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Background: Behavioral measurement of attention bias for emotional stimuli has traditionally ignored whether trial-level task data have a strong enough general factor to justify a unidimensional measurement model. This is surprising, as unidimensionality across trials is an important assumption for computing bias scores. Methods: In the present study, we assess the psychometric properties of a free-viewing, eye-tracking task measuring attention for emotional stimuli. Undergraduate students (N = 130) viewed two counterbalanced blocks of 4 × 4 matrices of sad/neutral and happy/neutral facial expressions for 10 seconds each across 60 trials. We applied a bifactor measurement model across ten attention bias metrics (e.g., total dwell time for neutral and emotional stimuli, ratio of emotional to total dwell time, difference in dwell time for emotional and neutral stimuli, a variable indicating whether dwell time on emotional stimuli exceeded dwell time on neutral stimuli) to assess whether trial-level data load on to a single, general factor. Unidimensionality was evaluated using omega hierarchical, explained common variance, and percentage of uncontaminated correlations. Results: Total dwell time had excellent internal consistency for sad (ɑ =.95, ɷ =.96) and neutral stimuli (ɑ =.95, ɷ =.95), and met criteria for unidimensionality, suggesting the trial-level data within each task reflect a single underlying construct. However, the remaining bias metrics fell short of the unidimensionality thresholds, suggesting not all metrics are good candidates for creating bias scores. Conclusion: Total dwell time by valence had the best psychometrics in terms of internal consistency and unidimensionality. This study demonstrates the importance of assessing whether trial-level data load onto a general factor, as not all metrics are equivalent, even when derived from the same task data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Repetitive negative thinking and experiential avoidance have been hypothesized to be related, transdiagnostic maintenance factors for depression and anxiety, yet is unclear how these processes overlap or diverge. Here we use a symptom-level approach to address this question. Methods: Adults presenting for treatment to an intensive CBT program (n = 492) completed measures of depression and anxiety symptom severity, repetitive negative thinking, and experiential avoidance. Our pre-registered network analysis approach examined the contribution of these transdiagnostic maintenance factors to the predictability of a depression and anxiety symptom network. Exploratory analyses used permutation testing to formally evaluate the predictability of the symptom network. Results: Permutation testing indicates that repetitive negative thinking significantly improved the predictability of worrying and poor concentration, whereas experiential avoidance improved the predictability of difficulties relaxing, being afraid something bad was going to happen, and feeling like a failure. Limitations: Our sample was cross-sectional and a predominantly white, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) sample. Conclusions: Repetitive negative thinking and experiential avoidance each were associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety but did not overlap across the comorbid symptom network. More broadly, applying network analysis helps to more precisely identify which symptoms of depression and anxiety are associated with transdiagnostic maintenance factors, thus providing insight into how these factors may contribute to the maintenance of co-occurring disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive aspects of self-compassion (i.e., self-kindness and nonjudgmental acceptance of personal experiences) as well as negative aspects (i.e., high self-criticism and self-coldness) are strong predictors of anxiety, depression, worry, and quality of life. To date, however, relatively little is known about (a) how both aspects of self-compassion change during naturalistic treatment, (b) whether and how such changes relate to symptom improvement, and (c) which processes might explain the potential benefits of self-compassion. To address these gaps, the present study examined whether relations between changes in both aspects of self-compassion and treatment outcomes in a brief partial hospital setting for acute psychology could be explained by associated changes in repetitive negative thinking (RNT), an established maladaptive cognitive process involved in anxiety and depressive disorders. In a sample of 582 people receiving cognitive-behavioral (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy over the course of 1-2 weeks, increases in positive aspects of self-compassion and decreases in negative aspects related to improvements in depression and anxiety. RNT mediated the relationship between decreases in negative aspects of self-compassion and improvements in anxiety and depression. However, a reverse model also showed that decreases in negative aspects of self-compassion could also explain relations between RNT and depressive symptom improvement only. These findings suggest that negative aspects of self-compassion and RNT may constitute important targets for treatment in acute settings. Future studies should investigate the impact of greater focus on self-compassion on RNT and symptom improvement using longitudinal experimental designs with multiple assessment points, examining causality and directionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological control systems are integral to New Zealand's success as a nation reliant on exporting quality agricultural, forestry and horticultural products. The likely impacts of climate change projections to 2090 on one weed and four invertebrate management systems in differing production sectors were investigated, and it was concluded that most natural enemies will track the changing distributions of their hosts. The key climate change challenges identified were: disparities in natural enemy capability to change distribution, lack of frosts leading to emergence of new pests and additional pest generations, non-target impacts from range and temperature changes, increased disruptions caused by extreme weather events, disruption of host-natural enemy synchrony, and insufficient genetic diversity to allow evolutionary adaptation. Five classical biological control systems based on the introduced species Longitarsus jacobaeae, Cotesia kazak, Aphelinus mali, Microctonus aethiopoides and Microctonus hyperodae are discussed in more detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]