A perceptual load theory framework of eating behaviour

A wealth of perceptual load theory research has suggested that different types of attentional demand can have opposite effects on perceptual processing: high perceptual demand reduces such processing whereas high cognitive demand increases it. However, this distinction has not been made within the eating behaviour literature. This thesis applied perceptual load theory to multiple aspects of eating behaviour. A series of behavioural studies tested whether processing of food-related cues and information related to consumption would also be reduced by manipulating the perceptual demand in a central task. Papers one and two used established perceptual load paradigms to investigate external and internal processing of food-related cues. Paper one established that both attentional processing and recognition accuracy of external food stimuli were reduced by high perceptual load. There was tentative evidence that some individual differences (uncontrolled eating, hunger and body mass index) in the recognition accuracy of food stimuli persisted even under high perceptual load. Paper two found that high perceptual load also reduced appetitive-related thoughts. This effect was found across individuals, regardless of the number of appetitive-related thoughts reported under low perceptual load. Papers three and four adapted the perceptual load task to allow simultaneous food consumption. Paper three found no evidence that high perceptual load reduced flavour awareness or influenced intake. Paper four found that participants were unable to respond to internal satiety signals when engaged in the high perceptual load task. This was reflected by failure to reduce intake and experienced satiety in response to consuming a high energy preload. Overall, these studies have suggested that perceptual load theory is a valid framework for understanding eating behaviour. This has implications for both the eating behaviour and attention literatures. Most importantly, perceptual load theory could be used to predict the situations in which attention can be a help or a hindrance to appetite control

The Influence of Bystanders in Subsequent Bullying Behavior

Aggression that is targeted towards an individual or a group of individuals who is at a disadvantage to respond is known by several terms in the literature, including bullying, harassment, and mobbing. There has been much interest in this sort of targeted aggression among school-aged children and, therefore, a large body of literature on the topic exists. In adult populations, especially in workplace environments, much research has focused on the respective roles of the victim and bully in this adverse social dynamic, with less information available on the role of the bystander, which has emerged as an important part of the dynamic. The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary bystander behaviors towards a victim, bystander, or aggressor through a reaction-time task that followed an episode of aggression in which the type of aggression and response of the primary bystander was manipulated. Significant results were not found in levels of aggressive or prosocial responding due to the bystander intervention, but due to the opponent being played in the task. It is proposed that circumstances of aggression are extremely ambiguous, creating misinterpretation and often leaving aggression unchallenged, which is interpreted by the aggressor as support. Future research and implications are discussed

The Historical Newspaper Crisis: Discoverability, Access, Preservation, and the Future of the News Record

This paper discusses, investigates, and theorizes on three themes related to the use of newspapers as primary sources: discoverability, access, and preservation. Evidence includes: the evolution of discovery from union lists and indexes to keyword searching; access overtime of various formats including New York Times microformat and digital holdings in academic Association of Research Libraries (ARL); preservation challenges of multiple formats in the past and future. The authors, academic librarians in the United States, offer insight about how these three themes should be considered in collection development, reference and instruction, and acquisition activities in academic libraries. Finally, the paper will speculate on future challenges librarians and scholars may face discovering and using news sources in light of the shrinking number of newspapers, the lack of a version of record for those existing papers, and the growth of alternative and fleeting news sources

Testing a load theory framework for food-related cognition

The way we process rewarding stimuli is widely held to play a key role in normal and abnormal behavior. Biased processing of food—arguably the most primal form of reward—has been strongly implicated in the obesity crisis. Paradoxically, however, existing evidence suggests that both too much and too little attention can potentially lead to overeating. Here we sought to explain this contradiction within the framework of the load theory of attention, while also elucidating the relatively understudied role of memory biases. In 3 experiments, we presented food and nonfood images as irrelevant distractors during a letter search task with high and low levels of perceptual load, followed by a forced choice recognition task. As predicted, increasing perceptual load consistently powerfully reduced distraction by food and nonfood images alike. Similarly, food images encountered under high perceptual load were less likely to be recognized in a surprise memory test. Unexpectedly, however, there was a striking absence of attentional bias to food above and beyond salient nonfood stimuli, either within-subjects or in relation to traits implicated in food-biases. By contrast, a food memory bias was consistently observed across participants, and appeared independent of attentional biases. Food memory was consistently heightened in individuals with high levels of trait disinhibition (a measure of opportunistic eating). Our findings suggest that attention and memory for food and nonfood are similarly impacted by perceptual load. We discuss implications of the load theory framework for the wider literature on food-related cognition and for real world eating behaviors

Induction of an Immature T-Cell Phenotype in Malignant Helper T Cells by Cocultivation With Epidermal Cell Cultures

The possible inductive effect of epidermal cells on T-cell maturation has been examined employing an in vitro co-cultivation technique. Mononuclear cells from 6 patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and from 12 healthy volunteers were studied. In the 6 CTCL patients, all showed an expansion of the helper T-cell subpopulation and in one patient with leukemic CTCL, there was almost complete replacement of peripheral blood mononuclear cells by malignant cells with a helper T-cell phenotype. Epidermal cells derived from normal human skin were cultured to confluent monolayers, and were cocultivated with the mononuclear cells from CTCL patients or normal controls for 48h at a density of 106/ml. Following cocultivation, the surface phenotype of the cells from the 12 healthy volunteers and 5 of the patients with CTCL showed no significant phentotypic change. In the patient with leukemic CTCL, however, the surface phenotype of the malignant T cells had changed, with the acquisition of the T6 antigen by the majority of the cells. Cells cocultivated in medium alone and with human fibroblast monolayers showed no change in surface phenotype. The malignant T cells from the leukemic CTCL patient failed to react in a mixed lymphocyte culture to lymphocytes from 2 different healthy donors, and showed no phenotypic change following culture with these lymphocytes, indicating that the phenotypic change seen was not due to allogeneic stimulation

The quality of life of head and neck cancer patients: a review of the literature

There is an increasing awareness within the medical profession of the need to include quality of life as well as survival as an outcome measure. This paper reviews some of the evidence which assesses the quality of life of patients with cancer of the head and neck who have undergone surgery or radiotherapy. Although the aim of treatment is to prolong life, the evidence shows that the quality of life of patients can be severely impaired by treatment for cancers in the head and neck region. In general the findings are incomplete and there is an obvious need for further investigation of the quality of survival of these acutely ill patients. For example, the majority of the studies were retrospective, largely descriptive in nature, and mainly focused on functional disability and based on small samples. It is acknowledged that an adequate sample of head and neck cancer patients will always be difficult to recruit in numbers sufficient to provide statistical robustness. Nevertheless a prospective study using validated instruments could more accurately quantify the impact of treatment for head and neck cancers upon quality of life. Without appropriate measurement of the quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer, policy makers and clinicians making judgements about patient selection and treatment type will be doing so on the basis of beliefs and guesses.quality of life, cancer, radiotherapy

Undernutrition Under Attention: The Changing Approach of the UK Department for International Development to Nutrition

DFID is paying attention to undernutrition. This is due to the global lack of progress on the nutrition indicator in Millennium Development Goal 1, the urgency of the situation created by the food price spike of 2008–09 and an increasing understanding within DFID about our potential added value. This article outlines the changing response within DFID globally and in India and reflects on the triggers for the changes and how the changes can be sustained

Owner perceptions of radiotherapy treatment for veterinary patients with cancer

Veterinary clients may have trepidation about treating their pet with radiotherapy due to concerns about radiation side effects or repeated anaesthetics. The purpose of this study is to assess whether owners’ attitudes towards veterinary radiotherapy, including concerns over side effects, change during the course of treatment, and whether radiotherapy was perceived to affect pets’ quality of life. A prospective cohort study of clients from 2012-2015 was performed. Pets received palliative or definitive radiotherapy for various tumours. Clients completed questionnaires before, during and after radiotherapy. Questions assessed owner preconceptions before treatment, including side effect expectations, actual side effects experienced, and overall satisfaction with the process. In addition, at each time point the owners assessed their pet’s quality of life using a simple numerical scale. 49 patients were included. After completing treatment, owners were significantly less concerned about potential side effects of radiotherapy (P<0.001), side effects associated with repeat anaesthetics (P<0.001), and about radiotherapy in general (P<0.001). Quality of life did not show a significant change at any point during or after treatment. Following treatment, 94% reported the experience was better than expected and 100% supported the use of radiotherapy in pets. This is the first prospective study evaluating client attitudes and satisfaction before and after radiotherapy treatment in pets. The results indicate that radiotherapy is well tolerated, and the anxiety associated with radiotherapy is significantly alleviated after experiencing the process. These results will help veterinarians allay client concerns, and will hopefully lead to an increase in clients pursuing radiotherapy in pets