________________________________________
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| The BPS Research Digest
: P7 k3 m8 i7 g( M| Issue 115
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http://www.researchdigest.org.uk/blog. G# x1 X; r$ c9 b2 K
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: ?; ?' @! w* r {) _MEG, EEG, TMS. Visit [url=http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pgstudy/
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Contents
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a: i& {, K1 m) d% O0 i5 C$ T. x3 P . _+ y: o8 ^) o6 @3 d4 [0 d8 Q
1. Living with chronic fatigue syndrome
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2. "It's beneath me": Dominant personalities and the vertical dimension
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3. Measuring psychopathy in children and teenagers
# |% _" B5 g. b% m O; M0 Y4. Libet Redux: Free will takes another hammering
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5. Parents' socioeconomic status and children's brain response to rhyme
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6. Fold your arms to boost your performance
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7. Link fest
7 M2 M4 |" C$ b- ^0 i7 N8. Adverts
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4 k2 i8 Q& G8 i* yDigest as PDF:
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% d) L' _$ x1 ~! B5 X& T2 m8 s7 U' Y---------------------------------------
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Society information
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7 p4 h. ^) H1 C1 ?$ ?! q h
6 p/ d# p C# m7 X4 M9. How to join the BPS
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10. May's Psychologist magazine, £4 for Digest readers/ free to members.
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11. Acknowledgments
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* n) x. C* @6 w' ^+ MThe Research Digest is published fortnightly by the
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British Psychological Society
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' Y- n |/ _8 F7 T" G IEditor: Dr Christian Jarrett
+ u3 h! k" l$ O$ X* C# Kchristianjarrett@gmail.com
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$ J& A, D. _& K1. Living with chronic fatigue syndrome
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7 ]1 i9 V* I; f4 D4 F " x* n9 n9 _1 z* v1 H1 [: ]
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) can sometimes lead to an identity crisis so
# R) c9 n, s' }2 E, E1 K/ u$ c7 lsevere it is akin to dying. That's one message derived from comments made by
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fourteen people with the condition who were interviewed in-depth by health
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psychologists in Scotland.
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0 ~8 O, I9 k; m" F9 RCFS, also known as ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), is a poorly understood
7 Q) p% B( J) ?* [condition characterised by long-term tiredness that persists even after
8 G* u0 @' h) h* ksleep and rest. The organic cause is unknown.
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, g; R6 | h' d+ MUsing a qualitative technique called interpretative phenomenological
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analysis, Adele Dickson and colleagues identified three themes in the
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accounts of what it is like to live with CFS: "Identity crisis: agency and
+ i! C" `+ i3 _embodiment"; "Scepticism and the self"; and "Acceptance, adjustment and
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coping."
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The people with CFS said that the condition has stripped them of their
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identities and left them feeling detached from their minds and bodies. "The
( Z. R, B8 U: B- @frequent use of the language of bereavement is suggestive of processes of
( u* r9 t! }- V. G% V- nmourning and even perhaps the death of anticipated self," the researchers
5 Y& _& A6 i" xsaid.
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[+ ]. Q3 l' B* e9 |4 `' zThe lack of a medical explanation for CFS means the condition is often met
6 }6 M7 R: ]! u. _/ P% awith scepticism. The people with CFS said social interactions, rather than
( }$ ?% Y& q B$ @. {9 i T- wbeing supportive, often became a source of anxiety because of people's
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scepticism and the pressure to behave as if one did not have CFS. The
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interviewees said they even began to doubt themselves. One woman said she
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had asked herself: "Who am I and am I turning into a malingerer?"
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Fortunately, most of the people with CFS had started to accept the reality
! g2 t/ J9 p4 m7 }8 B( E0 a( kof their new lives and small, achievable tasks were said to boost morale.
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Adele Dickson and her co-workers concluded that there was an urgent need for
3 T/ @9 h- O5 b3 O, _" {# ^1 E
health
psychology to respond to the increasing prevalence of chronic health
# Z. M' i1 w3 b9 w# v4 yconditions such as CFS in Western Society. Health
psychology needs to truly
/ C* Q% R1 P) G+ ~: j* j- g; {embrace a biopsychosocial model of illness, they said, and to conduct
: q% q3 c0 N) ^6 N4 F! y4 t6 elongitudinal qualitative research "to fully understand the processes
' i+ H5 J8 J( _underlying adaptation to illness."
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_________________________________
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& b; I. \; R3 J& B1 [ `* KDickson, A., Knussen, C., Flowers, P. (2008). 'That was my old life; it's
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almost like a past-life now': Identity crisis, loss and adjustment amongst
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people living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
psychology & Health, 23(4),
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459-476.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08870440701757393( m' D, Y. r) V
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Author weblink:
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http://www.napier.ac.uk/fhlss/HSS/Staff/Pages/Adele_Dickson.aspx( ?# b2 {6 f* U1 V3 o) Z( p& ]& p
4 ?* l6 D: B; c6 H*Visit the DIGEST BLOG:
http://www.researchdigest.org.uk/blog to comment on
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this research, search past items and discover more links.
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In the A-level syllabus: See health
psychology modules and also research
: Q: h8 R) t* y, I8 _# wmethods modules regarding interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).
6 ^# ]; V" W- H9 ERead a Psychologist magazine article on IPA:
http://tinyurl.com/5tx9fm3 n* a; s5 n: Z1 |0 h
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% \) r1 ^3 g! K- M) F0 n& t8 x2. "It's beneath me": Dominant personalities and the vertical dimension
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People who are more dominant are quicker at processing information that
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appears in the vertical dimension of space, psychologists have found. The
+ T9 B' H, t1 Uresult comes from an expanding field of
psychology looking at the ways that
7 e4 O$ j" W0 ]9 dpersonality and culture can affect how we interact with the world.
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1 }' _% Q+ @6 f/ G, F. a! W2 DSara Moeller and colleagues asked dozens of students to identify as fast and
4 j/ y& X+ y1 |# ~3 a. Las accurately as possible whether a letter on a computer screen was a "p" or
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a "q". The test was repeated hundreds of times, with the students' attention
; G$ p: N0 l. ?; n) w0 k% \- l- Dalways brought back to the centre of the screen after each letter
}6 y2 d& ?: O9 O' z4 d6 Q0 Tpresentation. On each trial the letter always appeared randomly in one of
8 J6 @, \ z' O* u: Nfour locations: to the left, right, above or below the screen mid-point.
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Students with more dominant personalities (judged by their agreement with
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statements like "I impose my will on others") were far quicker at
i D- Z! B9 r" yidentifying letters that appeared above or below the midpoint than would be
! P4 A9 ^9 f. Uexpected based on their speed at identifying letters appearing to the left
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or right. By contrast, speed of response to the horizontal letters was not
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associated with personality dominance.
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A second experiment replicated the finding with more students, a different
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measure of personality dominance and with the letters' positioning following
" g4 d: f5 q$ k( l; y* W7 Ia predictable rather than a random pattern.
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Our language is littered with dominance metaphors that refer to the vertical
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dimension: we speak of "upper" classes and of people "high" in authority.
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Past research has shown that priming participants to think of verticality
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speeds their response to stimuli that are related to dominance in some way.
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According to Moeller and her co-workers, the new finding goes a step further
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by showing that having a dominant personality can actually bias people
) R ?# j$ o' }4 c8 ] ctowards the vertical dimension.
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_________________________________
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9 K7 d+ n& v* |0 ]" A2 m4 RMoeller, S.K., Robinson, M.D., Zabelina, D.L. (2008). Personality Dominance
% |( d) L. l4 g( nand Preferential Use of the Vertical Dimension of Space: Evidence From
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Spatial Attention Paradigms. Psychological Science, 19(4), 355-361.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02093.x
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Author weblink:
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http://www.psych.ndsu.nodak.edu/people/people.php?uid=smoeller2 g5 @; P$ f" [# Q. @7 C( G
0 E% I" A, w$ M% E2 A# E u' p% }*Visit the DIGEST BLOG:
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this research, search past items and discover more links.
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Further reading: See Schubert, T.W. (2005). Your highness: vertical
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positions as perceptual symbols of power. Journal of Personality and Social
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psychology, 89, 1-21.
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3. Measuring psychopathy in children and teenagers
' i5 Y* b3 u2 d' C$ v----------------------------------------
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Questionnaire measures of childhood and teenage psychopathy should not be
; b0 n4 a/ M* p$ \/ z% o& p2 ~! N* iused in clinical or forensic settings because their legitimacy has yet to be
" O, E: }+ x9 P: ^8 b; `established.
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" y. G! l1 d& v+ E F& ~" hThat's the message from Carla Sharp and Sarah Kine who assessed four youth
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psychopathy questionnaires: The Antisocial Process Screening Device, The
# N- o |" I* D0 uChild Psychopathy Scale, The Psychopathy Content Scale and The Youth
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Psychopathic Traits Inventory.
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The closest thing to a gold standard in this field is the youth version of
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Hare's Psychopathy Checklist, but this requires lengthy interviews with
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children and their parents, hence the appeal of self-report questionnaires.
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3 u8 X0 m3 S+ F. f- MSharp and Kine found the current batch of questionnaires had many
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strengths - for example, different items that are meant to gauge the same
# @5 X3 a) y8 o+ R; h2 e" ~
thing tended to correlate with each other, and high scores on the
% y0 G7 F7 }- @. I7 bquestionnaires tended to correlate with arrests or other measures of
+ f5 A# G+ [& M* U( Iantisocial behaviour, as you'd expect.
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However, there was a severe lack of longitudinal research with the measures,
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which is particularly important for distinguishing between typical teenage
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characteristics and genuine psychopathy. There was also a lack of consensus
) H% {. s7 S/ S7 Qover whether child psychopathy is made up of two factors (callous plus
' N( s+ k7 n1 s) k. w/ \% ^7 j3 }antisocial) or three (arrogant/deceitful interpersonal style; irresponsible
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behaviour; plus emotional deficiencies).
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' X' K$ x" V' B( z2 YThe idea that psychopathy can be identified in childhood is a controversial
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and sensitive issue. In theory it could allow treatment to be targeted early
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on when it is most likely to be effective, but on the other hand, children
! T5 t; f% K+ n* P9 Slabelled as psychopathic could see their liberties curtailed based on a
4 M. @: E4 e; K6 ~" L2 x& N, lclinical diagnosis. Given these concerns, and in the context of the current
2 H1 }9 R% Q! N8 lstate of knowledge, Sharp and Kine advised that, right now, using youth
0 |8 z3 g7 q2 r( V' upsychopathy questionnaires in clinical and forensic settings may be
$ O) h0 f. y- M2 P: W2 i"considered unethical".
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$ p4 E }1 e3 z" Y" K. ~Instead, they recommend the questionnaires may best be suited "for screening
/ J5 I8 w, O% e& `- O: V8 P$ w- Epurposes that may lead to more comprehensive clinical interview, file review
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and the gathering of collateral information."
$ y: Q/ k) X6 ^# j4 p( o_________________________________
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Sharp, C., Kine, S. (2008). The Assessment of Juvenile Psychopathy:
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Strengths and Weaknesses of Currently Used Questionnaire Measures. Child and
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Adolescent Mental Health, 13(2), 85-95.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-3588.2008.00483.x
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Author weblink:
http://www.bcm.edu/psychiatry/?PMID=7349
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*Visit the DIGEST BLOG:
http://www.researchdigest.org.uk/blog to comment on
0 u! U# f3 z9 I+ E+ kthis research, search past items and discover more links.
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In the A-level syllabus: See AQA spec B, A2, forensic
psychology. Edexcel,
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A2, criminological
psychology. OCR, A2,
psychology and crime. And see
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research methods modules on the the reliability and validity of
5 I9 Y3 F! G, R" f- l! U
questionnaire methods.
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) q& C2 T% P2 i7 J! a8 j- q4. Libet Redux: Free will takes another hammering
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& u& P$ c' h: {' K% L3 \The scientist Benjamin Libet shocked the world in 1985 when he published
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research showing that preparatory brain activity occurs several hundred
" V& o" t6 E5 s* ymilliseconds prior to when people consciously choose to move.
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2 Y) V5 S$ S h" l" ZHis experiment suggested free will is an illusion. But there were problems
" _ @. ~: s" l3 v) i# `/ jwith this interpretation. For example, the apparent lead time of the
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preparatory brain activity was so short that some critics suggested it could
$ I# a0 W5 S% A7 O/ S3 v8 obe accounted for by the inaccuracy of people's reports of when they'd made
z& o8 ~# a4 N- \9 P, T, _their conscious decisions to move.
8 j: m! y' C& V, k: t & y4 K0 d3 p; D# M' B k
Now, using modern brain imaging methods, Chun Siong Soon and colleagues have
# r( v/ _5 r6 F2 g# f4 P6 xreplicated and extended Libet's famous study - once again reinforcing the
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notion that our sense of free will is an illusion.
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Participants had their brains scanned while they decided to press a button
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with their right or left index fingers. Participants referred to a constant
0 y/ b8 n6 Y% E3 C% Kstream of changing letters, visible on a screen, to indicate when they'd
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made their decision. Around ten seconds before participants reported making
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their conscious decision, patterns of brain activity in two areas correlated
( W1 I. `4 R- e7 J: e8 |+ Vwith the decision they would go on to make. These regions were in the
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frontopolar cortex and the parietal cortex.
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Unlike Libet's study, which reported non-specific preparatory activity, the
: I% @* C) x0 u9 E9 Dcurrent experiment showed it was possible to use brain activity to discern
6 P8 K% ^% \% I6 S( @which of two options a person was going to choose from, well before they
2 f/ s7 i, w2 N! h, K" S2 @consciously knew which choice they'd made.
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* z e7 R- f5 A* bMeanwhile, activity in the same movement-related brain area reported by
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Libet - the supplementary motor area - predicted when the participants would
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move, up to five seconds before they consciously decided to.
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"Thus a network of high-level control areas can begin to shape an upcoming
* e* n7 l; g, l! p3 }9 Xdecision long before it enters awareness," the researchers concluded.
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_________________________________
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Soon, C.S., Brass, M., Heinze, H., Haynes, J. (2008). Unconscious
. Y1 ^3 ]- g% _determinants of free decisions in the human brain. Nature Neuroscience.
/ Y- |- _& x; _0 o% _http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nn.21126 \# e3 C5 j) r9 U% l+ O P
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Author weblink:
http://www.bccn-berlin.de/People/haynes: Q y6 S- O2 v/ P: v, a% m' @6 O
8 @0 X8 ^, L( B7 [
*Visit the DIGEST BLOG:
http://www.researchdigest.org.uk/blog to comment on
, S) R0 j* J& ~7 l
this research, search past items and discover more links.
4 o8 N$ O4 K$ p/ F- E4 D1 u& ~" B& r
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In the A-level syllabus: AQA spec A, A2, perspectives and debates, free
0 N: J A: i2 }- Q5 h' g( K# E7 {0 a
will. AQA spec B, A2, debates in
psychology, free will and determinism. SQA
; B7 P* G! \1 v: I' O) _
adv higher, theoretical perspectives and debates in
psychology.
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3 \' c8 V2 O n, m& v4 A----------------------------------------
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5. Parents' socioeconomic status and their children's brain response to
) b% @ D1 T! Z! R; d1 trhyme
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6 C- X4 A% n) X3 o/ s+ k- XThe type of household a young child grows up in appears to be associated
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with the way their brain responds to rhyming sounds.
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We already know from past research that the processing of sounds is vital to
$ h1 Q- a' Q: J, }reading ability and that children from less advantageous backgrounds are at
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increased risk of developing reading problems. This new finding adds the
* L" x0 x# S% d" S3 f7 sbrain jigsaw piece to the reading development puzzle.
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! T- {0 @) i% f2 P6 @Fourteen 5-year-olds had their brains scanned while they judged whether or
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not words, real and made-up, rhymed with each other. Among the children with
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wealthier, better educated parents, the difference in amount of activity
0 J @8 P2 f3 Y7 W: zbetween the left and right hemispheres tended to be larger while performing
/ T( T. U( ]+ a% Z
this task, than among the children with poorer and/or less educated parents.
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In other words, among the children whose parents were of higher
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socioeconomic status, language processing appeared to be more localised to
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the left hemisphere, as is seen in most adults.
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* l& O3 |6 `% D& q, X7 ?The specific region of the brain showing this difference included an area
! e( }) ]& V, o) Z" ?! i: L' H, ifamously associated with language, known as Broca's area, after its
+ N$ d; `- i$ i8 D, {. G
discoverer Paul Broca.
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Moreover, the pattern of findings held even after taking into account the
- \* y `3 I+ D& t, x5 uchildren's scores on tests on vocabulary and their awareness of the sounds
; H$ u' b0 m# } F6 yin words. This means the brain scanning was highlighting links between
6 `- N! ~- f* g# A5 dsocioeconomic background and language processing that the behavioural tests
5 R9 [6 N: S$ E. l C; Z6 l/ @' wwere not sensitive to. As well as revealing functional associations, the
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brain scans also showed that the children's socioeconomic background
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predicted the amount of brain cell volume in the Broca's area of their
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brains.
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; }& \) _2 v2 ]8 t/ b6 P7 I( ZSo, why is a child's home environment associated with the way their brain
j0 g9 ]3 G, K# q1 y8 presponds to rhyming sounds in particular and, presumably, language
* V$ O0 h, o* _! M# l1 }processing in general? Rajeev Raizada and colleagues who conducted the
4 {3 W) @, ~8 F& P6 w& ?research said: "One candidate mechanism that we are currently investigating
$ T( i* h) X2 y) m; Q- @; `4 his the richness of the vocabulary and syntax to which a child is exposed."
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_________________________________
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RAIZADA, R., RICHARDS, T., MELTZOFF, A., KUHL, P. (2008). Socioeconomic
# @4 Z+ y n* K0 Estatus predicts hemispheric specialisation of the left inferior frontal
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gyrus in young children. NeuroImage, 40(3), 1392-1401.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.01.021% H+ F0 }* M$ o( B/ Q8 g' D& T+ ^
8 F- L, M, K; R3 Y9 ?1 [; d. q( m
Author weblink:
http://www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/~raj/5 A9 C `3 o' Z6 Y) ~2 `; Q
% g& ?2 _3 c4 x2 ^, k+ H8 E*Visit the DIGEST BLOG:
http://www.researchdigest.org.uk/blog to comment on
# N8 H8 _. ?8 W5 f) G; E9 y0 O
this research, search past items and discover more links.
* y5 i8 J" Y" e/ q5 O- s1 Q7 |& S
6 ]; B+ b4 K: g# b7 J0 t" J1 M$ A- dIn the A-level syllabus: [AQA spec B]: A2 module 4, exceptional
; I M5 a- H+ V" [: fdevelopment, autism and learning difficulties.
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, n, ^5 h3 X/ B! v: r: e$ X6 K$ J6. Fold your arms to boost your performance
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$ X% t& y1 p) X8 p8 aFaced with a challenging task, try folding your arms - new research shows
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people persevere for longer when their arms are crossed.
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: c, _, O2 Z# O) h1 Z1 ~Ron Friedman and Andrew Elliot gave dozens of students an impossible anagram
, @2 k( s8 J! \
to solve. Half the students were instructed to attempt the puzzle with their
: N( [" V9 f! J dhands on their thighs, while the other students were told to sit with their
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arms folded. The thigh group only persevered for about 30 seconds on
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average, while the students with their arms folded struggled on for nearly
4 m M4 S4 F+ w7 t. `55 seconds.
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A second experiment involved testing more students with anagrams that had
3 Q$ e4 D6 S7 s. }1 dmultiple solutions. This time, the students with their arms folded came up
7 F& J, A1 I# }/ Z3 hwith more solutions than the students sat with their hands on their thighs.
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The students had been told the research was part of an investigation into
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whether arm movements aid problem solving, and none of them guessed the true
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purpose of the study.
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, {7 i* Z v, K3 Z% wFurther analysis showed that the benefits of arm folding were not related to
1 [3 c- F; S$ R/ @! x) v8 }mood or comfort. Rather the researchers believe that over many years, the
& I) v2 ]: b, r/ w' N" } ~act of crossing our arms comes to be implicitly associated with
; ^1 t$ D2 K/ X- o) F5 g! Aperseverance, so that adopting that position activates a nonconscious desire
+ b& p. a4 r6 K. Vto succeed. However, they cautioned that it was important to consider
+ n! t9 f+ ~; n- v( e1 G. d* l4 D# kcontext when using arm folding to influence your behaviour. In social
* J: m2 e& {! ?) d- A9 g4 T% h
contexts, arm folding may carry different meanings in different cultures,
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and can lead people to feel more distant from others.
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The new findings follow a wealth of previous research showing how the
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positions of our bodies and the expressions on our faces don't just reflect
1 x( k8 j) d' Q; nhow we are feeling, they can also influence our mood and behaviour. For
2 F' e o; w- e9 ^6 ?2 o- e5 N/ bexample, smiling can cheer you up and slouching can make you feel more
0 K; q& ? K7 R1 ghelpless.
3 m: X( p3 p3 z! n9 {+ ?
_________________________________
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) F. c& Z. E8 `Friedman, R., Elliot, A.J. (2008). The effect of arm crossing on persistence
5 ~. K7 ]# Q4 K2 `
and performance. European Journal of Social
psychology, 38(3), 449-461.
/ N6 [. g2 H* ]) ~$ N& J1 J; Ihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.444$ b# i- Y! S6 @; ]" r, _
+ k! Q) e5 m# W
Author weblink:
http://www.psych.rochester.edu/faculty/elliot/0 v7 j* B3 [5 Y
1 C8 [- c$ ^2 k8 q. K# ?*Visit the DIGEST BLOG:
http://www.researchdigest.org.uk/blog to comment on
) j1 F6 L% ^. j4 j# S" I+ \this research, search past items and discover more links.
; J3 x, G3 N M, q2 D; R% o 2 `! J$ H! a0 n
Further reading: See Riskind, J.H. & Gotay, C.C. (2005). Physical posture:
3 Q) p+ J% p* G7 a* Z0 ACould it have regulatory or feedback effects on motivation and emotion?
; s7 R8 u) m( s( s: `5 E! Q+ C
Motivation and Emotion, 6, 273-298.
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7. Link fest
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; f) K) g3 {0 S- g- }
( d. f" h7 x) r' c) uFor more of these links see the Digest blog:
+ x* e. p6 Q- j. I1 L7 y& [http://www.researchdigest.org.uk/blog
# V5 g0 p7 u1 {6 X& k; e( m& Y 7 [# k8 g; u5 K) S( i- C' R, x
THE SPECIAL ISSUE SPOTTER
; [0 X6 p! p6 t: U9 D5 ]/ oLearning: Memory and psychopathology.
) C7 w$ K0 ]2 ]$ u9 U0 Shttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/issue/5795-2008-998729996-683084
. }% L' y3 t& p4 K
9 }' J6 N- \7 n8 b+ z3 J2 r& GEXTRAS
. L6 N7 u$ _' T1 THow terror increases the appeal of controversial, charismatic leaders.
) _. L/ E9 I, d8 y0 J& ]http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/113478347/( I& M* c$ B/ `
* x! }. j; ]5 L, @/ z
ELSEWHERE
8 q% W' c2 J) y o+ N' z4 ?; t
Dan Jones, writing for Prospect Magazine, uncovers the psychological
) I+ Y i! T0 d' F' n1 X& g2 a* U# kfoundations of our moral beliefs.
6 W! b: l2 S: yhttp://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=10126
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+ R9 R8 r* H, W2 y3 \3 N0 `$ }Society.
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