A brief internet-based treatment for panic disorder
- Authors: Klein, Britt , Richards, Jeffrey
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy Vol. 29, no. 1 (2001), p. 113-117
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- Description: This study investigated the effectiveness of an Internet-based intervention for people with panic disorder. Twenty-two participants met criteria for panic disorder and were randomly assigned to either the treatment or a self-monitoring control condition. The study took place over 3 weeks and consisted of one week of self-monitoring prior to the intervention group accessing the program for one week, followed by one week of post-intervention assessment. Participants were assessed on measures pertaining to panic, negative affect, body vigilance, anxiety sensitivity and self-efficacy in managing panic. The treatment condition was associated with significant reductions in all variables except anxiety sensitivity and depressive affect. This type of intervention for people with fearful panic attacks holds promise as an efficacious and economical method for treating spontaneous panic.
Attitudinal gender bias : Individual differences in implicit self-esteem and gender identity override gender differences in implicit same-sex favouring
- Authors: Carroll, Steve , Aidman, Eugene
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Psychology Vol. 53, no. Supp. (2001), p. 143-143
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Computerized interaction simulation in the assessment of aggression-related response style and dispositions
- Authors: Aidman, Eugene
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Aggressive Behavior Vol. 27, no. 3 (2001), p. 212-212
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Cortical association-limbic forebrain. constructed in imagery and procedural pain management in children
- Authors: Whitaker, Bernie
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Psychology Vol. 53, no. (2001), p. 94-94
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Habituation of male sexual arousal : Effects of attentional focus
- Authors: Koukounas, Eric , Over, Ray
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Biological Psychology Vol. 58, no. 1 (2001), p. 49-64
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- Description: Three experiments are reported demonstrating that levels of penile tumescence and subjective sexual arousal are greater when men employ participant-oriented rather than spectator-oriented attentional focus while viewing an erotic film segment. Under each instructional set, there was a reduction in sexual arousal during repeated erotic stimulation. As sexual arousal habituated, the men reported feeling less absorbed during erotic stimulation. When these associated changes in attentional focus (absorption) were partialled out through analysis of covariance, sexual arousal remained relatively stable over trials, suggesting that sexual arousal is less likely to habituate if attentional focus remains constant during repeated erotic stimulation. Further directions for studying associations between habituation of sexual arousal and cognitive processing are discussed. Copyright © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.
Interpretation of ambiguous interoceptive stimuli in panic disorder and nonclinical panic
- Authors: Richards, Jeffrey , Austin, David , Alvarenga, Marlies
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Cognitive Therapy and Research Vol. 25, no. 3 (2001), p. 235-246
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- Description: Cognitive bias in the misinterpretation of ambiguous interoceptive stimuli has been demonstrated in panic disorder. This study investigated whether this cognitive bias also occurs in people with nonclinical panic who are at risk of developing panic disorder. The responses of 25 people with nonclinical panic were compared to those of 20 people with panic disorder and 69 nonpanic controls on a measure of interpretive bias, the Brief Body Sensations Interpretation Questionnaire. There was evidence for interpretive cognitive bias for ambiguous interoceptive stimuli among the nonclinical panickers which did not differ from that of the people with panic disorder, but which differed from the nonpanic controls. High anxiety sensitivity predicted interpretive bias toward both interoceptive and external stimuli. Results therefore suggest that interpretive cognitive bias for ambiguous interoceptive stimuli may be a risk factor for the development of panic disorder.
Perceived maternal control and support : Effects on hostile biased social information processing and aggression among clinic-referred children with high aggression
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Gomez, Andre , DeMello, Lesley , Tallent, Ron
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines Vol. 42, no. 4 (2001), p. 513-522
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- Description: Based on a sample of 89 aggressive clinic-referred children, aged between 9 and 11 years, a longitudinal study of 1-year duration was conducted to examine (a) whether the children's perception of control and support of their mothers' to them predicted their hostile attribution of intent and hostile response selection, and (b) whether these hostile biased social cognitions mediated the relationships between their perceived maternal behaviours and their aggression. Participants completed a questionnaire covering both the perceived maternal control and support. One year later, their hostile attribution of intent and response selection, and aggression, were measured. Results showed that perceived maternal control and perceived maternal support were associated positively and negatively, respectively, with both the social cognition measures. Also, the social cognition measures mediated the relationships of the perceived maternal measures with aggression. The findings are discussed in terms of how children's hostile biased relational schemas and scripts, developed from negative parenting and insecure attachment, favour more hostile social cognitions, and how these in turn mediate children's current hostile biased social behaviours.
Rewriting the agenda for training in clinical and counselling psychology
- Authors: Richards, Jeffrey
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Psychologist Vol. 36, no. 2 (2001), p. 99-106
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- Description: This paper describes a model for future training in clinical and counselling psychology. The model is based on the results of psychotherapy outcome research, and the development of empirically supported therapies, as well as recent developments in the use of information technology in psychotherapeutic interventions. It is also argued that developments such as the increasing cost of mental health interventions, the wide disparities in access to specialised mental health assistance, and the rise of the mental health consumer movement all provide a context for recommendations as to optimum developments in training for clinical and counselling psychologists.
Serum lipids and their relationships with angry affect and behaviours in men
- Authors: Richards, Jeffrey , Hof, Alexandra , Alvarenga, Marlies
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Psychology Vol. 53, no. (2001), p. 171-171
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Spiritual health of professional nurses in the western region of Victoria : Investigation of a significant component of holistic health care
- Authors: Lea, Dorothy
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Psychology Vol. 53, no. (2001), p. 119-119
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The catastrophic misinterpretation model of panic disorder
- Authors: Austin, David , Richards, Jeffrey
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Behaviour Research and Therapy Vol. 39, no. 11 (2001), p. 1277-1291
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- Description: In the catastrophic misinterpretation model of panic ark [Behav. Res. Ther. 24(1986)1461] proposes that panic attacks result from the misinterpretation of autonomic arousal stimuli as precursors to a physical or psychological emergency. The model has been widely examined, with many researchers suggesting that this specific cognitive bias is implicated in both the phenomenon of panic, and the aetiology and maintenance of panic disorder. Various research methodologies have provided only partial or inconclusive support for the model as being uniquely associated with panic, and as a cognitive process underpinning the experience of panic. This paper reviews the body of existing evidence and its implications for the model and proposes future research directions. The influence of implicit operational definitions of key terms in the catastrophic misinterpretation literature (e.g. 'catastrophe', 'threat', 'anxiety-related') are examined, and clarifications proposed. Inconsistencies and limitations in the measurement of catastrophic misinterpretation are highlighted, and subsequently developments to measurement instruments are proposed. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Attribution of rape blame as a function of victim gender and sexuality, and perceived similarity to the victim
- Authors: Burt, Darren , DeMello, Lesley
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Homosexuality Vol. 43, no. 2 (2002), p. 39-57
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- Description: This study examined respondents' perceived level of blame and responsibility for three victims of rape, as a function of attitudes toward homosexuals, and perceived similarity to the victim, as indicative of Shaver's (1970) Defensive Attribution Hypothesis. Victims were a homosexual and heterosexual male, and a female. A sample of 168 university students completed questionnaires, which included three rape scenarios and subsequent questions, the Index of Attitudes Toward Homosexuals (Hudson & Ricketts, 1980), and the short-form Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (Reynolds, 1982). Results indicated that respondents higher in homophobia (regardless of gender) blamed the homosexual male rape victim and the behavior and character of the heterosexual male rape victim, more than the female rape victim. Male respondents in general also blamed the heterosexual male rape victim, more than female respondents. Shaver's defensive attribution hypothesis was not supported. Results are discussed in terms of the possible link between homophobia and male rape blame. © 2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
Barriers to the delivery of mental health care in general practice
- Authors: Richards, Jeffrey , McCabe, Marita , Ryan, Paul , Hickie, I. , Grooms, G.
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 36, no. 6 (Dec 2002), p. A32-A32
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Extension and replication of an internet-based treatment program for panic disorder
- Authors: Richards, Jeffrey , Alvarenga, Marlies
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Vol. 31, no. 1 (2002), p. 41-47
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- Description: This study describes an internet-based intervention for people with panic disorder that consisted of a 5-module program. Participants accessed the program for 5-8 weeks and were then re-assessed 3 months later. Use of the program was associated with reductions in severity of panic disorder and in catastrophic misinterpretation of ambiguous panic body sensations in 9 people with this anxiety disorder. There were also non-significant trends for body vigilance to decrease over the course of the study. Further investigations of the efficacy of this medium for the treatment of panic disorder and the associated mechanisms of change are warranted.
- Description: 2003000077
Implicit concept mapping : A computerized tool for knowledge assessment in undergraduate psychology
- Authors: Aidman, Eugene , Ward, Janine
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: MPR-online Vol. 7, no. 3 (2002), p. 31-48
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- Description: The study continued validating the computerised method of implicit concept mapping (Aidman & Egan, 1998), while extending it from assessing the map's structural properties to content-based expert evaluation. The on-line concept mapping task (Aidman & Egan, 1998) was modified to elicit similarity / contrast judgements for a set of basic personality concepts, in a group of 65 introductory psychology students. The resulting individual concept proximity matrices were scored for complexity and internal consistency, as well as individually factor- and cluster analysed. Hierarchical cluster tree and un-rotated factorial representations were generated for each individual map. Students were asked to interpret their own cluster trees and factor plots by naming the clusters and factor axes (a brief statement accompanying the name was allowed). Three independent experts (lecturers in the subject) rated the clarity and accuracy of these interpretations, as well as the soundness of cluster trees and the factorial representations themselves. These data were compared with the overall grade the students had obtained in the Introductory Psychology course immediately prior to participating in the study. Internal consistency and complexity of students' implicit concept maps produced only crude associations with their course achievement. The expert ratings of cluster- and factorial representations of the maps, especially expert ratings of students' own interpretations of their maps, showed a more refined association with course achievement, thus confirming that structural assessment of the implicit maps needs to be complemented by their content-based evaluation in order to achieve a more accurate estimate of the learner's level of expertise in the subject.
Mimics : A symbolic conflict/cooperation simulation program, with embedded protocol recording and automatic psychometric assessment
- Authors: Aidman, Eugene , Shmelyov, Alexander
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers Vol. 34, no. 1 (2002), p. 83-89
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- Description: This paper describes an interactive software environment designed as a social interaction simulator with embedded comprehensive recording and flexible assessment facilities. Using schematized visual sketches similar to cross-cultural facial universals (Ekman, 1999), Mimics (Shmelyov & Aidman, 1997) employs a computer-game-like scenario that requires the subject to identify with an avatar and navigate it through a playing field inhabited by hosts who display a range of facial expressions. From these expressions (which are highly consequential), the player has to anticipate the hosts' reactions to the avatar (which may vary from friendly to obstructing or aggressive) and choose between negotiating with a host (by altering the avatar's facial expression), attacking it, or searching for an escape route. Comprehensive recording of player moves and interactions has enabled computation of several fine-grained indices of interactive behavior, such as aggressive response styles, efficiency and motivation in conflict/cooperation contexts. Initial validation data and potential applications of the method in the assessment of personality and social behavior are discussed.
Neuroticism and extraversion as predictors of negative and positive emotional information processing : Comparing Eysenck's, Gray's, and Newman's theories
- Authors: Gomez, Rapson , Gomez, Andre , Cooper, Andrew
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Personality Vol. 16, no. 5 (2002), p. 333-350
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- Description: This study compared how extraversion, neuroticism, and extraversion × neuroticism are related to processing of pleasant and unpleasant emotional information as predicted by Eysenck's, Gray's, and Newman's theories. Initially, the participants' levels of extraversion (as measured by the sociability subscale) and neuroticism were assessed with Eysenck's Personality Inventory. They were then tested individually. After completing a questionnaire of current positive and negative moods, they completed three tasks measuring processing of pleasant, unpleasant, and also neutral information. The results showed that extraversion was associated positively with the processing of pleasant information, while neuroticism was associated positively with the processing of unpleasant information. These findings support predictions from Eysenck's theory. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
- Description: 2003000179
Personality & spirituality : Christian prayer & Eastern meditation are not the same
- Authors: Fisher, John , Francis, Leslie , Kaldor, Peter
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Pastoral Psychology Vol. 50, no. 3 (2002), p. 165-172
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- Description: A random sample of 1,033 adults in an Australian community survey completed a form containing the abbreviated Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire together with questions about the practice of prayer and Eastern meditation. While prayer was associated with low psychoticism scores, Eastern meditation was associated with high psychoticism scores.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000203
Personality traits of the behavioural approach and inhibition systems : Associations with processing of emotional stimuli
- Authors: Gomez, Andre , Gomez, Rapson
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Personality and Individual Differences Vol. 32, no. 8 (2002), p. 1299-1316
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- Description: This study examined the relationships of the traits associated with Gray's behavioral approach system (BAS) and behavioural inhibition system (BIS) with cognitive processing of emotional information. Initially, participants completed questionnaires covering trait impulsivity and anxiety, and BAS and BIS sensitivities. They were then tested individually. After completing a questionnaire of current positive and negative moods, they completed three tasks measuring processing of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral information. Consistent with Gray's theory, the results showed that impulsivity and BAS sensitivity were associated with the processing of pleasant information, while anxiety and BIS sensitivity were associated with the processing of unpleasant information. These findings imply that Gray's BAS-BIS theory can be extended to cognitive processing of emotional information. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Description: 2003000180
Sexual health knowledge, attitudes towards condoms and contraceptive self-efficacy : A model of adolescent condom use in a rural population
- Authors: Jenkins, Megan , McLaren, Suzanne
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Psychology Vol. 54, no. (2002), p. 37-37
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