen der diagnostischen Zuordnung anhand des ICD-10-Algorithmus des ADOS und der unabhängigen klinisch-psychiatrischen Diagnose zweier Expertinnen wurde als Maß für die Validität des Instruments benutzt. Ergebnisse: Es stellte sich heraus, daß Rater mit Erfahrung im Bereich der tiefgreifenden Entwicklungsstörungen eine gute Übereinstimmung bei der Bewertung der verschiedenen ADOS-Items erreichten. Anhand verschiedener Einzelitems konnten klare Gruppenunterschiede ermittelt werden. Der ADOS-ICD-10-Algorithmus konnte die klinische Diagnose eines frühkindlichen Autismus bei fünf der acht Kinder aus dieser Gruppe bestätigen. Kein Kind mit der klinischen Diagnose einer rezeptiven Sprachentwicklungsstörung wurde anhand des Algorithmus der Gruppe der autistischen Kinder zugewiesen. Schlußfolgerungen: In geschulter Hand ist das ADOS ein reliables Untersuchungsinstrument. Es kann die differentialdiagnostische Abklärung zwischen frühkindlichem Autismus und rezeptiver Sprachentwicklungsstörung unterstützen, z usätzliche Elternangaben sind aber notwendig, um die Diagnose zu sichern.
Zur Praxis der psychologischen Testdiagnostik in der deutschen Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie: Ergebnisse einer Umfrage
Authors: Bölte S. , Adam-Schwebe S. , Englert E. , Schmeck K. , Poustka F.
Published: April 2003

Zusammenfassung: 92 ambulante und stationäre kinder- und jugendpsychiatrische Einrichtungen aus dem gesamten Bundesgebiet wurden zu deren Handhabe und Einschätzung testpsychologischer Verfahren befragt. Ein an die leitenden Psychologen gerichteter Fragebogen enthielt 15 offene und geschlossene Items. Alle antwortenden Kliniken verfügten über Tests und setzten diese auch in der Diagnostik ein. Zirka die Hälfte der Einrichtungen berichtete darüber hinausgehend über den obligaten Einsatz bestimmter Einzelverfahren. In einem Drittel der Kliniken erfolgte der Einsatz von Eigenentwicklungen, wobei nur ein kleinerer Teil dieser Tests auch evaluiert und publiziert wurde. Auch die Frage nach der Verwendung computerunterstützter Tests wurde von etwa einem Drittel der Befragten bejaht. Testkompendien, Fachzeitschriften, das Internet oder Kollegen werden verbreitet konsultiert, um sich über psychometrische Verfahren zu informieren. Am häufigsten wurde der Einsatz von Intelligenztests berichtet. Dagegen werden strukturierte Interviews vergleichbar selten durchgeführt. Die Wechsler-Intelligenzskalen für Kinder und Erwachsene, die CFT-Skalen, der d2 und der Scenotest sind Beispiele für verbreitet durchgeführte Einzeltests. Etwa ein Viertel der Befragten berichtete von einer prinzipiellen Ablehnung einzelner Verfahren, darunter projektive Tests und Intelligenztests. Ethische Beweggründe spielten bei Ablehnungen keine Rolle. Vermisst werden sowohl Aktualisierungen und Neunormierungen gängiger Verfahren als auch adäquate Verfahren in bestimmten Bereichen ganz allgemein, zum Beispiel für Lese-, Rechtschreib- und Rechenstörungen. Einzelne Umfrageergebnisse geben auch Anlass zur kritischen Analyse der berichteten kinder- und jugendpsychiatrischen Testpraxis.
Interkultureller Vergleich der Conners-Skalen: Lässt sich die US-amerikanische Faktorenstruktur an einer deutschen Klinikstichprobe replizieren?
Authors: Huss M. , Iseler A. , Lehmkuhl U.
Published: April 2003

Zusammenfassung Fragestellung: Im Zuge der internationalen Vernetzung kinderpsychiatrischer Forschung kommt der Frage der interkulturellen Vergleichbarkeit von Faktorenstrukturen gängiger Fragebogenverfahren eine zentrale Bedeutung zu. Die vorliegende Studie prüft, ob die US-amerikanische Faktorenstruktur (US-Modell) der Conners Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) an einer deutschen kinderpsychiatrischen Inanspruchnahmepopulation replizierbar ist. Methodik: Die Stichprobe von 1394 Kindern und Jugendlichen wird randomisiert halbiert. An der einen Teilstichprobe wird mittels explorativer Faktorenanalyse ein deutsches Faktorenmodell (D-Modell) entwickelt. Dieses wird im Vergleich mit dem nach Conners (1989) erstellten US-Modell an der zweiten Teilstichprobe mittels konfirmatorischer Faktorenanalyse (LISREL 8) überprüft. Ergebnisse: Das D-Modell stimmt mit dem US-Modell in 87% der Pfadbeziehungen überein. Beide Modelle weisen Einschränkungen der Vorhersagegüte auf. Das D-Modell hat erwartungskonform etwas bessere Vorhersagewerte als das US-Modell (GFI = .81; AGFI = .75 versus GFI = .76; AGFI = .71). Schlussfolgerungen: Verglichen mit anderen Studien zur interkulturellen Generalisierbarkeit von Faktorenstrukturen dimensionaler Verfahren (z.B. De Groot et al., 1994 ) haben die “goodness of fit” Indices für die CPRS insgesamt schlechtere Werte. Dies ist jedoch größtenteils auf Restriktionen im Modell (keine Mehrfachladungen) zurückzuführen. Interkulturelle Abweichungen ergeben sich bei der Skala “Impulsivität/Hyperaktivität”. Die übrigen Skalen lassen sich gut replizieren.