text: DSpace Community: http://hdl.handle.net/2381/231 2015-04-02T07:51:00Z 2015-04-02T07:51:00Z Do Student Evaluations of University Reflect Inaccurate Beliefs or Actual Experience? A Relative Rank Model. Brown, G. D. Wood, A. M. Ogden, R. S. Maltby, John http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31877 2015-03-17T02:02:16Z 2015-03-16T14:56:37Z Title: Do Student Evaluations of University Reflect Inaccurate Beliefs or Actual Experience? A Relative Rank Model. Authors: Brown, G. D.; Wood, A. M.; Ogden, R. S.; Maltby, John Abstract: It was shown that student satisfaction ratings are influenced by context in ways that have important theoretical and practical implications. Using questions from the UK's National Student Survey, the study examined whether and how students' expressed satisfaction with issues such as feedback promptness and instructor enthusiasm depends on the context of comparison (such as possibly inaccurate beliefs about the feedback promptness or enthusiasm experienced at other universities) that is evoked. Experiment 1 found strong effects of experimentally provided comparison context-for example, satisfaction with a given feedback time depended on the time's relative position within a context. Experiment 2 used a novel distribution-elicitation methodology to determine the prior beliefs of individual students about what happens in universities other than their own. It found that these beliefs vary widely and that students' satisfaction was predicted by how they believed their experience ranked within the distribution of others' experiences. A third study found that relative judgement principles also predicted students' intention to complain. An extended model was developed to show that purely rank-based principles of judgement can account for findings previously attributed to range effects. It was concluded that satisfaction ratings and quality of provision are different quantities, particularly when the implicit context of comparison includes beliefs about provision at other universities. Quality and satisfaction should be assessed separately, with objective measures (such as actual times to feedback), rather than subjective ratings (such as satisfaction with feedback promptness), being used to measure quality wherever practicable. Description: PMCID: PMC4297360 2015-03-16T14:56:37Z Is evidence-based practice a threat to the progress of the qualitative community? Arguments from the bottom of the pyramid Lester, J. N. O'Reilly, Michelle J. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31764 2015-03-05T02:02:32Z 2015-03-04T16:55:30Z Title: Is evidence-based practice a threat to the progress of the qualitative community? Arguments from the bottom of the pyramid Authors: Lester, J. N.; O'Reilly, Michelle J. Abstract: Although scholars have gone to great lengths to illustrate the value of qualitative research and ensure that it is well represented in all areas of academic life, there remains a gap of equality when compared with quantitative research, which is still viewed by many as superior, specifically in applied fields such as health. This has become particularly true as the evidence-based movement has continued to find its way into discussions around the legitimacy of qualitative research. In this article, we argue that the evidence-based movement, particularly in medicine and health, continues to pose challenges for us as a qualitative community—challenges that we will need to grapple with in the coming years. 2015-03-04T16:55:30Z Effects of Word Length on Eye Movement Control: The Evidence from Arabic Paterson, Kevin B. Abubaker, A. A. Almabruk McGowan, Victoria A. White, Sarah J. Jordan, T. R. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31759 2015-03-05T02:02:24Z 2015-03-04T15:22:28Z Title: Effects of Word Length on Eye Movement Control: The Evidence from Arabic Authors: Paterson, Kevin B.; Abubaker, A. A. Almabruk; McGowan, Victoria A.; White, Sarah J.; Jordan, T. R. Editors: Goldinger, S Abstract: The finding that word length plays a fundamental role in determining where and for how long readers fixate within a line of text has been central to the development of sophisticated models of eye movement control. However, research in this area is dominated by the use of Latinate languages (e.g., English, French, German) and little is known about eye movement control for alphabetic languages with very different visual characteristics. To address this issue, the present experiment undertook a novel investigation of the influence of word length on eye movement behavior when reading Arabic. Arabic is an alphabetic language that not only is read from right-to-left but has visual characteristics fundamentally different from Latinate languages, and so is ideally-suited to testing the generality of mechanisms of eye movement control. The findings reveal that readers were more likely to fixate and refixate longer words, and also that longer words tended to be fixated for longer. In addition, word length influenced the landing positions of initial fixations on words, with the effect that readers fixated the center of short words and fixated closer to the beginning letters for longer words, and the location of landing positions affected both the duration of the first fixation and probability of refixating the word. The indication now, therefore, is that effects of word length are a widespread and fundamental component of reading and play a central role in guiding eye-movement behavior across a range of very different alphabetic systems. 2015-03-04T15:22:28Z Eye movements during reading and topic scanning: Effects of word frequency White, Sarah J. Warrington, Kayleigh L. McGowan, Victoria A. Paterson, Kevin B. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31659 2015-02-12T02:01:35Z 2015-02-11T17:21:15Z Title: Eye movements during reading and topic scanning: Effects of word frequency Authors: White, Sarah J.; Warrington, Kayleigh L.; McGowan, Victoria A.; Paterson, Kevin B. Abstract: The study examines the nature of eye movement control and word recognition during scanning for a specific topic, compared to reading for comprehension. Experimental trials included a manipulation of word frequency: the critical word was frequent (and orthographically familiar) or infrequent (two conditions: orthographically familiar, orthographically unfamiliar). First-pass reading times showed effects of word frequency for both reading and scanning, with no interactions between word characteristics and task. Therefore, in contrast to the task of searching for a single specific word (Rayner & Fischer, 1996), there are immediate and localised influences of lexical processing when scanning for a specific topic, indicating that early word recognition processes are similar during reading and topic scanning. In contrast, there were interactions for later measures, with larger effects of word frequency during reading than scanning, indicating that reading goals can modulate later processes such as the integration of words into sentence context. Additional analyses of the distribution of first-pass single fixation durations indicate that first-pass fixations of all durations were shortened during scanning compared to reading, and reading for comprehension produced a larger subset of longer first-pass fixations compared to scanning. Implications for the nature of word recognition and eye movement control are discussed. 2015-02-11T17:21:15Z The effects of interword spacing on the eye movements of young and older readers McGowan, Victoria A. White, Sarah J. Paterson, Kevin B. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31638 2015-03-17T14:24:43Z 2015-02-10T10:12:18Z Title: The effects of interword spacing on the eye movements of young and older readers Authors: McGowan, Victoria A.; White, Sarah J.; Paterson, Kevin B. Abstract: Recent evidence indicates that older adults (aged 65+) are more disrupted by removing interword spaces than young adults (aged 18-30). However, it is not known whether older readers also show greater sensitivity to the more subtle changes to this spacing that frequently occur during normal reading. In the present study the eye movements of young and older adults were examined while reading texts for which interword spacing was normal, condensed to half its normal size, or expanded to 1.5 times its normal size. Although these changes in interword spacing affected eye movement behaviour, this influence did not differ between young and older adults. Furthermore, a word frequency manipulation showed that these changes did not affect word identification for either group. The results indicate that older adults can adapt their eye moment behaviour to accommodate subtle changes in the spatial layout of text equally effectively as young adults. 2015-02-10T10:12:18Z Moral disengagement, the dark triad, and unethical consumer attitudes Egan, V. Hughes, Natalie Palmer, Emma J. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31626 2015-02-07T02:01:51Z 2015-02-06T10:18:44Z Title: Moral disengagement, the dark triad, and unethical consumer attitudes Authors: Egan, V.; Hughes, Natalie; Palmer, Emma J. Abstract: Purpose. Bandura's theory of moral disengagement explains how otherwise ethical persons can behave immorally. We examined whether a trait model of general personality and the "dark triad" underlay moral disengagement, the relationship these constructs have to unethical consumer attitudes, and whether moral disengagement provided incremental validity in the prediction of antisocial behaviour. Methods. Self-report data were obtained from a community sample of 380 adults via an online survey that administered all measures. Results. Correlations between unethical consumer attitudes, lower Agreeableness, lower Conscientiousness, higher moral disengagement, higher psychopathy, and higher Machiavellianism were captured by a single factor. When this broad factor was examined using regression, demographic, personality and the dark triad traits all predicted moral disengagement, specific influences being age, education, Intellect, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. A similar model examining predictors of unethical consumer attitudes again found all blocks contributed to the outcome, with specific influence provided by age, Intellect, and moral disengagement, the latter showing incremental validity as a predictor of unethical consumer attitudes.Conclusions. Moral disengagement is based on low Agreeableness, Machiavellianism and psychopathic-type traits, but provides incremental validity in predicting antisocial attitudes to a trait model alone. Narcissism is neither related to moral disengagement, nor unethical consumer attitudes. 2015-02-06T10:18:44Z Evaluating the translational potential of progesterone treatment following transient cerebral ischaemia in male mice. Wong, R. Gibson, Claire L. Kendall, D. A. Bath, P. M. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31611 2015-02-06T02:01:51Z 2015-02-05T12:40:05Z Title: Evaluating the translational potential of progesterone treatment following transient cerebral ischaemia in male mice. Authors: Wong, R.; Gibson, Claire L.; Kendall, D. A.; Bath, P. M. Abstract: Background: Progesterone is neuroprotective in numerous preclinical CNS injury models including cerebral ischaemia. The aim of this study was two-fold; firstly, we aimed to determine whether progesterone delivery via osmotic mini-pump would confer neuroprotective effects and whether such neuroprotection could be produced in co-morbid animals. Results: Animals underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion. At the onset of reperfusion, mice were injected intraperitoneally with progesterone (8 mg/kg in dimethylsulfoxide). Adult and aged C57 Bl/6 mice were dosed additionally with subcutaneous infusion (1.0 μl/h of a 50 mg/ml progesterone solution) via implanted osmotic minipumps. Mice were allowed to survive for up to 7 days post-ischaemia and assessed for general well-being (mass loss and survival), neurological score, foot fault and t-maze performance. Progesterone reduced neurological deficit [F(1,2) = 5.38, P = 0.027] and number of contralateral foot-faults [F(1,2) = 7.36, P = 0.0108] in adult, but not aged animals, following ischaemia. In hypertensive animals, progesterone treatment lowered neurological deficit [F(1,6) = 18.31, P = 0.0001], reduced contralateral/ipsilateral alternation ratio % [F(1,2) = 17.05, P = 0.0006] and time taken to complete trials [F(1,2) = 15.92, P = 0.0009] for t-maze. Conclusion: Post-ischemic progesterone administration via mini-pump delivery is effective in conferring functional improvement in a transient MCAO model in adult mice. Preliminary data suggests such a treatment regimen was not effective in producing a protective effect in aged mice. However, in hypertensive mice, who received post-ischemic progesterone intraperitoneally at the onset of reperfusion had better functional outcomes than control hypertensive mice. Description: PMCID: PMC4255926 2015-02-05T12:40:05Z Quality of life of Syrian refugees living in camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Aziz, Izaddin A Hutchinson, Claire V. Maltby, John http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31605 2015-02-05T02:01:34Z 2015-02-04T17:15:01Z Title: Quality of life of Syrian refugees living in camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Authors: Aziz, Izaddin A; Hutchinson, Claire V.; Maltby, John Abstract: The current study explores the perceived quality of life of Syrian refugees who have entered the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Two hundred and seventy participants residing in refugee camps in the Erbil region in Kurdistan completed the WHOQOL-BREF, which measures Quality of Life (QOL) within four domains; physical, psychological, social relationships and environment. Syrian refugees in Kurdistan scored significantly lower for general population norms on physical health, psychological and environment QOL, and score significantly lower for physical health and psychological QOL for refugees in the Gaza strip. However, respondents in the current sample scored significantly higher on environment QOL compared to refugees in the Gaza strip, and significantly higher on all the QOL domains than those reported for refugees inWest Africa. Finally, Syrian refugees in Kurdistan scored significantly higher than general population norms for social relationships QOL. The current findings provide the first report of QOL domain scores among Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan camps and suggest that social relationships and environmental QOL circumstances are relatively satisfactory, and that further investigation might be focused on physical and psychological QOL. Description: Supplemental information for this article can be found online at http://dx.doi.org/ 10.7717/peerj.670#supplemental-information 2015-02-04T17:15:01Z Mothers Experiences of Hospice in the Care of their Child: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Reflective Diaries and Interviews. Sayers, Lauren http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31598 2015-02-05T02:02:07Z 2015-02-04T16:33:25Z Title: Mothers Experiences of Hospice in the Care of their Child: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Reflective Diaries and Interviews. Authors: Sayers, Lauren Abstract: The present study has three constituent parts. The first is a critical literature review, the second is a self-contained research report and the third is a critical appraisal of the research from the researcher's perspective. 2015-02-04T16:33:25Z Do as I say, don't do as I do: Differences in moral judgments do not translate into differences in decisions in real-life trolley problems Gold, N. Pulford, Briony D. Colman, Andrew M. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31521 2015-02-13T02:01:39Z 2015-01-30T10:58:04Z Title: Do as I say, don't do as I do: Differences in moral judgments do not translate into differences in decisions in real-life trolley problems Authors: Gold, N.; Pulford, Briony D.; Colman, Andrew M. Abstract: Many people judge that it is permissible to harm one person in order to save many in some circumstances but not in others: it matters how the harm comes about. Researchers have used trolley problems to investigate this phenomenon, eliciting moral judgments or behavioral predictions about hypothetical scenarios where five people can be saved at the cost of harming one other person. We operationalized trolley problems in the laboratory, with economic incentives and real-life consequences, allowing us to observe not only judgments but actual decisions. We varied whether the five were saved by clicking a switch that diverted the harm to the one or by dragging the one in front of the harm. We found differences in moral judgments between the two tasks, but no differences in behavior. The judgments of actors and observers also differed, with observers judging it more right to act. Our results suggest that the difference between moral judgments and actions arises because participants think that doing the right action still involves doing something morally discreditable, and that the morality of taking action does not exhaust the normative reasons for acting. 2015-01-30T10:58:04Z Selecting fillers on emotional appearance improves lineup identification accuracy Flowe, Heather D. Klatt, Thimna Colloff, Melissa T. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31428 2015-01-16T02:01:37Z 2015-01-15T13:08:07Z Title: Selecting fillers on emotional appearance improves lineup identification accuracy Authors: Flowe, Heather D.; Klatt, Thimna; Colloff, Melissa T. Abstract: Mock witnesses sometimes report using criminal stereotypes to identify a face from a lineup, a tendency known as criminal face bias. Faces are perceived as criminal-looking if they appear angry. We tested whether matching the emotional appearance of the fillers to an angry suspect can reduce criminal face bias. In Study 1, mock witnesses (n = 226) viewed lineups in which the suspect had an angry, happy, or neutral expression, and we varied whether the fillers matched the expression. An additional group of participants (n = 59) rated the faces on criminal and emotional appearance. As predicted, mock witnesses tended to identify suspects who appeared angrier and more criminal-looking than the fillers. This tendency was reduced when the lineup fillers matched the emotional appearance of the suspect. Study 2 extended the results, testing whether the emotional appearance of the suspect and fillers affects recognition memory. Participants (n = 1,983) studied faces and took a lineup test in which the emotional appearance of the target and fillers was varied between subjects. Discrimination accuracy was enhanced when the fillers matched an angry target's emotional appearance. We conclude that lineup member emotional appearance plays a critical role in the psychology of lineup identification. The fillers should match an angry suspect's emotional appearance to improve lineup identification accuracy. 2015-01-15T13:08:07Z Effects of brief time delays on matching-to-sample abilities in capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) Truppa, Valentina De Simone, Diego Antonio Piano Mortari, Eva De Lillo, Carlo http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31419 2015-01-15T02:01:45Z 2015-01-14T12:57:38Z Title: Effects of brief time delays on matching-to-sample abilities in capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) Authors: Truppa, Valentina; De Simone, Diego Antonio; Piano Mortari, Eva; De Lillo, Carlo Abstract: Traditionally, studies of delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) tasks in nonhuman species have focused on the assessment of the limits of the retrieval of information stored in short- and long-term memory systems. However, it is still unclear if visual recognition in these tasks is affected by very brief delay intervals, which are typically used to study rapidly decaying types of visual memory. This study aimed at evaluating if tufted capuchin monkeys' ability to recognise visual stimuli in a DMTS task is affected by (i) the disappearance of the sample stimulus and (ii) the introduction of delay intervals (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0s) between the disappearance of the sample and the presentation of the comparison stimuli. The results demonstrated that the simple disappearance of the sample and the introduction of a delay of 0.5s did not affect capuchins' performance either in terms of accuracy or response time. A delay interval of 1.0s produced a significant increase in response time but still did not affect recognition accuracy. By contrast, delays of 2.0 and 3.0s determined a significant increase in response time and a reduction in recognition accuracy. These findings indicate the existence in capuchin monkeys of processes enabling a very accurate retention of stimulus features within time frames comparable to those reported for humans' sensory memory (0.5-1.0s). The extent to which such processes can be considered analogous to the sensory memory processes observed in human visual cognition is discussed. 2015-01-14T12:57:38Z Spatial working memory in immersive virtual reality foraging : path organization, traveling distance and search efficiency in humans (Homo sapiens) De Lillo, Carlo Kirby, Melissa James, Frances C. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31418 2015-01-15T02:01:44Z 2015-01-14T12:39:22Z Title: Spatial working memory in immersive virtual reality foraging : path organization, traveling distance and search efficiency in humans (Homo sapiens) Authors: De Lillo, Carlo; Kirby, Melissa; James, Frances C. Abstract: Search and serial recall tasks were used in the present study to characterize the factors affecting the ability of humans to keep track of a set of spatial locations while traveling in an immersive virtual reality foraging environment. The first experiment required the exhaustive exploration of a set of locations following a procedure previously used with other primate and non-primate species to assess their sensitivity to the geometric arrangement of foraging sites. The second experiment assessed the dependency of search performance on search organization by requiring the participants to recall specific trajectories throughout the foraging space. In the third experiment, the distance between the foraging sites was manipulated in order to contrast the effects of organization and traveling distance on recall accuracy. The results show that humans benefit from the use of organized search patterns when attempting to monitor their travel though either a clustered "patchy" space or a matrix of locations. Their ability to recall a series of locations is dependent on whether the order in which they are explored conformed or did not conform to specific organization principles. Moreover, the relationship between search efficiency and search organization is not confounded by effects of traveling distance. These results indicate that in humans, organizational factors may play a large role in their ability to forage efficiently. The extent to which such dependency may pertain to other primates and could be accounted for by visual organization processes is discussed on the basis of previous studies focused on perceptual grouping, search, and serial recall in non-human species. 2015-01-14T12:39:22Z Effects of Visual Working Memory (VWM) Load and Selective Attention on Recognition Memory for Unfamiliar Faces Onwuegbusi, Tochukwu Ojiakonobi http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31398 2015-01-09T02:02:10Z 2015-01-08T15:25:44Z Title: Effects of Visual Working Memory (VWM) Load and Selective Attention on Recognition Memory for Unfamiliar Faces Authors: Onwuegbusi, Tochukwu Ojiakonobi Abstract: When we look around, our subjective impression is of a highly detailed visual representation, which allows us to perceive changes in the identity and location of the objects and people around us. However, research has shown that this impression is misleading; the acuity and amplitude of visual sensory information varies across space and time and is subject to numerous post-perceptual filters. Among these, Visual Working Memory (VWM) is a limited capacity, transient store for visual information that supports the continuity of sensory experience. Selective visual attention protects VWM capacity by filtering relevant from irrelevant visual information during the encoding and maintenance of remembered objects. The aim of this thesis was to provide insights into the way in which capacity limits in VWM interact with selective attention to predict recognition accuracy for unfamiliar faces. In order to explore this issue, a Change detection paradigm was used to assess the relationship between memory load (set size) and d' (an index of discriminability derived from Signal detection theory), while manipulating target-distractor similarity, mode of stimulus presentation, visual attention and eye movement. The results of six experiments yielded four key findings: (1) the sensitivity of recognition memory for unfamiliar faces is independently affected by the similarity and number of faces to remember, (2) stimulus-driven shifts of attention bias the allocation of VWM resources when multiple to-be-remembered (TBR) faces compete for selection, (3) the biasing signals that mediate competition between faces operate independently of the resolution of the information available to the observer, and (4) the sensitivity of recognition memory for unfamiliar faces is mediated by emotional valence. Taken together, these findings suggest that selective attention and VWM interact to mediate the accuracy of recognition memory for unfamiliar faces in a number of different situations. 2015-01-08T15:25:44Z Visual attention shifting ability in schizophrenia across covert orienting of attention and anti-saccade tasks Bryant, Elizabeth http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31388 2015-01-13T15:28:55Z 2015-01-08T12:16:14Z Title: Visual attention shifting ability in schizophrenia across covert orienting of attention and anti-saccade tasks Authors: Bryant, Elizabeth Abstract: The disabling effects of schizophrenia, as well as the difficulty in addressing all the associated deficits through treatment are well documented. Recently more research has focused on characterising cognitive deficits related to schizophrenia, as due to their enduring nature, and relation to functioning ability they are viewed as a therapeutic target. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the ability of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, as well as in relation to the schizophrenia spectrum, to shift attention focus both within the visual field (covert attention) and by directing their eye-movements (overt attention). In particular the ability to use task information to modify strategies for better performance was examined. Participants, consisting of individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, an age appropriate comparison group and students assessed for schizotypal traits, completed two covert cueing tasks, and two anti-saccade tasks, designed to measure both reflexive and voluntary attention shifts. Individuals with schizophrenia showed consistent impairments across the tasks, with lower sensitivity to targets and slower response time for the covert attention studies, and higher error rates and longer latencies for the anti-saccade tasks. Schizotypy scores were also related to some performance measures, with higher scorers exhibiting lower hit rates for the cueing study, and longer latencies in the classic anti-cue task. The inability to inhibit eye-movements was also consistently related to the schizophrenia spectrum. All participants, including those in the schizophrenia group, used the task information to change their attention strategies accordingly; this suggests that individuals with schizophrenia are able to use some degree of top-down voluntary control of both overt and covert attention. Thus strategic attention appears preserved in relation to the schizophrenia spectrum, but the basic deficits, which were shown to be consistent, could present a target for treatments as they are present even when participants are receiving medication. 2015-01-08T12:16:14Z Towards the development of a cognitive-behavioural model of relationship dissolution distress Beecraft, David http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31385 2015-01-09T02:01:58Z 2015-01-08T12:05:26Z Title: Towards the development of a cognitive-behavioural model of relationship dissolution distress Authors: Beecraft, David Abstract: There is a large body of research demonstrating that the dissolution of a romantic relationship remains a prospective risk factor for the development of a variety of emotional and clinical problems. Nevertheless, research into the factors that contribute to the variance in distress experienced between individuals has been relatively overlooked in terms of systematic enquiry. A literature review was therefore carried out with a view of understanding further those variables most salient in accounting for individual difference reactions following relationship dissolution. 21 studies examining correlates of relationship dissolution distress were reviewed. Results suggested that a range of variables significantly influence the distress experienced following loss including attachment orientation, personality characteristics, cognitive-behavioural variables and relationship-specific factors. However, it has not yet been examined how such variables may systematically be related and an empirically validated model of relationship dissolution distress has not yet been be proposed within the clinical literature. Twenty-seven participants reporting difficulties adjusting following the dissolution of a relationship were therefore interviewed about their experiences and completed self-report measures pertaining to attachment style and personality characteristics. The aim of the research was to assess for commonality of themes and contribute to the development of a theoretical model of relationship attachment, similar to those available in the research for other emotional disorders. Research objectives were met. Consistency of themes across individuals led to the proposal of a cognitive-behavioural model of relationship dissolution distress. The model is both theoretically and clinically derived and incorporates a number of factors hypothesised to exacerbate and maintain distress over time. The findings have useful clinical implications and point to promising targets of cognitive and behavioural intervention. A critical appraisal contextualises the researcher's motives for wishing to investigate this particular area and provides a reflective account of the antecedents of this research, borne out of 'bottom up' clinical practice. 2015-01-08T12:05:26Z A qualitative analysis of Clinical Psychologists' use of psychological formulation with clients who have had 'psychotic' experiences Stewart, Katie Joan http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31369 2014-12-24T02:01:44Z 2014-12-23T11:43:14Z Title: A qualitative analysis of Clinical Psychologists' use of psychological formulation with clients who have had 'psychotic' experiences Authors: Stewart, Katie Joan Abstract: Part One: Literature Review : Introduction: The current paper provides a systematic review of the current evidence into the impact of sharing the formulation with clients. Method: A systematic literature search using five databases was carried out. Resulting papers were screened leaving fourteen papers to be included in the final review Results: Evidence to support the claim that sharing formulation impacts on clients is limited and the picture is complex. There was some evidence that differences in the content and process of formulation, and the quality of a person's interpersonal functioning, could have a differential impact on outcome. Discussion: There is some evidence that formulation has a differential impact on different people. This suggests a level of clinical judgement should be used when deciding what to share, based on therapists' understanding of the client. Part Two: Research Report : Introduction: The aim of the current study was to use grounded theory to produce a model of how clinical psychologists use formulation in sessions with clients who have experienced 'psychosis'. Method: Two therapy sessions between a clinical psychologist and a client were audio recorded and analysed. The clinical psychologist was then interviewed about their use of formulation within the sessions. Results: A model of formulation was produced with a core category of formulation as purposeful action. Discussion: Many current definitions of formulation do not sufficiently capture the active purposeful process identified in the current research. Extensions to definitions of formulation are discussed. Part Three: Critical Appraisal The critical appraisal describes a reflexive account of the research process. 2014-12-23T11:43:14Z An exploration into the experiences of Parkinson's disease and its relationship with emotional well-being Goddard, Jodie http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31366 2014-12-24T02:01:41Z 2014-12-23T11:10:39Z Title: An exploration into the experiences of Parkinson's disease and its relationship with emotional well-being Authors: Goddard, Jodie Abstract: Parkinson's disease (PD) is estimated to affect one person in every 800, it is a condition that affects physical appearance and individuals can experience a wide range of psychological symptoms. No previous research has directly explored visible difference or associated psychological difficulties within PD, despite research existing for other chronic health conditions. Literature Review: Using a meta-ethnographic approach, the literature review examined twelve qualitative studies exploring individuals' experiences of PD. Seven third order constructs, grouped under four overarching main themes were identified. Individuals experienced uncertainty in adjustment and coping, and associated emotional challenges of living with PD. A sense of being trapped was reported and living with the disease undermined spontaneity, as life was constrained by routines in drug regimens and relentlessly planned activities. The review demonstrated an understanding of the lived experience of PD and highlighted the psychological demands of living with the disease. The review also indicated that specific experiences of PD were under-reported and highlighted the need for further research. Empirical study: The empirical study explored shame (general, external and body), psychological morbidity (anxiety, depression, social anxiety and fear of negative evaluation), quality of life and body image disturbance in individuals with PD. The findings demonstrated that participants experienced higher levels of general shame and body image disturbances compared to non-clinical populations and significant associations between shame and psychological morbidity were found. It was found that participants quantitatively reported low levels of shame (external and body), fear of negative evaluation and social anxiety but qualitatively expressed embarrassment, self-consciousness and associated concealment and avoidance behaviours in relation to PD symptoms. It was suggested that open-ended questions may have facilitated participants to share their experiences in comparison to responding to quantitative self-report measures alone. Interpretations of the findings, clinical implications and suggestions for future research were discussed. Description: Copies of the questionnaire measures have been removed from the appendices for copyright reasons. 2014-12-23T11:10:39Z Aspects of phonological processing in sub-groups of left and right handedness Smythe, Pamela. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31348 2014-12-16T02:46:12Z 2014-12-15T10:46:42Z Title: Aspects of phonological processing in sub-groups of left and right handedness Authors: Smythe, Pamela. Abstract: This thesis was begun with two intentions. The first was to test a hypothesis of the Annett Right Shift Theory (1972, 1985) that people with poor phonology are less biased to right-handedness than the general population. The second was to establish whether to reduced bias to dextrality applies to deficits in all types of phonological processing.;Evidence for an association between poor phonological processing and reduced dextrality was demonstrated in an age cohort of schoolchildren and in two large undergraduate samples. Cases of 'pathological' handedness are unlikely to have caused the association as, in children, the differences increased when those with slow hand skill and poor vocabularies were removed. Support for a genetic influence upon phonological processing was found when groups of children and undergraduates with varying phonological ability also varied for their relatives' handedness.;Although, as expected, undergraduates with problems with nonword rhyme were more often left-handed and had more left handed relatives, against predictions, those with phoneme discrimination difficulties were much more dextral in handedness and had fewer left handed relatives. These interesting results were further investigated and poor ability in either phonological production/segmentation or rhyme/awareness was found to be associated with a reduced shift to dextrality. Finally an atypical pattern in dichotic listening (equal errors at each ear) was associated with phonological awareness difficulties, as was the atypical pattern of absence of shift to dextrality in handedness.;The findings suggest that poor phonological awareness or phonological production/segmentation could be a risk in the rs - genotype and minor phoneme perception problems could be a disadvantage for the rs++ genotype. It is also suggested that the latter could be part of a multi-sensory problem (Stein and Walsh, 1997). These questions are discussed further and the contributions, limitations and implications of the work are reviewed. 2014-12-15T10:46:42Z Measurement of cerebral activity in response to Dopaminergic drugs : studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging in the rat Dixon, Aisling L. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31347 2014-12-16T02:46:11Z 2014-12-15T10:46:41Z Title: Measurement of cerebral activity in response to Dopaminergic drugs : studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging in the rat Authors: Dixon, Aisling L. Abstract: Dopamine is involved with many aspects of normal brain function, such as movement, emotion and motivation and its dysregulation is associated with diseases, such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. Drug treatments for these conditions may cause side effects, hence, it is important to understand their mechanisms. Amphetamine administration is a popular model for studying reward, schizophrenia and behaviour. I modified this model to investigate changes in functional dopaminergic activity in the whole rat brain using Pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging (PhMRI). Halothane proved to be suitable anaesthetic for these experiments because it did not affect stimulated dopamine release unlike a-choralose.;Acute amphetamine challenge caused widespread increases in blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal intensity in many subcortical dopaminergic structures, with a rim of negative BOLD observed in the cortex. Amphetamine acts by blocking reuptake of dopamine leading to activation of all dopamine receptor subtypes. To tease apart the mechanisms of the amphetamine response, I pretreated rats with specific antagonists prior to amphetamine. This had contrasting effects on the BOLD signal. D1 antagonist blocked most of the positive BOLD response to amphetamine whereas the D2 antagonist predominantly blocked and negative BOLD response. The acute effects of selective D1 and D2 agonists and antagonists on the BOLD response were observed in subcortical dopaminergic structures, largely corresponding with stimulation or blockade of the specific receptors types.;My experiments show that the recently-developed phMRI technique can be used to dissect the mechanisms of drug action in the whole brain. 2014-12-15T10:46:41Z The effects of the compatiblity properties of to-be-ignored stimuli on responding to a target Bell, Lorraine Marcia. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31346 2014-12-16T02:46:09Z 2014-12-15T10:46:40Z Title: The effects of the compatiblity properties of to-be-ignored stimuli on responding to a target Authors: Bell, Lorraine Marcia. Abstract: The compatibility effect found in the flanker task is usually explained in terms of response slowing due to incompatible flanker properties. It is as yet unclear whether the compatibility effect is also due to facilitative effects associated with compatible flanker properties. An extension of the Continuous Flow model put forward by Eriksen & Schultz (1979) namely the "Accumulated Activation Strength Difference" (AASD) model is proposed that maintains both response facilitation - due to compatible flanker properties, and response slowing - due to incompatible flanker properties, takes place under conditions where there is response competition. A series of flanker task experiments were conducted that presented 2, 4 or 6 flankers and combined flanker types in terms of their compatibility. It was found that flanker conditions that contained an equal number of compatible and incompatible flankers generated faster RTs than conditions that contained purely incompatible flankers. There was also no difference in RTs for incompatible flanker conditions or compatible flanker conditions whether there were 2, 4 or 6 flankers. This suggests that the effects of compatible and incompatible flankers cancel each other out. Furthermore, another experiment varied the ratio of compatible to incompatible flankers in a 4 flanker array. It was found that the ratio of compatible to incompatible flankers within a stimulus array mediates the magnitude of the compatibility effect. There is some evidence that this effect also occurs across different stimulus dimensions. The model also offers an explanation for why no response facilitation is observed for compatible trials compared to target alone trials and can account for how the patterns of errors in flanker tasks usually mirror the RT data. However, the model is complete, for example, it makes no attempt to account for how neutral flanker properties affect responding. 2014-12-15T10:46:40Z Bibliotherapy for generalised anxiety disorder : a controlled trial comparison and exploration of factors related to outcome Kiely, Brian Gerard. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31345 2014-12-16T02:46:08Z 2014-12-15T10:46:39Z Title: Bibliotherapy for generalised anxiety disorder : a controlled trial comparison and exploration of factors related to outcome Authors: Kiely, Brian Gerard. Abstract: The pilot study served to develop and initially evaluate a cognitive behavioural bibliotherapy programme for use in treating Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Administered during 16 one hour appointments with a Psychologist, the programme was associated with significant improvements in anxiety, depression and problem severity. The finalized programme comprised two components - information about anxiety and cognitive behavioural anxiety management guidance. In the main study 46 patients with a primary diagnosis of Generalised Anxiety Disorder were randomly allocated to one of two treatment conditions - receipt of the full programme or only the information component - or a waiting list control condition. Psychologist administration of the programme took 10 minutes. Patients in receipt of the full programme experienced significantly greater gains than those in the waiting list condition in self assessed anxiety, depression, quality of life, and stress. There were no other between condition differences, but a trend in pre to post changes favouring the full programme. The presence of other co-morbid anxiety or depression conditions did not affect outcome. Clinical improvements in both treatment conditions were associated with improvements in anxiety related health attitudes including self-efficacy. Additionally, clinical improvements in patients in the full programme condition were associated with improvements in coping skills and compliance with the programme. The potential inter-relationship between clinical, attitudinal and coping skills change, and programme compliance were discussed. 2014-12-15T10:46:39Z An investigation of meta-cognitive dimensions of worry in a sample of people with genital herpes Wilkinson, Nicolas. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31344 2014-12-16T02:46:07Z 2014-12-15T10:46:38Z Title: An investigation of meta-cognitive dimensions of worry in a sample of people with genital herpes Authors: Wilkinson, Nicolas. Abstract: A recent cognitive model of worry has proposed that meta-worry (worry about worry) and negative meta-cognitive beliefs about worry are strongly implicated in the maintenance of emotional disorder. Elevated levels of worry have been widely reported in people experiencing chronic health problems where prognosis and outcome are uncertain and unpredictable. Genital herpes is an incurable sexually transmitted disease characterised by recurrent outbreaks of symptoms. Recent research examining the relationship between stress and symptom recurrence in genital herpes suggests that moderate levels of stress, including worry, are predictive of symptom recurrence. The aims of this study were to: explore the relationships between emotional vulnerability and meta-cognitive dimensions of worry in people with recurrent genital herpes (RGH) (n=41) and a normal healthy control group (n=41) examine differences in emotional vulnerability and meta-cognitive dimension of worry between RGH participants and controls and, explore relationships between emotional vulnerability, meta-cognitive dimensions of worry and quality of life for RGH participants. A survey design was used. The results replicated many of the findings between emotional vulnerability and meta-cognitive dimensions of worry found in previous research providing convergent evidence for the meta-cognitive model. The results also revealed significant between group differences in emotional vulnerability, meta-worry, and other meta-cognitive beliefs about worry but no significant differences in maladaptive thought control strategies. Within RGH group correlations revealed that negative beliefs about worry were significantly negatively correlated with quality of life when trait anxiety was partialled out. The implications of the results are discussed in terms of clinical implications and the limitations of the study. 2014-12-15T10:46:38Z The influence of adult attachment strategies on parenting and behaviour difficulties in middle childhood Tuckey, Michelle. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31343 2014-12-16T02:46:07Z 2014-12-15T10:46:38Z Title: The influence of adult attachment strategies on parenting and behaviour difficulties in middle childhood Authors: Tuckey, Michelle. Abstract: The aim of this research was to identify possible risk factors for internalising and externalising behaviour problems in middle childhood using an attachment theory framework. The mother-child relationship was explored from the mother's perspective and considered the possible influence of parenting attitudes and behaviours and mother's experience of romantic attachment relationships on her child's adjustment. The findings indicated that mothers in the clinical group differed significantly from mothers in the control group in reports of their adult attachment strategies, parenting behaviours and attitudes and their child's behaviour. In the clinical group mothers' high avoidance in romantic relationships was predictive of high reports of their child's externalising behaviours. Parenting behaviours and attitudes did not appear to influence this relationship. In the control group a different pattern of relationships were identified as significant. Mothers' parenting behaviours and attitudes were shown to be predictive of their child's behaviour. In addition low levels of mothers' attachment anxiety were predictive of low reports of behaviour problems in the control group. It was concluded that the current study found some evidence that adult romantic attachment was able to predict parenting attitudes, behaviours and childhood adjustment with reference to internalising and externalising behaviours in middle childhood. The study supports the possibility that conceptually analogous relationships exist between parent-child and romantic relationships. Different significant relationships existed in the clinical and control group. Further examination of these differences when researching potential risk/protective factors for maladjustment in childhood is essential. 2014-12-15T10:46:38Z Masculinity and psychological help-seeking : a qualitative study of men's pathways into psychological help in primary care Melluish, Stephen. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31340 2014-12-16T02:46:05Z 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Title: Masculinity and psychological help-seeking : a qualitative study of men's pathways into psychological help in primary care Authors: Melluish, Stephen. Abstract: The research describes a qualitative investigation of men's pathways to seeking psychological help. A total of seven men were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Qualitative data was analysed using grounded theory. One core category 'distancing' emerged from the analysis. This theme reflects the way in which men distance themselves from their distress and attempt to preserve a public appearance of coping. This general theme is reflected in five higher order categories that were also identified. These include: preserving a public identity; separating problems from self; crisis as disconnection; use of lay networks and self in psychological help. These themes are discussed in relation to men's pathways into psychological help and the network-episode model of help-seeking is revised to take account of these themes. Findings are discussed in relation to the relevant literature on help-seeking and masculinity. Recommendations for further research are made. 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z The use of metaphor by clinical psychologists using cognitive behavioural techniques Smith, Howard http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31342 2014-12-16T02:46:06Z 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Title: The use of metaphor by clinical psychologists using cognitive behavioural techniques Authors: Smith, Howard Abstract: Metaphor has been widely used and studied generally in psychotherapy, often being seen as a pathway to the unconscious mind. However metaphor has not been widely considered by CBT therapists or clinical psychologists, although the literature that has done so has suggested it could be a powerful tool in CBT. This study takes a widely quoted view of metaphor (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980), which suggests that language is fundamentally structured by metaphor, and attempts to relate this to the practice of CBT. The study looks at both the immediate context of therapy (termed 'process metaphors') and the metaphors that construct the context of therapy (termed 'structural metaphors'). The current study involved interviewing six qualified clinical psychologists, who use cognitive-behavioural therapy to treat adults with depression. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed. The resultant data was analysed using a qualitative, grounded theory approach, located within a social constructionist epistemology. The results of the analysis suggested that the interviewees saw process metaphors as operating through three mechanisms namely explanatory, persuasion and emotional processing. Client metaphors were suggested as being either investigated in detail or left aside in a way that reduced their persuasive power. Finally the structural metaphors relating to the concept of clients as mentally ill and therapy as scientifically structured were considered. The study concludes by suggesting that metaphor is often ignored in cognitive-behavioural therapy, perhaps due to friction with the empirical nature of CBT research. The possibility that metaphor may operate differently to formal propositional logic is suggested as a target for further research. The study aims to offer CBT therapists chance to reflect on how metaphors structure everyday practice and research in CBT. 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Staff stress and challenging behaviour : the relationship between stressors, personality, coping strategies, behavioural knowledge and psychological distress in care staff Raczka, Roman A. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31341 2014-12-16T02:46:06Z 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Title: Staff stress and challenging behaviour : the relationship between stressors, personality, coping strategies, behavioural knowledge and psychological distress in care staff Authors: Raczka, Roman A. Abstract: Objective: This research study investigated relationships between factors that influence the experience of psychological stress by staff working in residential services supporting adults with learning disabilities and challenging behaviours. A psychological model was developed that related the personality traits of direct care staff with their personal coping style, behavioural knowledge and emotional reaction when exposed to environmental stressors and investigated the impact on psychological distress experienced. Design: A self-report questionnaire study on sixty-nine direct care staff working in an independent sector community based service for adults with learning disabilities and severely challenging behaviours. Correlation and regression analyses were employed to examine relationships between the different factors. Method: Staff completed a battery of measures including versions of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-R), Shortened Ways of Coping (Revised) Questionnaire (SWC-R), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Knowledge of Behavioural Principles (KBPAC), Care Staff's Emotional Reactions to Aggressive Challenging Behaviours and Work and Client Sources of Stress Checklist. Results: Staff reported high levels of stress. A significant association was found between Neurotic personality type, the use of wishful-thinking coping strategies, a negative emotional reaction to challenging behaviours and greater levels of psychological distress. No association was found between knowledge of behavioural principles and stress. Discussion: Support was found for the proposed psychological model for staff stress. Clinical implications were discussed that have a direct influence on the way in which staff working in services for people who challenge are supported by clinical psychologists. Suggestions were made for future research in the area. 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z The conceptualisations of adjustment in patients with end stage renal failure, their carers/relatives and nursing staff Kirby, Angela. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31338 2014-12-16T02:46:04Z 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Title: The conceptualisations of adjustment in patients with end stage renal failure, their carers/relatives and nursing staff Authors: Kirby, Angela. Abstract: Adjustment to End Stage Renal Failure (ESRF) has been the topic of a vast number of studies, however a clear picture of adjustment and the process of adjustment has yet to emerge. The purpose of this Grounded Theory study was to investigate the conceptualisations of adjustment of patients with ESRF. A sample of ten subjects with ESRF were interviewed, five of which had been receiving treatment for ESRF for six weeks and five for twelve months. In addition, six of the patients' partners/relatives and three home dialysis nursing staff, involved in their care, were also interviewed. The findings of this study indicated that they key process in adjustment was 'Taking on board a new approach to being and living'. This process involved participants accepting their illness at a cognitive and affective level, in addition to integrating illness into their identity. Four other processes subsumed under the above key process, namely, Getting back to life, Making adaptations to accommodate illness and treatment, Coping skills and Experiencing losses. These encapsulated the social, emotional, behavioural and cognitive facets of adjustment. Implications for theory, health care practice and future research are discussed. 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Illness representations, coping and locus of control in breast cancer : a comparative study amongst South Asian Indian women and white indigenous women Martyn, Rebecca. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31339 2014-12-16T02:46:05Z 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Title: Illness representations, coping and locus of control in breast cancer : a comparative study amongst South Asian Indian women and white indigenous women Authors: Martyn, Rebecca. Abstract: This study investigated illness representations for breast cancer amongst a lay population of South Asian and White indigenous women. A comparative correlational design was used to examine illness representations, coping styles and health locus of control in relation to breast cancer. In addition subjects provided information on the levels of breast cancer awareness, levels of early detection behaviour and knowledge of risk factors and treatment. Relationships between the different components of illness representations and their associations with coping, locus of control and level of breast-self examination were explored. The sample comprised 17 South Asian women and 18 White indigenous women. No significant differences were found between groups on level of breast awareness or early detection behaviours. Illness representations for both groups were found to be high on identity, and moderately high on consequence, time-line, cure/control and on risk/treatment. Significant associations were identified for higher scores on cure/control and risk/treatment scales with lower scores on denial, acceptance and venting of emotion coping for the South Asian group. There was a significant correlation between cure/control and level of breast self-examination for the White group. Moderately high scores on cure/control and risk/treatment are encouraging and are tentatively linked to less passive coping styles and higher levels of breast self-examination. Overall, there was a high level of similarity on the measure, and in early detection behaviours for the groups. These similarities may reflect the particular nature of this group of South Asian women. Implications of these findings are that health interventions should focus on raising knowledge for risk factors and treatment, and increasing beliefs in cure and control. Further investigation of illness representations for breast cancer amongst South Asian groups is needed. Age, socio-economic status and degree of acculturation are factors that may be particularly relevant in relation to early detection behaviour and coping styles. 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Post-traumatic stress disorder and violence : selective processing of threat cues Marshall, Maria. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31337 2014-12-16T02:46:04Z 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Title: Post-traumatic stress disorder and violence : selective processing of threat cues Authors: Marshall, Maria. Abstract: A study was conducted to examine the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), violence and the selective processing of threat cues. It was predicted there would be a high level of PTSD among a male forensic population and that PTSD symptoms arising from violent trauma would be related to aggression. It was suggested that one mechanism that may provide a link between PTSD (based on violent trauma) and violence, is the selective processing of violent stimuli. An information-processing approach was used as the theoretical basis for the study and a Violent Stroop test was developed. Consistent with previous studies, a high level of trauma and PTSD was found among violent offenders. As predicted, levels of PTSD (based on violent victimisation) were significantly related to violent behaviour, whereas PTSD from non violent events was not related to violent behaviour. Both PTSD symptoms from violent trauma and violent behaviour were significantly associated with Stroop interference for violent words. A number of possible co-variants were also examined. The results were discussed and a critical review of the study was given. Clinical implications and possibilities for future research were provided. 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Able autistic adults' constructions of social disability MacDonald, Craig. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31336 2014-12-16T02:46:03Z 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Title: Able autistic adults' constructions of social disability Authors: MacDonald, Craig. Abstract: Since Wing's (1981) seminal paper, Asperger's syndrome: a clinical account, research into more able or 'high-functioning' individuals with autistic spectrum disorders has tended to focus on children. For adults, limited research has suggested a general trend toward recovery from earlier autistic 'symptoms'. However, continued social isolation and poor levels of social integration have been reported to remain common.;This study explored how six able autistic adults (five male; age range 22 to 37 years) understood their experiences of social disability. All participants had prior psychiatric diagnoses of an autistic spectrum disorder (one 'Infantile Autism', five 'Asperger's syndrome'). Candidates requiring residential care and those with a dual-diagnosis of learning disability (mental handicap / mental retardation) or psychiatric illness were excluded. A directed sampling procedure was used and qualitative data were gathered in individual interviews. Grounded theory methodology was used for data selection and transcript analysis.;A core construct termed 'Social fit' was identified in the analysis. This represented participants' constructions of disability as a relationship between self and 'others'. Within this construct, an explanatory process model was developed comprising three main categories of experience. These represented, respectively, participants' gradual awareness of personal difference, their revaluation of personal identity and their subsequent understanding of social inclusion.;The analysis was discussed in relation to literature on autism and disability theory. 2014-12-15T10:46:37Z Stress and trauma in infancy and early childhood : implications for later mental health Dower, Elizabeth. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31332 2014-12-16T02:46:01Z 2014-12-15T10:46:36Z Title: Stress and trauma in infancy and early childhood : implications for later mental health Authors: Dower, Elizabeth. Abstract: One of the challenges for clinicians is to identify those infants who are at risk of later psychopathology and to intervene at an early stage. The study of negative life events for children from birth to three years of age has been comparatively neglected despite the fact that the fields of psychoanalysis, forensic psychology, developmental psychopathology and neuro-psychology all emphasis the importance of the early years. Aim: Drawing from the literature, this study examined life events that disrupt the first attachment relationship and proposed that early behavioural difficulties in children are the result of the stress and trauma consequently experienced. Method: A Life Events Checklist was designed and used as a measure in two cross sectional studies that examined the nature and incidence of life events occurring to children between birth and three years [a] in a clinical sample [N = 123] and [b] in a community sample [N = 193]. Events occurring in the three year period prior to referral were also recorded in the clinical study. Results showed that children in the clinical study experienced a high number of life events across time although more event were experienced in the first three years than in the three years prior to referral. Logistic regression analysis applied to both sets of data indicated an event of loss, a disturbed relationship and/or a trauma in the first 18 months of life could predict later mental health problems. The data showed that Health Visitors were less likely to express concerns at this early stage. The implications of the study for early assessment and intervention are discussed. Clinical interventions with children referred to child mental health services need to address symptoms of stress and trauma through the limbic system rather than through cognitive and behavioural approaches alone. 2014-12-15T10:46:36Z The understanding and perception of emotion in schizophrenia Longmore, Richard. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31335 2014-12-16T02:46:02Z 2014-12-15T10:46:36Z Title: The understanding and perception of emotion in schizophrenia Authors: Longmore, Richard. Abstract: Objectives: Research is beginning to examine the links between schizophrenia and social cognition - the processes people use to make sense of their social experience (Corrigan & Perm, 2001). Identifying emotion in other people is a vital social skill. A significant body of research shows that people with schizophrenia have problems judging facial emotions. However, an intact understanding of emotion concepts is usually assumed in such research. This thesis aims to establish (a) whether affect recognition difficulties in schizophrenia reflect problems in the understanding or perception of emotion (b) the relationship of emotional understanding to social functioning and (c) how far general cognition accounts for differences in affect recognition. Method: The study describes the validation of a set of vignettes that reliably imply specific emotions. These were then administered to participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (n = 60), nonclinical controls (n = 40) and learning disabled controls (n = 20). There were two experimental conditions. In the first, vignettes were paired with emotion words. In the second, they were matched with previously validated photographs of emotional facial expressions. A measure of intelligence was administered to all participants, and a social functioning scale was completed for participants with schizophrenia. Results: Participants with schizophrenia and learning disabled controls had significantly more difficulty than nonclinical controls in the understanding and perception of emotion. Once general intellectual functioning was taken into account, however, only the group with schizophrenia showed a differential deficit in affect recognition. No differential deficit was found in the perception of facial emotion in schizophrenia, although performance on some emotions was markedly low. There was no significant correlation between affect recognition ability and social functioning in schizophrenia. Conclusion: People with schizophrenia have a specific and differential deficit in social understanding which is not wholly accounted for by general cognitive functioning. 2014-12-15T10:46:36Z Causal attributions for problem drinking : gender differences and predictors of therapeutic outcome Kellett, Susan K. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31334 2014-12-16T02:46:02Z 2014-12-15T10:46:36Z Title: Causal attributions for problem drinking : gender differences and predictors of therapeutic outcome Authors: Kellett, Susan K. Abstract: The aims of the research are to investigate gender differences in causal attributions for problem drinking in clients first presenting to treatment services, and to consider whether attributional style is related to therapeutic outcome. This study employs an independent samples design plus correlational measures, utilising self-administered questionnaires, the sample consisting of 64 new referrals to the alcohol services (33 men, 31 women).;Research suggests that women may make more external attributions for problem drinking than men. Causal attributions are considered in terms of items regarding perceptions of alcohol as a problem, plus the attributional dimensions of the revised Causal Dimension Scale. Women were less likely than the men to feel alcohol was the root of their problems, but there were no gender differences in terms of the attributional dimensions. It is suggested that findings may indicate changes in gender-related social stereotypes, leading to a convergence in the attributions of male and female problems drinkers. Evidence is presented from previous research to support this explanation.;Research suggests that perceptions of high internal control will be associated with positive therapeutic outcome; high external control and high stability with negative outcome. Using the Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale and the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale to predict the therapeutic outcome it was found that higher internal control was related to more favourable indicators, higher stability with less favourable indicators, with no relationship in terms of external control.;It is concluded that different interventions need to be used for men and women as they see the root of their problems differently. In addition, therapy could aim to increase perceptions of internal control and decrease perceptions of stability. Results also demonstrate the necessity of using multi-dimensional measures when assessing casual attributions, and suggestions are made for the use of such measures in clinical work. 2014-12-15T10:46:36Z Causal attributions, worry and myocardial infarction Dulku, Amarjit. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31333 2014-12-16T02:46:01Z 2014-12-15T10:46:36Z Title: Causal attributions, worry and myocardial infarction Authors: Dulku, Amarjit. Abstract: Although previous research has pointed to worry as one of the highest causal attributions reported by MI patients, no studies have primarily investigated the concept of worry in this cohort. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of pathological worry in MI patients who reported worry as a causal factor to their MI (Experimental group), compared to MI patients that did not implicate worry as a causal attribute (Control group). A central hypothesis to this study was that higher pathological worry would be found in the Experimental group, and would be significantly associated with meta-worry (worry about worry), rather than health worry.;The design was cross-sectional, and consisted of administering self-report questionnaires to a total of 34 post-MI patients (n=17 in each group). The questionnaire measured: pathological worry, meta-worry, anxiety, depression, and thought control strategies. Participants in the Experimental group were found to be significantly younger than the Control group, and a higher proportion were employed.;The main results indicated that no differences were found between the two groups in terms of worries relating to their health. However, pathological worry, meta-worry, social worry, anxiety and the use of thought control strategies were significantly higher in the Experimental group, compared with the Control group. Interestingly, none of the participants (N=34) reported symptoms of depression at a clinical level. Further analysis revealed that pathological worry significant correlated with meta-worry and the thought control strategy known as 'Punishment'.;In conclusion MI patients who rated worry highly as causal to their MI were also found to be more pathologically worried after their MI than participants who implicated physical factors as causal attributes. However, this pathological worry was not related to worry about health, but was regarded as a coping response that is best understood from a metacognitive model of a generalised anxiety disorder. 2014-12-15T10:46:36Z Self-consciousness, psychological distress, coping and negative cognitions in irritable bowel syndrome Dent, Alexandra. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31331 2014-12-16T02:46:00Z 2014-12-15T10:46:35Z Title: Self-consciousness, psychological distress, coping and negative cognitions in irritable bowel syndrome Authors: Dent, Alexandra. Abstract: Objectives. To investigate differences between Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disorder (IBD) patients and controls on measures of self-consciousness, psychological distress, coping in stressful situations and negative bowel cognitions. Relationships between these measures in the IBS group were also examined.;Design. Cross-sectional between-groups design.;Method. IBS and IBD patients were recruited from a gastroenterology clinic. Thirty-three IBS patients, and 35 IBD patients and 35 controls completed the Self-Consciousness Scale (SCS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) and Cognitive Scale for Functional Bowel Disorders (CSFBD).;Results. IBS patients were significantly more anxious and had greater negative bowel cognitions than controls. There were no significant differences between IBS and IBD patients on any of the measures. There were several significant positive relationships between the four measures in the IBS group. For example, private self-consciousness (on the SCS) was related to all negative bowel cognitions on the CSFBD (except for disease conviction), anxiety and depression (on the HADS) and emotion- and task-focused coping (on the CISS). Coping (social diversion, emotion- and task-focused) was also related with various negative bowel cognitions. Finally, when IBS patients were subdivided into anxious and non-anxious groups, anxious IBS patients used significantly greater emotion-focused coping and had greater worries in relation to embarrassment/shame, anger/frustration, social approval and self-nurturance. The results are discussed in relation to previous literature and the Self-Regulatory Executive Functioning model. An alternative model based on the findings is also proposed.;Conclusion. IBS patients who are psychologically distressed may benefit from psychological intervention that consists of cognitive and attentional training. 2014-12-15T10:46:35Z Alexithymia and relationship satisfaction Ayers, James. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31330 2014-12-16T02:45:58Z 2014-12-15T10:46:35Z Title: Alexithymia and relationship satisfaction Authors: Ayers, James. Abstract: The research literature on factors associated with relationship satisfaction and relationship failure suggests that the expression of emotion has a vital role in the maintenance or failure of marriages and cohabiting partner relationships. Relationship failure is a significant clinical concern because of the association with increased suicide risk for separating partners and negative consequences for children of parents whose relationship is characterised by high levels of conflict. Longitudinal follow up studies have been used to clearly describe a destructive style of conflict resolution, based on a lack of communication of emotion between couples who then subsequently divorce or separate. However no research has been carried out to determine how the alexithymic personality trait, which is characterised by an inability to express emotion impacts upon cohabiting partner relationships such as marriages. This study used a clinical sample of men presenting with mental health problems to two adjoining community mental health teams. The study investigated whether the ability of men to express emotion, measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale was correlated with their satisfaction levels in cohabiting relationships (measured by the Relationship Assessment Scale). In addition, the hypothesis that alexithymic men may be more vulnerable, through their difficulties in expressing emotion to enter destructive partners of conflict resolution that lead to relationship failure was also investigated by correlating alexithymia scores with the number of failed precious cohabiting relationship the men had experienced. Results were not statistically significant, as it was only possible to collect a small, homogenous sample of men that was not sufficient for fairly evaluating the hypotheses of this study. The replication of this preliminary study within a primary care service, where participants may be more numerous, along with the additional incentive of payment for participation is recommended, due to the difficulties encountered in recruiting men to participate in a study about relationship satisfaction. 2014-12-15T10:46:35Z Enhancing spatial cognition in disabled children using virtual environments Stanton, Danae Emma Beckford. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31327 2014-12-16T02:45:56Z 2014-12-15T10:46:34Z Title: Enhancing spatial cognition in disabled children using virtual environments Authors: Stanton, Danae Emma Beckford. Abstract: In nine experiments, computer generated three-dimensional environments were used to investigate the spatial learning processes of physically disabled children. Chapter 1 reviews the literature on spatial mapping. Chapter 2 introduces the background to virtual environments, and reviews the relevant experimental work in this field. Chapter 3 developed a novel paradigm for investigating configural learning in humans, based on a shortcut study previously used with hamsters. In experiments 1-3 optimal cue arrangement was investigated. Results indicated that four large cues, rather than small or continuous cues, were required in order to complete the shortcut task successfully. Experiment 4 demonstrated the paradigm to be a successful replication of the original task and a good measure of spatial ability. Experiment 5 compared the shortcut behaviour of physically disabled children with varying degrees of mobility. Children who had had limited mobility from birth were poorer at the task than those whose mobility had deteriorated with age, supporting the hypothesis that early independent exploration is important in the development of cognitive spatial mapping ability. In Chapter 4 (experiment 6) physically disabled children explored a simulation of a school and then completed tests of spatial ability within the equivalent real school. A successful transfer of spatial skills was demonstrated and thus the potential of this technology for training. In Chapter 5, experiments 7-9 examined the effect of repeated exposure to virtual environments. Experiment 7 confirmed that the skills disabled children acquired using virtual environments improved with exposure to successive environments. To eliminate the possibility that learning was influenced by non-specific factors, experiment 8 compared 3-D exploration and 2-D (control) exploration, finding spatial learning in the former to be superior. Experiment 9 confirmed the extent of improvement in spatial skills following intensive 3-D exploration. Chapter 6 draws conclusions from the experiments and suggests ideas for further research. 2014-12-15T10:46:34Z The structure of well-being in dementia Greatorex, Barry. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31328 2014-12-16T02:45:56Z 2014-12-15T10:46:34Z Title: The structure of well-being in dementia Authors: Greatorex, Barry. Abstract: The nature and structure of the concept of well-being, both in general psychological research and in relation to dementia, is reviewed. Well-being is important in understanding subjective emotional experience and life satisfaction, and central to the concept of 'quality of life'.;The research between the structure of well-being in dementia and in wider research is explored, bringing together work from the United States and Tom Kitwood's theory of dementia care.;The principal hypothesis investigated relates to this body of work: specifically whether 'well-being' in people-with-dementia can be understood as one- or more than one factor.;Subsidiary hypotheses concerning well-being in dementia and other variables are also investigated.;Seven point rating scales were used to measure indicators of well-being used in 'Dementia Care Mapping'. A pilot study was used to develop a rater's manual, to test acceptability, and to obtain feed-back for improvements in method. A reliability study measured inter-rater reliability on fifteen indicators of well-being. Further data was gathered to produce data on ratings of indicators of well-being in 102 persons with dementia. Additional data on demographic characteristics and cognitive functioning were collected.;Findings indicate that indicators of well-being in people-with-dementia can be reliably measured using observation.;The research findings support a two-factor model of well-being in dementia, comprising a factor of 'Social engagement/Pleasure', and a factor of 'Negative affect vs. Relaxed calm'. These factors are uncorrelated.;Investigation of subsidiary hypotheses reveals evidence of a negative correlation between cognitive impairment and the 'Social engagement/Pleasure' factor, but no correlation between cognitive impairment and 'Negative Affect'. No gender differences in factor scores are found for well-being or ill-being, although gender differences for indicators of ill-being not included in the factor analysis are found.;The theoretical, service, policy and clinical implications for the above findings are discussed. Suggestions for future research are made. 2014-12-15T10:46:34Z Psychological adjustment to lower limb amputation Atherton, Rachel Jane. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31329 2014-12-16T02:45:57Z 2014-12-15T10:46:34Z Title: Psychological adjustment to lower limb amputation Authors: Atherton, Rachel Jane. Abstract: Rationale: Clinical reports have indicated that a significant number of lower limb amputees experience psychological adjustment problems. Research had demonstrated a relatively high prevalence of depression in this population but there has been inadequate attention to other aspects of adjustment. This study aimed to identify variables associated with increased psychological distress. Particular attention was given to cognitive models of emotion which postulate a key role for self-consciousness and appearance-related beliefs.;Methods: A cross-sectional correlational design was employed. Participants were 67 lower limb amputees. Measures gathered information about different types of self-consciousness, appearance-related beliefs, psychological adjustment, and a range of amputation-related factors including activity restriction, prosthesis satisfaction, phantom and residual limb pain and other medical issues.;Results: The prevalence of anxiety was 29.9% and the prevalence of depression was 13.4%. Activity restriction, prosthesis satisfaction and appearance-related beliefs were associated with both distress and psychosocial adjustment difficulties. Public self-consciousness was associated with distress and psychosocial adjustment difficulties but this was not the case for private self-consciousness. Psychological distress was more common amongst those who reported amputation-related pain or additional health problems. Distress was not influenced by age, time since amputation, cause of amputation or level of amputation.;Implications: Clinicians need to monitor amputees for distress over a long time period. It is particularly important to assess for anxiety. Interventions that target appearance-related beliefs may be of benefit to this population. Limitations of the current study are addressed and areas for further research are highlighted. 2014-12-15T10:46:34Z Dopaminergic involvement in stimulus selection : a behavioural study Tuathaigh, Colm O. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31325 2014-12-16T02:45:53Z 2014-12-15T10:46:33Z Title: Dopaminergic involvement in stimulus selection : a behavioural study Authors: Tuathaigh, Colm O. Abstract: People with schizophrenia show deficits in the inhibitory processes controlling stimulus selection. Overshadowing and the Kamin blocking effect provide examples of stimulus selection. Overshadowing refers to the phenomenon whereby greater learning accrues to the more salient stimulus of a compound presentation. Kamin blocking occurs when prior learning to a single stimulus in stage 1 disrupts learning to an added stimulus in stage 2, when both stimuli are presented in compound. Both paradigms measure the ability to select relevant and deselect irrelevant information from the stimulus environment, and are dependent upon cognitive processes hypothesised to be disrupted in schizophrenic patients. The study of the neural basis of such stimulus phenomena provides a putative model with construct validity for the information processing deficits seen in schizophrenia. A disturbance in central dopaminergic activity is thought to underlie the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. In the present study, the effect of dopaminergic manipulations on Kamin blocking and overshadowing was assessed in the rat.;The indirect dopamine agonist d-amphetamine (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) disrupted Kamin blocking when administered at stage 2 conditioning. Amphetamine also abolished overshadowing when given at conditioning. It was concluded that amphetamine effects in both paradigms may consist of a selective increase in learning to the less salient stimulus.;The DA antagonist haloperidol (0.2 mg/kg, i.p.) failed to reverse the attenuating effects of amphetamine (1.0 mg/kg i.p.) on overshadowing. However, haloperidol (0.2 mg/kg & 0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) successfully reversed amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion. Neither the selective D2 receptor antagonist raclopride (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) nor the selective D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride (50 & 100 mg/kg, i.p.) restored overshadowing in amphetamine - treated animals.;SCH23390 (0.05 mg/kg, i.p.), the selective D1 receptor antagonist, restored overshadowing in amphetamine - treated rats. The D1 receptor agonist SKF 38393 (5 mg/kg i.p.) disrupted overshadowing in a manner similar to that observed following amphetamine treatment. 2014-12-15T10:46:33Z An investigation of the relationship between anxiety and agitation in dementia Twelftree, Helen. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31324 2014-12-16T02:45:52Z 2014-12-15T10:46:33Z Title: An investigation of the relationship between anxiety and agitation in dementia Authors: Twelftree, Helen. Abstract: Separate lines of research into well-being in dementia have identified anxiety and agitation as indicators of ill-being. Both are common disorders of older adults with dementia and their consequences can be severe, including increased mortality rates and institutionalisation. Anxiety in this population has been under-researched and there are difficulties with its measurement. Despite the importance of anxiety and agitation in dementia care there is confusion between these concepts in the literature. Some studies have assumed that agitation is the same as anxiety in dementia, while others have attempted to differentiate between them.;The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether there was an association between anxiety and agitation in older adults with mild to moderate dementia. A secondary aim was to compare a recently developed anxiety measure for older adults with dementia with one validated for use with older adults without dementia.;A cross-sectional correlation design was used. Forty older adults with dementia who were using mental health services participated in the study. Agitation, anxiety, depression and level of cognitive impairment were assessed.;Significant positive correlations were found between agitation and anxiety, and between the two anxiety measures. Previous findings were replicated with a correlation found between anxiety and depression. Differences were found in the reporting of behaviours by professional and family informants.;The main finding of this study was that anxiety is associated with agitation and could be one of its causes in individuals who have dementia. The moderate correlation found suggests that anxiety and agitation cannot be treated as the same in this population and that other factors associated with agitation should also be considered in clinical practice. The study supported the use of the new measure of anxiety. These findings require extending to clients with more severe cognitive impairment. 2014-12-15T10:46:33Z Dropping out from psychological treatment for eating disorders : an attachment perspective Mahon, Jennifer http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31326 2014-12-16T02:45:55Z 2014-12-15T10:46:33Z Title: Dropping out from psychological treatment for eating disorders : an attachment perspective Authors: Mahon, Jennifer Abstract: Objective: The central objective of this thesis is to better understand factors affecting dropping out from psychological treatment using the specific case of eating disorders. Methods: Following critical reviews of the drop-out literature, it was suggested that dropping out should be thought of and studied as the product of interactions taking place within the treatment relationship. The majority of previous research has unsuccessfully attempted to predict dropping out based on pre-treatment patient characteristics in isolation from therapist or therapy characteristics. Attachment theory framed a series of studies using both qualitative and quantitative methods to explore engagement in the early treatment relationship. Two constructs were used: attachment as a pre-existing trait affecting attitudes toward treatment relationships, and attachment as a state resulting from feelings and perceptions occurring within the early relationship. Results: Attachment concepts may improve characterisation of dropping out: Attachment as trait: Case-note analyses of 2 independent patient series replicated a dose-effect relationship between some childhood traumatic experiences and dropping out (N=224). In multivariate analyses, parental break-up in childhood was predictive. However, the relationship between adult attachment style and dropping out remains unclear. Attachment style dimensions from the Vulnerable Attachment Style Questionnaire (VASQ) did not distinguish drop-outs from other treatment status groups in a prospective study. Attachment as state: 26 in-depth qualitative interviews revealed that therapists' attuned responsiveness in the early sessions was important to establishing a 'secure base', which patients needed to engage. The Therapy Relationship Questionnaire (TRQ) was designed to measure both patient and therapist views of the developing relationship over time (N = 110). Conclusions: Dropping out undoubtedly results from myriad interacting patient, therapist, and therapy factors. However, the therapy relationship underlies these, so measuring it dynamically may be the best way of understanding dropping out. Such an approach, informed by attachment theory, might lead to clinically useful interventions for improving engagement. 2014-12-15T10:46:33Z Locating culture in experiences of therapy : accounts of Asian women Scordellis, Jo-Anne Constantia. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31322 2014-12-16T02:45:50Z 2014-12-15T10:46:32Z Title: Locating culture in experiences of therapy : accounts of Asian women Authors: Scordellis, Jo-Anne Constantia. Abstract: Prior research suggests that people from ethnic-minority groups, in the UK, are under-represented in their use of mainstream psychotherapy services. This finding includes women of south-Asian origin. Recent epidemiological studies have suggested that while Asian women's use of psychotherapy services remains low, their incidence of self-harm and parasuicide behaviours, in the UK, are on the increase. This suggests that these women are not accessing help for psychological distress even though such distress in present. One prevalent idea for why this may be is that mainstream models of psychotherapy practice remain euro-centric and are therefore experienced as either irrelevant or incongruent with the values and experiences of Asian women. However, there has been little research to directly access the individual accounts of Asian women who have experienced therapy. Through the use of a grounded theory methodology this study elicits and analyses such accounts.;It reports findings from six Asian women who were being seen for therapy. The aim of this study was to consider the potential role of self-described cultural identity within experiences of therapy.;Participants highlighted the importance of culture in their understanding of their psychological distress, their routes into, and experiences of therapy. Accounts of the role of culture were both complex and diverse and this study does not offer simplistic conclusions for how models of therapy can become more inclusive. Rather, the findings are used to inform service development and to argue for broader approaches to culture within models of psychotherapy practice and research. Culture should be reflected upon in practice and be given more consideration than mainstream models may accord it, however these accounts emphasises that therapists should work from clients' individual understandings, experiences and needs. 2014-12-15T10:46:32Z Challenging behaviour in older adults : a study of care staff attributions and management Thomas, Susan http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31323 2014-12-16T02:45:51Z 2014-12-15T10:46:32Z Title: Challenging behaviour in older adults : a study of care staff attributions and management Authors: Thomas, Susan Abstract: Objectives. The aim of this study was to explore the application of Weiner's attributional theory of motivation and emotion to care staff working with older adults with challenging behaviour. The research aimed to examine the effect of challenging behaviour type and dependency levels on attributions and the role of optimism and positive affect as mediators for willingness to care for and change patients' behaviour. The study further aims to investigate associations between attributions and management of challenging behaviour by care staff, including abusive and depersonalising actions. Design. A two-factor repeated measures design was used to examine the relative effect of dependency and challenging behaviour upon ratings of attributional dimensions, affect, optimism, and two variables of care staff behaviour. Correlations and path analysis were employed to examine the role of affect and optimism upon the care staff behaviour variables. ANOVAs and correlations were used to examine the effect of challenging behaviour type and dependency upon management strategy use and correlations were used to examine relationships between attributions, affects and management strategies. Method. The participants were 46 unqualified care staff working in specialist NHS mental health residential settings for older adults. Participants rated six vignettes of scenarios of challenging behaviour of older adults for attributions, affects, optimism, and willingness to care for and change the behaviour of the client. Care staff also rated the likelihood that they would use a variety of management strategies in response to the behaviour. Results. Significant differences in attributions were found for different dependency levels and challenging behaviour types. Correlations and path analysis showed that caring for clients was inversely predicted by negative emotion, which was predicted by control. Willingness to change the client's behaviour was best predicted by optimism, which was inversely related to attributions of stability. Abusive strategy use was significantly higher for high dependency clients and was associated with negative affect. Conclusion. The results are consistent with Weiner's attributional theory of motivation and emotion and are discussed in relation to previous research and the wider literature. Clinical implications of the research in the areas of staff training and selection are discussed, as are suggestions for future research. 2014-12-15T10:46:32Z Ego-syntonic obsessions Ryan, Christian. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31321 2014-12-16T02:45:50Z 2014-12-15T10:46:32Z Title: Ego-syntonic obsessions Authors: Ryan, Christian. Abstract: The supposed synonymity of obsessions and intrusive thoughts is critically examined. It is suggested that there may be distinct differences in the appraisal of classic intrusive thoughts which feature aggressive or sexualised content and the appraisal of contamination fears. This is significant for both the current definition of obsessions and to the cognitive model proposed by Salkovskis (1985, 1989). Following a review of the research into the relationship between intrusive thoughts and obsessions, Salkovskis's cognitive-behavioural model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (Salkovskis, 1985, 1989) is examined and two key papers, which are often cited to support the view that intrusive thoughts in the normal population are synonymous with obsessive thoughts as experienced by OCD patients, are critically appraised. Evidence from a number of phenomenological studies is also considered as an alternative source of information about the nature of obsessions in the clinical population. The development of a new measure, the Obsessive Thoughts Appraisal Scale is reported. This measure was used with both clinical and non-clinical samples (n = 109). It was found to have adequate psychometric properties. The results of the hypothesis testing indicate that judgements of ego-syntonic are not restricted to some small number of patients suffering from overvalued ideation, but rather ego-syntonic appraisals of some obsessions appears to be widespread but closely related to the individual's degree of obsessionality. Furthermore, obsessions concerning contamination were found to be significantly less ego-dystonic than those that concerned aggressive or sexually intrusive thoughts. Suggestions are made for both clinical practice and future research. 2014-12-15T10:46:32Z Diet and cognition in treated phenylketonuria Griffiths, Peter Vernon. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31319 2014-12-16T02:45:49Z 2014-12-15T10:46:31Z Title: Diet and cognition in treated phenylketonuria Authors: Griffiths, Peter Vernon. Abstract: Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a metabolic disease in which depletion of hepatic phenylalanine hydroxylase results in incomplete conversion of the essential amino acid phenylalanine to tyrosine. All protein contains phenylalanine which in PKU is toxic to the immature nervous system. Brain damage and mental handicap generally ensue but can be averted by restriction of dietary phenylalanine. Cognitive tests are used to monitor development and thus treatment outcome. Diet therapy prevents intellectual retardation, but mean IQ falls below age-standards and neuropsychological deficits are found in the executive domain. Questions thus remain about how to optimise treatment. This thesis summarises the history of PKU, reviews the neuropsychological literature, presents an empirical analysis of the IQ subtest profile in children representative of the treated classical PKU population and compares subjects from this group with healthy controls on measures of executive function. The historical and neuropsychological overviews concluded that early treatment practices almost certainly compromised cognitive development. The empirical studies replicated the finding that IQ in treated PKU is significantly depressed, but also indicated that adherence to present United Kingdom treatment guidelines normalises verbal but not spatial ability. Evidence from attentional measures suggested that impaired decision-making speed and poor response inhibition might underlie cognitive deficits found in treated PKU such as poor performance on executive tasks and certain measures of spatial skill. This idea is consistent with the hypothesis that executive functioning is specifically deficient, possibly as a consequence of dopamine depletion in prefrontal cortex. Support for the prefrontal executive hypothesis is at present patchy and circumstantial. Further research is required to establish its validity and whether executive deficit in treated PKU has a bearing on everyday adjustment in the individual patient. Until this is done, national treatment guidelines should not be revised downward. 2014-12-15T10:46:31Z An exploration of the ways in which people with auditory hallucinations relate to their voices Hayward, Mark Ian. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31320 2014-12-16T02:45:49Z 2014-12-15T10:46:31Z Title: An exploration of the ways in which people with auditory hallucinations relate to their voices Authors: Hayward, Mark Ian. Abstract: Research suggests that responses to the experience of voice hearing (auditory hallucinations) can be mediated by; (1) beliefs about the voices; (2) core beliefs about the self; and (3) the social significance of utterances. What each approach has in common is the extent to which the voice/s can be experienced in relation to the self as an interpersonal 'other'. Recent attempts to explore the relationship the voice hearer has with the voice/s have focused upon the power differential between the two or paid insufficient attention to the broader context of social relationships. Within this study, a new theory of relating (Birtchnell, 1993,1999) was deployed to more fully understand the relationship between the voice hearer and the voice/s. Specifically, the relationship was explored with respect to power and proximity and the extent to which it mirrored relating in the hearer's social world. Twenty seven voice hearers completed measures of relating to the voice and general relating style. Mirroring was found on both poles of the power axis and on one pole of the axis of proximity. In each case the relationships were independent of beliefs about voices and mood-linked appraisals. These results suggest that the same processes that affect social relationships may be influential in determining how the hearer relates to the voice/s. One exception to the mirroring of relationships concerned the way in which voices were related to more distantly. Clinical implications from the findings are considered at the level of assessment and intervention. An assessment of the way the voice is related to may indicate the type of intervention that is most likely to engage the hearer. Possible interventions may include the identification of the voice and the modification of general relating tendencies. 2014-12-15T10:46:31Z Clients' constructions of the keyworker relationship in adult mental health : a collaborative alliance? Easton, James. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31317 2014-12-16T02:45:45Z 2014-12-15T10:46:30Z Title: Clients' constructions of the keyworker relationship in adult mental health : a collaborative alliance? Authors: Easton, James. Abstract: The aim of the present study was to describe the keyworking relationship in adult mental health from the point of view of clients. The precise nature of this relationship is not well defined. Whether what people want from service providers and what is offered match is not known. More specifically this research set out to explore clients' perceptions of the keyworker relationship, with particular reference to: the role of the keyworker, the aims and functions of keyworking, and the aspects of the keyworker relationship that are perceived as more or less helpful. The aim of this was to explore the experiences of six clients. All six participants were interviewed using a semi-structured format and the interviews were analysed using a social constructionist revision of grounded theory. Based on the analysis, a core category was identified and termed developing understanding within a working alliance. A dynamic process model highlighted particular factors and characteristics that enabled engagement. Empathic understanding, positive regard, instillation of hope and trust were seen to be characteristics of a good keyworker. Participants highlighted therapeutic context rather than content. This main finding indicated that person-centred approaches informed the general style of preferred engagement for participants. However, although these factors were seen to be helpful, the lack of clarity around the role of the keyworker generated anxiety and confusion for some participants. The findings are discussed in the light of previous research on psychological helping and keyworking in other settings. Some preliminary recommendations for working more effectively with clients are made. Implications in terms of clinical psychology training and clinical practice are discussed. 2014-12-15T10:46:30Z Constructing sexual identities : a discursive analysis of young people's talk about identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual - Volume 1 Engel, Anna. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/31318 2014-12-16T02:45:48Z 2014-12-15T10:46:30Z Title: Constructing sexual identities : a discursive analysis of young people's talk about identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual - Volume 1 Authors: Engel, Anna. Abstract: In this study I adopt a social constructionist perspective to consider how young lesbians, gay men and bisexuals (LGBs) construct their experiences and their sense of self as LGB within the context of broader cultural understandings of LGBs and LGB sexualities. Firstly, I discuss the literature on LGB sexualities, tracing the ways modernist and postmodernist perspectives have produced varying discursive constructions of LGB sexualities. I then describe the present study in which I interviewed eight young people (aged 15 - 25yrs), using a semi-structured interview, all of whom identified as either lesbian, gay or bisexual. The accounts produced through these interviews were analysed using a discourse analytic approach. Through this analysis two metanarratives were identified. The first constructed LGB sexualities in terms of normality and abnormality and the second in terms of similarity and difference. Having described these metanarratives and the discourses of which they are comprised, I consider their functions and effects, paying particular attention to the ways in which these discourses are played out as social practices. I also consider the ways that LGBs are variously positioned within these narratives and discuss some of the strategies which may be employed by young LGBs in order to position themselves positively within the metanarratives of normality/abnormality and similarity/difference. A key finding of this study was that the similarity/difference metanarrative appeared to afford greater flexibility and more possibilities for constructing a positive identity as LGB compared with the normal/abnormal metanarrative. 2014-12-15T10:46:30Z