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This study aimed to explore, describe, and interpret New Zealand probation officers’ insights into supervisees’ non-compliance with community sentences. Seventeen probation officers participated in two focus groups. Probation officers viewed problems with cognitive skills as a key barrier to sentence compliance. They reported that these problems underpinned other factors linked to compliance, such as meeting basic needs and skill acquisition. Probation officers employed a number of social worker oriented evidenced-based strategies, including building high-quality relationships and being flexible, along with modification of sentence requirements to increase supervisee compliance, especially with supervisees who faced considerable obstacles when engaging with a community sentence.

This study was an investigation into mind wandering during everyday driving, and its association with crash patterns. We selected a 25 km route on urban roads for analysis of crashes, and an on-road study of mind wandering by a sample of drivers familiar with the route. We analysed reported crashes on the route over a five year period from New Zealand's crash database. For the on-road study a researcher accompanied 25 drivers on the route, asking them what they were thinking about at 15 predetermined road sections. The road sections were selected to include a range of different speed limits and traffic volumes as well as roundabouts, priority intersections and midblocks. Thought samples were categorised as either mind wandering or driving focus, and triggered by the senses, or internally. The frequencies of mind wandering at different road sections on the route were compared to the frequencies of reported crashes along the same route over the preceding five years. Results showed that although all drivers reported mind wandering, it was more likely to be reported at slower, quieter, less complex road sections. Overall, more crashes were reported at priority intersections and midblocks than at roundabouts, but the crash rate (per road section) was higher at roundabouts, where mind wandering was least likely to be reported. These findings suggest that although drivers' minds wander constantly, driving focus is commanded in demanding situations and in response to the actions of other road users. While mind wandering is ubiquitous, drivers are least likely to report mind wandering at locations showing the highest crash rates. More work is needed to test these findings and to provide direction for road safety interventions.

The distractive effects of mobile phones are well documented, but the recent development of mobile phone apps that provide speed advisory warnings raises the possibility that this technology may be used to improve driver safety in older vehicles. We examined the effects of an intelligent speed advisory (ISA) app on driving performance in a simulator. One hundred and four participants (mean age = 35.52 years; 52 male) were allocated to complete the drive with the ISA app in one of five modes: active audio visual (n = 22), active visual (n = 22), passive audio visual (n = 21), passive visual (n = 21) or control (n = 18). Another 19 participants (mean age = 27.53 years; 8 male) completed the study wearing eye-tracking glasses. Participants drove a simulated 26.4 km section of rural road which incorporated typical hazards and three speed compliance zones (100 km/h, 80 km/h and 60 km/h speed limits). The app led to good compliance with the posted speed limits, particularly during the 60 km/h road segment, where the control group drove at significantly higher speeds than the groups with the ISA app. No significant differences between the four versions of the ISA app were observed, either for speed compliance or the number of speeding alerts received. Across the entire simulated drive there were relatively few glances at the app with an average glance duration of 190 ms. The ISA app did not lead to any negative effects on driving performance; lane keeping was maintained and it did not impede participants’ ability to overtake vehicles. These findings suggest that when properly configured ISA apps have a demonstrable safety benefit and do not produce adverse distractive effects. The greatest challenge may be encouraging drivers’ to use them appropriately and consistently.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability in young people in New Zealand, and has long-term effects on memory and other cognitive functions. This article introduces MyMemory, a mobile augmented memory system that aims to assist TBI survivors in coping with their memory impairments. We here present an exploration of design requirements for mobile memory aids for people with TBI, the MyMemory conceptual design and high-level details of the prototype implementation. We report on the results of our A-B-A-B study with six TBI survivors and three caregivers. The participants with TBI all reported improvements when using MyMemory with regards to their well-being, memory function and autobiographical memory. The caregivers confirmed these observations of TBI participants, however, the results regarding possible reductions of caregiver burden are mixed.

As drivers, we often have the sense that we can recall very little about our everyday trips, particularly on familiar roads when nothing untoward occurs. The failure to recall incidental events from a routine drive is not surprising if these drives are performed at a fairly automatic or preconscious level of engagement. Some researchers have suggested that danger, difficulty, and consequentiality are what make events and actions memorable for drivers. To investigate what drivers remember from a routine trip, we asked participants (n = 75) to drive familiar local roads on a 15 km urban route either on-road in an instrumented car, or in the University of Waikato driving simulator (with and without a passenger). At ten predetermined locations on the drive participants were asked to provide ratings of perceived risk, difficulty and anxiety. At the end of the drive, participants were asked a free recall question about what they remembered from the drive, followed by cued recall questions about six of the locations from the drive prompted by photographs. In general, participants recalled very similar things from the drive, notably what they saw as the poor behaviour of other drivers. The participants’ recall accuracy was rather poor, with memory for whether they had stopped at a particular location having the highest accuracy. Memory of whether there were vehicles ahead and whether they had stopped had a high number of recall false alarms, adding to the suggestion that participants remembered the locations and what usually happens there rather than detailed recollections of a particular occasion. There were no observed relationships between recall accuracy and perceptions of driving risk, difficulty, or anxiety. The results indicated that memories of everyday driving are combinations of examples of bad behaviour of other road users and our recollections of what typically happens at familiar locations.

The aim of this study was to explore how frequently drivers report mind wandering during their daily commute, and to learn more about how conscious and unconscious processes combine during everyday driving. We recorded 587 thought samples across 110 drives by eleven female participants aged between 28 and 48 years who regularly drive between home and work. Using a probe-catch descriptive experience sampling procedure, thought samples were captured and categorised according to whether they were driving-related or not, and according to their trigger (sensory vs internal). We found that drivers on the daily commute reported mind wandering on 63% of reports, and were actively focused on the driving task for between 15% and 20% of samples. For the remaining one fifth of thought samples, drivers were not actively thinking about anything in particular. Over half of drivers’ mind wandering reports were related to things they saw or heard, suggesting that although they are not directly focused on driving all of the time, they frequently and habitually scan the road and roadside environment. When momentary driving task demands do not command attention, drivers’ minds wander towards personal current concerns. Mind wandering is often triggered by what drivers see or hear. These findings suggest that in familiar, undemanding situations, drivers are more likely to be found mind wandering than focusing on driving, however mind wandering is swiftly interrupted when driving task demands command effortful attention. The results have implications for research into mind wandering, implying that a baseline of sustained task focus is not the norm when driving the daily commute. Researchers and policy-makers ought to consider how to design road and traffic systems that align with drivers’ unconscious expectations.

The focus of the research was to investigate drivers' expectations and mental representations of familiar rural roads. Participants first completed a picture sort task for 34 rural road scenes from the local area and then rated the roads individually in terms of their comfort, driving difficulty, monotony, the speed they would choose, and how safe they would feel while driving. The similarity judgements from the picture sorting task were analysed with multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to reveal six non-overlapping road categories with very good agreement across participants. These categories correctly predicted significant differences in the participants' explicit judgements about speed, difficulty, physical comfort, and safety of the individual roads. We believe that these findings can be taken as supporting evidence that these drivers' had formed underlying mental representations or schemata for these familiar roads based on the type of driving required for each.

This two-phase study investigated New Zealand primary school teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of childhood mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), and evaluated the effectiveness of a professional development workshop for enhancing teacher knowledge regarding mTBI. In phase one, 19 teachers from schools in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty engaged in interviews regarding their understanding of mTBI and their experiences of learning and professional development in regards to this topic. In phase two, 38 teachers across three schools participated in and evaluated a workshop that focused on increasing knowledge of possible mTBI effects and intervention strategies. The results of phase one found that teachers had a limited understanding of mTBI, its implications in childhood and how to manage its effects at school. Few had engaged in formal learning opportunities related to childhood TBI. In phase two, the brief professional development workshop resulted in a significant increase in TBI knowledge, with teachers identifying the need for practice adaptation. The findings enrich what is known regarding New Zealand teachers’ knowledge of mTBI and demonstrates the potential usefulness of brief professional development approaches to inform classroom practice and enhance functional outcomes for children who have experienced mTBI.

Objective To assess longer-term social cognition after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and to identify the sociodemographic and acute factors (mood, cognitive functioning, and symptoms) influencing social cognition. Method Data were extracted for 121 adults who experienced a mTBI and completed the Emotion Evaluation and Social Inference Enriched tests of The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT) 4 years postinjury. To identify early indicators of outcome, responses to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptom Questionnaire, and CNS Vital Signs neurocognitive assessment conducted 1 month postinjury were also extracted. Social cognition scores were compared to age-matched TASIT norms (N = 121). Results The mTBI group was significantly less able to interpret what people say and intend than norms, although the effect sizes were small (d = 0.43). There were 24.8% of people 4 years postmTBI and 9.9% of norms who experienced at least mild impairment in social inference. There were no significant differences between the mTBI group and norms for emotion evaluation. Poorer social inference 4 years after mTBI was significantly associated with lower cognitive flexibility and executive function (F = 2.57, df = 13,26, p = .02). Group differences remained after controlling for cognitive functioning (F = 104.59 df = 1,58, p = .001. Conclusions These novel results suggest that adults postmTBI may experience social inference difficulties 4 years post-TBI that are not completely explained by cognitive difficulties. Further research is needed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Inattention is a road safety problem, but few studies have focused specifically on mind wandering during everyday driving. This paper explores differences in self-reported mind wandering according to driver demographic characteristics (including age and gender), cognitive traits (such as tendency toward cognitive failure or mindful attention), states (such as feeling tired or stressed) and road environment factors (such as route familiarity). Five hundred and two participants (113 male, average age 44.4 years, SD=14.0years) completed a series of questionnaires (Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS), Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ)), as well as study-specific questions about mind wandering during different personal states and across a range of road and traffic situations. All respondents reported mind wandering during driving at least some of the time. Mind wandering was more likely to be reported on familiar roads than on unfamiliar roads and when drivers are tired. Drivers who reported relatively more mind wandering were younger, reported less mindful attention in daily life, more cognitive failures, and more driving violations and lapses. Together, the findings suggest that mind wandering is common in everyday driving, however any link with crash risk remains unclear. Future research using self-report and naturalistic methods could provide more insight into relationships between mind wandering, error and crash risk.

Objective: This research investigated the on-road driving performance of individuals with ADHD across a range of road and traffic conditions to determine whether errors were linked to situational complexity and attentional demands. Method: The everyday driving performance of medicated drivers with ADHD, unmedicated drivers with ADHD, and controls was tested in urban, residential, rural, and highway environments using driver license testing procedures. Results: Unmedicated drivers with ADHD displayed fewer safe driving skills and committed more inattentive and impatient driving errors, particularly in low demand highway and rural driving conditions. Medicated drivers’ performance was not reliably different than controls. Participants in both ADHD groups were more likely than controls to report risky driving and involvement in crashes. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that situations with low attentional demand are particularly risky for unmedicated ADHD drivers and suggest that focus on these situations may be useful in improving driving outcomes for this population.

Young drivers show high levels of risky driving and are over-represented in motor vehicle crash statistics world-wide. As well as personality and attitudinal factors, high rates of risk taking during adolescence may be due to poorly developed executive functions, a result of the slow maturation of the pre-frontal cortex of the brain. This study was undertaken to investigate the roles of executive function, personality, attitudes to risk in relation to self-reported driving behaviour. Adolescent (n = 46, age 16-18 years) and adult (n = 32, 25 years and over) male drivers completed a battery of neuropsychological tests to assess general cognitive ability and executive function, and questionnaires to assess driving history, personality, attitudes to physical and psychological risk as well as questionnaires of self-reported driving behaviour (Driver risk taking and Driver Attitude Questionnaire, DAQ). The adolescent drivers showed poorer executive function, higher levels of impulsivity and risk-taking, lower levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness compared to adult drivers. Regression analyses revealed that attitudes to risk, agreeableness and working memory made unique significant contributions in explaining self-reported driving behaviour. Interestingly though, better working memory was associated with higher levels of self-reported risky driving and more accepting attitudes to risky driving. Together the findings suggest that some aspects of executive function, personality, and attitudes to risk may help to explain self-reported driving behaviour. Whether these findings are relevant to female drivers and apply to on-road driving behaviour should be the focus of future studies. Language: en

Approximately one third of car trips involve one or more passengers and yet we know little about how the presence of a passenger helps or hinders safety and efficiency. To date, research in this area has focused on the possible distractive effects of passengers. Although we know that drivers conversing on a mobile phone is distracting and unsafe, epidemiological studies suggest that driving with a passenger has a lower crash risk than driving alone. This paper describes two studies into how drivers and passengers interact during a journey; a survey regarding the most common actions of passengers and how drivers view their helpfulness, and an on-road study of driver and passenger interactions. The results indicated several areas that drivers felt passenger assistance was quite helpful, but in some cases was exhibited very rarely. The on-road study revealed some interesting gender differences in who offers driving support, and who requests it. By understanding how passengers can contribute to safer journeys we can provide that information to drivers at risk, such as those very early or late in their driving careers.

Risk perception plays an important role in driver behaviour, particularly for speed choice. Risk perception studies use a range of techniques from on-road data collection to ratings of still photos, however participants’ ratings differ depending on the study methodology, possibly due to their perception of control. To explore this we conducted a multiple methods study to investigate drivers’ perceptions of risk on rural roads. One group of participants drove (Drivers, n = 13) a 180 km route along rural roads (accompanied by a research assistant) and provided verbal risk ratings at thirteen locations of interest. A second group (Passengers, n = 10) provided ratings at the same points when travelling as a passenger in a vehicle (driven by a research assistant). The third group (Observers, n = 14) were shown videos of the same rural roads (filmed from the drivers’ perspective) and also provided risk ratings at the same locations. A week later participants were invited to the laboratory to review the video footage and comment on factors that contributed to the risk ratings. Overall, the Observers gave the highest risk ratings and Drivers the lowest. The Observers also provided twice the number of comments to justify their risk rating compared to the other two groups. The results suggest that control, and on-road experience play a significant role in how perceptions of driving risk are formed and the degree of risk experienced. These findings also bring into question the accuracy of using video-based tasks to assess drivers’ risk perception (and speed choice), particularly if the findings are used to inform on-road safety interventions.

Driving on the unfamiliar side of the road contributes to tourist road accidents and may deter self-driving tourists from travelling to certain countries. Experienced drivers usually drive on &ldquo, autopilot&rdquo, but under unfamiliar circumstances, drivers might generate instructions to avoid certain behaviour. Previous research has revealed that avoidant instructions can sometimes cause behaviour in the unintended direction (i.e., &ldquo, ironic&rdquo, behaviour). This study examined the effect of avoidant instructions (i.e., do not drift towards the centreline) while driving on the unfamiliar side of the road under high cognitive load. Participants (8 males, 9 females) drove on simulated roads under neutral and avoidant instructions, with or without a secondary task, in control and roadworks scenarios. Avoidant instructions did not lead to ironic behaviour (doing what one has been instructed not to do) but were associated with overcompensatory behaviour&mdash, driving further from the centreline compared to neutral instructions. Overcompensatory effects were not present when driving with a secondary task or in a roadworks scenario. The findings suggest that avoidant instructions do not lead to dangerous ironic behaviours. Further work needs to be undertaken on driving instructions given to tourists in other contexts like physiological fatigue.

Purpose: Hypomimia, or facial masking, is a decrease in voluntary control and spontaneous movement of the muscles of the face, which may occur in Parkinson's disease. Little is known about the psychosocial consequences or management of this symptom. The aim of this study was to provide an initial overview of patient & spousal experiences of living with an acquired nonverbal expressive impairment in Parkinson's disease. Method: This qualitative study involved a community sample of individuals with Parkinson's who experienced facial masking, and their close romantic partners. Nine people who had Parkinson's and nine of their spouses or partners participated in separate (individual) semi-structured interviews. Results: A descriptive thematic approach was used to analyze the interview data. Key themes relevant to rehabilitation included the misidentification of masking as negative affect, poor symptom recognition, and unmet health resource needs. Conclusions: The results indicate masking can have an adverse impact on close relationships and psychological well-being. This study presents an initial basis for clinicians working with Parkinson's populations to recognize of the needs of people who experience masking and better support such individuals and their families to live satisfying social and emotional lives. Implications for Rehabilitation People who have Parkinson's and their families are often unaware facial masking is a symptom of Parkinson's disease. Masking may be confused with negative affect and become a barrier to satisfying close relationships. Masking related health resources and support are perceived to be of poor availability and quality. This qualitative study suggests masking be considered as an etiology of interpersonal and psychological difficulties in Parkinson's disease, and encourages better recognition of this unique population's health education needs.

The relationship between moderate/severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and cognitive deficits is well known. The nature, duration and predictors of cognitive difficulties post-mild TBI remain unclear. This study examined cognitive, mood and post-concussion outcomes of mild TBI over 1-year post-injury.Adults (15 years) with mild TBI (n = 260) completed neuropsychological (CNS-Vital Signs, Behavioural Dyscontrol Scale), mood (Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale) and behavioural assessments (Cognitive Failures Questionnaire, Rivermead Post-Concussion Questionnaire) at baseline, 1-, 6- and 12-months post-injury.Over the 12-months post-injury self-reported cognition (p = 0.027), post-concussion symptoms (p 0.001), depression (p 0.001), anxiety (p 0.001) and dyscontrol (p = 0.025) improved significantly. Assessments of memory, processing speed, executive function, psychomotor speed/reaction time, complex attention and flexibility also improved significantly. At baseline20% of individuals produced very low scores on executive ability, complex attention and cognitive flexibility. At 1- and 6-month follow-ups20% of participants were very low for complex attention, with 16.3% remaining so at 12-months. Executive abilities and speed were related to post-concussion symptoms, mood and self-reported cognition at 12-months.Whilst significant improvements were noted across measures over time, a significant proportion of individuals still perform poorly on neuropsychological measures 12-months after mild TBI; and these were linked to post-concussion symptoms, mood and self-reported cognitive outcomes. This implies a longer trajectory for recovery than has previously been suggested, which has implications for provision of assessment and rehabilitation services for more extended periods.

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol has an adverse effect on driving performance; however, the effects of moderate doses on different aspects of the driving task are inconsistent and differ across the intoxication curve. This research aimed to investigate driving and cognitive performance asymmetries (acute tolerance and acute protracted error) accompanying the onset and recovery from moderate alcohol consumption. METHODS: Sixty-one participants received a placebo, medium (target blood alcohol concentration [BAC] 0.05 mg/ml) or high (target BAC 0.08 mg/ml) dose of alcohol. Participants completed a simulated drive, cognitive tests and subjective rating scales five times over a 3.5 h period. RESULTS: When ascending and descending BACs (0.05 and 0.09 mg/ml) were compared participants' self-ratings of intoxication and willingness to drive showed acute tolerance. Acute protracted errors were observed for response speed, maze learning errors, time exceeding the speed limit and exaggerated steering responses to hazards. CONCLUSIONS: Participants' estimates of their level of intoxication were poorly related to their actual BAC levels (and hence degree of impairment), and various aspects of driving and cognitive performance worsened during descending BACs. This indicates that drivers are not good at judging their fitness to drive after drinking only moderate amounts of alcohol and suggests an important focus for public education regarding alcohol and driving. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Language: en

Background: Neuropsychological deficits occur in over half of the stroke survivors and are associated with the reduced functioning and a decline in quality of life. However, the trajectory of recovery and predictors of neuropsychological outcomes over the first year post stroke are poorly understood. Method: Neuropsychological performance, assessed using the CNS-Vital signs, was examined at 1 month, 6 months and 12 months after ischaemic stroke (IS) in a sample drawn from a population-based study (N = 198). Results: While mean scores across neuropsychological domains at each time-point fell in the average range, one in five individuals produced very low-range scores for verbal memory, attention and psychomotor speed. Significant improvements were seen for executive functioning, psychomotor speed and cognitive flexibility within 6 months post stroke, but no gains were noted from 6 to 12 months. Stroke-related neurological deficits and depression at baseline significantly contributed to the prediction of neuropsychological function at 12 month follow-up. Conclusions: In a significant minority of IS survivors, focal deficits are evident in psychomotor speed, verbal memory, executive functions and attention. Significant improvements in these domains were only evident in the first 6 months post stroke. Initial stroke-related neurological deficits and concurrent depression may be the best predictors of later cognitive functioning.

To determine the frequency of sleep difficulties in children following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) over time and explore the role of sleep on recovery and behaviour.Longitudinal study of 109 children aged between 8-16 years who had experienced a mild TBI, with an embedded case control study. Parents completed assessments of the child's sleep quality, symptoms and behaviour at baseline, 1, 6 and 12 months post-injury. Regression analyses explored the impact of poor sleep on 12-month outcomes. Healthy control children were assessed at one time point for comparison to determine the longer-term impact of brain injury on sleep.The number of children experiencing poor sleep quality peaked 1-month post-injury (39%), reducing to 28% 12-months post-injury. Poor sleep quality at 1-month was associated with increased frequency and severity of symptoms and poorer behavioural outcomes 1 year post-TBI. Cases with TBI were significantly more likely to have sleep difficulties 1-year post-injury than controls (Odds ratio = 3.09).Sleep difficulties are common following mild TBI in children and are predictive of longer-term outcomes. Identifying children with sleep difficulties post-injury and providing support to facilitate sleep may improve their longer-term functioning.

Progesterone generally produces anxiolytic effects in rats and mice. However, sex differences in response to this neuroactive steroid have not been systematically investigated. Thus, this study investigated the anxiety-modulating actions of acute, chronic and withdrawn progesterone treatment in male and female Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and black-white box (BWB). Gerbils were tested after receiving vehicle, 0.5, 2.5, 7.5 or 15 mg/kg progesterone administered acutely, chronically (14 days) or after a 24-h withdrawal period following chronic treatment. Data analyses showed that overall the effects of progesterone were similar in males and females. Progesterone produced few behavioural alterations in the EPM following any of the treatment regimes. However, acute and chronic progesterone reduced anxiety in the BWB (as shown by increased exploration, locomotion and entries into the white compartment). In contrast, withdrawal of progesterone produced minimal effects in the EPM and BWB. This study suggests that the BWB maybe the most suitable test for detecting the anxiolytic effects of neuroactive steroids in gerbils. However, further research is needed to clarify the behavioural effects of progesterone in this species.

Sucrose is considered by many to be detrimental to health, giving rise to deterioration of the body associated with ageing. This study was undertaken to determine whether replacing sucrose in the diet long-term with honey that has a high antioxidant content could decrease deterioration in brain function during ageing. Forty-five 2-month old Sprague Dawley rats were fed ad libitum for 52 weeks on a powdered diet that was either sugar-free or contained 7.9% sucrose or 10% honey (which is the equivalent amount of sugar). Anxiety levels were assessed using an Elevated Plus Maze, whilst a Y maze and an Object Recognition task were used to assess memory. Locomotor activity was also measured using an Open Field task to ensure that differences in activity levels did not bias results in the other tasks. Anxiety generally decreased overall from 3 to 12 months, but the honey-fed rats showed significantly less anxiety at all stages of ageing compared with those fed sucrose. Honey-fed animals also displayed better spatial memory throughout the 12-month period: at 9 and 12 months a significantly greater proportion of honey-fed rats recognised the novel arm as the unvisited arm of the maze compared to rats on a sugar-free or sucrose-based diet. No significant differences among groups were observed in the Object Recognition task, and there appeared to be no differences in locomotor activity among groups at either 6 or 12 months. In conclusion, it appears that consumption of honey may reduce anxiety and improve spatial memory in middle age.

Slowed information processing speed (IPS) is frequently reported in those with multiple sclerosis (MS), and at least 20% are compromised on some aspect of executive functioning also. However, any relationship between these two processes has not been examined. The Sternberg Memory Scanning Test, Processing Speed Index (WAIS-III), Delis Kaplan Executive Function System (D.KEFS), and Working Memory Index (WMS-III) were administered to 90 participants with MS. Their performance on the PSI was significantly below the normative scores but no deficits in memory scanning speed were evident. The initial response speed of the Sternberg and the PSI were more closely related to D.KEFS performance, particularly in timed tasks with a high cognitive demand (switching tasks). In contrast, memory scanning speed was related to working memory. This study reinforces the link between IPS and working memory in MS, and supports the suggestion that IPS is not a unitary construct.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common chronic diseases of the central nervous system, and in New Zealand an estimated 4000 people are currently affected. This study was conducted to examine executive functioning, memory and general ability in a community-based sample of 95 participants with MS. The sample included those with relapsing-remitting, secondary progressive, chronic progressive and benign MS with an average duration of illness of 11.8 years. Only 9% of the participants showed no indication of cognitive impairment with most exhibiting mild executive dysfunction across the range of shifting, inhibition, fluency and working memory categories. As this became more widespread, all other measures of cognitive ability and memory also showed evidence of deterioration, but in some, this may have been due to slowed information processing. Overall, there was a high degree of variability in the levels of performance and there was no 'typical' pattern of deficits associated with MS. Thus, a proportion of those living with MS may have to cope with noticeable and unpredictable cognitive decline in addition to their physical disabilities.

Gerbils are social animals and live in family groups in the wild, suggesting that individual housing may be a psychosocial stressor in this species. In the present study, gerbils were housed in same sex groups for 4 weeks, and then were either individually housed or remained with their cage mates for 1 week. Gerbils were tested in the black/white box (BWB), elevated plus maze (EPM) and social interaction test. Results indicated no significant differences in behaviour in the BWB. In contrast, on the EPM individually housed males showed increased anxiety compared to other groups, whilst there were no specific effects in females. In the social interaction test, however, individual housing in males increased social investigation, whilst females showed a decrease in exploration, accompanied by increased immobility. Passive immobility (freezing) was also increased in both sexes following individual housing. Thus, data from the EPM suggest that individual housing leads to increased anxiety mainly in males, whilst data from the SI suggests broadly the opposite. Therefore, individual housing results in different behavioural changes in male and female gerbils, which are dependent upon the test situation. This study highlights two key points. Firstly, it is important to use our knowledge of the species natural ecology in interpreting and designing anxiety tests. Secondly, it is important to assess behaviour in a range of situations when attempting to measure 'anxiety', particularly where tests developed for use in one species/sex are being used in another.

Previous research has shown that the effects of alcohol on drivers' performance can differ depending on whether blood alcohol concentrations are increasing or decreasing. The present research used a more ecologically representative alcohol consumption protocol in order to determine whether the same pattern of driver impairment would occur when drinking occurred in social groups over a longer period of time. Forty-four participants were assigned to one of two alcohol dose conditions or a placebo control group and consumed alcohol in groups of three (typically one participant from each condition) such that they gradually reached their target BAC (.05 or .08) and maintained it for 1 h. The participants completed a series of cognitive tests (Cogstate test battery) and a simulated driving task (driver attention inhibition and reaction test) over the course of their intoxication curve (approximately 4 h). The results showed strong placebo effects on ratings of subjective intoxication. Driving and cognitive performance both showed dose-dependent alcohol impairment, and some measures displayed acute protracted error. The findings provide strong evidence of expectancy effects in contributing to self-perceptions of intoxication.

Gerbils form stable male/female pairbonds. Disruption of these has been shown to have consequences for subsequent social behaviour. The response in males is typically a decrease in the initiation of social contacts, whilst females typically freeze when approached. The current studies examined the influence on these phenomena of the gender of the stimulus animal. Data revealed that a similar increase in immobile-in-contact was seen in pairbond disrupted females regardless of whether they were interacting with males or females. By contrast, reductions in social behaviour were only seen in males when interacting with other males. Social investigation was increased when interacting with females. These results are interpreted in the context of gerbil social organisation in the wild. That is, whilst females continue to represent a possibility for opportunistic mating, decreased social investigation and offense directed towards other males indicates a reduced capacity for territorial defence. Together, present findings demonstrate that there are clear sex-differences in the behavioural effects of pairbond disruption in gerbils but that it is only in males that the expression of these effects is influenced by the sex of the stimulus animal.

Primary objective: Development of depression after TBI is linked to poorer outcomes. The aim of this manuscript is to review evidence for the effectiveness of current treatments.Research design: Two meta-analyses were undertaken to examine the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for depression after mild TBIMethod and procedures: PubMed, Medline, PsychInfo, Web of Science and Digital Dissertations were searched and 13 studies located. Meta Analyst Beta 3.13 was used to conduct analyses of pre- vs post-effects then to examine treatment group vs control group effects.Main outcomes and results: Studies using a pre–post design produced an overall effect size of 1.89 (95% CI = 1.20–2.58, p

Aim To investigate the anxiolytic effects of prolonged rose odor exposure, mature gerbils were exposed to acute (24 h), chronic (2 week) rose odor, or a no odor condition. Anxiolytic effects were assessed using the elevated plus maze and black white box. Rose odor profiles were compared with diazepam (1 mg/kg) i.p. The Jonckheere–Terpstra test was used, with the Mann–Whitney U test to examine significant group differences. In the elevated plus maze, spatiotemporal measures, altered by diazepam, were unaffected by rose oil, whereas exploration, increased (headdip frequency: acute U = 100, p

Previous studies have shown that separating gerbils from established male/female pairs has consequences for subsequent social behaviour. In males, this is characterized by decreased initiation of social contact, social investigation, and either decreased aggressive behaviour or increased defense. In females, there is an increase in immobile-in-contact, which serves to terminate social encounters initiated by another animal. Although these data show the effects of disrupting established pairs, they do not, per se, demonstrate the existence of male/female pair-bonds. Three studies were performed to address this issue in more detail. In the first study, separating females from single-sex groups was found to produce similar effects to those seen following separation from male/female pairs. Generally, opposite effects were seen in males. In the second study, the effects of separating females from male/female pairs were not seen when the original cagemate was replaced with a different animal. These effects persisted in males. The third study revealed that the presence of a female until immediately prior to testing was crucial in producing high levels of social investigation and aggression in males and that the observation of decreases in these behaviours following separation from male/female pairs was dependent on this. Together, these data show that, in males, individual housing is not a critical variable, that effects seen following the breaking of male/female pairs are not attenuated by the presence of a new female, and that these effects are not seen following separation from male/male pairs. It is concluded, therefore, that the behavioural consequences of removing males from established male/female pairs are due to separation from a specific female and that this is highly indicative of the existence of a bonding mechanism in male but not female, gerbils.

Gerbils are social rodents which form stable male-female pairs. These pair bonds appear to be based on prolonged association rather than an exclusive mating relationship. However, both sexes contribute to territorial defense and pup rearing. Therefore, pair-bond disruption may be expected to have consequences for subsequent behaviour. This hypothesis was examined in a series of laboratory studies. Behavioural consequences of pair-bond disruption were seen in both sexes and the optimum housing parameters were found to be to pair males and females for 5 weeks and to examine their behaviour 1 week after pair-bond disruption. Two further studies using these parameters were conducted to examine the combined influence of pair-bond disruption and the sex of the animal being interacted with. Results across all studies revealed a consistent pattern. Females showed increased immobility in contact, that is, freezing upon another animal's approach, and altered cage-orientated behaviour, regardless of the sex of the animal they were interacting with. In contrast, males showed decreased social investigation and offense and initiated fewer social interactions. However, these effects were only seen in interactions with other males. No changes in social behaviour were evident in interactions between pair-bond-disrupted males and females. The behavioural strategies of pair-bond-disrupted males and females in a social situation therefore differ. From these studies, it may be concluded that pair-bond disruption has consistent and reproducible effects on subsequent social behaviour in gerbils and that there are important sex differences in the behavioural expression of this.

s / Journal of Veterinary Behavior 8 (2013) e27ee46 e38 acquisition and rate of responding. Field observations of dog owners during training found delays to reinforcement range from 0-6.2 s; however, the effects of delaying reinforcement don’t appear to have been studied with dogs. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of delaying reinforcement when training dogs to perform a novel behavior. Pre-training was conducted in an experimental pen to condition them to the sound of a beep (secondary reinforcement) preceding delivery of food treats (primary reinforcement) from a feeding device. In the experiment, dogs were led into the pen and allowed to explore. The target behavior was the dogs sniffing inside one of two containers. When the dogs sniffed inside the correct container and broke infra-red beams, positive reinforcement (beep and then food) was delivered at a pre-set delay. Each dog worked on one delay only (0 s or 1 s). The behavior was considered learned when performed 10 times in a row, with 5 s between responses. The 0 s delay group comprised 7 dogs: 6 learned the behavior and 1 did not. Five dogs were tested at 1 s delay: 2 dogs learned and 3 did not; when these 3 dogs were switched onto 0 s delay, all learned. These results are preliminary, however, delays of 1 s prevented some (60%) dogs learning the task. This research reveals that timing of reinforcement is an important variable in successful dog training.