Cognitive patterns that influence female vulnerability to depression: Rumination, thought suppression, reaction time variability and self-evaluation

This research program consisted of three complementary studies. The overall focus of this research was to examine the influence of a number of cognitive risk factors on depression in females. The first two studies informed the third study by, firstly, assessing the appropriateness of online data collection (Study 1), and secondly by clarifying the factor structures of two pivotal measures to be utilised in this research (Study 2). Having established the methodological and psychometric appropriateness of the variables of interest, Study 3 was then able to investigate the individual and combined influence of a number of cognitive variables on depression, specifically in females..

Using dual-task methods to enhance cognitive performance in the acute phase of stroke: A proof of concept study

Objective: To test the effectiveness of using a non-targeted, dual-task methodology to promote positive cognitive behavior change in acute stroke. Method: Three stroke survivors, selected because they exhibited different recovery profiles, different lesion sites, and time since suffering a stroke, were administered an anagram task five or six times across a two-week period in the days following a stroke. Task difficulty increased across sessions by means of adding a category instance detection task, where participants had to identify instances from either one or two different semantic categories. The same regime was administered to a control group over a two-week period. Results: All three participants were in the clinical range on early tests but were in non-clinical range on their last test session. Dual-task effects on completion time were also similar across participants as were anagram length effects. The three participants exhibited enhanced cognitive performance. Conclusions: The results suggest the possibility that cognitive interventions aimed at restoring lost function can be administered in the early days post-stroke and can produce beneficial outcomes, in much the same way that early motor or speech intervention programs have been shown to produce long-term benefits

Social media as a tool for data collection: Examining equivalence of socially value-laden constructs

Given the changing online environment (from anonymity to social connection) and the importance of establishing equivalence in psychological measures used in online environments, the aim of this research was to examine the equivalence of socially value-laden measures with data sourced from web-based social media and traditional pen-and-paper methods. Data on a suite of socially value-laden measures comparing the equivalence of scores obtained via social media (Facebook) versus offline environments were considered. Participants (N = 193) completed measures of primary and secondary psychopathy, emotional manipulation, emotional intelligence, interpersonal cognition, social desirability, and ethical position either online or using pen-and-paper in a between groups design. Results suggested that both social media and offline data were equivalent in terms of internal reliability and patterns of relationships among constructs. However, participants were more likely to report higher levels of ethical relativism when completing the measure via social media. These findings highlight the importance of establishing equivalence for specific measures when engaging in online data collection, as well as providing insight into the nature of self-disclosure in the social media environment. Future research should assess the equivalence of other socially value-laden measures in online and pen-and-paper environments

Development and validation of a measure of cognitive and behavioural social self-efficacy

Although social self-efficacy appears influential across a broad spectrum of human behaviour, existing adult measures of social self-efficacy have conceptual and psychometric limitations. The current research brought together the realms of trait social intelligence and self-efficacy to develop and evaluate a measure of social self-efficacy which for the first time included assessment of cognitive domains of social self-efficacy. Items were administered to 301 participants, along with measures of general self-efficacy, subjective wellbeing, social anxiety, depression, general anxiety, and stress. An exploratory factor analysis (Maximum Likelihood with Direct Oblimin extraction) revealed two interpretable factors that were labeled “Social Understanding Self-efficacy” (cognitive) and “Social Skill Self-efficacy” (behavioural). Construct and criterion validity were evident and internal consistency and test–retest reliability were good. It was concluded that the new 18-item measure has sound psychometric properties. As such, this measure may serve as a meaningful tool for researchers and clinicians. While theoretical and empirical frameworks informed the current research, given the exploratory nature of this study, future research should further investigate the psychometric properties of this measure using confirmatory factor analysis and by examining the predictive validity of this measure in a clinical context

Як паехаў я у сваты

Як паехаў я у сваты, / Просюць мене сесці / Паставі лі на стол бульбу / З мандзюрамі есці. / Я на тую бульбу / Скосу паглідаю. / На паліцы бліны з салам! / Я на вус матаю

Pattern understanding: relationships with arithmetic and reading development

Pattern understanding (patterning) is commonly taught in preschool and early elementary classrooms. However, the relationship between patterning and academic attainment is not well understood. In this article, we review studies of children's pattern understanding. Some evidence suggests that pattern understanding is related causally to acquiring math and reading skills. However, much of the evidence is weak and these conclusions remain tentative. Research on the relationship between patterning and other skills needs to use psychometrically robust measures and analytic techniques that control for the effects of measurement error. Recent studies suggest that teaching young children patterning skills can improve their attainment in math and reading, but we need larger, methodologically robust, randomized controlled trials to confirm such claims

Modeling The Diet Of Humpback Whales: An Approach Using Stable Carbon And Nitrogen Isotopes In A Bayesian Mixing Model

Humpback whales are considered generalist predators, feeding on schooling fish, and zooplankton, but variability likely exists among regional feeding aggregations. We explored the diet of one feeding aggregation of humpback whales near Kodiak Island, Alaska, through analysis of the stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios of their skin and regional prey sources. Humpback whales were sampled during the summer feeding season over 3 yr (n= 93; 2004-2006). Prey samples were collected from the same region during trawl surveys conducted between 2003 and 2005. Isotope values of humpback whale skin and prey were entered into a Bayesian dietary mixing model to estimate feasible contributions of prey to humpback diets. Diet results indicated that humpbacks feed heavily on euphausiids, but also consume juvenile walleye pollock, capelin, and Pacific sand lance. The diet of humpback whales in 2004 was the most diverse, while diets in 2005 and 2006 showed a higher proportion of euphausiids. Our results reveal annual differences in humpback diets from the Kodiak region due to either individual prey preferences or prey availability. Application of a Bayesian mixing model to stable isotope analysis improves description of regional diets and comparison of these diets to resource availability and quality. © 2011 by the Society for Marine Mammalogy

Population Structure Of North Pacific Humpback Whales On Their Feeding Grounds Revealed By Stable Carbon And Nitrogen Isotope Ratios

Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae in the North Pacific Ocean are a migratory species known to have a complex population structure on both feeding and breeding grounds. We described the structure of this population using stable isotope analysis of skin samples (n = 1105) collected from free-ranging North Pacific humpback whales from 10 sampling regions in 2004 and 2005. We detected significant quadratic relationships between latitude and both δ13C (R2 = 0.29) and δ15N (R 2 = 0.23) as well as between longitude and δ15C (R2 = 0.43) and δ15N (R2 = 0.16). A weak negative linear relationship was seen between increasing distance from shore and both δ13C (R2 = 0.05) and δ15N (R2 = 0.02). Sampling regions were significantly different for both δ13C (ANOVA, F9,1094 = 136.4, p \u3c 0.001) and δ15N (F9,1095 = 71.5, p \u3c 0.001). We performed classification tree analyses using δ13C and δ15N as predictor variables to assign membership to sampling regions. Results of initial classification and ANOVAs supported combining the 10 sampling regions into 6 feeding groups. When applied to these feeding groups, the classification tree was able to predict 57% of group membership correctly, with accuracy rates for individual groups ranging from a low of 19% to a high of 78%. These results indicate that stable isotope analysis can be used to distinguish unique feeding aggregations of humpback whales within the North Pacific Ocean. Ultimately, isotopic characteristics of these aggregations can be applied to animals sampled on breeding grounds to assign them to a feeding aggregation, enhancing the ability to describe habitat linkages and migration patterns of humpback whales. © Inter-Research ch 2009