Mitch Waterman

A new Stroop‐like measure of inhibitory function development: typical developmental trends

BACKGROUND Difficulties with inhibition are increasingly regarded as central to pathological behavioural and learning disorders in childhood. However, few measures are available to assist in the assessment of young childrens inhibitory competence. METHOD A new, Stroop-like measure of inhibitory function is described which was designed to be appropriate for use with children from 3 years of age. One hundred and fifty-five school children aged between 3 and 16 years took part in a study to examine the developmental characteristics and behavioural correlates of task performance. RESULTS The task appears to provide a robust measure of inhibitory function across the age range, 3 to 16 years. Furthermore, the animal-stroop task appears to identify those at risk of hyperactive symptomatology within a school-based sample. CONCLUSIONS The clinical and developmental applications of this new measure are discussed.

Dissociation, Trauma, and the Role of Lived Experience: Toward a New Conceptualization of Voice Hearing

Voice hearing (VH) is often regarded as pathognomic for schizophrenia. The purpose of this article is to review and integrate historical, clinical, epidemiological, and phenomenological evidence in order to suggest that VH may be more appropriately understood as a dissociative rather than a psychotic phenomenon. First, we discuss the lifetime prevalence of VH in the general population, which is estimated to range between 1% and 16% for adult nonclinical populations and 2% and 41% in healthy adolescent samples. Second, we demonstrate how the ubiquity of VH phenomenology, including variables like voice location, content, and frequency, limits its diagnostic and prognostic utility for differentiating psychotic from trauma-spectrum and nonclinical populations. Finally, we report on the empirical associations between VH, measures of dissociation, and trauma particularly (though not exclusively) childhood sexual abuse. There are 2 main conclusions from this review. First, we argue that available evidence suggests that VH experiences, including those in the context of psychotic disorders, can be most appropriately understood as dissociated or disowned components of the self (or self-other relationships) that result from trauma, loss, or other interpersonal stressors. Second, we provide a rationale for clinicians to use psychotherapeutic methods for integrating life events as precipitating and/or maintaining factors for distressing voices. Potential mechanisms for the relationship between trauma, dissociation, VH, and clinical diagnosis are described, including the relevance of literature from the field of attachment in providing a diathesis for dissociation. Suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Processing bias for aggression words in forensic and nonforensic samples

Presenting stimuli that are salient to their concerns produces particular patterns of avoidance or vigilance in both clinical and nonclinical populations. To date, no research has explored if this effect extends to forensic populations when presented with violently themed stimuli. Such material can be seen as potentially salient to those people who might habitually resort to aggression. To test this prediction, two studies (a dot-probe and emotional Stroop) examined the effect of presenting aggressively themed words to a group of offenders and undergraduates. Violent offenders (as classified by their index offence) demonstrated significant response biases to aggression words in both tests. This effect was also found in the aggressive undergraduates (as classified by anger scores on the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire). These data confirm the saliency of aggression words to aggressive individuals and suggest that these simple cognitive tests may offer a potential objective measure of assessment in forensic populations.

Processing bias for sexual material: the emotional stroop and sexual offenders.

As part of an ongoing research project we examined information-processing biases in forensic and nonforensic participants (n = 10 sex offenders, n = 10 violent offenders, n = 10 nonviolent offenders, and n = 13 undergraduates). A computerised version of the Stroop task demonstrated that offenders convicted of both sexual and violent offences were significantly slower than undergraduates to color-name words relating to sexual offending (with sex offenders demonstrating the greatest interference bias). Furthermore, processing bias was also evident for aggression words in violent offenders and violent sexual offenders but not in nonviolent sexual offenders. Specifically, paedophiles convicted of indecent assault presented different response profiles compared to heterosexual rapists. These findings suggest that tests that assess information processing bias for salient material may also prove useful as an assessment tool within forensic populations.

Driving aggression in forensic and non‐forensic populations: Relationships to self‐reported levels of aggression, anger and impulsivity

A series of four questionnaires - the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11), the Driving Anger Scale (DAS) and a Driving Violence Inventory (DVI) - were administered to a sample of 473 British drivers consisting of undergraduates (N=185), members of the public (N=106) and offenders (N=182) serving sentences in closed prisons in England (violent=82, non-violent=100). Offenders consistently rated acts of driving aggression as less severe compared with other drivers. Offender attributions of driving violence differed to other drivers in that they were equally likely to perceive obscene gesturing as high or low intensity responses; they also viewed assault as a high intensity response whereas members of the public rated it more severely. Trait levels of anger and aggression were the predictors of driving violence in all groups but previous aggressive behaviour was only a predictor for the offenders. Gender and age were found to be predictors of aggressive driving in non-offenders. Even with the effects of age controlled, offenders (and violent offenders in particular) scored higher on measures of driving anger and aggression. These data suggest that offenders differ in their perceptions of aggressive behaviours experienced in everyday driving and as a consequence are more likely to commit acts that other drivers perceive as violent. As offenders are known to display similar perceptual biases in other domains, identified as precursors to their aggressive behaviour, it seems likely that experience effects (as reflected in the trait measures) underpin differences in driving aggression between offenders and non-offenders.

Prosodic cues for rated politeness in Japanese speech

Abstract In order to examine potential acoustic cues for politeness in Japanese speech, F0 and temporal aspects of polite and casual utterances of two question sentences spoken by 6 male native speakers were acoustically analysed. The analysis showed that F0 movement of the final part of utterances and speech rate of utterance were consistently differently used in these different speaking styles across all the speakers. Perceptual experiments with listeners confirmed that these acoustic variables, which were manipulated using digital resynthesis, had an impact on politeness perception. It was shown that how the final intonation of a sentence is spoken had a great impact on politeness judgements. In some cases the duration and F0 characteristics of the final vowel did change the overall impression of the utterances politeness. An experiment which used speech rate variations of a polite utterance showed the important role of this variable in perceived politeness. Politeness ratings showed an inverted U-shape as a function of speech rate, but differed according to particular speakers. The speech rate of listeners was found to affect their utterance rate preference; listeners preferred rates close to their own. These findings suggest that listener characteristics should be considered important in politeness speech research.

The efficacy of Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort) for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

AbstractBackground: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common condition. Some of the most widely prescribed medications are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), based on the hypothesized role of serotonin in the production of PMS symptoms. PMS sufferers, especially those experiencing mild to moderate symptoms, are often reluctant to take this form of medication and instead buy over-the-counter preparations to treat their symptoms, for which the evidence base with regard to efficacy is limited. Hypericum perforatum (St John’s wort) influences the serotonergic system. As such, this widely available herbal remedy deserves attention as a PMS treatment. Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of Hypericum perforatum on symptoms of PMS. Study design: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study was conducted between November 2005 and June 2007. Setting: Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. Participants: 36 women aged 18–45 years with regular menstrual cycles (25–35 days), who were prospectively diagnosed with mild PMS. Intervention: Women who remained eligible after three screening cycles (n = 36) underwent a two-cycle placebo run-in phase. They were then randomly assigned to receive Hypericum perforatum tablets 900 mg/day (standardized to 0.18% hypericin; 3.38% hyperforin) or identical placebo tablets for two menstrual cycles. After a placebo-treated washout cycle, the women crossed over to receive placebo or Hypericum perforatum for two additional cycles. Main outcome measures: Symptoms were rated daily throughout the trial using the Daily Symptom Report. Secondary outcome measures were the State Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Aggression Questionnaire and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Plasma hormone (follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH], luteinizing hormone [LH], estradiol, progesterone, prolactin and testosterone) and cytokine (interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, IL-8, interferon [IFN]-γ and tumour necrosis factor [TNF]-α) levels were measured in the follicular and luteal phases during Hypericum perforatum and placebo treatment. Results: Hypericum perforatum was statistically superior to placebo in improving physical and behavioural symptoms of PMS (p < 0.05). There were no significant effects of Hypericum perforatum compared with placebo treatment for mood- and pain-related PMS symptoms (p > 0.05). Plasma hormone (FSH, LH, estradiol, progesterone, prolactin and testosterone) and cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IFNγ and TNFα) levels, and weekly reports of anxiety, depression, aggression and impulsivity, also did not differ significantly during the Hypericum perforatum and placebo cycles (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Daily treatment with Hypericum perforatum was more effective than placebo treatment for the most common physical and behavioural symptoms associated with PMS. As proinflammatory cytokine levels did not differ significantly between Hypericum perforatum and placebo treatment, these beneficial effects are unlikely to be produced through this mechanism of action alone. Further work is needed to determine whether pain- and mood-related PMS symptoms benefit from longer treatment duration.Trial registration number (International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register) ISRCTN31487459

Self-Reported Aggression and Impulsivity in Forensic and Non-Forensic Populations: The Role of Gender and Experience

Gender differences in aggressive behavior are traditionally seen as extremely robust. Yet, on closer inspection, the reasons for these differences appear to be incredibly complex as a wide range of moderating variables appears to influence the behaviour. Further, the effect of these variables is often gender specific. We examined aggressive beliefs and self-rated aggressive behaviour and impulsivity in forensic (115 males, 133 females at three closed prisons in the North of England) and non-forensic populations (114 males, and 122 females at the University of Leeds). Participants completed the Revised EXPAGG Questionnaire, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, the Aggressive Acts Questionnaire and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale. Violent men and women, while more aggressive than both undergraduates and non-violent offenders, were equally likely to report their involvement in physical acts of aggression and showed similar levels of aggression and impulsivity. Previous experience of aggression, together with elevated levels of anger and impulsivity were better predictors of aggressive behavior than gender in all participants. These results suggest that gender differences in self-report measures (on cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions) in forensic populations may be less clear-cut than many have previously believed, particularly in the most aggressive individuals.

Semantics, Syntax or Neither? A Case for Resolution in the Interpretation of N500 and P600 Responses to Harmonic Incongruities

The processing of notes and chords which are harmonically incongruous with their context has been shown to elicit two distinct late ERP effects. These effects strongly resemble two effects associated with the processing of linguistic incongruities: a P600, resembling a typical response to syntactic incongruities in language, and an N500, evocative of the N400, which is typically elicited in response to semantic incongruities in language. Despite the robustness of these two patterns in the musical incongruity literature, no consensus has yet been reached as to the reasons for the existence of two distinct responses to harmonic incongruities. This study was the first to use behavioural and ERP data to test two possible explanations for the existence of these two patterns: the musicianship of listeners, and the resolved or unresolved nature of the harmonic incongruities. Results showed that harmonically incongruous notes and chords elicited a late positivity similar to the P600 when they were embedded within sequences which started and ended in the same key (harmonically resolved). The notes and chords which indicated that there would be no return to the original key (leaving the piece harmonically unresolved) were associated with a further P600 in musicians, but with a negativity resembling the N500 in non-musicians. We suggest that the late positivity reflects the conscious perception of a specific element as being incongruous with its context and the efforts of musicians to integrate the harmonic incongruity into its local context as a result of their analytic listening style, while the late negativity reflects the detection of the absence of resolution in non-musicians as a result of their holistic listening style.

Dietary supplements and herbal remedies for premenstrual syndrome (PMS): a systematic research review of the evidence for their efficacy

Many women with PMS use alternative therapies, although there has been little research to demonstrate their efficacy. This systematic review provides a comprehensive discussion of dietary supplements and herbal remedies commonly used for premenstrual syndrome (PMS), including calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, evening primrose oil, Vitex agnus castus, ginkgo biloba and St Johns Wort. Randomized controlled trials of magnesium and evening primrose oil have produced conflicting results, in contrast to the substantial evidence for the efficacy of calcium and vitamin B6. There are insufficient data to advocate the use of ginkgo biloba, Vitex agnus castus and St Johns Wort, although preliminary data seem supportive. Greater standardization of PMS diagnosis and assessment, with randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trials using larger, representative samples, strict, prospectively confirmed diagnostic criteria and assessment of treatment efficacy, would help to clarify the role of these alternative PMS treatments. Although much of the clinical research is preliminary and/or inadequately controlled, this review will be relevant to the practicing clinician looking for greater understanding of the alternative therapies available to their patients with PMS.