Examination of the effect of mental reinstatement of context acress developmental level, retention interval and type of mnemonic instruction

The effect of mental reinstatement of context was examined using a 4*5*2 factorial design incorporating four age groups (6-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 11-year-olds and adults), two retention intervals (1 day and 2 weeks after the stimulus event) and five interview conditions. The interview conditions included; free recall, mental reinstatement-environment (where the setting was reinstated but no event-related detail was provided in the mnemonic instruction), mental reinstatement-event (where specific event-related content was provided), mental reinstatement-combined (a combination of the two above-mentioned methods) and specific questions. Overall, mental reinstatement (irrespective of the type) was found to enhance correct recall performance compared to free recall and (unlike specific questions) it did not lead to greater number of commission errors. Contrary to our initial predictions, however, there was no evidence of any special benefit of mental reinstatement for children and the effect of the technique did not vary consistently as a function of retention interval.

Gaze behavior among experts and trainees during optic disc examination : does how we look affect what we see?

Purpose. The authors compared the visual gaze behaviors of glaucoma subspecialists with those of ophthalmology trainees during optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) examination.

Methods. Seven glaucoma subspecialists and 23 ophthalmology trainees participated in the project. Participants were shown eight glaucomatous optic disc images with varied morphology. Eye movements during examination of the optic disc photographs were tracked. For each disc image, graders were asked to assign a presumptive diagnosis for probability of glaucoma. There was no time restriction.

Results. Overall, trainees spent more time looking at disc images than glaucoma subspecialists (21.3 [13.9–37.7] vs. 16.6 [12.7–19.7]) seconds; median [interquartile range (IQR)], respectively; P < 0.01) and had no systematic patterns of gaze behavior, and gaze behavior was unaltered by disc morphology or topographic cues of pathology. Experienced viewers demonstrated more systematic and ordered gaze behavior patterns and spent longer times observing areas with the greatest likelihood of pathology (superior and inferior poles of the optic nerve head and adjacent RNFL) compared with the trainees. For discs with focal pathology, the proportion of total time spent examining definite areas of pathology was 28.9% (22.4%–33.6%) for glaucoma subspecialists and 13.5% (12.2%–19.2%) for trainees (median [IQR]; P < 0.05). Furthermore, experts adapted their viewing habits according to disc morphology.

Conclusions. Glaucoma subspecialists adopt systematic gaze behavior when examining the optic nerve and RNFL, whereas trainees do not. It remains to be elucidated whether incorporating systematic viewing behavior of the optic disc and RNFL into teaching programs for trainees may expedite their acquisition of accurate and efficient glaucoma diagnosis skills.

Non-invasive collection and examination of human corneal epithelial cells

Purpose. To report the development of a new apparatus for non-invasive collection of human corneal epithelial cells.

Methods. Previous methods of non-invasive, irrigative corneal cell collection resulted in low cell yields limiting potential analysis. A new ocular surface cell collection apparatus (OSCCA) was designed to collect more epithelial cells from direct irrigation of the corneal surface to allow for clinical comparisons. Forty-five samples were obtained (unilateral or bilateral over seven visits) from five human participants. Cell yield, size, phenotype, and corneal staining (prior and post eye wash) were examined.

Results. On average 364 ± 230 epithelial cells were collected from the cornea per eye. Epithelial cell sizes ranged from 8.21 to 51.69 μm in diameter, and 67.30 to 2098.85 μm2 area. The proportion of corneal specific cells collected per sample was 75 ± 14% as determined by positive K3 expression with AE5. On average, 77 ± 0.2% of epithelial cells harvested were nucleated, the remainder were non-nucleated ghost cells. Corneal staining was reduced in the OSCCA-washed vs. contralateral non-washed eyes (p = 0.02).

Conclusions. The OSCCA allows collection of human corneal epithelial cells with significantly higher yields, and greater specificity than previously reported. Reduced corneal staining observed post eye-wash demonstrated the safety of the technique, and its ability to remove cells directly from the corneal surface. The OSCCA could provide an objective non-invasive method of investigating pathological changes, effects of topical therapeutics, and impact of contact lenses and care-solutions of the cells of the ocular surface.

Leadership and the deified/demonic : a cultural examination of CEO sanctification

I examine in this paper deification and demonisation – the social attribution of absolute ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ to individuals or individual entities. Specifically, I unpack ways that evilness and goodness have become personified in the figure of the chief executive officer in contemporary, particularly US, business culture. Showing both the readily accessible and widely used nature of these religious tropes, I nevertheless argue that both deification and demonisation have ethically and politically disempowering effects for organisational members, the wider citizenry, and for critique within the field of business ethics.

An examination of the associations among multiple memory systems, past tense, and vocabulary in typically developing 5 year old children

Purpose: Considerable research has investigated the role of verbal working memory in language development in children with and without language problems. Much less is currently known about the relationship between language and the declarative and procedural memory systems. This study examined whether these 2 memory systems were related to typically developing children's past tense and lexical knowledge.

Method: Fifty-eight typically developing children approximately 5 years of age completed a battery of linguistic and nonlinguistic tasks, including tests of vocabulary, past tense production, and procedural and declarative memory.

Results: The results showed that declarative and procedural memory were not correlated with either regular or irregular past tense use. A significant correlation was observed between declarative memory and vocabulary.

Conclusions: The results of the study were not consistent with the view that the declarative and procedural memory systems support children's use of the regular and irregular past tense. However, evidence was found suggesting that declarative memory supports vocabulary in this age group.

A longitudinal examination of burden and psychological distress in carers of people with an eating disorder

Purpose
Eating disorders are chronic conditions that require ongoing, high level care. Despite the chronic nature of eating disorders, to date, previous research examining eating disorder carer burden and psychological distress has been cross-sectional only. Therefore, the current study aimed to conduct a preliminary longitudinal examination of the predictors of carer burden and psychological distress for carers of those with an eating disorder.
Methods
A self-report, quantitative questionnaire approach was utilised. Forty-two carers completed three self-report questionnaires over a period of 9 months (initial, 4½ and 9 months) assessing carer burden, psychological distress, carer needs, expressed emotion, coping strategies and social support.
Results
Maladaptive coping, expressed emotion and carer needs were significant longitudinal predictors of carer burden. Carer psychological distress could not be predicted longitudinally.
Conclusions
In order to reduce carer burden, interventions should test whether reducing maladaptive coping strategies, expressed emotion and addressing carer needs lead to lower carer burden and distress.

A re-examination of the benefits of exercise for state body satisfaction: Considerationof individual difference factors

Although the link between exercise and body image is well documented, the considerable inter-individual variability in this relationship has been largely ignored. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to test the contributions of key body image and exercise-related moderators (age, body mass index (BMI), exercise frequency, trait body dissatisfaction, internalisation of appearance standards, and body surveillance tendencies) in predicting variability in the exercise-body satisfaction relationship. Thirty-seven undergraduate women completed a questionnaire containing the above trait-based measures and then carried a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) for a 7-day period. Participants were instructed to use the PDA to self-report their state body satisfaction immediately following an exercise session and also when the PDA signalled at each of six random intervals throughout the day. Multilevel modelling revealed a bi-directional relationship between exercise and state body satisfaction. Moreover, post-exercise increases in state body satisfaction were strongest for individuals who were younger and engaged in regular exercise, and weakest for individuals with high BMI and/or the tendency to compare their appearance with others. These findings highlight potential limits on the efficacy of exercise-based therapy for body image disturbances.

An examination of the mediating role of salt knowledge and beliefs on the relationship between socio-demographic factors and discretionary salt use: a cross-sectional study

Background Discretionary salt use varies according to socio-demographic factors. However, it is unknown whether salt knowledge and beliefs mediate this relationship. This study examined the direct and indirect effect of socio-demographic factors on salt knowledge and discretionary salt use in a sample of 530 Australian adults.

Methods An internet based cross-sectional survey was used to collect data for this study. Participants completed an online questionnaire which assessed their salt knowledge, beliefs and salt use behaviour. Mplus was used to conduct structural equation modelling to estimate direct and indirect effects.

Results The mean age of the participants was 49.2 years, and about a third had tertiary education. Discretionary salt use was inversely related to age (r=-0.11; p<0.05), and declarative salt knowledge (knowledge of factual information) scores (r = -0.17; p<0.01), but was positively correlated with misconceptions about salt (r = 0.09; p<0.05) and beliefs about the taste of salt (r = 0.51; p<0.001). Structural equation modelling showed age, education and gender were indirectly associated with the use of discretionary salt through three mediating pathways; declarative salt knowledge, misconceptions about salt and salt taste beliefs.

Conclusions Inequalities observed between socio-demographic groups in their use of discretionary salt use can potentially be reduced through targeted salt knowledge and awareness campaigns.

The Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ) : Examination in nonclinical samples and development of a short version

The study aimed to examine the factor structure of the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ), the most widely used measure of dysfunctional beliefs in obsessive—compulsive disorder (OCD). Multiple exploratory methods (exploratory factor analysis, cluster analysis by variable, multidimensional scaling) were used to examine the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses were also performed in two large nonclinical samples from Australia (N = 1,234) and Israel ( N = 617). Our analyses suggested a four-factor solution with 38 items, where threat and responsibility formed separate dimensions (the “OBQ-TRIP”). This version had superior fit statistics across the two divergent confirmatory samples, when compared with four alternative models suggested by previous authors. Of the OBQ dimensions, the threat scale correlated most strongly with OCD symptom measures, even when controlling for depression. A short, 20-item version of the scale is offered for further study. Implications and limitations are discussed.

An examination of police officers' beliefs about how children report abuse

The aim of this study was to examine police officers’ beliefs about how children report abuse. Fifty-two officers read transcripts of nine interviews, which were conducted with actual children or adults playing the role of the child witness. Officers indicated whether they thought the interviews were with an actual child and justified their decisions. In-depth interviews were conducted to determine the reasons behind their decisions. Overall, officers’ decisions were no better than chance. When making these decisions, officers focused on three areas: whether they considered the child's language to be age-appropriate, whether they thought that the content of the statement was plausible, and whether they thought that the child had acted in a manner consistent with recollecting a traumatic event. The findings suggest that the characteristics officers rely on when evaluating children's statements of abuse are not reliable indicators. They suggest that officers’ beliefs about these statements need to be challenged during training to reduce the effects of those beliefs on their later decisions.