Inhibitory Control in Individuals with Clinical Levels of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms.

Previous research has shown that individuals suffering from depression and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) seem to have inhibitory control deficits compared with healthy controls. However, few studies have been conducted in Spanish-speaking countries. Thus, this study aims to analyze the performance on the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) between groups of Colombian participants with clinical levels of depression and GAD symptoms and a nonclinical control group. According to previous research, we expected to find significant differences in inhibitory control among groups. An ex post facto design was implemented. The SCWT was administered to a total sample of 105 individuals (64.8% women, M = 22.94 years, SD = 4.62), including 27 depressed and 15 anxious participants according to their scores on the Personal Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, respectively. Bayesian t-tests showed that depressed participants showed the same processing speed but lower scores on inhibitory control than healthy controls, BF = 13.70, δ = 0.50, 95% CI [0.08, 0.94]. Conversely, anxious participants showed deficits in processing speed, SCWT-Word: BF = 16.19, δ = 0.68, 95% CI [0.15, 1.24]; SCWT-Color: BF = 5.98, δ = 0.50, 95% CI [-0.01, 1.04], but not in inhibitory control compared with the nonanxious counterparts. This study provides preliminary evidence concerning the inhibitory control deficits in Colombian depressed individuals and processing speed deficits in those experiencing clinical levels of GAD symptoms.

Development and initial validation of the Generalized Tracking Questionnaire.

The concept of rule-governed behavior (RGB) has been used in the behavior-analytic literature as a way to analyze complex human behavior, including thinking and problem-solving. Relational frame theory suggests the existence of two main functional types of RGB termed pliance and tracking. In this paper, we describe the development of the Generalized Tracking Questionnaire (GTQ) and the preliminary evaluation of its psychometric properties and validity through three studies, with a total of 1155 participants. In Study 1, a pool of items describing the main characteristics of generalized tracking was designed and evaluated by experts on the RFT account of RGB. The resulting 11 items were administered to 460 undergraduates to examine the understandability and psychometric quality of the items. The exploratory factor analysis indicated that the GTQ can be seen as a unidimensional scale, with all items exhibiting high factor loadings and corrected item-total correlations. In Study 2, the GTQ was administered online to a sample of 464 non-clinical participants and a clinical sample of 125 participants. The one-factor model of the GTQ obtained a good fit in the conducted confirmatory factor analysis. The GTQ showed measurement invariance across gender and clinical and nonclinical participants. It also obtained excellent internal consistency and correlated in theoretically coherent ways with other constructs. In Study 3, the GTQ and a neuropsychological battery of executive functions were administered to 105 participants. The GTQ showed statistically significant, medium-size correlations with working memory tests, verbal fluency, planning, and behavioral inhibition. In conclusion, the GTQ seems to be a promising measure to advance in the empirical analysis of functional classes of RGB.

Relación entre el fenómeno de la ilusión de la mano falsa y variables personales / Relationship between the rubber hand illusion phenomenon and personal variables

El fenómeno de la ilusión de la mano falsa (IMF) se ha propuesto como un diseño que permite discriminar procesos perceptuales a partir de entradas sensoriales multimodales. Se han reportado varias modificaciones y variables que podrían afectar la generación del fenómeno. Este estudio se planteó bajo un diseño descriptivo-correlacional del fenómeno. Se realizó el procedimiento en jóvenes (16-48 años M = 20.86 años, DE = 4.4) colombianos para replicar el fenómeno de IMF. Los sujetos se dividieron al azar en dos grupos que diferían en el tipo de estimulación (sincrónica y desincronizada). La identificación de la IMF se realizó mediante la escala reportada en múltiples estudios, mostrando que en algunas variables como la estimulación se presentaba una diferencia en el reporte de IMF (P2. X² = 5.856: p < 0.05; P3. X² = 6.655: p <0.01 y P7(X² = 4.764: p < 0.05). Otras variables como sexo y dominancia manual mostraron algunas diferencias. La escala presenta una consistencia interna aceptable (α = 0.8). Los resultados de la IMF son similares a algunos estudios pero con puntuaciones menores que en los estudios iniciales, la diferencia en cuanto al género en tareas perceptuales podría explicar gran parte de los resultados.

The Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) has been proposed as a design which allows to discriminate perceptual processes based on multimodal sensory inputs. Several modifications and variables have been reported that could affect the generation of the phenomenon. This study was conducted using a descriptive correlational design of this phenomenon. The procedure was conducted with young Colombian individuals (16-48 years-M = 20.86 years, SD = 4.4), seeking to replicate the RHI. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups that differed in type of stimulation (synchronised and unsynchronised). Identification of the RHI was performed using the scale reported in multiple studies, showing that the RHI report had differences in some variables such as stimulation (P2. X² = 5.856: p <.05; P3. X² = 6.655: p <.01 y P7 (X² = 4.764: p <.05). Other variables, such as gender and handedness, also showed some differences. The scale has an acceptable internal consistency ( X= 0.8). The results of the RHI are similar to some studies, but with lower scores than in the initial studies. The difference in gender in perceptual tasks could explain most of the results.