Reinhard Beyer

Resource allocation and fluid intelligence: Insights from pupillometry

Thinking is biological work and involves the allocation of cognitive resources. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of fluid intelligence on the allocation of cognitive resources while one is processing low-level and high-level cognitive tasks. Individuals with high versus average fluid intelligence performed low-level choice reaction time tasks and high-level geometric analogy tasks. We combined behavioral measures to examine speed and accuracy of processing with pupillary measures that indicate resource allocation. Individuals with high fluid intelligence processed the low-level choice reaction time tasks faster than normal controls. The task-evoked pupillary responses did not differ between groups. Furthermore, individuals with high fluid intelligence processed the high-level geometric analogies faster, more accurately, and showed greater pupil dilations than normal controls. This was only true, however, for the most difficult analogy tasks. In addition, individuals with high fluid intelligence showed greater preexperimental pupil baseline diameters than normal controls. These results indicate that individuals with high fluid intelligence have more resources available and thus can solve more demanding tasks. Moreover, high fluid intelligence appears to be accompanied by more task-free exploration.

Pregnancy after early pregnancy loss: A prospective study of anxiety, depressive symptomatology and coping

Miscarriages can have lasting psychological effects on those concerned. In a prospective longitudinal study, 342 women were questioned about the way in which they coped after an early miscarriage (up to the 16th week of gestation), a few weeks after the pregnancy loss. There are data available from the first trimester of a subsequent pregnancy for 108 of these women. Standardized symptom scales were used to explore the pregnancy-specific anxiety, state and trait anxiety (STAI) and depressive symptoms in pregnant women and these were compared with the symptoms of 69 pregnant women with no history of miscarriages. Women with a history of miscarriages suffer more from pregnancy-specific anxieties in the first trimester of a new pregnancy than pregnant women with no history of miscarriages. Patterns of “depressive coping” and “anxious grieving” after the losses are predictive of more marked anxiety and depression symptoms in the first trimester of a subsequent pregnancy. These results suggest that women who have had an early miscarriage are particularly at risk of disturbances in their psychological adaptation in a new pregnancy. It is possible to determine risk factors which can be used to recognize those women who are particularly at risk directly after the miscarriage.

Levels and effects of different forms of anxiety during pregnancy after a prior miscarriage

OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to assess the current level of pregnancy-related fear and state anxiety in pregnant women who experienced prior miscarriages and to explore the impact of higher levels of anxiety during the first trimester on the following course and outcome of the pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN One hundred forty-three pregnant women who had experienced prior miscarriage (sporadic or recurrent) were measured during each trimester and postpartum. Three independent control groups consisting of pregnant women without a history of miscarriage were recruited. For assessment, a battery of questionnaires including the STAI-state scale and various instruments were administered to record pregnancy-related fear, complications during pregnancy, the course of delivery and the health status of the neonate. Correlations, univariate logistic regression modelling, and ANOVA statistics including post hoc tests were conducted. RESULTS Compared to women without miscarriages, women with prior miscarriage had higher levels of pregnancy-related fear and state anxiety during the first trimester. The level of anxiety differed between pregnant women with a single as compared to those with recurrent miscarriage. Early pregnancy-related fear significantly correlated with complications during pregnancy and delivery. This effect was not found for state anxiety. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that miscarriages may lead to higher levels of pregnancy-related fear and state anxiety. In particular, pregnancy-related fear may have a negative impact on the course of pregnancy and delivery. Thus, interventions to reduce pregnancy-related fear are highly recommended.

Restoration in Urban Spaces Nature Views From Home, Greenways, and Public Parks

Despite promising experimental findings, few studies have addressed the potential long-term health benefits of frequent contact with different kinds of urban nature. We examine the cross-sectional relations between two kinds of urban nature (neighborhood vegetation visible from the home, use of public green spaces) and health outcomes (life satisfaction, perceived general health, 2-months hair cortisol levels) in a sample population from Berlin (N = 32) using a mixed-method approach. Participants whose homes had views of high amounts of diverse kinds of vegetation had significantly lower cortisol levels. Moreover, participants who regularly used a vegetated trail along a canal had significantly lower cortisol levels and reported significantly higher life satisfaction than less frequent users. In addition, vegetated routes or paths played an important role in the restorative activities and daily commutes of participants. We discuss directions for future research and recommend more consideration of greenways in urban development.

Impact of phonological processing skills on written language acquisition in illiterate adults

Illiteracy remains a world-wide problem not only for children but also for adults. Phonological processing has been defined as a crucial factor for the acquisition of written language, which usually occurs in childhood. However, it is unclear to what extent phonological processing is necessary in order for adults to acquire written language skills. We tested 47 illiterate adults before and after a one-year alphabetization course in several cognitive domains relevant to phonological processing and compared their results to 41 matched controls who did not take part in the alphabetization course. Phonological awareness in the narrower sense (e.g., phoneme association) was a stronger predictor of alphabetization outcome than demographic variables such as years of education. In addition, despite improvement of illiterate individuals in phonological awareness, short-term memory, and visual attention from before to after the alphabetization course, they did not reach the phonological processing level of literate controls. Our results confirm that the alphabetization of adults requires and enhances phonological processes similar to those of children. Nevertheless, specific aspects, such as improvements in short-term memory or visual attention, need to be considered in order to improve and optimize alphabetization programs for adults.

Affective set-shifting deficits in patients with major depression in remission

While numerous studies have focused on neuropsychological deficits during acute depressive episodes, results have been inconsistent for patients in remission. This case-control study aimed to explore whether remitted patients show deficits in an affective shifting task that has proven sensitive to assess emotional-cognitive deficits in acute depression. 69 fully remitted depressed patients were compared with 76 matched healthy subjects in their performance of a picture-based affective shifting task. Compared to healthy subjects, remitted patients show impaired go/no-go performance during shift, but not during non-shift conditions, reflecting a specific deficit in affective set-shifting. Impaired performance concerns omissions rather than false alarms or response times and is correlated with the duration of illness, but not the number of depressive episodes, time since remission or age. Our findings suggest that affective set-shifting deficits are also present during remission of depressive symptoms. These deficits may particularly concern enhanced inhibitory control and seem to develop over the course of the illness independent of acute episodes.

Dissociating improvement of attention and intelligence during written language acquisition in adults

About one tenth of the world’s population cannot read and write sufficiently. Cognitive abilities, such as selective attention and crystallized as well as fluid intelligence, have been defined as crucial factors for the acquisition of written language skills. However, it is unclear whether these abilities are necessary also for the alphabetization of adults. Before and after a one-year alphabetization course, we compared the attention and intelligence of 47 illiterate individuals to 41 matched literate controls who did not take part in the alphabetization course. Illiterate individuals improved in selective attention and crystallized intelligence from before to after the alphabetization course; however, they did not reach the same level of functioning as literate controls. In addition, the fluid intelligence of illiterates did not improve. More importantly, when controlling for attention improvement, we found that improvement in crystallized intelligence was associated with alphabetization above and beyond the influence of attention. Our results suggest that alphabetization is closely related to improvements in attention and crystallized intelligence. Specifically, socio-cultural, knowledge- specific learning processes improve during the acquisition of written language skills and may not depend on only the enhancement of the ability to attend to relevant stimuli. Alphabetization programs may, therefore, benefit from distinct considerations of attentional, intellectual, and literacy related skill acquisitions.

Human Perception of Urban Environment and Consequences for its Design

In psychology, there is converging empirical evidence that it is necessary to differentiate between objective and subjective attributes of the environment and to take into account accompanying processes of perception and evaluation in examining the way humans interact with the environment. Amerigo (1990) and Amerigo and Aragones (1997) proposed a conceptual framework to reflect residential satisfaction. We argue in favor of a much broader scope to this approach, namely studying the dynamic interaction between individuals and their residential environment, and analyzing the cognitive, affective and behavioral processes taking place in this interaction. The main tenets of this idea are illustrated in Fig. 11.1.

[Women with a history of pregnancy loss or abortion in a behavioural medicine hospital--an exploratory field study].

OBJECTIVE Gaining insights into the frequencies of negative obstetric histories in inpatients of a behavioural medicine hospital and the extent of their current psychological burdens. METHOD We acquired sociodemographic, obstetric and psychological (psychopathology, coping patterns, and attribution styles) data of 117 inpatients by means of standardized questionnaires and interviews. RESULTS Eighteen percent of the women exhibited a negative obstetric history (spontaneous, medically indicated or voluntary abortion) that dated back an average of 16 years. These women suffered more often from somatoform disorders and showed higher depression scores as well as other distinctive problems regarding their psychological wellbeing and their attributional and coping styles. Women who had undergone voluntary abortions showed a particular pattern of psychological distress. Those women who still felt psychological burden of pregnancy loss or abortion were younger and had fewer children. CONCLUSIONS Almost one fifth of this inpatient sample in a behavioural medicine hospital exhibited a negative obstetric history and one third of these women still were affected psychologically. Clinicians therefore need to include obstetric data when taking a womans psychiatric history, in particular with regard to depression, in order to be able to include this issue in their treatment plan, even if the pregnancy loss or abortion dates back many years.

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