bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Human psychobiology in Scandinavia: I. Psychophysiology—theory, method and empirical research
Authors: HUGDAHL KENNETH
Published: May 2008

The present paper reviews Scandinavian contributions to the field of psychophysiology in a fifteen year perspective (1968–1983). Psychophysiology is defined as that domain within psychobiology where the investigator uses a physiological measure to indirectly assess a psychological construct, e.g. heart‐rate to index anxiety. Only research that fit this definition is reviewed. Thus, research belonging to physiological psychology and behavior pharmacology is excluded. The paper is divided into several areas covering studies related to attention and the orienting response (OR); classical autonomic conditioning and biofeed‐back learning; clinical psychology and behavior medicine; emotion and motivation, and methodological contributions. The review of studies related to attention and OR is focussed on the work by Näätänen and by Öhman who both have made distinguished contributions to this area of research. The so‐called “prepared‐learning” project is described as an example of Scandinavian conditioning studies. Other examples include Bohlin's research on attention and habituation, and the work by Schalling and by Fredrikson in clinical psychology and psychopathology. Norwegian research on muscle tension and respiratory activity done by Svebak is also reviewed. A total of 114 papers written by about 95 different researchers are reviewed. Thus, psychophysiology may be regarded as a firmly rooted research tradition in Scandinavia, both qualitatively and quantitatively. It is concluded that Scandinavian psychophysiology research is at the front line internationally concerning problem areas and methodology.
Facilitation of early speech development in a dysphatic child by use of signed Norwegian
Authors: TETZCHNER STEPHEN VON
Published: May 2008

Non‐vocal language intervention is mostly used to develop communication skills in severely dysfunctional children. In the present study, a 3‐year‐old dysphatic boy was taught signs to facilitate his speech development. After 6 months of sign instruction, he showed substantial improvement in spoken language, and had gained one year on the Receptive and the Expressive scales of Reynell Developmental Language Scales in half a years time. Behavior problems were markedly reduced. It is concluded that sign instruction may be used with a wider range of subjects than is usual today.
Smoking and pain—A method of limits and sensory decision theory analysis
Authors: MUSER KIM , WALLER DICK , LEVANDER STEN , SCHALLING DAISY
Published: May 2008

The effects of tobacco smoking on responses to electrical stimulation were studied according to a Method of Limits (ML) threshold analysis and a Sensory Decision Theory (SDT) analysis. For the ML procedure, Detection Threshold (DT), Pain Threshold (PT) and Tolerance Level (TL) measures were obtained. For the SDT procedure, nonparametric estimates of capacity to discriminate between stimulus intensities (P(A)) and response criterion (B) were calculated. There was no main effect of tobacco smoking on responses to electrical stimulation. Males had consistently higher ML thresholds than females in both the NS and S condition. Males also tended to increase in DT and PT after smoking. From a comparison between the effects of smoking on ML and SDT measures it was suggested that PT is related mainly to sensory factors and TL to response factors.
Image reconstruction and Gestalt formation in human spatial vision
Authors: LAURINEN PENTTI , NYMAN GÖTE
Published: May 2008

A sampling theoretical and experimental framework for the study of spatial vision is introduced. It is suggested that spatial Gestalt perception can be fruitfully analyzed by applying the concepts and methods of modern spatial filtering theory as they are known in the theory of image sampling and reconstruction. Demonstrations of the sampling processes in spatial vision are given and an experimental method for estimating the spatial reconstruction power of the human visual system is described. The experimental results presented suggest that high spatial frequency information has a special significance for human vision. Evidently, high frequency information is transmitted more easily through the visual system than has been generally assumed on the basis of contrast sensitivity studies.
Parents and partners: patterns of perceived similarity and their correlates in women
Authors: LIPPE ANNA LOUISE VON DER
Published: May 2008

Patterns of similarity between descriptions of partners and parents were analyzed to determine the differential importance of both parents for partner‐choice in a sample of 76 married student and health‐professional couples. The wives were grouped according to high parent‐spouse similarity, low parent‐spouse similarity, low mother‐, high father‐spouse similarity and high mother‐, low father‐spouse similarity, using Q‐sort descriptions of spouse and parents. Q‐sorts of self, self‐ideal, spouse and parents and inventory scores were analyzed for the subgroups. It was anticipated that the influence of parents on mate‐choice would be mediated through the self‐ideal. Choice of husbands resembling fathers was anticipated to be beneficial for women only in the context of a good mother‐relationship, otherwise it would serve defensive purposes. The results supported these expectations. Symmetry with regard to capacity for emotional closeness or emotional distance was interpreted to underlie partner‐choice resembling both parents or no parent, while complementarity with regard to dominance and submission was interpreted to underlie partner‐choice exclusively resembling one parent.
Task novelty and intelligence
Authors: RAAHEIM KJELL , BRUN WIBECKE
Published: May 2008

Psychology students were presented with a mental puzzle based on knowledge of geometry, with several versions of Wason's selection task, and with some tasks of essay writing. Test scores were obtained on a sentence completion test and a test of spatial configuration. With the different problem‐solving tasks, a relationship between success and intellectual ability was observed only in cases where the data indicated that the subjects were familiar with the task in question. The results support the theory previously set forth by Raaheim; that only in situations where the degree of novelty is moderate, will the intelligent use of past experience prove beneficial to problem solving.
The role of gender‐related self‐schemata in the attributions of social interaction
Authors: NIEMI PÄIVI
Published: May 2008

The role of gender‐related self‐schemata in the interpretation of marital interaction was studied. It was hypothesized that personally significant self‐schemata colour the processing of social information. 51 female subjects participated in the experiment. Spontaneous affective and attributional responses to a story about marital interaction were investigated using a self‐probe methodology. The subjects were also asked to evaluate and predict the behavior of the couple. Gender‐related self‐schemata were measured by the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. In addition to this, a semantic differential was employed to describe the subjects' over‐all self‐concept and sex‐stereotypes on various dimensions. Androgynous, undifferentiated, masculine and feminine groups differed in their self‐concepts, affective and attributional responses and predictions. The groups did not differ notably in their concepts of man and woman.
Sex‐role related personality traits and irrationality
Authors: ALSAKER FRANÇOISE D. , HOVLAND OLE J. , VOLLMER FRED
Published: May 2008

Among undergraduate psychology students, masculinity and femininity scores on the Personal Attributes Questionnaire were correlated with a measure of irrational value orientation. Both for women and men significant negative correlations between masculinity and irrationality were found. Feminity and irrationality proved to be unrelated in both sex groups. Finally, no interaction effect of masculinity and feminity on irrationality was obtained.
Agency and communion in three generations of women and their relation to socialization
Authors: LIPPE ANNA LOUISE VON DER
Published: May 2008

Personality clusters of agency (independence, self‐protection and self‐assertion) and communion (interpersonal sensitivity and nurturant concern for the welfare of others) were studied in three generations of Norwegian women with the expectation that 1) daughters would use mothers rather than fathers as models for both clusters and 2) socialization practices of encouraging independence would be related to agency, while responsiveness, closeness and control would be related to communion in daughters. 32 adult pregnant daughters and their mothers were studied. Agency and communion scores were negatively related within individuals in all 3 generations and each was positively related across the three generations. A, buta greater balance between the two personal qualities was seen in the younger generation of women than in the two older ones. Ospredicted, agency and communion scores for mothers and daughters were positively related in all three generations and fathers' and daughters' scores were unrelated. While agentic mothers were found to have encouraged autonomy, agency in daughters was facilitated by more nondirective‐ness by the mother. Communion in daughters was fostered by demand for socially responsible behavior and related to close, controlled, non‐individuated relationships to nurturant and confident mothers. Agency was related to more distant and conflicted relationships to non‐nurturant and cognitively curious mothers. Agentic daughters were also found to be better educated and in more responsible jobs, while communal daughters were less educated and in more routine jobs. Thus agency was nurtured in challenging and tension producing and communion in close and less stimulating interpersonal environments. When strongly developed, both were associated with liabilities.
The experience of psychosomatic symptoms in the hyperventilation provocation test and in non‐hyperventilation tasks
Authors: SVEBAK SVEN , GROSSMAN PAUL
Published: May 2008

End‐tidal CO2 was monitored in 16 nonpatient subjects during the performance of a continuous perceptual‐motor task, once with and once without threat of aversive shock (counter‐balanced), and during performance of the hyperventilation (HV) provocation test. Respiratory alkalosis (below 2.5% end‐tidal CO2) was produced by HV but not by the other treatments. Reports of task‐related psychosomatic complaints were frequent with HV, but were also reported to some extent with the other treatments. It is concluded that psychosomatic complaints, often assumed to be associated with HV, were not specifically related to degree of hypocapnia. The constellation of seriousmindedness, perceived threat and negative hedonic tone appeared to interact with the drop in end‐tidal CO2. Our findings suggest a multifactorial model for understanding the experience of psychosomatic complaints.
The influence of verbalization on problem‐solving
Authors: STINESSEN LEIF
Published: May 2008

The performance of subjects who were required to state reasons for moves while solving the Tower‐of‐Hanoi problem was compared to the performance of subjects who were not required to do so. In accordance with previous research it was found that stating reasons facilitated performance in reducing superfluous moves (errors). In addition it was found that the effect was due to a significant decrease in errors for moves close to important subgoals in a goal hierarchy of moves. The effect was explained in terms of the replacement of an automated process with controlled calculations for moves close to subgoals.
Preference for news as a function of familiarity
Authors: TEIGEN KARL HALVOR
Published: May 2008

The study was designed to test the hypothesis that interest in information reaches a maximum when something novel is predicted about a well‐known subject. The hypothesis predicts that news will be considered more attractive the more familiar its source or theme. This was confirmed in two experiments, where Norwegian and British students were asked to state their interest in reading news from thirty countries of varying familiarity (Experiment 1) or from correspondents in twenty‐six capital cities (Experiment 2). Subjects also stated their preferences for reading general information about the same countries or cities, and indicated from which of these they would prefer to receive postcard greetings. The results show preference for news to be closely related to familiarity of country or city (r=0.93 and r=0.91). General information and postcard preferences were as predicted, less directly related to familiarity.
Separate memory laws for recall of performed acts?
Authors: HELSTRUP TORE
Published: May 2008

The present study was inspired by an experimental report by Cohen (1981). where recall of subject performed minitasks was demonstrated to give serial position curves without primacy effect. The question raised was whether this deviation implied the formulation of new memory laws. Eight new experiments were conducted. Two of them replicated Cohen's observations; one with concretely performed acts, and one with symbolically performed acts. A third experiment examined recall of proposed, nonperformed acts, with results similar to those found in the other minitask experiments. Four experiments studied the effect of visually imagining act performance, again with results which demonstrated the existence of interesting similarities between the different types of act recall. Several of the experiments explored the role of self‐involvement and task familiarity, and the last experiment was specially designed to test a task‐difficulty hypothesis. The results were discussed in terms of a representation‐system theory, a nonstrategic lack‐of‐rehearsal interpretation, and in terms of a general problem‐solving account. None of these theories were found, all observations taken together, to have been clearly supported or clearly disproved, and more evidence was therefore deemed necessary before new memory laws need to be postulated.
Noise and visual choice‐reaction time: A large‐scale population survey
Authors: LAHTELA KARI , NIEMI PEKKA , KUUSELA VESA , HYPÉN KIMMO
Published: May 2008

The impact of a 80 dB(A) intermittent broadband noise on a three‐choice visual reaction time (RT) task was investigated. There were 2661 subjects who represented the healthy Finnish population from the age of 30 to 79 years. Noise slowed down the response speed highly significantly but the main effect was negligible in the psychological sense (513 vs. 506 msec). The performance of the elderly was more affected than that of the young. Slow responders did not show any detrimental effect of noise irrespective of whether or not they committed errors. The results are discussed in terms of person‐induced ways to perform and cope under a mild stress.
Ego development in women without higher education
Authors: LIPPE ANNA LOUISE VON DER
Published: May 2008

The study presents evidence that interpersonal and situational complexity, confrontation and conflict advance ego development in women. Thirty‐two pregnant women of moderate education and from modest educational backgrounds were studied. Loevinger's Sentence Completion Test was used to measure ego development, and interviews and tests with the subjects and their mothers formed the data from which the mother daughter, father‐daughter and parental relationship were assessed along with evaluation of environmental strain during childhood. The findings suggest that women at higher, compared to lower, stages of ego development are more individuated, and reared to more independence and conflict‐tolerance by less responsive, but more active and socially engaged mothers. High ego‐level daughters also had conflicted and overinvolved relationships to the fathers. Ego development was related to early environmental stress, parental marital strain and to present environmental stress. Personality or adjustment variables were not related to ego development. The relationship between ego development and complexities in the social environment was seen in light of the traditional over‐socialization of females which may impede ego development.
Problems in Freud's Metapsychology
Authors: OLSEN OLE ANDKJAZR , KOPPE SIMO
Published: May 2008

This article first seeks to analyze in the light of the history of science, two fundamental problems concerning the metapsychology of Freud and the interpretation of these in the related literature that has appeared since. The two problems in question are psychophysi‐calism and the dichotomous splitting of the subject. An examination of Freud's conceptual development leads to two hypotheses, namely the so‐called three‐level model and the partitioning of the subject into an adaptive and a psychosexual register.
Transcending common sense in psychological theorizing: A developmental perspective
Authors: VALSINER JAAN
Published: May 2008

The necessity for transcendence of any particular system of common sense in psychologists' theorizing is reiterated in the process of analyzing Smedslund's response to the author's previous (Valsiner, 1985) critical analysis of the role of common sense in psychology. It is emphasized that the ways of how personally unique construction of meaning in individuals' ontogenies proceed are directed by social canalization, which guarantees sufficient (but not absolute) similarity in persons' individual thinking and acting. Such similarity forms the basis for intelligibility of interpersonal communication. A developmental perspective can overcome two opposite traditions in non‐developmental psychologies which either disregard common sense, or make it the criterion of adequacy of thinking towards which psychological theories should strive. In contrast, it is suggested that common sense be studied in conjunction with research on psychological phenomena for which it serves as their context, and that generalizations about psychological phenomena retain information about the common‐sense frames of the phenomena.
Development in understanding the relation of others' behavior to own behavior
Authors: VIKAN ARNE , BJORU ELIN
Published: May 2008

120 Ss from six age groups (range 7–22 years) were tested for their understanding that others' responses were related to a preceding behavior in Ss. The understanding was tested after experimental interaction episodes with Ss as participants. The results indicated the following development sequence: 7–9 year old persons relate others' response to Ss' behavior in situational terms, 11–13 year old persons relate others' response to others' perceptiodcognition of Ss' behavior, and older persons are able to relate others' behavior simultaneously to Ss' behavior and to dispositional properties in the others.
Social cognitive development in resolutions of misunderstandings
Authors: VIKAN ARNE
Published: May 2008

Dyads of Ss from six age groups (range 7 to 22 years) were induced to misunderstand each other in each of three conditions: 1. Biased encoding in the speaker. 2. Biased decoding in the listener. J. Biases in both speaker and listener. Young Ss explained faulty behavior and attributed responsibility be reference to listeners, older Ss explained by reference to listeners and attributed responsibility to speakers. An increase of insight into listeners' bias was shown throughout the age span, whereas speakers' bias was not mentioned in Ss' explanations. The results were interpreted in terms of development of differentiation and integration of the social roles of speakers and listeners.
Identification with an aggressor or a victim and its relation to creativity
Authors: CARLSSON INGEGERD , SMITH GUDMUND J. W.
Published: May 2008

Studied identification using a meta‐contrast design. The first stimulus was the word ‘I’. The second stimulus depicted an aggressor and a victim facing each other. The subliminal ‘I’ was flashed on either the victim or on the aggressor, or completely withheld. The subjects were 33 school children, aged 10–12 years. They also took a percept‐genetic (PG) test of creativity, measuring willingness to return to and recognize early conceptions of a stimulus picture (a still‐life). The results showed that the creative children reacted with less anxiety and defense when manipulated to identify with the aggressor than with the victim. The uncreative children showed the opposite reaction, namely a preference for the passive, surrendering victim.
Conception and self‐attribution of sex‐role behavior: A cross‐cultural comparison between Swedish and kibbutz‐raised lsraelian children
Authors: CARLSSON MARIANNE , BARNES MINA
Published: May 2008

The conception of typical female and male sex‐role behavior and self‐attribution of sex‐role behavior in Swedish children were compared to conception and self‐attribution in kibbutz‐raised Israelian children. Two hundred and fourteen Swedish children aged 7–8 years and 68 Swedish and 56 Israelian children aged 10–12 years participated. It was hypothesised that Swedish children would be more traditional regarding sex‐role behavior both with respect to their conception and to their self‐attribution than the kibbutz‐raised Israelian children since the strive for equality between the sexes, according to the kibbutz ideology, has been more pronounced in Israel than in Sweden. The results did not confirm the hypothesis. No cultural difference was found neither with respect to conception of typical female and male sex‐role behavior, nor to the proportion of traditional and androgynous sex‐typing regarding self‐attribution.
Context‐dependent latent inhibition in taste aversion learning
Authors: ARCHER TREVOR , MOHAMMED ABDUL K. , JÄRBE TORBJÖRN U. C.
Published: May 2008

The effects of taste stimulus preexposure, either in the presence or in the absence of a specific contextual cue consisting of a specific noise‐producing bottle, upon the conditioning and testing of conditioned taste aversions to the taste (saccharin) plus context (noisy‐bottle) compound stimulus were investigated. Four groups of rats were given preexposure trials (latent inhibition) to either: (1) novel saccharin in novel noisy bottles, (2) novel saccharin in familiar silent bottles, (3) familiar water in novel noisy bottles, (4) familiar water in familiar silent bottles, in six trials. During conditioning, saccharin was presented in the noisy bottles followed by lithium chloride for all the groups. At testing, saccharin was presented in the noisy bottles for both one‐bottle and two‐bottle tests of aversion. It was indicated that the conditioning decrement produced after both saccharin and noisy bottle preexposure was overwhelmingly greater than any produced after preexposure to the elements. These results, discussed in relation to current theories of latent inhibition and perceptual learning, further underline the overwhelming significance of exteroceptive contextual elements in conditioned taste aversions.
Justice concept development as shown in reward allocations
Authors: VIKAN ARNE
Published: May 2008

Ss at six age levels (range 7–22 years) were asked to allocate rewards to two actors in tasks which showed differences in number of actors' products, actors' effort, actors' relative contributions, and the logical relation of actors' contributions, respectively. Contrary both to Adams' and Piaget's justice theories, results showed a greater variation in allocations for tasks than for age. Equal allocations of reward were most frequent when actors' effort and relative contributions were different, unequal allocations were most frequent for differences in actors' products, and for differences in logical relation of contributions. Equal reward allocations were furthermore more frequent when responses were related to the shared rather than the individual aspect of actors' contributions, and when there was a personal relationship between actors.
Moral judgment in retrospect
Authors: WESTMAN MARTIN
Published: May 2008

A strategy of retrospective observation was applied to the study of developmental change in moral judgment. Swedish‐speaking Finnish university students (N=55) indicated their own previous as well as their present moral preferences on Rest's Defining Issues Test (DIT). In line with expectations derived from Kohlberg's theory of moral development, these “simulated” longitudinal data gave a general picture of developmental progress. Brief written descriptions by the subjects of changes in their own moral views were partly consistent with the simulated change indicated on the DIT.
Task influences on judgemental forecasting
Authors: WRIGHT GEORGE , AYTON PETER
Published: May 2008

This study investigates the effect of imminence, time duration and subjective desirability on judgemental forecasts. People were found to be more sure of specified events happening in a one‐month time period subsequent to an imminent one‐month period. The time duration of a forecast period, one month versus two months, had no effect on forecasting response and performance and any effect of the subjective desirability of an event on its perceived likelihood was negligible. Although evidence of the consistency of individual forecasting response and performance was obtained, individual measures of coherence in probability assessment were not related to forecasting performance. A measure of the subjective difficulty of the forecasting task was not related to forecasting performance, indicating that attempts to re‐scale forecasting responses to improve forecasting performance on the basis of subjective difficulty are inappropriate.
Animal fears in the Antipodes: normative data from an Australian sample
Authors: PACKER JEANETTE S. , BOND NIGEL W. , SIDDLE DAVID A. T.
Published: May 2008

The present study investigated reported fear of snakes, spiders and mutilation in an Australian sample (N=235). Standardized questionnaires were used, and scores from the Australian sample were compared with those obtained by other authors from North American and Swedish samples. The psychometric characteristics of test scores from the Australian sample were similar to those from the North American and Swedish samples. Although there were no differences in reported fear of snakes between the three samples, both the Australian and North American samples reported greater fear of spiders than did the Swedish sample. Females scored higher on all scales than did males, and Australian and North American females reported greater fear of mutilation than did Swedish females. Test‐retest reliability in a non‐clinical Australian subsample (n=48) was low for all scales. The results are discussed in terms of the adaptation/habituation hypothesis and the preparedness account of the acquisition of fear.
Quantifying intentions: Developmental change in conceiving intentions
Authors: VIKAN ARNE , SANTOS CLARA MARIA MELO DOS
Published: May 2008

An experiment was designed to test children's insight that behaviour may increase (positive relation) or decrease (negative relation) as a function of intention intensity. Behaviour variation was depicted in terms of time (duration) and distance, and Ss inferred behaviour variations from variation in intention intensity, and vice versa. Response variation related only to age, and showed that understanding of positive relations was developed by five years of age, whereas understanding of negative relations was developed between the ages of seven and nine years.
A functionalistic approach to memory: theory and data
Authors: NILSSON LARS‐GÖRAN , MÄNTYLÄ TIMO , SANDBERG KARL
Published: May 2008

The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual frame of reference for memory research on the basis of two recent lines of development. One such key development is that of a functional orientation of memory research focusing on processing and function rather than structure and memory entities. The other line of development concerns information storage as distributed rather than localized. A functionalistic frame of reference involving a notion of distributed storage is proposed. According to this view remembering is seen as an interaction between available cognitive capabilities and demands of the task in which the individual is remembering something. Encoding is conceived of as an interaction between “affordances” of the environment and “functional dispositions” of the individual. Retrieval is seen as a re‐activation of functional dispositions. The formation of unique combinations of functional dispositions plays a crucial role in obtaining perfect recall performance. The viability of the overall conceptual framework is demonstrated in three experimental studies. The development of the design and procedure for these experiments was a second purpose of this paper, namely to outline an experimental setting which could serve as a complement to computer simulations in studying notions of distributed storage.
Alcohol and previous acquaintance: Mood and social interactions in small groups
Authors: LINDFORS BODIL , LINDMAN RALF
Published: May 2008

The effects of alcohol (0.75 g/kg) on qualitative and quantitative aspects of verbal interaction and self‐reported mood were studied in small groups of either strangers or acquaintances. Four groups consisting of two male and two female subjects were observed during discussion of a film topic. Significantly more verbal activity was observed as a function of alcohol (p<0.01), consistent with self‐reported euphoria, affiliative moods, and reduced social anxiety. Bales IPA data indicated that more negative emotions were expressed (p<0.05) and more assertive communications were delivered as part of the generally increased verbal activity under alcohol conditions. Although alcohol and previous acquaintance tended to alter mood ratings in similar ways, alcohol was clearly the more powerful agent. Alcohol increased both total verbal activity and the output of more self‐disclosing or provoking verbal responses. Although acquaintance alone had neither of these effects, it tended to promote the increase in verbal activity produced by alcohol.
A note on cue probability learning: what conditioning data reveal about cue contrast
Authors: BJÖRKMAN MATS
Published: May 2008

In a probabilistic learning task with two complementary cues (C1 and C2) and two events (E1 and E2) the subject has a tendency to infer that E2 will occur when C2 occurs after he/she has observed that E1 frequently goes with C1. This phenomenon was termed cue contrast because it reflects the belief that C2 contrasts with C1 and should indicate E2. Two kinds of predictions following from the notion of cue contrast were tested on response proportions from the first block of trials in four previously published experiments on cue probability learning. Of a total of 15 independent observations (eight within‐group comparisons; seven between‐group comparisons) 13 confirmed the predictions (sign test, p<0.005). It was concluded that cue utilization is both an inductive process based on association between cues and events and an inferential process based on contrast.
Personality, examination stress and serum concentrations of immunoglobulins
Authors: VASSEND OLAV , HALVORSEN RAGNHILD
Published: May 2008

In the first part of the study, 10 undergraduate students were tested to determine the effects of examination stress on serum concentrations of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM and IgE). Testing was undertaken six weeks prior to a final written examination, at the time of the examination, and 12–14 days after the examination. A control group consisted of students not taking an examination. The results demonstrated a small but significant decrease in IgM during the observed period. However, there were no other significant effects. In the second part of the study, correlations between baseline serum levels of immunoglobulins and psychological variables in a sample consisting of 40 undergraduate students were examined. The results demonstrated a significant relationship between IgM concentrations and psychological variables reflecting acute or chronic psychological load, e.g. social alienation, anxiety/tension, depressive mood, and emotional and bodily complaints. There were no significant correlations between the psychological variables and IgA, IgG or IgE. Multiple regression analysis showed that 34% of the variance in IgM levels could be explained by the variables Somatic complaints and Social alienation. Immunoglobulin levels were not significantly correlated with serum Cortisol or prolactin concentration.
Knowledge and expectations: Perceived illness in myocardial infarction patients
Authors: HAVIK ODD E. , MÆLAND JOHN G.
Published: May 2008

In a study of 367 patients with myocardial infarction (MI), questionnaires were developed to assess two central aspects of perceived illness: factual and consensual illness knowledge and subjective expectations for the personal consequences of the MI. In a factor analysis, these two aspects of perceived illness were found to load on separate factors, and the patients views of the personal consequences of the MI were only moderately associated with their general cardiac health knowledge. Among a series of sociodemographic, medical, and psychological variables, including a standardized in‐hospital patient education programme, the two aspects of perceived illness also proved to have different determinants. Differences in factual and consensual illness knowledge were mainly related to differences in formal education, and this aspect of perceived illness was influenced by the standardized education programme. In contrast, differences in subjective expectations were associated with levels of hopelessness. The implications for psychosocial interventions in the rehabilitation of MI patients are discussed.
Psychological aspects of myelomeningocele—a longitudinal study
Authors: JENSEN PER BERNTH
Published: May 2008

The possibilities of treatment of the congenital neurological disease myelomeningocele have improved since the 1960s. The patients who survive often suffer from severe motor and mental handicaps, and it has been discussed whether a selection should be made of those children who should be treated or whether all children should be treated. Here we present results of a longitudinal study of 56 children, who were all treated and still continue active treatment. The results show that mental retardation was not greater than in groups of children selected for treatment according to a criterion. There was no difference between the sexes. Mean IQ was 90, 75% attended normal school, and only 33% received remedial instruction, primarily because of difficulties with emptying the bladder.
Similarities and differences in mothers' and fathers' grief following the death of an infant
Authors: DYREGROV ATLE , MATTHIESEN STIG BERGE
Published: May 2008

The differences between mothers' and fathers' grief following the death of an infant child were investigated. From a total sample of 117 parents, 53% women and 47% men, answering a survey on different grief reactions 1 to 4 years following the death. 55 families where both partners responded, were selected. Measures relating to anxiety, depression, impact of event, bodily discomfort, and general well being were included. The results demonstrated fairly strong differences between the partners' reactions, with mothers typically experiencing more intense and long‐lasting reactions than fathers. Mothers also tended to perceive their family and friends as less supportive than fathers, while fathers were least satisfied with the support received from the hospital. Most parents felt the death had brought them closer together, although a considerable number reported feeling more distance to their partner. Mothers scored significantly higher than the fathers on experience of recovery, state anxiety (STAI), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), bodily symptoms (Bodily Symptom Scale) and intrusive images and thoughts (Impact of Event Scale, IES Intrusion). A high score in one spouse was correlated with a high score in the other, and vice versa. It is emphasized that the results showing parental differences in grief should help us tailor psychoeducational and therapeutical intervention for bereaved families.
Preference and similarity: affective and cognitive judgement?
Authors: SJÖBERG LENNART , DERBAIX CHRISTIAN , JANSSON BENGT
Published: May 2008

This study is a test of some implications of the distinction between cognitive and affective processes proposed by Zajonc (1980), applied to preference and similarity judgements. Preference and similarity data were obtained for male and female subjects judging male and female cinema actors. Preference judgements were assumed to be an example of primarily affective judgement, similarity was assumed to be mainly cognitive. It was furthermore assumed that men when judging women and women judging men should be more affectively involved than the opposite cases. It was predicted (a) that making preference judgements would be more confident, (b) that such judgements would be more stable, (c) that preference judgements would show a more simple structure than similarity judgements, and (d) that the difference between similarities and preferences with regard to the level of complexity indicated by the ratings should be especially large with large affective involvement. In support of Zajonc's model, preference judgements were given with more confidence by the subjects and they were more stable over time. There was a tendency for similarity spaces to be more complex for affectively involved subjects while the opposite occurred for preference ratings. Women seemed to react more negatively to the similarity task than men did.
Associative response heterogeneity: an indicator of stimulus word semantic autonomy
Authors: FLEKKØY KJELL
Published: May 2008

The total number of different responses, given by a group of subjects to a stimulus word in a single‐word, free‐association situation (D), is a primary determinant of associative response latency (Tecce & Glassco, 1965; Flekkøy, 1981). D has traditionally been assumed to reflect a word's associative potential, and the increased latency to high D words has been explained by response competition. The results of the present experiments indicate, however, that D reflects in an inverse manner semantic autonomy, high D words requiring more contextual information for their semantic specification than low D words. The process of semantic specification requires time, creating the positive D‐response latency relationship. Based on a semantic interpretation of D, associative response heterogeneity may be used as an index of a word's semantic autonomy.
Neuropsychological syndromes in right hemisphere stroke patients
Authors: FINSET A. , SUNDET K. , HAAKONSEN M.
Published: May 2008

A specific set of syndromes, based on different intrahemispheric lesion locations, has not yet been described in patients with right hemisphere lesions. To explore whether statistically derived clusters could give clues to a syndrome structure, neuropsychological data from a sample of 106 patients with right hemisphere stroke were studied. CT data were available for 58 of the patients. Based on factor analysis of eight test and four ratings variables, six variables were chosen for a cluster analysis. A structure of 13 clusters was considered statistically valid. Combining clusters with parallel test profiles into main cluster classes, five right hemisphere syndromes proved clinically valid: an above average syndrome (n=46), denial perseverance (frontal) syndrome (n=14). a depressed mood syndrome (n= 14), a focal RH syndrome (n=18) and a global RH syndrome (n=9). It is suggested that syndromes are related to intrahemispheric location of the lesion, such as the extent of anterior and posterior damage.
The recognition of pure and blended facial expressions of emotion from still photographs
Authors: NUMMENMAA TAPIO
Published: May 2008

The article considers volitional facial expressions as emotional messages. The following two questions were posed: Is it possible for an actor to express pleasure, surprise, hate, fear, and sorrow, and pairwise combinations of these, plus additionally love, making 16 different shades of meaning altogether? Can these pure and blended expressions be recognized from still photographs? The repertoire of one actor was studied. The judgemental study of recognition was based on a multimethod approach, which included both judgements of the expressions using verbal labels and non‐verbal judgements planned to reveal the cluster structure of the stimuli. Five experiments are reported. In the main the actor succeeds in the task, though there are some systematic limitations in his repertoire. The results depend systematically on the way the task has been structured. Still photographs are seen as useful for specific purposes.
Performance under simulated offshore climate conditions
Authors: VÆRNES RAGNAR J. , KNUDSEN GUNNAR , PÅSCHE ARVID , EIDE INGVAR , AAKVAAG ASBJØRN
Published: May 2008

An experimental study was set up simulating the environmental conditions and work load among drillers and maintenance personnel offshore. Thirty‐six male subjects participated in the experimental study involving 3h exposures with dry gloves, wet gloves or without gloves. The subjects were working on tasks involving heavy and light muscle work, dexterity and cognitive tasks. Body and skin temperatures and heart rate variability were continuously monitored. Neuropsychological and endocrinological parameters were intermittently monitored. The data from the work performance tasks showed that motor functions, both gross and fine, were impaired when working with wet and, especially, without gloves. Working without gloves also affected mental work tasks. The neuropsychological and physiological data confirmed the work task studies: working with wet or without gloves led to increased tremor and impaired finger dexterity. Furthermore, reasoning was consistently impaired throughout the exposures compared with working with dry gloves. The heart‐rate variability data and the endocrine results also showed a significant central nervous stress reaction for the two hypothermic conditions compared with the dry glove condition. Especially for drilling further north these data should imply that both health and performance may be detrimentally affected during working under such conditions with insufficient thermal protection.
The severity of depression in cancer patients
Authors: PETERSEN HANNE N. , SMITH DONALD F. , ENIG BENT
Published: May 2008

The Hamilton Rating Scale was used for measuring the severity of symptoms of depression in cancer patients and healthy control subjects. The rating of patients took place at the end of clinical tests carried out for determining their diagnosis. Cancer patients had elevated scores for depressed mood, loss of work and interests, agitation, general somatic symptoms, hypo‐chondriasis, and loss of weight. Total depression scores indicative of moderate depression (i.e. 9–18) were found in 41% of patients, whereas 24% had scores greater than 18, indicative of severe depression. The findings suggests that the majority of cancer patients may require appropriate psychological support.
What is measured by a psychological measure?
Authors: SMEDSLUND JAN
Published: May 2008

In the case of every psychological measure one may ask the following three questions: (1) To what extent is it stable over repetitions? (2) To what extent does it measure what it purports to measure? (3) What is measured by the measure? The first two questions are concerned with reliability and validity and avoid the topic of content. The answer to the third question can only be given in terms of the shared conceptual system embedded in a natural language. The answer is identical to a description in such terms of how the person understands the item involved.
Contextual constraint: a Danish language replication of Miller‐Selfridge with methodological improvements
Authors: MAHER BRENDAN A. , SKOVENGAARD JAN
Published: May 2008

Previous studies in the English language have demonstrated the relevance of context and redundancy in assessing the impairment of information processing functions in psychopathology. In the present investigation, Danish language texts, varying in their degree of contextual constraint, were presented orally to 32 normal subjects, following the procedure of Miller & Selfridge (1950). Zero‐order texts were created with and without matching for word frequencies, a control that was not employed by Miller & Selfridge. Immediate recall was measured and analysed as a function of degree of contextual constraint. Context effects upon accuracy of recall were obtained. The results essentially replicated the findings of Miller & Selfridge, and those of similar studies in other languages. Word frequency affected accuracy of recall at the zero‐order point. The potential value of these texts as research tools in psychopathology is discussed.
Component analyses differentiate between exploratory behaviour of spontaneously hypertensive rats and Wistar Kyoto rats in a two‐compartment free‐exploration open field
Authors: MOSER MAY‐BRITT , MOSER EDVARD I. , WULTZ BOAZ , SAGVOLDEN TERJE
Published: May 2008

The present study investigated behaviour in a two‐compartment free‐exploration open field by means of a component analysis. Seven spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and six normotensive Wistar Kyoto control rats (WKY) were tested repeatedly on eight behaviour parameters in this apparatus. A two‐compartment free‐exploration open field evokes less fear than the standard one‐compartment forced‐exploration open field, because it permits the rat to enter the field from its home cage. The data were subjected to principal component analysis and multivariate analysis of variance. The results showed that the recorded behaviour grouped into two independent components, encompassing behaviour in the cage and in the field, respectively. These components are interpreted as reflecting different kinds of exploration: (i) distant exploration when the rat explores from its home cage, and (ii) close exploration when the rat explores by entering the novel field. The SHR scored highest on both, although they mostly used close exploration. In the WKY rats, which mainly stayed in their cages, distant exploration was predominant. The present free‐exploration open‐field procedure discriminates between two different exploration strategies employed by SHR and WKY rats.
Normative data for eight neuropsychological tests based on a Danish sample
Authors: NIELSEN HENRY , KNUDSEN LONE , DAUGBJERG OLE
Published: May 2008

Normative neuropsychological data have been provided using a sample of 101 persons aged 20 to 54 years. Eighty‐seven of the subjects were recruited among patients who had undergone minor surgery, and 14 subjects were volunteers from the staff at the hospital laundry. The measures consisted of seven subjects from the WAIS‐R, the trail‐making test, symbol digit modalities test, auditory–verbal learning test, story recall test, visual gestalt test, recurring figures test, verbal fluency, and Purdue pegboard test. These measures were selected because of suitability in regard to time taken for testing each subject and their sensitivity to subtle changes in neuropsychological functioning. The sample was arbitrarily divided into three age groups, and for each of the three samples, mean, standard deviation, and range were calculated for each test. The results of the Information and Vocabulary subtests from the WAIS‐R, education, and social status were applied as independent variables in linear regression analyses where each of the neuropsychological tests, in turn, was the dependent variable. For the oldest age group, age in addition was used as an independent variable. Significant linear relationships, which accounted for an optimal part of the variance, were selected for clinical application.