Keep your distance: People sit farther away from a man with schizophrenia versus diabetes

Although concrete behavior—such as avoidance, discrimination, rejection—is foundational to most definitions of stigma, knowledge of psychiatric stigma has been constructed mostly on the basis of measurement of self-reported attitudes, beliefs, and feelings. To help fill this gap, the current study examined avoidance behavior in psychiatric stigma. That is, we predicted that people would seek more physical distance from a man with a psychiatric problem than a man with a medical problem. One hundred fourteen undergraduates expected to meet a man with either Type II diabetes or schizophrenia. After completing several measures of self-reported stigma, participants eventually moved to an adjacent room and sat in one of several seats that systematically varied in their proximity to a seat ostensibly occupied by the target man. Results indicated that the expectation of meeting a man with schizophrenia, compared with diabetes, led to greater desired social distance, greater self-reported fear, and higher appraisals of the man’s dangerousness and unpredictability. More importantly, participants elected to sit farther away from the ostensible man with schizophrenia. This pattern of findings offers behavioral evidence of the psychiatric stigma phenomenon that has mostly been documented via measurement of self-reported attitudes and impressions. We hope that these results stimulate renewed interest in measuring stigma-relevant behavior in the laboratory setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved

On continuum beliefs and psychiatric stigma: Similarity to a person with schizophrenia can feel too close for comfort

Continuum belief interventions that blur boundaries between “normal” individuals and individuals with psychiatric problems have shown promise in reducing psychiatric stigma. Interventions to date have afforded participants considerable psychological distance from individuals with mental illness. An intervention that compels psychological closeness to individuals with mental illness may lead to increased anxiety/threat and an attenuated intervention effect on stigma. In a randomized experiment, one hundred thirty-five participants listened to a bogus interview involving an ostensible person with schizophrenia who shared numerous characteristics in common with participants. In the interview, the target person (1) did not verbally broach issues of similarity to “normal” people, (2) endorsed a continuum view, or (3) endorsed a categorical view. Participants then read a bogus research article on schizophrenia that (1) was agnostic with respect to the continuum/categorical distinction, (2) attested to a continuum view, or (3) attested to a categorical view. Correlational analyses demonstrated that greater endorsement of continuum beliefs predicted less stigma. Experimental analyses demonstrated that the continuum intervention had no effect on stigma. The continuum intervention increased participants’ feelings of anxiety/threat, measured via self-report and a lexical decision task. These findings might usefully inform the design of stigma reduction programming centered on continuum beliefs

Alien Registration- Thibodeau, Jeanne M. (Rumford, Oxford County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/14015/thumbnail.jp

A Millimeter-Wave Achromatic Half Wave Plate

We have constructed an achromatic half wave plate (AHWP) suitable for the millimeter wavelength band. The AHWP was made from a stack of three sapphire a-cut birefringent plates with the optical axes of the middle plate rotated by 50.5 degrees with respect to the aligned axes of the other plates. The measured modulation efficiency of the AHWP at 110 GHz was $96 \pm 1.5$%. In contrast, the modulation efficiency of a single sapphire plate of the same thickness was $43 \pm 4$%. Both results are in close agreement with theoretical predictions. The modulation efficiency of the AHWP was constant as a function of incidence angles between 0 and 15 degrees. We discuss design parameters of an AHWP in the context of astrophysical broad band polarimetry at the millimeter wavelength band.Comment: In print - Applied Optics, 14 pages, 7 figure

Arm Flexion, Arm Extension, and Motivational Responses to Feared Stimuli

People are highly motivated to approach attractive stimuli and to avoid noxious stimuli (e.g., Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 1990; Schneirla, 1959. Approach of attractive stimuli (e.g., obtaining food, pursuit of sexual relations) and avoidance of noxious stimuli (e.g., defense against predatory threat) ensure continued survival, a basic goal of all living organisms. And yet, sometimes approach/avoidance behavior is maladaptive. For instance, individuals with intense fears of spiders experience strong avoidance motivation in spite of the relative harmlessness of most spiders. The research reported here evaluated whether a simple, easily executed bodily manipulation can dampen the strong avoidance motivation that typically results when a person is exposed to cues of a feared stimulus (e.g., Hamm, Cuthbert, Globisch, & Vaitl, 1997). Previous research in our laboratory (Thibodeau, 2011) and others (e.g., Cacioppo, Priester, & Berntson, 1993) suggests that the execution of simple actions normally associated with approach behavior (e.g., arm flexion, as when pulling attractive objects near) is sufficient, by itself, to elicit approach motivation. The current research explored whether spider- and snake-fearful undergraduates and non-fearful controls who were exposed to photographs of fear-relevant stimuli could diminish the size and strength of avoidance motives simply by concurrently engaging in an approach-related action. The startle probe (Lang et al., 1990) was used to index the strength of participants’ avoidance motives. METHOD Forty undergraduates participated in the study for course credit. Fearful participants (n = 24) obtained scores above 20 on self-report questionnaires measuring snake or spider fear (Klorman, Weerts, Hastings, Melamed, & Lang, 1974); controls (n = 16) obtained scores below 6. The startle reflex was indexed by electromyographic (EMG) recording of the orbicularis oculi (“blink”) muscle, contraction of which causes the sudden closure of the eyelids that represents a key element of the startle response. Participants viewed a series of 45 pictures (15 spiders or snakes, 15 household objects, 15 fixation crosses) and concurrently performed arm flexion (an approach action), arm extension (an avoidance action), or squeezed the edge of a table (a neutral control action); all pictures and actions were presented in a quasi-randomized sequence. Bursts of 50-ms white noise (98 dB) were unpredictably presented to elicit the startle reflex. We followed standard procedures for the reduction and scoring of startle data (Blumenthal et al., 2005). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Contrary to predictions, the motivational actions were not related to the size of the startle reflex (Action main effect; p = .27). This pattern held for both groups (Action x Group interaction; p = .17), and it was not moderated by Picture Type (Action x Picture Type interaction; p = .90). The three-way interaction was also nonsignificant (p = .15). Importantly, however, a significant main effect of Picture Type (F[2,76] = 7.03, p = .002) confirmed a previously documented pattern of heightened startle reactivity during viewing of fear-relevant pictures (e.g., Hamm et al., 1997). Overall, the present data suggest that the motivational actions utilized here (Cacioppo et al., 1993; Thibodeau, 2011) are insufficient to moderate avoidance-related emotional responses to feared stimuli

Imagery enhancements increase the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural group therapy for social anxiety disorder: A benchmarking study

Emerging evidence suggests that imagery-based techniques may enhance the effectiveness of traditional verbal-linguistic cognitive interventions for emotional disorders. This study extends an earlier pilot study by reporting outcomes from a naturalistic trial of an imagery-enhanced cognitive behavioural group therapy (IE-CBGT, n=53) protocol for social anxiety disorder (SAD), and comparing outcomes to historical controls who completed a predominantly verbally-based group protocol (n=129). Patients were consecutive referrals from health professionals to a community clinic specialising in anxiety and mood disorders. Both treatments involved 12, two-hour group sessions plus a one-month follow-up. Analyses evaluated treatment adherence, predictors of dropout, treatment effect sizes, reliable and clinically significant change, and whether self-reported tendencies to use imagery in everyday life and imagery ability predicted symptom change. IE-CBGT patients were substantially more likely to complete treatment than controls (91% vs. 65%). Effect sizes were very large for both treatments, but were significantly larger for IE-CBGT. A higher proportion of the IE-CBGT patients achieved reliable change, and better imagery ability was associated with larger symptom change. Outcomes compared very favourably to published group and individual treatments for SAD, suggesting that IE-CBGT may be a particularly effective and efficient mode of treatment delivery

Selection of mouse cells with amplified metallothionein genes retaining their glucocorticoid inducibility

AbstractTwo new mouse cell mutants, resistant to either 80 or 100 mM CdCl2, were isolated to study the regulation of transcription by the glucocorticoid hormones. Their metallothionein mt-1+ and mt-2+ genes were amplified coordinately to a maximum of 30 copies per cell. By Southern blot analysis, no gross rearrangement was detectable near the mt+ loci. Contrary to other mutants previously isolated, the metallothionein-specific mRNAs of these mutants are inducible by dexamethasone

What motivates academic dishonesty in students? A reinforcement sensitivity theory explanation

BACKGROUND: Academic dishonesty (AD) is an increasing challenge for universities worldwide. The rise of the Internet has further increased opportunities for students to cheat. AIMS: In this study, we investigate the role of personality traits defined within Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) as potential determinants of AD. RST defines behaviour as resulting from approach (Reward Interest/reactivity, goal-drive, and Impulsivity) and avoidance (behavioural inhibition and Fight-Flight-Freeze) motivations. We further consider the role of deep, surface, or achieving study motivations in mediating/moderating the relationship between personality and AD. SAMPLE: A sample of UK undergraduates (N = 240). METHOD: All participants completed the RST Personality Questionnaire, a short-form version of the study process questionnaire and a measure of engagement in AD, its perceived prevalence, and seriousness. RESULTS: Results showed that RST traits account for additional variance in AD. Mediation analysis suggested that GDP predicted dishonesty indirectly via a surface study approach while the indirect effect via deep study processes suggested dishonesty was not likely. Likelihood of engagement in AD was positively associated with personality traits reflecting Impulsivity and Fight-Flight-Freeze behaviours. Surface study motivation moderated the Impulsivity effect and achieving motivation the FFFS effect such that cheating was even more likely when high levels of these processes were used. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that motivational personality traits defined within RST can explain variance in the likelihood of engaging in dishonest academic behaviours

The feeding ecology and microbiome of the pteropod Limacina helicina antarctica

The pteropod (pelagic snail) Limacina helicina antarctica is a dominant grazer alongthe Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and plays an important role in regional food web dynamics and biogeochemical cycling. For the first time, we examined the gut microbiome and feeding ecology of L. h. antarctica based on 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequences of gut contents in the WAP during austral summer. Eukaryotic gut contents of L. h. antarctica indicate that this species predominantly feeds on diatoms and dinoflagellates, supplementing its diet with ciliates and foraminifera. Mollicutes bacteria were a consistent component of the gut microbiome. Determining the gut microbiome and feeding ecology of L. h.antarctica aids in identifying the underlying mechanisms controlling pteropod abundance and distribution in a region of rapid environmental change