Background Neurocognitive deficits are present in bipolar disorder (BD) patients and their unaffected (nonbipolar) relatives, but it is not clear which domains are most often impaired and the extent of the impairment resulting from shared genetic factors. In this literature review, we address these issues and identify specific neurocognitive tasks most sensitive to cognitive deficits in patients and unaffected relatives. Method We conducted a systematic review in Web of Science, PubMed/Medline and PsycINFO databases. Results Fifty-one articles assessing cognitive functioning in BD patients (23 studies) and unaffected relatives (28 studies) were examined. Patients and, less so, relatives show impairments in attention, processing speed, verbal learning/memory, and verbal fluency. Conclusion Studies were more likely to find impairment in patients than relatives, suggesting that some neurocognitive deficits may be a result of the illness itself and/or its treatment. However, small sample sizes, differences among relatives studied (e.g., relatedness, diagnostic status, age), and differences in assessment instruments may contribute to inconsistencies in reported neurocognitive performance among relatives. Additional studies addressing these issues are needed.

Although research has focused on how inconsistencies in alibi statements are perceived by law enforcement and legal decision-makers, less attention has been paid to the cognitive factors that may mitigate such inconsistencies. Using a novel, ecologically-valid paradigm, across two experiments (507 events for N=134), we examined the accuracy, level of detail, and memory characteristics of participant-generated alibis for schema-consistent and-inconsistent events, and whether mental reinstatement of context (MRC) led to improved alibis compared to time-cueing. Participants reported their typical weekly activities, provided real-time reports of their activities during a two-week period, and reported participant-specific schema-consistent and-inconsistent events using time-cues and MRC. Our results suggest schema-consistent events are reported more accurately than inconsistent events, and that MRC does not improve alibi accuracy over timecueing. When reporting atypical events, participants provided alibis by reporting what they thought they would normally be doing during that time. Together, these findings quantify how difficult remembering an alibi can be, reinforce that people often rely on schemas, and that mnemonic strategies to increase alibi accuracy are likely to fail, even if they work in other domains. We discuss how the current research adds to recent work on boundary conditions for the efficacy of MRC.

BackgroundAnabaptists comprise large and growing Amish and Mennonite populations with a unique genetic heritage and cultural background. Little is known about the symptoms and course of major mood disorders in Anabaptists. Even less is known about the impact of potential moderators on symptom severity and course.MethodsA sample of Amish and Mennonite participants with bipolar, recurrent unipolar, or schizoaffective bipolar disorder (n = 155) were systematically evaluated with a well-validated instrument. Cases were compared with non-Anabaptist participants (n = 155) matched for age, sex, and psychiatric diagnosis and evaluated by the same methods.ResultsDespite substantial cultural differences, the profile of manic and depressive symptoms during illness episodes did not significantly differ between the two groups. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) was significantly less frequent among Anabaptists, and was associated with more major depressive episodes and more hospitalizations for major depression in Anabaptist, but not non-Anabaptist participants. Lifetime history of head injury showed a trend toward association with more episodes of major depression in both Anabaptist and non-Anabaptist groups that did not withstand multiple test correction.ConclusionsThe presentation of a highly heritable psychiatric illness such as bipolar disorder does not differ in cases drawn from genetically unique Anabaptist populations. However, alcohol comorbidity, head injury, and their effects on illness course suggest some differences that deserve further investigation.

Although research has focused on the “innocence problem,” “partial innocence” may also plague individuals who plead guilty to crimes they did not commit, but that are either comparable, more severe, or less severe than their actual crimes. Using a high-stake experimental paradigm and an immersive role-playing paradigm, we examined the psychology of partial innocence. Students were randomly induced (or imagined themselves) to be innocent, guilty, or partially innocent of committing an academic transgression and then given the choice to accept or reject a deal to avoid disciplinary sanction. Across three studies ( Ns = 88, 75, 746), partially innocent students pled to cheating nearly as often as guilty students and vastly more often than innocent students. Partially innocent students—not unlike guilty students—experienced greater feelings of guilt than did innocent students. In turn, these feelings of guilt, but not shame, were associated with taking responsibility for a range of transgressions not committed.

No abstract

No abstract

Purpose: Latinas suffer disproportionately from breast cancer relative to non-Latina Whites, partially due to lower guideline-concordant screening. Multiple approaches are used to address this disparity including educational interventions and empowerment-related interventions, wherein a subset of the population is trained to share information with other members of the priority population. However, little is known about the relative effects of these different approaches. Objective: To analyze preliminary data regarding the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of education and empowerment approaches. Methods: This ongoing, quasiexperimental trial is situated in two lower-income Latino communities in Chicago. Eligibility criteria include: 1) age of 52-74; 2) no mammography use within past 2 years; 3) no previous breast cancer diagnosis; and 4) no prior health volunteerism experience. Women are assigned to a cohort and participate in a three-week intervention (education: breast cancer, diet, physical activity; empowerment: breast cancer, sharing information with networks, health volunteerism). For women who wish to obtain mammography (from either arm), the study team provides navigation to free/low-cost services. Data collected at baseline, post-intervention, and six-month follow-up include standard demographics and self-reported mammography use, which are verified by study navigation records. The perspective for cost-effectiveness analyses was the community-based organization implementing the program. Cost data include overhead, non-personnel, and personnel costs (per task, per person encounter). Cost data were standardized to US dollars in 2018 and extrapolated to the duration of study implementation. Results: Our current sample is 97 women (51 education; 46 empowerment). Most women were 52-64 years old (70%), had insurance (58%), had less than a 9th grade education (60%), had an annual household income of <$15,000 (67%), and were born in Mexico (86%). More empowerment participants obtained a mammogram than education participants, after adjusting for age, education, income, insurance, mammography history, and mammography plans (47% vs. 74%; OR = 3.2, 95%CI [1.1, 9.00], p=.001). The empowerment intervention was also less expensive. The costs for education and empowerment interventions were $32,919 and $24,983 ($645 and $490 per person), respectively. Hence, empowerment appears to be a dominant strategy. Discussion: Empowerment approaches may be more effective and more cost effective in promoting mammography than education approaches among non-adherent Latinas. Limitations concern generalizability due a non-probability based sample, and limited ability for causal inferences due to a lack of randomization. Next steps include incorporating participants' costs and including unintended effects (e.g., number of non-participant women obtaining mammography). Citation Format: Yamile Molina, Liliana G. San Miguel, Catherine Pichardo, Genesis Rios, Leslie Diaz, Stephanie Cardenas, Esmeralda Cardoso-Mendoza, Juanita Arroyo, Maria Medina, Nora Coronado, Araceli Lucio, Olivia Hernandez, Surrey Walton. Empowering Latinas to obtain breast cancer screenings: Comparing intervention effects and cost effectiveness [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A030.

Prosecutors sometimes threaten defendants with disproportionately severe potential trial sentences (PTS) to coerce their plea acceptance. Three experiments tested whether the PTS act as an anchor that biases evaluations of the plea deal at deep (vs. shallow) processing level by encouraging asymmetric consideration of information consistent—but not inconsistent—with the appropriateness of the PTS. I expected that a high (vs. moderate) PTS would lead to greater plea acceptance by increasing maximum acceptable sentencing preferences and influencing evidence appraisals. I tested two anchor debiasing strategies: selective consideration of anchor-inconsistent evidence (consider-the-opposite strategy [COS]) and holistic consideration of all evidence (via process accountability). Participants read detailed information about their criminal case and the PTS (high or moderate) before indicating their maximum sentencing preferences, evaluating case attributes, and rendering a plea decision. Mock defendants (Experiment 1; N = 479; drelevant = 0.83), defense attorneys (Experiment 2; N = 155; dpre-COS = 1.19), and mock attorney–client pairs (Experiment 3; Npairs = 265; dunaccountable = 0.60) were willing to accept (or recommend) longer sentences when presented with a higher (vs. moderate) PTS—even when the PTS was irrelevant to their case (Experiment 1; dirrelevant = 0.64). Mediation analyses across all studies demonstrated that higher maximum sentencing preferences were, in turn, associated with greater willingness to accept a plea deal, but not with biased evaluations of evidence strength. Selective consideration of evidence inconsistent with the high PTS attenuated anchoring effects on sentencing preferences (Experiment 2; dpost-COS = 0.75) and plea recommendations but discussing more evidence did not (Experiment 3; daccountable = 0.68). This work challenges the law’s assumption that defense attorneys can debias defendants’ cognitive errors and preliminarily proposes easy-to-implement debiasing solutions to overcharging.