Internal and External Validity of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo in Young Adolescents with ADHD

Adolescents with Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) show symptoms of slowness, mental confusion, excessive daydreaming, low motivation, and drowsiness/sleepiness. Although many symptoms of SCT reflect internalizing states, no study has evaluated the utility of self-report of SCT in an ADHD sample. Further, it remains unclear whether SCT is best conceptualized as a unidimensional or multidimensional construct. In a sample of 262 adolescents comprehensively diagnosed with ADHD, the present study evaluated the dimensionality of a SCT scale and compared CFA and bifactor model fits for parent- and self-report versions. Analyses revealed the three-factor bifactor model to be the best fitting model. In addition, SCT factors predicted social and academic impairment and internalizing symptoms. Therefore, SCT as a multidimensional construct appears to have clinical utility in predicting impairment. Also, multiple reporters should be used, as they predicted different areas of functioning and were not invariant, suggesting that each rater adds unique information

Computer modeling of human decision making

Models of human decision making are reviewed. Models which treat just the cognitive aspects of human behavior are included as well as models which include motivation. Both models which have associated computer programs, and those that do not, are considered. Since flow diagrams, that assist in constructing computer simulation of such models, were not generally available, such diagrams were constructed and are presented. The result provides a rich source of information, which can aid in construction of more realistic future simulations of human decision making

Love is the triumph of the imagination: daydreams about significant others are associated with increased happiness, love and connection

Social relationships and interactions contribute to daily emotional well-being. The emotional benefits that come from engaging with others are known to arise from real events, but do they also come from the imagination during daydreaming activity? Using experience sampling methodology with 101 participants, we obtained 371 reports of naturally occurring daydreams with social and non-social content and self-reported feelings before and after daydreaming. Social, but not non-social, daydreams were associated with increased happiness, love and connection and this effect was not solely attributable to the emotional content of the daydreams. These effects were only present when participants were lacking in these feelings before daydreaming and when the daydream involved imagining others with whom the daydreamer had a high quality relationship. Findings are consistent with the idea that social daydreams may function to regulate emotion: imagining close others may serve the current emotional needs of daydreamers by increasing positive feelings towards themselves and others

Metamorphosis of a genre: The Daydreamer by Ian McEwan

Ilustración: "Anthony Browne’s illustration"When a major author engages in writing a book for children, it always turns out to be more than a mere incursion into a less prestigious genre. This paper proposes a reading of Ian McEwan’s The Daydreamer aimed at unveiling its different levels of signification through a study of its paratextual, intertextual, structural, and metafictional components, as well as of its illustrations, in order to show how they synergically contribute to the creation of a dense and most intriguing book capable of throwing new light on our very idea of “children’s literature”.Quando un romanziere famoso decide di scrivere un libro per bambini, la sua esperienza va sempre ben oltre l’incursione in un genere minore. Questo saggio si propone di analizzare The Daydreamer di Ian McEwan studiandone i diversi livelli di significazione attraverso le componenti paratestuali, intertestuali, strutturali e autoreferenziali, nonché l’apparato di illustrazioni, al fine di evidenziare il modo in cui esse contribuiscono sinergicamente alla creazione di un libro denso e accattivante, capace di gettare nuova luce sulla “letteratura infantile” come genere

Daydreams of a Daydreamer

"What is most truly human about man, what is perhaps his greatest gift derived from evolution and perhaps his greatest resource in his mastery of the environment and of himself, is his capacity for fantasy." -Jerome Singer The mind is inherently restless. Fifteen to 50 percent of our days consist of daydreaming. Research has found that daydreaming is our minds default mode. It brings us not only unforeseen hours of virtual pleasure and joy, guilt and anxiety, but it also helps generate our sense of self and may even be the key to consciousness. "Daydreams of a Daydreamer" is an investigation of my hopes aspirations and desires. Having been brought up in an extremely religious environment and recently "coming out of the closet" there is a continuing urge in my life to resolve these opposing cultures. Though I no longer practice my former religion, I am learning to make peace with how it affects who I am. I chose cement and crochet to represent perceived characteristics of these two cultures, respectively our physical needs, wants and carnal desires, and our need for spiritual well being. The materials mended into each sculpture are a way of mediating between the two. This mending in my art is a way of healing. Much of this healing and resolve comes from the process of making my work. Within the process of life molding and casting I am able to drawing out representations of our physical needs, wants and carnal desires. Partial figures are caste in order to pinpoint areas of tension and relaxation. All the casts are from the male figure as a form of self-investigation. The repetitive action of crocheting is a rhythmic motion that provides me with ample time to daydream. Crocheting becomes a form of busy work, work that tends to let our minds drift and sift through other thoughts. The crochet also serves as a spiritual signifier. The way it can flow, cover and embed itself with the figure but at the same time be distinctive from the body resonates my thoughts on how spirituality seems to support us, give us hope and weave in and out of our lives

Caught in the Net--The Development and Production of an Original Playscript

The Department of Drama at the University of Arkansas provides students with the opportunity to take part in classes, workshops, stage readings, and productions as part of its new play development process. The purpose of this thesis document is to clearly and concisely track the process of developing, rehearsing, and producing the world premiere of Caught in the Net, a play involving an African American woman whose life is forever changed when she enters into an online relationship. The document also includes research information, the play\u27s most recent draft, and production photos. The play was presented by the University Theatre and Theatre Squared for the 2013 New Play Showcase at Nadine Baum Studios at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas

An involvement with the dreaming face

I am absorbed in the facial expressions of dreamers. The paradox would seem to be that while one rests, the face is still. Therefore, my emphasis on the readable expressions from a dreamer's face is wholly subjective, a fantasy on the head itself separated from the body and suspended in space. The face of the dreamer becomes a cinema for all the Images forming behind the eyes, for all the allure of the uncertain. The main core of my work is a series of ceramic heads which explore the postures and feelings of the dreamer as he/she responds to the dream. A second part, closely related, is a group of drawings, portraits of imaginary dreamers. In the clay pieces, and the sketches, the main indicator of the dream rests in the rise (the pulse) around the mouth and eyes. A dream is a private world of immeasurable spaces, a nacreous surface under which one travels and records those travels simultaneously. In the ceramic works, that spatial freedom involves a special luminosity (a soft-glow, the unholdable surfaces of freshly creamed skin)-the use of the pink bisque with powder whites, blondes, “birthday" colors, to de-weight the face so that it lifts (or files) and reveals the dreamer's expansion into the dream