Old is old is old?

We examined potential differences between two matched subgroups of elderly men: young–old (65–74 years of age; n?=?56). Subjects were fairly healthy men from community agencies, who were interviewed and tested on a number of characteristics involving personality, mood, attitudes, and behaviors. Although t tests and correlations indicated some differences between the groups, the overall findings underlined their similarity on the vast majority of variables scrutinized. The crucial base for enhancing understanding in gerontology should not only focus on the age-advancing senescent person but on the whole individual. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Every sperm is sacred--or is it?

We have the opportunity to present a rare case of late local recurrence after treatment of intrascrotal extratesticular malignant schwannoma with rhabdomyoblastic features in an adult man. As our case is the first in the literature, we want to inform the reader about the long-term follow-up of our patient and suggest that these tumors may have a long survival and late recurrences may occur even after 5 years postoperatively.     

Who is rich? Who is happy?

Comments on the article by M. Csikszentmihalyi (see record 1999-11644-003), in which he argued that the relationship between materialism and well-being is ambiguous, with wealthy individuals no more likely and sometimes less likely than impoverished ones to report they are happy. In contrast to the studies Csikszentmihalyi cited, however, decades of research show economic research show economic status to be a significant correlate of psychological distress and diagnosable mental disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When moderation is mediated and mediation is moderated.

Procedures for examining whether treatment effects on an outcome are mediated and/or moderated have been well developed and are routinely applied. The mediation question focuses on the intervening mechanism that produces the treatment effect. The moderation question focuses on factors that affect the magnitude of the treatment effect. It is important to note that these two processes may be combined in informative ways, such that moderation is mediated or mediation is moderated. Although some prior literature has discussed these possibilities, their exact definitions and analytic procedures have not been completely articulated. The purpose of this article is to define precisely both mediated moderation and moderated mediation and provide analytic strategies for assessing each. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

SPA is subliminal, but is it psychodynamically activating?

Responds to comments by J. Weinberger (see record 1990-04808-001) on Balay and Shevrin's (B&S; see record 1988-20203-001) work on the subliminal psychodynamic activation (SPA) method, which, contrary to Weinberger's assertion, was not an attempt to destroy the work of L. H. Silverman (published 1974–1985) and others who have used the SPA method. Rather, B&S hoped to encourage investigators using this method to take a closer look at the theoretical assumptions underlying SPA (i.e., the generic vs specific nature of subliminal stimuli that might activate conflict-related, unconscious fantasies). Analyses are also offered of comments made by T. E. Moore (see record 1990-04745-001), M. D. Figueroa (see record 1990-04666-001), and D. K. Silverman (see record 1990-04785-001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The target is straw or the arrow is crooked.

Comments on the article by H. J. M. Hermans and H. J. G. Kempen (see record 1998-12442-002) which argued that cross-cultural psychology conceptualizes cultural difference in terms of strict, stable dichotomies defining homogenous groups while making final recommendations on the subject, namely that researchers should examine cultural contact zones and complex cultural identities. Although the present authors agree with these suggestions, they argue that Hermans and Kempen's "challenge" to cross-cultural psychology seems either (1) aimed at a "straw man" or (2) overstated and misguided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adaptation is automatic

Two experiments were used to test whether selective adaptation for speech occurs automatically or instead requires attentional resources. A control condition demonstrated the usual large identification shifts caused by repeatedly presenting an adapting sound (/wa/, with listeners identifying members of a /ba/-/wa/ test series). Two types of distractor tasks were used: (1) Subjects did a rapid series of arithmetic problems during the adaptation periods (Experiments 1 and 2), or (2) they made a series of rhyming judgments, requiring phonetic coding (Experiment 2). A control experiment (Experiment 3) demonstrated that these tasks normally impose a heavy attentional cost on phonetic processing. Despite this, for both experimental conditions, the observed adaptation effect was just as large as in the control condition. This result indicates that adaptation is automatic, operating at an early, preattentive level. The implications of these results for current models of speech perception are discussed.