Different Patterns Of Findings Research Articles

Professed Democracy Support and Openness to Politically Congenial Authoritarian Actions Within the American Public

Elites degrade democracy in part because of incentives that arise from public opinion. We report pre-registered and exploratory tests of which Americans are most likely to support democracy-degrading action, focusing on three distinct democracy attitudes assessed in a large demographically representative sample 5 weeks before the 2020 election. Professed opposition to democracy was relatively rare and most common among citizens who felt disengaged with politics. But a different pattern of findings emerged for attitudes toward (1) flagrant, politically congenial authoritarian policy action and (2) election subversion framed with a pro-democracy justification. These anti-democratic attitudes were relatively common, related to cultural conservatism among both Republicans and Democrats, and – consistent with an “involved-but-ignorant” hypothesis – highest among those who combined strong political interest with low political sophistication. We recommend an increased focus on attitudes toward flagrant, contextualized, and politically cued authoritarian actions, including actions framed in pro-democracy terms.

LINKS BETWEEN LONELINESS AND SLEEP AMONG PARTNERED OLDER ADULTS: AFFECTIONATE TOUCH AS A MODERATOR

Abstract Sleep problems and loneliness both increase with age and undercut older adults’ health and well-being. Loneliness is a predictor of sleep problems, however, research in this area often fails to also consider the role of relationship quality. The current study therefore focuses on spousal relationship quality as it has been shown to have a proximal influence on sleep. We examined relative effects of physical and emotional facets of relationship quality–namely affectionate touch and emotional support (in addition to loneliness). We further examined the potential for relationship quality to buffer effects of loneliness on sleep. We utilized data from a nationally representative sample of older adults from the National Social Life Health and Aging Project (NSHAP). Participants were partnered (N = 559) and completed a novel sleep module that included subjective (i.e., insomnia symptoms) and objective (i.e., Wake After Sleep Onset; WASO) markers of sleep. Upon controlling for demographics and mental and physical health, a different pattern of findings emerged for each facet of sleep. For subjective sleep, older adults who were more lonely reported more insomnia symptoms, but only when spousal emotional support was low. For objective sleep, older adults who reported more affectionate touch experienced less WASO. These findings suggest that loneliness that occurs in the context of low emotional support from spouses is particularly damaging for older adults’ subjective sleep quality. Further, affectionate touch from spouses may represent an important intervention target for promoting felt security that helps older adults stay asleep throughout the night.

Relationship satisfaction in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-national examination of situational, dispositional, and relationship factors.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a large impact on various aspects of life, but questions about its effects on close relationships remain largely unanswered. In the present study, we examined perceived changes in relationship satisfaction at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic by using an international sample of 3,243 individuals from 67 different countries, mostly from Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. In April and May 2020, participants responded to an online survey that included questions about relationship satisfaction, their satisfaction before the pandemic, other relationship aspects (e.g., shared time), special circumstances (e.g., mobility restrictions), and enduring dispositions (e.g., insecure attachment). A decline in time shared with one’s partner was most strongly associated with perceived decreases in relationship satisfaction, resulting in a different pattern of findings for cohabiting and non-cohabiting individuals. Among the most influential moderators were anxious and avoidant attachment. The findings offer insights into both aggravating and protecting factors in couples’ responses to pandemic-related stressors.

Consistent routines matter: Child routines mediated the association between interparental functioning and school readiness

School readiness is critical to children's academic and social-emotional success at school entry and over time. Using structural equation modeling, this study examined the mediating role of consistent child routines in the association between interparental functioning and school readiness among preschool-aged children in China. Participants included 349 preschoolers and both of their parents. Data were collected across two time points with 1.5 years apart. Consistency in child routines was found to mediate the association between maternal interparental functioning and child school readiness. Specifically, mother-perceived marital satisfaction was positively related to their contributions to coparenting, which further had a positive association with consistency in child routines, and this eventually predicted children's school readiness across multiple indicators. However, different patterns of findings emerged for paternal interparental functioning. Father-perceived marital satisfaction was directly linked to consistency in child routines without the mediation effect of paternal coparenting, which, in turn, predicted school readiness. Fathers’ contributions to coparenting also directly predicted children's social-emotional functioning. The findings have highlighted the importance of establishing and maintaining consistent routines for young children in order to promote school readiness across the preschool period.

MR Imaging Spectrum of Neuro Rhino Sino Orbital Fungal Infections in patients treated for COVID

Objectives: To analyse the spectrum of imaging findings of fungal infection as seen in MRI images of priorly treated for COVID. Materials and methods: The different patterns of findings of Neuro Rhino Sino Orbital Fungal Infections as seen in MRI images in 100 patients who received standard treatment for COVID in recent past and presented with suggestive signs and symptoms. Results: No positive MRI findings to suggest any neural tissue, orbital or Sino nasal involvement was seen in 35 % of cases. Only sino nasal involvement noted in 23 % cases. Sino-nasal as well as orbital involvement seen in 21 % cases. Neuro Sino Naso Orbital lesions were seen in 11% cases. Non fungal orbito-facial soft tissue inflammation was seen in 10 % cases. Conclusion: In patients who have received standard treatment for Covid and who later developed signs and symptoms of neural, orbital or Sino nasal involvement; positive imaging findings were noted in 65% cases. Fungal infections were seen more in middle aged population [40-60 years of age]. About 75 % of affected patients were known diabetics. Neural involvement was least common. This study proposes a new staging system [Stage 0, X, I, II, III, IV] for describing the affected region by fungal infection.

Physical activity interventions, chronic pain, and subjective well-being among persons with spinal cord injury: a systematic scoping review.

Scoping review of experimental and quasi-experimental studies. To systematically synthesize research testing the effects of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) interventions on chronic pain and subjective well-being (SWB) among adults with spinal cord injury (SCI). Literature searches were conducted using multiple databases (Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, Medline, PsychINFO and SPORTDiscus) to identify studies involving persons with SCI that measured and reported the effects of LTPA interventions on both chronic pain and at least one measure of SWB (e.g., affect, life satisfaction, satisfaction with various life domains). Relevant data were extracted from the studies and synthesized. A total of 3494 articles were screened. Fifteen published articles, consisting of 12 different studies met the review inclusion criteria. Four different patterns of findings were observed regarding the effect of LTPA on chronic pain and SWB outcomes: (1) increased chronic pain, decreased SWB (1 article); (2) decreased chronic pain, improved SWB (12 articles); (3) increased chronic pain, improved SWB (1 article); and (4) unchanged levels of pain, improved SWB (1 article). Results of most articles included in this scoping review suggest that LTPA interventions can reduce chronic pain and improve SWB for persons with SCI. Further research is needed to identify the mechanisms by which LTPA affects pain and SWB, in order to formulate LTPA prescriptions that maximize improvements in these outcomes.

Robustness of Individual Score Methods against Model Misspecification in Autoregressive Panel Models

Different methods to obtain individual scores from multiple item latent variable models exist, but their performance under realistic conditions is currently underresearched. We investigate the performance of the regression method, the Bartlett method, the Kalman filter, and the mean score under misspecification in autoregressive panel models. Results from three simulations show different patterns of findings for the mean absolute error, for the correlations between individual scores and the true scores (correlation criterion), and for the coverage in our settings: a) all individual score methods are generally quite robust against the chosen misspecification in the loadings, b) all methods are similarly sensitive to positively skewed as well as leptokurtic response distributions with regard to the correlation criterion, c) only the mean score is not robust against an integrated trend component, and d) coverage for the mean score is consistently below the nominal value.

Implications of Change/Stability Patterns in Children's Non-symbolic and Symbolic Magnitude Judgment Abilities Over One Year: A Latent Transition Analysis.

Non-symbolic magnitude abilities are often claimed to support the acquisition of symbolic magnitude abilities, which, in turn, are claimed to support emerging math abilities. However, not all studies find links between non-symbolic and symbolic magnitude abilities, or between them and math ability. To investigate possible reasons for these different findings, recent research has analyzed differences in non-symbolic/symbolic magnitude abilities using latent class modeling and has identified four different magnitude ability profiles residing within the general magnitude ability distribution that were differentially related to cognitive and math abilities. These findings may help explain the different patterns of findings observed in previous research. To further investigate this possibility, we (1) attempted to replicate earlier findings, (2) determine whether magnitude ability profiles remained stable or changed over 1 year; and (3) assessed the degree to which stability/change in profiles were related to cognitive and math abilities. We used latent transition analysis to investigate stability/changes in non-symbolic and symbolic magnitude abilities of 109 5- to 6-year olds twice in 1 year. At Time 1 and 2, non-symbolic and symbolic magnitude abilities, number transcoding and single-digit addition abilities were assessed. Visuospatial working memory (VSWM), naming numbers, non-verbal IQ, basic RT was also assessed at Time 1. Analysis showed stability in one profile and changes in the three others over 1 year. VSWM and naming numbers predicted profile membership at Time 1 and 2, and profile membership predicted math abilities at both time points. The findings confirm the existence of four different non-symbolic–symbolic magnitude ability profiles; we suggest the changes over time in them potentially reflect deficit, delay, and normal math developmental pathways.

Correlation of Hormone Receptor and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2/neu Expression in Breast Cancer with Various Clinicopathologic Factors.

Background:A significant development in the breast carcinoma management is the correlation between the presence of hormone receptors in the tumor and response to hormonal therapy and chemotherapy. Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2/neu (Her-2/neu) overexpression also serves as a very useful parameter to predict response to herceptin.Aim of Study:The study was conducted to correlate immunohistochemical expression of markers such as estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and Her-2/neu with various clinicopathologic parameters.Materials and Methods:The study included 509 cases of breast carcinoma over a period of 5 years (from May 2009 to May 2014). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for ER, PR, and her-2/neu was performed.Results:ER positivity was observed in 42.8% (218/509) cases, PR positivity in 31.8% (194/509) cases whereas her-2 neu positivity was seen in 40.7% (203/509) cases. Triple marker (ER, PR, and Her-2/neu) negative cases were 23.6% (120/509) cases. ER and PR expression was found to have a statistically significant correlation with tumor grade. Statistically significant correlation was observed between tumor size and tumor grade and her-2/neu expression. Her-2/neu expression showed statistically significant association with tumor stage. As the tumor grade increased, the proportion of triple-negative cases went on increasing, which was statistically significant.Conclusion:IHC has an increasingly important prognostic role in determination of factors that affect clinicopathologic features. Nevertheless, the results of this large series showed different patterns of findings with respect to clinicopathologic features.

Heeding the Call: Advances in Social Work Intervention Research

Heeding the Call: Advances in Social Work Intervention Research

Biometric Modeling of Gene-Environment Interplay: The Intersection of Theory and Method and Applications for Social Inequality.

For more than a decade, biometric moderation models have been used to examine whether genetic and environmental influences on individual differences might vary within the population. These quantitative Gene × Environment interaction models have the potential to elucidate not only when genetic and environmental influences on a phenotype might differ, but also why, as they provide an empirical test of several theoretical paradigms that serve as useful heuristics to explain etiology-diathesis-stress, bioecological, differential susceptibility, and social control. In the current article, we review how these developmental theories align with different patterns of findings from statistical models of gene-environment interplay. We then describe the extant empirical evidence, using work by our own research group and others, to lay out genetically informative plausible accounts of how phenotypes related to social inequality-physical health and cognition-might relate to these theoretical models.

Neural systems for auditory perception of lexical tones

Abstract Previous neuroimaging research on cognitive processing of speech tone has generated dramatically different patterns of findings. Even at the basic perception level, brain mapping studies of lexical tones have yielded inconsistent results. Apart from the data inconsistency problem, experimental materials in past studies of tone perception carried little or minimal lexical semantics, an important dimension that should not be dispensed with because speech tones serve to distinguish lexical meanings. The present study sought to examine the neural correlates of the perception of speech tone using lexically meaningful experimental stimuli. A simple lexical tone perception task was devised in which native Mandarin speakers were asked to judge whether or not the two syllables of an auditorily presented Chinese bisyllabic word had the same tone. We selected bisyllabic words as experimental stimuli because Chinese monosyllables often convey little or very vague meanings due to rampant homophony. We found that the left inferior frontal gyrus, the right middle temporal gyrus and bilateral superior temporal gyri are responsible for basic perception of linguistic pitches. Our interpretation of the data sees the left superior temporal gyrus as engaged in primary acoustic analysis of the auditory stimuli, while the right middle superior temporal gyrus and the left inferior frontal region are involved in both tonal and semantic processing of the language stimuli.

Plasticity and modified loudness following short-term unilateral deprivation: Evidence of multiple gain mechanisms within the auditory system

Auditory deprivation and stimulation can change the threshold of the acoustic middle ear reflex as well as loudness in adult listeners. However, it has remained unclear whether changes in these measures are due to the same mechanism. In this study, deprivation was achieved using a monaural earplug that was worn by listeners for 7 days. Acoustic reflex thresholds (ARTs) and categorical loudness ratings were measured using a blinded design in which the experimenter was unaware of which ear had been plugged. Immediately after terminating unilateral deprivation, ARTs were obtained at a lower sound pressure level in the ear that had been fitted with an earplug and at a higher sound pressure level in the control ear. In contrast, categorical judgments of loudness changed in the same direction in both ears with a given stimulus level reported as louder after unilateral deprivation. The relationship between changes to the ART and loudness judgments was not statistically significant. For both the ARTs and the categorical loudness judgments, most of the changes had disappeared within 24 h after earplug removal. The changes in ARTs, as a consequence of unilateral sound deprivation, are consistent with a gain control mechanism; however, the lack of relationship with the categorical loudness judgments, and the different pattern of findings for each measure, suggests the possibility of multiple gain mechanisms.

Neural Correlates of Nouns and Verbs in Early Bilinguals

Previous neuroimaging research indicates that English verbs and nouns are represented in frontal and posterior brain regions, respectively. For Chinese monolinguals, however, nouns and verbs are found to be associated with a wide range of overlapping areas without significant differences in neural signatures. This different pattern of findings led us to ask the question of where nouns and verbs of two different languages are represented in various areas in the brain in Chinese-English bilinguals. In this study, we utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a lexical decision paradigm involving Chinese and English verbs and nouns to address this question. We found that while Chinese nouns and verbs involved activation of common brain areas, the processing of English verbs engaged many more regions than did the processing of English nouns. Specifically, compared to English nouns, English verb presentation was associated with stronger activation of the left putamen and cerebellum, which are responsible for motor function, suggesting the involvement of the motor system in the processing of English verbs. Our findings are consistent with the theory that neural circuits for linguistic dimensions are weighted and modulated by the characteristics of a language.

Profiles and Correlates of Relational Aggression in Young Adults’ Romantic Relationships

The present study examines prevalence and correlates of experiencing and perpetrating relational aggression in the context of young adults’ romantic relationships. We assess correlates of relational aggression in four domains of risk: (1) Social-cognitive, (2) Relationship, (3) Trait/dispositional, and (4) Mental health. Results indicate that modest involvement in relational aggression is relatively common. Females reported higher levels of perpetration whereas males reported higher levels of victimization. Relational aggression and victimization were related to each domain of risk for both men and women, although different patterns of findings emerged for each domain. For example, individuals who reported perpetrating relational aggression in their romantic relationships believed that aggression was most acceptable (social-cognitive risk) whereas individuals who reported experiencing relational aggression (as victims) were more likely to indicate that their self worth is contingent on relationships and that romantic relationships are very important to them (dispositional risk). Respondents who reported either perpetrating or experiencing relational aggression had higher levels of exclusivity in their relationships and were more likely to describe their relationships in anxious attachment terms (relationship risk). They also reported higher levels of depressive and anxious symptoms (mental health risk). Implications of these results for theory and prevention and intervention efforts are discussed.

Depressed and Well Mothers' Emotion Interpretation Accuracy and the Quality of Mother—Infant Interaction

AbstractThe inadequate parenting associated with mothers' depression may be related to mothers' problems in interpreting infants' emotional expressions. The relations between depressed and well mothers' accuracy at interpreting babies' facial expressions and the quality of the mothers' interactions with their infants were examined. In partial support of our hypotheses, depressed mothers' level of depressive symptoms was associated with less accuracy, especially regarding positive emotions. Contrary to expectations, depressed mothers did not differ from well mothers in terms of their emotion accuracy. Furthermore, depressed mothers' accuracy at interpreting infants' emotions was not significantly related to the quality of their interaction with their infants; in contrast, well mothers' accuracy for infants' negative emotions was associated with better interaction quality. These findings provide new information about depressed mothers' emotional interpretations and their parenting. The different pattern of findings for depressed and well mothers suggests that other mediating factors are important, which are discussed.

Applying Depression-Distortion Hypotheses to the Assessment of Peer Victimization in Adolescents

This study examined whether adolescents' depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior were associated with discrepancies between self- and peer-reports of peer victimization experiences. A sample of 203 10th-grade adolescents completed self-report measures of victimization and depressive symptoms as well as peer nominations of victimization and aggression. Residual scores were computed as a measure of discordance between peer- and self-reported peer victimization. Adolescents' aggressive behavior was associated with underestimations of peer victimization on self-reported measures, as compared to peer-reports, whereas depressive symptoms were associated with overestimations of peer victimization on self-report, as compared to peer-reports. Different patterns of findings were revealed for different forms of victimization (overt, relational, reputational) and by gender. Findings have implications for studies of adolescent peer victimization using multiple reporters and suggest that adolescents with high levels of depressive symptoms may be vulnerable to misperceptions of their social experiences among peers.

Mutual Relations Between Mothers' Depressive Symptoms and Hostile-Controlling Behavior and Young Children's Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior Problems

Objective. This study considered the role of mothers' depressive symptoms and hostile-controlling behavior in young children's externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Pathways of influence between mothers' depressive symptoms and hostile-controlling behavior and children's externalizing and internalizing behavior problems also were examined. Design. Data were collected at child ages 4 and 6 years from a nonclinical, community sample of 51 mothers and their children. At both assessments, mothers' behavior was observed during a structured mother - child play activity, and mothers completed questionnaires to assess their depressive symptoms and children's externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Results. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed different patterns of findings across the 2 assessments as well as different patterns of findings for children's externalizing versus internalizing behaviors. At age 4, mothers' depressive symptoms and hostile-controlling behavior predicted children's externalizing behaviors; at age 6, only mothers' hostile-controlling behavior predicted children's externalizing behaviors. Regarding children's internalizing behaviors, mothers' depressive symptoms were significant predictors at child age 4; however, by age 6, mothers' depressive symptoms were no longer significant predictors. When longitudinal modeling was applied to the data, some support for both maternal and child effects was found. Conclusions. Findings highlight the importance of considering mothers' depressive symptoms and hostile-controlling behavior in predicting children's externalizing and internalizing behavior problems and suggest different etiological pathways for externalizing versus internalizing expressions of dysfunction.

When language affects cognition and when it does not: An analysis of grammatical gender and classification.

The focus of this work was on the relation between grammatical gender and categorization. In one set of studies, monolingual English-, Spanish-, French-, and German-speaking children and adults assigned male and female voices to inanimate objects. Results from Spanish and French speakers indicated effects of grammatical gender on classification; results from German speakers did not. A connectionist model simulated the contradicting findings. The connectionist networks were also used to investigate which aspect of grammatical gender was responsible for the different pattern of findings. The predictions from the connectionist simulations were supported by the results from an artificial language-learning task. The results from this work demonstrate how connectionist networks can be used to identify the differences between languages that affect categorization.

Influence of Prenatal Protein Malnutrition on Behavioral Reactivity to Stress in Adult Rats

In Experiment 1, adult prenatally protein malnourished and well-nourished male and female rats were tested in an open field after having been subjected to a 15-day regimen of varied uncontrollable and inescapable mild stress (experimental group). Their responses were compared with rats that had not been subjected to the stress regimen (control group). In the control group, females with a history of prenatal malnutrition made significantly fewer entries into the center of the arena than did well-nourished females, suggesting that baseline differences in anxiety exist between the two nutritional groups of females. In addition to open field, die experimental group of animals was also tested in a forced swim test conducted at the beginning (Day 5) and at the end of the stress regimen (Day 15). Significant differences were observed between nutritional groups on Day 15 only: prenatally malnourished males exhibited a lower latency to immobility than well-nourished males, whereas the opposite effect was found in malnourished females. In Experiment 2, separate groups of males were exposed to forced swim on two different occasions without the stress regimen between exposures. A somewhat different pattern of findings was generated. There was no significant difference in the latency to immobility between malnourished and well-nourished rats on the second forced swim. However, malnourished animals showed greater total immobility than the well-nourished controls in the second exposure to forced swim, providing further support for the interpretation that the malnourished males were less affected than well-nourished ones, or adapted more readily to the stress regimen in Experiment 1. Overall these results suggest that the relationship between prenatal malnutrition and stress depends on the level of stress (acute vs. chronic), the type of behavioral measure used to assess its effects, as well as gender.