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Even though reliable eating disorder risk factors have been identified among adolescent girls, little is known about predictors of increased vulnerability within specific phases of adolescence or among adolescent boys, particularly in highly populated non-Western contexts. In this study, early and middle adolescent boys (n = 1,271) and girls (n = 1,415) from Chongqing, China completed validated measures of eating disorder pathology and putative risk factors at baseline and 2 years follow-up. Multivariate models for boys of each age group indicated increases in disordered eating at follow-up were predicted by higher initial body mass index, negative affect and body dissatisfaction levels as well as attendant increases in perceived appearance pressure from mass media, body dissatisfaction, negative affect between assessments. High baseline levels of reported appearance pressure from parents and dating partners contributed, respectively, to prediction models of younger and older boys. More distinct constellations of significant predictors emerged in multivariate models of early versus middle adolescent girls. Together, findings indicated body dissatisfaction and negative affect were fairly robust risk factors for exacerbations in disturbances across samples while risk factors such as perceived pressure from desired/prospective dating partners were salient only during particular phases of adolescence.

In this study, effects of chronic pain and pain-related fear on orienting and maintenance of attention toward pain stimuli were evaluated by tracking eye movements within a dot-probe paradigm. The sample comprised matched chronic pain (n = 24) and pain-free (n = 24) groups, each of which included lower and higher fear of pain subgroups. Participants completed a dot-probe task wherein eye movements were assessed during the presentation of sensory pain-neutral, health catastrophe-neutral, and neutral-neutral word pairs. Higher fear of pain levels were associated with biases in 1) directing initial gaze toward health catastrophe words and, among participants with chronic pain, 2) subsequent avoidance of threat as reflected by shorter first fixation durations on health catastrophe words compared to pain-free cohorts. As stimulus word pairs persisted for 2,000 ms, no group differences were observed for overall gaze durations or reaction times to probes that followed. In sum, this research identified specific biases in visual attention related to fear of pain and chronic pain during early stages of information processing that were not evident on the basis of later behavior responses to probes. Perspective: Effects of chronic pain and fear of pain on attention were examined by tracking eye movements within a dot-probe paradigm. Heightened fear of pain corresponded to biases in initial gaze toward health catastrophe words and, among participants with chronic pain, subsequent gaze shifts away from these words. No reaction time differences emerged.

Food cravings can reflect an intense trait-like emotional-motivational desire to eat palatable food, often resulting in the failure of weight loss efforts. Studies have linked trait-based food-cravings to increased risk of overeating. However, little is known about resting-state neural mechanisms that underlie food cravings. We investigated this issue using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test the extent to which spontaneous neural activity occurs in regions implicated in emotional memory and reward motivation associated with food cravings. Spontaneous regional activity patterns correlating to food cravings were assessed among 65 young healthy women using regional homogeneity analysis to assess temporal synchronization of spontaneous activity. Analyses indicated that women with higher scores on the Food Cravings Questionnaire displayed increased local functional homogeneity in brain regions involved in emotional memory and visual attention processing (i.e., parahippocampal gyrus and fusiform gyrus) but not reward. In view of parahippocampal gyrus involvement in hedonic learning and incentive memory encoding, this study suggests that trait-based food cravings are encoded by emotional memory circuits.

Despite laboratory evidence linking impulsivity to binge-eating (BE) among people with obesity, it is unclear whether such inhibitory control deficits extend to average-weight persons who binge eat or influence actual calories consumed when such opportunities present. Towards clarifying these issues, women with higher (n = 31) and lower (n = 31) BE levels engaged in a visual Go/No-Go task comprising images of high-calorie foods, low-calorie foods, and household objects, after which they completed a self-report battery in an environment conducive to snacking. Analyses indicated these groups did not differ in task-based false alarm rates (i.e., responding when response inhibition was required) but the higher BE group reported more trait-based impulsivity, was faster and more accurate in responding to “Go” trials involving high-calorie food images, and was more likely to eat at least one snack during post-task questionnaire completion. Within the entire sample, faster “Go” trial reaction times and higher false alarm rates across image types predicted higher post-task calorie intake levels while BE status and trait impulsivity did not. In sum, average weight women who binge eat were more responsive to high calorie food cues but showed no evidence of behavioral inhibitory control deficits compared to weight-matched controls.

In this meta-analysis, we evaluated overall strengths of relation between beliefs about pain, health, or illness and problems in functioning (i.e., functional impairment, affective distress, pain severity) in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis samples as well as moderators of these associations. In sum, 111 samples (N = 17,365 patients) met inclusion criteria. On average, highly significant, medium effect sizes were observed for associations between beliefs and problems in functioning but heterogeneity was also inflated. Effect sizes were not affected by arthritis subtype, gender, or age. However, pain belief content emerged as a significant moderator, with larger effect sizes for studies in which personal incapacity or ineffectiveness in controlling pain was a content theme of belief indices (i.e., pain catastrophizing, helplessness, self-efficacy) compared to those examining locus of control and fear/threat/harm beliefs. Furthermore, analyses of longitudinal study subsets supported the status of pain beliefs risk factors for later problems in functioning in these groups.

This research examined predictors of willingness to use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among female sex workers (FSW) in Southwest China. The final sample included 395 women (mean age=26.73 years, SD=6.74 years) who were predominantly of Han majority ethnicity (84.6%) and had completed middle-school education or lower (63.0%). Participants were recruited initially from commercial sex venues (e.g., saunas, massage parlors) in the cities of Nanchang, Luizhou, Nanning, Urumqi, and Karamay as well as two districts of Chongqing municipality and subsequently via snowball procedures. They completed a battery of self-report measures assessing beliefs about HIV and PrEP, psychosocial influences, demographics and willingness to use HIV PrEP. Willingness to use HIV PrEP was predicted by high levels of trust in physicians and more reported unmet interpersonal belongingness needs. Beyond these factors, willing and unwilling groups were differentiated on the basis of intervention-specific beliefs (perceived stigma and self-efficacy in use of PrEP). Together, findings suggested interpersonal factors should be considered in concert with perceptions of intervention characteristics in assessing motivations to enroll in PrEP within this particular at-risk group.

This research examined selective biases in visual attention related to fear of pain by tracking eye movements (EM) toward pain-related stimuli among the pain-fearful. EM of 21 young adults scoring high on a fear of pain measure (H-FOP) and 20 lower-scoring (L-FOP) control participants were measured during a dot-probe task that featured sensory pain-neutral, health catastrophe-neutral and neutral-neutral word pairs. Analyses indicated that the H-FOP group was more likely to direct immediate visual attention toward sensory pain and health catastrophe words than was the L-FOP group. The H-FOP group also had comparatively shorter first fixation latencies toward sensory pain and health catastrophe words. Conversely, groups did not differ on EM indices of attentional maintenance (i.e., first fixation duration, gaze duration, and average fixation duration) or reaction times to dot probes. Finally, both groups showed a cycle of disengagement followed by re-engagement toward sensory pain words relative to other word types. In sum, this research is the first to reveal biases toward pain stimuli during very early stages of visual information processing among the highly pain-fearful and highlights the utility of EM tracking as a means to evaluate visual attention as a dynamic process in the context of FOP.

This study was designed to identify predictors of lower versus higher willingness to use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. Participants were 570 MSM who completed self-report measures of willingness to use HIV PrEP, beliefs about HIV, psychosocial factors, sexual experiences and sociodemographic characteristics. Results of a hierarchical binary logistic regression analysis indicated that membership in a higher willingness group was predicted by previous consultation about HIV, more reported barriers to using condoms, and elevations in depressive symptoms. Independent of these factors, higher willingness to use HIV PrEP was predicted by beliefs that the intervention was low in stigma and high in potential benefits. In sum, the study highlighted the utility of broad-based assessment of demographic, behavioral, personality, and cognitive factors in identifying Chinese MSM who express willingness to use a promising biologically-based intervention to lower HIV risk.

Although emotion regulation capacities have been linked to adjustment among people with chronic pain, researchers have yet to determine whether these capacities are related to functioning independent of established facets of pain coping. The present study was designed to address this gap. A sample 128 Australian adults with chronic pain (44 men, 84 women) completed self-report measures of adjustment (quality of life, negative affect, and pain-related disability), pain coping, and features of emotion regulation (emotion appraisal, perceived efficacy in emotion regulation, emotion utilization). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that efficacy in emotion regulation was related to quality of life and reduced negative affect even after statistically controlling for effects of other measures of adjustment, pain coping efficacy, and pain coping. Conversely, features of emotion regulation did not improve the prediction model for pain-related disability. Findings suggest emotion regulation capacities may have a unique role in the prediction of specific facets of adjustment among people with chronic pain.

This experiment investigated the impact of brief training in acceptance versus distraction-based pain management on experimental pain tolerance in conditions of lower and higher potential threats. One hundred fifty-one pain-free Chinese adults (93 women, 58 men) randomly assigned to acceptance, distraction or pain education control conditions engaged in a cold pressor test (CPT) after reading validated orienting information designed to prime either the safety of the CPT (lower threat) or symptoms and damaging effects of exposure to extreme cold (higher threat). A 2 (threat level) × 3 (training strategy) analysis of covariance, controlling for pre-intervention pain tolerance and education, indicated the acceptance group was more pain tolerant than other training groups. This main effect was qualified by an interaction with threat level: in the lower threat condition, acceptance group participants were more pain tolerant than peers in the distraction or pain education groups while no training group differences were found in the higher threat condition. Supplementary analyses identified catastrophizing as a partial mediator of training group differences in pain tolerance. In summary, findings suggested acceptance-based coping is superior to distraction as a means of managing experimental pain, particularly when pain sensations are viewed as comparatively low in potential threat.

Despite evidence that middle adolescent girls (ages 14–17) experience more body dissatisfaction than early adolescent girls (ages 10–13) or boys at these ages, researchers have rarely considered whether such differences are observed regarding factors related to body dissatisfaction, particularly within non-Western samples. To address this issue, gender and age group differences in media and interpersonal influences on body dissatisfaction were assessed among early and middle adolescents living in Chongqing, China. In Study 1, 595 boys and 648 girls completed self report measures of demographics, public self-consciousness and appearance-based social pressure, comparisons, and conversations. Compared to boys, girls reported more appearance pressure from mass media and close interpersonal networks (friends, family), appearance comparisons with peers, and appearance conversations with friends; these effects were qualified by interactions with age group, indicating media and interpersonal factors were more prominent in the lives of middle adolescent girls than other groups. Effects were observed independent of body mass index (BMI) and public self-consciousness. In Study 2, 738 girls and 661 boys completed the same measures and a body dissatisfaction scale. By and large, gender and age differences were replicated. Middle adolescent girls also reported more body dissatisfaction than peers did. Perceived appearance pressure from mass media and interpersonal ties were both implicated in mediation analyses to explain this gender × age group effect.

In this experiment, sensitivity to female facial attractiveness was examined by comparing event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to attractive and unattractive female faces within a study-test paradigm. Fourteen heterosexual participants (age range 18-24 years, mean age 21.67 years) were required to judge 84 attractive and 84 unattractive face images as either "attractive" or "unattractive." They were then asked whether they had previously viewed each face in a recognition task in which 50% of the images were novel. Analyses indicated that attractive faces elicited more enhanced ERP amplitudes than did unattractive faces in judgment (N300 and P350-550 msec) and recognition (P160 and N250-400 msec and P400-700 msec) tasks on anterior locations. Moreover, longer reaction times and higher accuracy rate were observed in identifying attractive faces than unattractive faces. In sum, this research identified neural and behavioral bases related to cognitive preferences for judging and recognizing attractive female faces. Explanations for the results are that attractive female faces arouse more intense positive emotions in participants than do unattractive faces, and they also represent reproductive fitness and mating value from the evolutionary perspective.

The number and complexity of attacks on computer systems are increasing. This growth necessitates proper defense mechanisms. Intrusion detection systems play an important role in detecting and disrupting attacks before they can compromise software. Multivariant execution is an intrusion detection mechanism that executes several slightly different versions, called variants, of the same program in lockstep. The variants are built to have identical behavior under normal execution conditions. However, when the variants are under attack, there are detectable differences in their execution behavior. At runtime, a monitor compares the behavior of the variants at certain synchronization points and raises an alarm when a discrepancy is detected. We present a monitoring mechanism that does not need any kernel privileges to supervise the variants. Many sources of inconsistencies, including asynchronous signals and scheduling of multithreaded or multiprocess applications, can cause divergence in behavior of variants. These divergences cause false alarms. We provide solutions to remove these false alarms. Our experiments show that the multivariant execution technique is effective in detecting and preventing code injection attacks. The empirical results demonstrate that dual-variant execution has on average 17 percent performance overhead when deployed on multicore processors.

Despite evidence that sociocultural and psychological factors contribute to disordered eating, researchers have yet to examine the extent to which putative risk factors influence vulnerability for girls versus boys within and across phases of adolescence, particularly in non-Western cultures. In this study, early and middle adolescent samples from China (N = 2,909) completed measures of eating disorder pathology and putative risk factors at baseline and were reassessed 12 months later. Among both younger and older girls, elevations in appearance-focused interactions with friends, negative affect, and body dissatisfaction predicted increases in symptomatology at follow-up. In contrast, there was more discontinuity in risk factors relevant to samples of boys. Although media and friendship influences contributed to later disturbances among early adolescent boys, psychological factors, including body dissatisfaction and negative affect, had stronger effects in the multivariate model for older boys. Implications of finding are discussed in relation to adolescent development and a Chinese cultural context.

Despite evidence indicating fatness and thinness information are processed differently among weight-preoccupied and eating disordered individuals, the exact nature of these attentional biases is not clear. In this research, eye movement (EM) tracking assessed biases in specific component processes of visual attention (i.e., orientation, detection, maintenance and disengagement of gaze) in relation to body-related stimuli among 20 weight dissatisfied (WD) and 20 weight satisfied young women. Eye movements were recorded while participants completed a dot-probe task that featured fatness-neutral and thinness-neutral word pairs. Compared to controls, WD women were more likely to direct their initial gaze toward fatness words, had a shorter mean latency of first fixation on both fatness and thinness words, had longer first fixation on fatness words but shorter first fixation on thinness words, and shorter total gaze duration on thinness words. Reaction time data showed a maintenance bias towards fatness words among the WD women. In sum, results indicated WD women show initial orienting, speeded detection and initial maintenance biases towards fat body words in addition to a speeded detection - avoidance pattern of biases in relation to thin body words. In sum, results highlight the importance of the utility of EM-tracking as a means of identifying subtle attentional biases among weight dissatisfied women drawn from a non-clinical setting and the need to assess attentional biases as a dynamic process.

There is considerable evidence that mass media portrayals of body image contribute to body dissatisfaction, yet the assessment of perceived media influences has been examined fleetingly in highly populated, non-Western cultures, particularly among young males. This research examined the factor structure of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) among adolescent boys in China. In an initial exploratory factor analysis (N = 719), a four factor solution emerged with components reflecting General Pressure-Internalization, Sources of Appearance Information, Pressure-Internalization of an Athletic Ideal, and Pressure to be Thin. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analyses in a new sample (n = 749) assessed fits of the derived four factor model, a three factor variant, and alternatives reflecting “Western” and “Malay” SATAQ-3 solutions. The derived four factor solution had the most acceptable structure across several fit indices. Patterns of correlation with other self-report measures also provided preliminary support for the validity of the derived solution.

β‐Blockers are first‐line therapy for treatment of heart failure, and for prevention of decline in LV systolic function in post-MI patients. Considerable variability exists in efficacy & tolerability of β‐blockers in HF patients, which may be associated with the genotype of drug-metabolizing enzymes and/or drug targets. Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is a member of the CYP450 mixed-function oxidase system, which constitutes many important phase I drug metabolizing enzymes and contributes to the metabolism of up to 25% of clinically used drugs. Most genetic polymorphisms to the CYP2D6 gene result in either absent or decreased function of the enzyme activity. Four metabolizer phenotypes are typically used to characterize drug metabolism via CYP2D6: ultra-rapid metabolizer (UM); extensive metabolizer (EM); intermediate metabolizer (IM); and poor metabolizer (PM) phenotypes. Of the 3 β-blockers used for LV systolic dysfunction, CYP2D6 is the predominant metabolizing enzyme of both carvedilol and metoprolol; In contrast, Bisoprolol has a relatively constant β-adrenergic inhibition independent of CYP2D6 genotype. Aims Determine the prevalence of specific genetic CYP2D6 polymorphisms in patients admitted for Acute Coronary Syndromes with systolic dysfunction, and correlate with dose/tolerability or uptitration of metoprolol or carvedilol (BB) treatment. Methods Patients admitted with NSTEMI, ACS or ADHF, with elevated biomarkers had LVEF assessed during index admission. From 10/16/2013 to 07/17/2017, we followed 304 patients admitted for ACS with LVSD in a dedicated ‘post-MI Clinic’ having demonstrated echocardiographic evidence of reduced LVEF ( Results Beta blocker dosage was divided into high (CTD, >150mg daily Metoprolol; >50mg daily Carvedilol; >5mg daily Bisoprolol) or low dose. Within the ultra-rapid / extensive metabolizer (UM/EM) group, 78 patients (41%) were taking high dose BB at 1st visit (35), or successfully uptitrated (43) to high dose in clinic, compared to 9.5% of the (115) patients expressing intermediate metabolizer and poor metabolizer (IM/PM) phenotypes. Within the UM/EM group 36 patients (19%) presented to initial visit on CTD Bisoprolol, with a further 44 (23%) successfully transitioned from low dose BB to CTD Bisoprolol (compared to 12%, and 43%, respectively within the IM/PM group). Conclusion CYP2D6 polymorphisms in patients admitted with ACS and LV systolic dysfunction correlated with tolerability / uptitration of metoprolol and carvedilol, and may be of clinical use in prospectively determining β‐Blocker choice.

This study investigated attentional and memory biases within the auditory domain among emerging adult women with high levels of fatness and weight concern. A sample of 116 Chinese undergraduate women screened into groups high and low in self-reported weight dissatisfaction engaged in a dichotic listening task. Participants were instructed to shadow (repeat aloud) neutral passages in the attended ear and respond to visual probes, while ignoring distractors (fat, thin, or neutral words) in the unattended ear. Results indicated that weight dissatisfied women made more shadowing errors in the presence of both fat and thin distractor words compared to weight satisfied women, although groups did not differ in error rates for neutral words. Weight dissatisfied women were also more likely to falsely recognize newly introduced fat words as familiar in a subsequent word recognition task. These effects were maintained after controlling for group differences in body mass index. Findings suggest selective information processing biases related to weight concerns extend to the auditory realm.

The internal structure of the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test Version 2.0 (MSCEIT) has stimulated debate lasting nearly a decade. In an attempt to synthesize accumulating yet contradictory research findings regarding its factor structure, meta-analytic structural equation modeling was employed. Nineteen correlation matrices of eight variables (N = 10,573) were included in the meta-analysis. Results of a homogeneity analysis indicated that the 19 matrices were homogenous. Although the four-factor model of ability EI had excellent fits on four different indices, it was not preferred due to a high correlation (r = .90, p < .01) between branches one and two. On this basis, a three-factor solution was proposed as best-fitting alternative model of MSCEIT structure. This work may be the first attempt to synthesize disparate results regarding the factor structure of the MSCEIT V2.0 and highlights the need for possible modifications of the Four-Branch Model of EI and/or the key instrument used in its assessment.

Self-expression is defined as expressions of one’s thoughts and feelings, which can be accomplished through words, choice, or actions. Utilizing both free-choice paradigm (active) and forced choice condition (passive), self-expression could result in the spreading alternatives effect for European Americans. That is to say, after making a choice between two objects, people tend to increase the degree of liking for the chosen object, and decrease the degree for the rejected object. Whereas the effect of self-expression is shared in the Occident, it is not privileged with such a cultural emphasis in East Asia. Using two choice paradigms (free-choice and forced choice) and two expressive paradigms (direct and indirect expression), four studies demonstrated the spreading alternatives effect in Chinese participants. Utilizing a free-choice paradigm, study 1a examined preference judgments; study 1b compared the preference judgments between expressive choice and non-expressive choice. Similarly, study 2a and 2b examined and compared preference choices in the forced choice condition.Results showed that, choice style (active or passive) and expression style (indirect or direct) influenced preference judgments. Direct expression increased the degree of liking for the obtained object, while indirect expression did not. One possible explanation could be that direct expression strengthened the motive of expression when people made ac-tive choices and then increased the degree of liking for the obtained object, through which people repaired the aversive feeling of cognitive dissonance when given a forced choice after losing the object they chose before. However, indirect expression counterpoised the factors which impacted preference for the obtained object. Thus, people maintained their degree of liking for the obtained object and didn’t experience the affirmation of ownership.

This nine-month prospective study tested the extent to which risk factors implicated in recent accounts of body dissatisfaction predicted changes in body image concerns of adolescent boys and girls in China. A sample of 593 Chinese adolescents (217 boys, 376 girls) completed measures of weight esteem, appearance esteem and physical stature concern in addition to demographics, internalization of attractiveness ideals, negative affect, and appearance pressure, teasing, and comparison at baseline and nine-month follow-up. For girls, initial levels of social comparison, and internalized attractiveness ideals predicted decreases in body esteem over time. Time 1 negative affect contributed to changes in both appearance esteem and weight esteem for boys. Baseline level of stature concerns and reported height were the only predictors of later stature concerns within each sex. In sum, this study suggests specific factors previously implicated in Western accounts also have utility for understanding body image concerns of adolescents in China.

This 18-month prospective study investigated factors that contributed to changes in eating disorder symptoms among adolescents living in the People's Republic of China. Five hundred forty-one Chinese middle school and high school students (182 boys, 359 girls) completed measures of eating disorder symptoms; body dissatisfaction; appearance ideal endorsements; negative affect; and appearance-based social pressure, teasing, and comparison. For girls, baseline levels of negative affect, preference for a thin appearance ideal, and fatness concern made unique contributions to reported eating disturbances at the 18-month follow-up. For boys, baseline body mass index and fatness concerns were the only significant univariate predictors of changes in eating pathology.

This research assessed the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of eating disorder symptoms among young people from China. A sample of 1320 females and 783 males between 12 and 22 years of age was recruited from academic settings in various regions of China and completed a back-translated Chinese version of the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale, as well as measures of body dissatisfaction and demographics. As expected, reported eating disorder symptoms and body dissatisfaction were significantly higher for females than males. Eating disorder symptoms and body dissatisfaction were also more pronounced for participants from higher income households. Finally, age differences in symptoms and body dissatisfaction were inconsistent. In sum, findings extend past prevalence research and highlight specific sociodemographic correlates of eating pathology and body dissatisfaction among Chinese adolescents and young adults.

This research assessed the extent to which sociocultural factors implicated in explanations of weight dissatisfaction among young Western females extend to sources of body image concern in emerging adult and adolescent males from the People's Republic of China. In Study 1, 219 Mainland Chinese male university students completed measures of stature concern, fatness concern, sociocultural influence (i.e., appearance-based social pressure, teasing, and comparison), and demographics. Social pressure and teasing made unique contributions to fatness concern among participants. Physical stature concerns were also predicted by social pressure and comparison, independent of reported height and fatness concerns. In Study 2, findings were largely replicated in late adolescent ( n = 299) and early adolescent ( n = 265) boys. Together, findings supported the hypothesis that appearance pressure, teasing, and comparison may be salient influences on a range of body image concerns within diverse adolescent and young adult samples.

This research assessed the extent to which sociocultural predictors of body dissatisfaction implicated in Western studies extend to the prediction of physical appearance concerns among young women and adolescent girls in Southwest China. In Study 1, 408 Chinese university-age women completed measures of fatness concern (FC), facial appearance concerns (FAC), sociocultural influence (i.e., appearance pressure, comparison, teasing), and demographics. In hierarchical regression analyses, appearance pressure and comparison predicted both FC and FAC, independent of other factors. In Study 2, effects of appearance pressure and comparison were replicated among middle school (n = 346) and high school (n = 563) girls. Together, findings suggest that appearance pressure and social comparison correspond with specific body image concerns of young females in China.

This research assessed the stability of specific body image concerns among Chinese adolescents. A sample of 216 boys and 375 girls completed the Negative Physical Self Scale, a 38-item measure of body image concerns developed specifically for use in Chinese samples. Participants returned nine months later to complete the same scale. Bivariate correlation analyses within each sex obtained good test-retest reliabilities ( r = .48 to r = .78). Findings indicate that body image concerns of Chinese adolescents, especially those of girls, are relatively stable over a nine-month interval.

This research assessed the relative impact of features of protective self-presentation, key sources of socialization, and social anxiety on individual differences in loneliness among Australian adolescents and young adults. In Study 1, 281 high school students living with parents completed self-report measures of loneliness, self-presentation features (i.e., fear of negative evaluation, social competence), parenting style (overprotection, care), peer relations (attachment, teasing) and social anxiety. Peer and parenting measures were significant predictors of loneliness, independent of self presentation influences. Social anxiety also added to the model after controlling for all other measures. In Study 2, 170 undergraduates living independently completed measures of the same constructs. Paralleling findings from Study 1, protective self-presentation features, peer relations, and social anxiety had unique effects on loneliness. As hypothesized, however, parenting measures did not add to the prediction model for young adults. Implications of findings are discussed in relation to understanding loneliness within high school and university age samples.

This study was designed to assess how interpersonal transactions affect responses to painful stimulation among Australian women and men. Participants were 69 women and 49 men, randomly assigned to a No Transaction (NT) condition (coping alone) or one of three experimenter-initiated transactions (Distraction, Pain-Monitoring, Re-interpretation). Significant sex × transaction interactions for pain tolerance and reported pain revealed that pain responses of men did not differ as a function of transaction. However, women who coped alone had significantly less tolerance and more pain than men and women in other groups. In contrast, women engaged in re-interpretation transactions fared better on measures of pain perception than women engaged in distraction transactions, and they reported significantly less catastrophizing than did men in the re-interpretation condition. Together, findings replicate and extend recent evidence that suggests that women’s responses to noxious stimuli vary considerably as a result of interpersonal context.

In this study, we evaluated associations of experiences with mass media imported from Western nations such as the United States versus mass media from China and other Asian countries with eating and body image disturbances of young Chinese women. Participating women (N=456) completed self-report measures of disordered eating, specific sources of appearance dissatisfaction (fatness, facial features, stature), and Western versus Chinese/Asian mass media influences. The sample was significantly more likely to report perceived pressure from, comparisons with, and preferences for physical appearance depictions in Chinese/Asian mass media than Western media. Chinese/Asian media influences also combined for more unique variance in prediction models for all disturbances except stature concerns. While experiences with Western media were related to disturbances as well, the overall impact of Chinese/Asian media influences was more prominent.

Theory and associated research indicate that people with elevated restrained eating (RE) scores have higher risk for binge eating, future bulimic symptom onset and weight gain. Previous imaging studies have suggested hyper-responsive reward brain area activation in response to food cues contributes to this risk but little is known about associated neural impulse control mechanisms, especially when considering links between depleted cognitive resources related to unsuccessful RE. Towards illuminating this issue, we used a chocolate-specific delayed discounting (DD) task to investigate relations between RE scores, behavior impulsivity, and corresponding neural impulse control correlates in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of 27 young women. Specifically, participants were required to choose between more immediate, smaller versus delayed, larger hypothetical chocolate rewards following initial consumption of a chocolate. As predicted, RE scores were correlated positively with behavior impulse control levels. More critically, higher RE scores were associated with stronger activation in impulse control region, the dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during the completion of difficult decision trials reflecting higher cognitive demands and resource depletion relative to easy decision trials. Exploratory analyses revealed a positive correlation between RE scores and activity in a reward system hub, the right striatum. Moreover, a positive correlation between left DLPFC and striatum activation was posited to reflect, in part, impulse control region compensation in response to stronger reward signal among women with RE elevations. Findings suggested impulse control lapses may contribute to difficulties in maintaining RE, particularly when cognitive demands are high.

Background Numerous studies have found appraisals of pain as a source of potential threat or tissue damage influence pain perception and coping. Conversely, causal effects of challenge appraisals reflecting potential future benefits of bearing pain have received little attention. This experiment was designed to elucidate effects of appraising laboratory pain as a source of potential threat and challenge on pain perception and coping. Methods Before engaging in a cold pressor test (CPT), young adult women (N = 112) and men (N = 49) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a higher threat group in which participants read an orienting passage describing symptoms and consequences of frostbite (pain as a signal for nociception), a lower threat group in which participants read about CPT safety (pain independent of nociception) or a challenge appraisal group in which participants read a passage describing how persistence in the face of discomfort predicts future life success and satisfaction. Results The higher threat group had lower pain tolerance and catastrophized more during the task than lower threat and challenge appraisal groups. Conversely, the challenge appraisal group reported using more cognitive strategies (ignoring, diverting attention, coping self-statements) in managing pain than either threat group. Structural equation modelling indicated paths of subjective threat and challenge appraisals with pain tolerance were fully mediated by individual differences in reported cognitive coping and/or pain catastrophizing. Conclusions Findings underscore causal effects of pain appraisals on coping responses and pain perception. What does this study add? Effects of challenge appraisals of pain as a source of potential future growth or development have not been considered in experimental pain research. Causal effects of primary appraisals of laboratory pain as a source of potential threat and challenge were elucidated in relation to pain perception and coping.

Unrealistic optimism is common among people making self-evaluations while reduced optimism has been linked to increased depressive symptoms. Given the importance of optimism for adaptive functioning, surprisingly little is known about resting brain states underlying optimistic and depressive tendencies. In the current study, two resting-state indices were used to examine neural correlates of the default mode network (DMN) associated with optimistic and depressive self-evaluation tendencies in a non-clinical young adult sample (N = 49). The analysis was constrained due to the self-referential nature of the DMN. Across different indices, bilateral superior frontal gyri of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and bilateral superior medial frontal gyri of the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) played a key role in maintaining spontaneous optimistic self-evaluative tendencies. Conversely, decreased activity in the DLPFC and bilateral medial orbitofrontal cortices (OFC) were related to accentuated depressive symptoms. Together, results highlight the pivotal roles of the DLPFC and DMPFC in mediating valences of self-referential content.

In this study, we assessed biases in attention disengagement among average-weight women with binge-eating (n = 33) and non-eating disordered controls (n = 31). Participants engaged in a spatial cueing paradigm task wherein they first observed high-calorie food, low-calorie food, or neutral images and then had to quickly locate targets in either the same or a different location. Within both groups, reaction times (RTs) were longer to valid-cued trials (i.e. target appearing in location of preceding cue) than to invalid-cued trials (i.e. targets appearing in location different from initial location), reflecting a general inhibition of return (IOR) effect. However, RT findings also indicated that women with BE had significantly more difficulty disengaging from high-calorie food images than did controls, even though neither group had disengagement problems related to other image types. Selective attention disengagement difficulties related to high-calorie food images suggested that increased reward sensitivity to such cues is related to binge eating risk. Copyright © 2016 John WileySons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Body surveillance and body shame are features of objectified body consciousness (OBC) that have been linked to disordered eating, yet the evidence base is largely cross-sectional and limited to samples in certain Western countries. Furthermore, it is not clear whether these factors contribute to the prediction of eating disturbances independent of conceptually related risk factors emphasized within other sociocultural accounts. In this prospective study, body surveillance, body shame, and features of complementary sociocultural models (i.e., perceived appearance pressure from mass media and close interpersonal networks, appearance social comparisons, negative affect, body dissatisfaction) were assessed as risk factors for and concomitants of eating disturbances over time. University-age, mainland Chinese women (n = 2144) and men (n = 1017) completed validated measures of eating-disorder pathology and hypothesized risk factors at baseline (T1) and 1-year follow-up (T2). Among women, elevations on T1 measures of sociocultural-model features predicted more T2 eating disturbances, independent of T1 disturbances. After controlling for other T1 predictors, body surveillance and shame made modest unique contributions to the model. Finally, heightened T2 body dissatisfaction, media, and interpersonal appearance pressure, negative affect, and body shame predicted concomitant increases in T2 eating concerns. For men, T1 features of sociocultural accounts (negative affect, body dissatisfaction) but not OBC predicted T2 eating disturbances, along with attendant elevations in T2 negative affect, interpersonal appearance pressure, and body shame. Implications are discussed for theory and intervention that target disordered eating.

In this paper, we describe a speed estimation method for individual vehicles using a monocular camera. The system includes the following: (1) object detection, which detects an object of interest based on a combination of motion detection and object classification and initializes tracking of the object if detected, (2) object tracking, which tracks the object over time based on template matching and reports its frame-to-frame displacement in pixels, (3) speed estimation, which estimates vehicle speed by converting pixel displacements to distances traveled along the road, (4) object height estimation, which estimates the distance from tracked point(s) of the object to the road plane, and (5) speed estimation with height-correction, which adjusts previously estimated vehicle speed based on estimated object and camera heights. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm on 30/60 fps videos of 300 vehicles travelling at speeds ranging from 30 to 60 mph. The 95-percentile speed estimation error was within ±3% when compared to a lidar-based reference instrument. Key contributions of our method include (1) tracking a specific set of feature points of a vehicle to ensure a consistent measure of speed, (2) a high accuracy camera calibration/characterization method, which does not interrupt regular traffic of the site, and (3) a license plate and camera height estimation method for improving accuracy of individual vehicle speed estimation. Additionally, we examine the impact of spatial resolution on accuracy of speed estimation and utilize that knowledge to improve computation efficiency. We also improve accuracy and efficiency of tracking over standard methods via dynamic update of templates and predictive local search.

Theory and research have indicated that restrained eating (RE) increases risk for binge-eating and eating disorder symptoms. According to the goal conflict model, such risk may result from disrupted hedonic-feeding control and its interaction with reward-driven eating. However, RE-related alterations in functional interactions among associated underlying brain regions, especially between the cerebral hemispheres, have rarely been examined directly. Therefore, we investigated inter-hemispheric resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) among female restrained eaters (REs) (n=23) and unrestrained eaters (UREs) (n=24) following food deprivation as well as its relation to overall bulimia nervosa (BN) symptoms using voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC). Seed-based RSFC associated with areas exhibiting significant VMHC differences was also assessed. Compared to UREs, REs showed reduced VMHC in the dorsal-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), an area involved in inhibiting hedonic overeating. REs also displayed decreased RSFC between the right DLPFC and regions associated with reward estimation--the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). Finally, bulimic tendencies had a negative correlation with VMHC in the DLPFC and a positive correlation with functional connectivity (DLPFC and VMPFC) among REs but not UREs. Findings suggested that reduced inter-hemispheric functional connectivity in appetite inhibition regions and altered functional connectivity in reward related regions may help to explain why some REs fail to control hedonically-motivated feeding and experience higher associated levels of BN symptomatology.

This research examines conceptions of love among dating and married couples from China and the United States. Sixty-one dating and 81 married American couples and 46 dating and 94 married Chinese couples completed portions of Sternberg's (1998) Love Stories Scale and measures of demographics, stress, and relationship satisfaction. Factor analyses revealed several love story components (objectification-threat, devotion-caring, pragmatism, pornography) common to both cultures, albeit there were subtle differences in their specific elements. Culturally unique components included “love as war” and “love as fairy tale” for the Americans and “love as current tending” and “incomprehensibility of lover” for the Chinese. Devotion–care was the strongest predictor of relationship satisfaction within each culture, independent of demographics and perceived stress. In sum, the research suggests that although Chinese and American views of love overlap somewhat, subtle cultural differences and culturally unique metaphors are also apparent.

This study examined the impact of threatening information on coping and pain tolerance in a healthy adult sample. Prior to engaging in a Cold Pressor Test (CPT), 121 college students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a threat condition in which they read an orienting passage warning them about symptoms and consequences of frostbite (pain as a signal for nociception), a reassurance condition in which they read an orienting passage about the safety of the CPT (pain independent of nociception), or a control condition in which no orienting passage was read before the experimental task. Only 15.6% of participants in the threat group completed the CPT to its 4-minute duration, compared with 55.6% in the reassurance group and 45.2% of those in the control group. Even though groups did not differ on level of reported pain, threatened participants catastrophized more about the pain and reported less use of cognitive coping strategies (reinterpreting pain sensations, ignoring pain, diverting attention away from pain to other experiences, and using coping self-statements) than other respondents. A path analysis indicated that the relation between threat and pain tolerance was fully mediated by catastrophizing and cognitive coping. Together, findings suggest that pain appraised as threatening contributes to a specific pattern of coping responses associated with a reduced capacity to bear pain.

The authors examined the relationship between sociotropy and perceptions of interpersonal relationships and subsequent eating disorder symptoms among young women. In Study 1, 118 women from a liberal arts college in northern Wisconsin completed self-report measures of sociotropy, perceived close social support, and eating disorder symptoms. The women returned 6 weeks later to complete the same measures. After controlling for initial levels of reported eating disturbances, higher levels of Time 1 sociotropy and reductions in perceived social support at Times 1 and 2 made unique contributions to eating disturbances at Time 2, although the interaction of Time 1 sociotropy and Time 2 social support did not add to the model. In Study 2, 138 women completed measures of eating disturbances, sociotropy, and interpersonal hassles on two occasions, 10 weeks apart. Self-reported eating pathology at Time 1 accounted for most of the variance in Time 2 eating disorder symptoms, but increased eating disturbances also were predicted by measures of interpersonal hassles. A final regression analysis using combined samples indicated that both T1 and T2 measures of interpersonal functioning made unique contributions to changes in reported eating disturbances. In sum, the findings suggested that perceptions of reduced support in close relationships and increased interpersonal hassles contribute to increases in reported eating disturbances among college-aged women, independent of baseline levels of eating disturbances and a highly sociotropic personality style.

This experimental investigation examined judgment and memory biases associated with body image concerns in American and Chinese young adult samples. In Study 1, 50 American university students (43 female, 7 males) screened into groups high and low in self-reported concerns about body size and weight engaged in a computer-based experiment involving the evaluation and later recognition of randomly presented fat and thin body words and matched control words. Participants high in reported body image concerns judged certain kinds of fat words more negatively and remembered them more accurately than individuals low in perceived body image disturbances. In general, significant group differences remained, after controlling for BMI. In contrast, groups did not differ in judgment or memory of thin words or control words. This pattern of differences was partially replicated in similar groups from the People's Republic of China (52 female, 7 male). Cross-cultural comparisons of responses to the subset of fat and thin words used in both experiments indicated the American sample evaluated fat words more negatively and was faster in responding to fat words than the Chinese sample, although there were no cultural differences in responses to thin words. Findings support the hypothesis that information-processing biases related to body image problems are specific to these concerns within samples from both Western and non-Western cultures, albeit cultural differences in responses to fat stimuli were also identified.

This study assessed the extent to which the mere presence of over-the-counter analgesics affected the perception of experimentally-induced pain in healthy adult samples. In Study 1, 68 college undergraduates participating in a cold pressor test (CPT) were randomly assigned to stimulus displays featuring either pain medication cues (i.e. bottles of aspirin and Tylenol) or cues with no obvious relation to pain (i.e. small elephant statue, soda can) and provided ratings of pain severity every 30 seconds for up to four minutes. Contrary to expectations, participants exposed to pain medication cues reported a significantly lower average rating of pain intensity after 30 seconds of exposure to ice water compared to those exposed to pain-irrelevant cues. This effect was relatively short term, as there were no differences between the two conditions on subsequent ratings of pain intensity or overall pain tolerance. These findings were replicated in a second sample ( n = 48) with slightly altered stimulus displays....

Numerous studies have observed a robust correlation between shyness and loneliness but few have attempted to explain why this relationship exists. This study assessed the extent to which variables associated with self-presentation approaches to shyness and social support mediated the association between shyness and loneliness. Two hundred and fifty-five American college students completed self-report measures of shyness, loneliness, expectations of rejection, interpersonal competence and close social support. A path analysis indicated that high levels of shyness were related to features of a protective style of self-presentation (perceived deficits in interpersonal competence, heightened expectations of rejection). In turn, low levels of interpersonal competence predicted reductions in social support. Together, measures indicative of a protective self-presentation style and reductions in social support predicted increases in loneliness. However, shyness and loneliness had a significant association, even after controlling for the influence of self-presentation and social support. Findings suggest that although features of protective self-presentation and social support may partially explain the association between shyness and loneliness, shyness and loneliness are also directly related.

This research assessed event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited during the processing of different kinds of visual stimuli among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (n = 15) and typically developing (TD) children (n = 19). Within a simple visual oddball paradigm, participating children passively viewed fruit and vegetable images that were used as standard stimuli in addition to images of these foods with their usual colors modified to create novel stimuli and cartoon depictions of these images (i.e., “deviant” stimuli). Analyses revealed significant main effect differences between the groups for P100, N100 and P300 components; ASD group children showing longer P100 latencies, weaker N100 amplitudes and larger P300 amplitudes than did the TD group. A Group x Hemisphere interaction also emerged for N400 amplitudes but differences were not significant in simple-effects analyses. Together these results suggested children with ASD may be characterized by lower attention resource allocation and engagement during early stages of processing visual stimuli. However, ERPs in later processing stages suggested children with ASD and TD children have similar neural responses in attending to visual images as stimulus presentations continue.

Help seeking (HS) is a core coping strategy that is directed towards obtaining support, advice, or assistance as means of managing stress. Women have been found to use more HS than men. Neural correlates of sex differences have also been reported in prefrontal-limbic system (PLS) regions that are linked to stress and coping, yet structural differences between men and women relating to HS in the PLS are still unknown. Thus, the association between gray matter volume (GMV) and HS was investigated using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in a large healthy sample (126 men and 156 women). Results indicated women reported more HS than men did. VBM results showed that the relation between HS scores and GMV differed between men and women in regions of the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex extending to the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex(OFC/sgACC). Among women, higher HS scores were associated with smaller GMV in these areas while a positive correlation between GMV and HS scores was observed among men. These results remained significant after controlling for general intelligence, stress, anxiety and depression. Thus, this study suggested that structural differences between men and women are correlated to characteristic brain regions known to be involved in the PLS which is considered critical in stress regulation.

The present study evaluated the extent to which eating-disordered and nonclinical comparison samples could be differentiated on self-reported personality measures of autonomy and sociotropy and a projective measure of dependency. Sixty-two women meeting diagnostic criteria for eating disorder and a nonpsychiatric comparison group of 62 women completed the autonomy and sociotropy subscales of the Personal Style Inventory—II and the Rorschach Oral Dependency Scale (ROD). A discriminant classification analysis indicated 85.5% of eating-disordered subjects and 88.7% of control subjects were identified accurately from their scores on autonomy, sociotropy, and ROD. Results suggest that the experience of eating disorders is associated with a mixed clinical presentation characterized by issues related to sociotropy–dependency, and especially, achievement-related vulnerabilities. Potentially fruitful areas for future study include assessing the utility of autonomy and sociotropy as predictors of eating disturbances in prospective research and evaluating their utility in predicting treatment prognosis among patients with eating disorders. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 56: 699–710, 2000.