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This study addresses a gap in the literature by exploring the longitudinal effects of hassles in mediating the relationship between neuroticism and the tripartite model of depression and anxiety. The research investigates these associations in a large sample of university students, utilising baseline and 6-month follow-up data. Initial assessments involved participants completing measures for neuroticism, depression and anxiety symptoms, and the occurrence of stress, followed by monthly assessments of stress, anxiety symptom and mood symptoms over a 6-month period. Our results illuminate the mediating role of daily hassles in the relationship between neuroticism and various dimensions of anxiety and depression, including general distress, specific depression, and anxiety symptoms. These findings underscore the significant impact of neuroticism and hassles on a broad spectrum of mood symptoms, offering valuable insights for both research and clinical practice. Discussions around the implications of these findings are provided in the our paper, where we also outline potential directions for future research and clinical applications.
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Disordered eating and body image concerns are particularly prevalent among women who are engaged to be married (i.e., brides-to-be), and this population may be subject to increased social and cultural pressure to achieve specific appearance ideals. The tripartite influence model purports that appearance pressures from four sources (peers, family, romantic partners, and media) influence body image and disordered eating outcomes through thin ideal internalization and appearance comparison. The present cross-sectional study sought to examine the relationships between tripartite theory constructs, body image, and disordered eating among 329 brides-to-be using path analysis with robust estimation. In the final model, media influence was the only tripartite predictor associated with both thin ideal internalization and appearance comparison. Further, thin ideal internalization and appearance comparison were associated with disordered eating directly as well as indirectly through body dissatisfaction. Altogether, the influence variables explained 39 % of the variance in disordered eating. While appearance pressures from media, peers, and partners were indirectly associated with disordered eating through one or more hypothesized indirect pathways, appearance pressure from family was not, indicating this relationship may be uniquely impacted by other factors not captured in tripartite models. Results suggest that family and media influence are most strongly associated with disordered eating in this group and have the capacity to inform future research as well as intervention development and dissemination.
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Insatisfação Corporal , Transtornos da Alimentação e da Ingestão de Alimentos , Humanos , Feminino , Estudos Transversais , Imagem Corporal , Grupo AssociadoRESUMO
Depression is a common and debilitating condition that impacts individuals with various cultural backgrounds, medical conditions, and life circumstances. Thus, assessment tools need to be useful among different cultural groups. The 21-item Teate Depression Inventory (TDI) was developed in Italy, is designed to assess major depression, and focuses on cognitive and affective rather than somatic symptoms. This study aims to examine the factor structure and concurrent validity of the TDI English version among a non-clinical population in the United States. Participants included 398 adults (mean age 19.89 years, SD = 2.72, range: 18 to 46 years old) who completed the TDI and The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R). The results supported a three-factor bifactor structure of the TDI (Positive Affect, Negative Affect, and Daily Functioning), which largely corresponds to the Tripartite Model of affective disorders. These findings support the use of TDI scores as measures of depressive symptoms among U.S. young adults, offering researchers and practitioners a brief and useful tool.
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Depressão , Transtorno Depressivo Maior , Humanos , Adulto Jovem , Adulto , Adolescente , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Depressão/diagnóstico , Depressão/epidemiologia , Depressão/psicologia , Transtorno Depressivo Maior/diagnóstico , Cultura , Psicometria , Itália , Reprodutibilidade dos TestesRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Previously, most studies used 5-star and 1-star ratings to represent reviewers' positive and negative attitudes, respectively. However, this premise is not always true because individuals' attitudes have more than one dimension. In particular, given the credence traits of medical service, to build durable physician-patient relationships, patients may rate their physicians with high scores to avoid lowering their physicians' web-based ratings and help build their physicians' web-based reputations. Some patients may express complaints only in review texts, resulting in ambivalence, such as conflicting feelings, beliefs, and reactions toward physicians. Thus, web-based rating platforms for medical services may face more ambivalence than platforms for search or experience goods. OBJECTIVE: On the basis of the tripartite model of attitudes and uncertainty reduction theory, this study aims to consider both the numerical rating and sentiment of each web-based review to explore whether there is ambivalence and how ambivalent attitudes influence the helpfulness of web-based reviews. METHODS: This study collected 114,378 reviews of 3906 physicians on a large physician review website. Then, based on existing literature, we operationalized numerical ratings as the cognitive dimension of attitudes and sentiment in review texts as the affective dimension of attitudes. Several econometric models, including the ordinary least squares model, logistic regression model, and Tobit model, were used to test our research model. RESULTS: First, this study confirmed the existence of ambivalence in each web-based review. Then, by measuring ambivalence through the inconsistency between the numerical rating and sentiment for each review, this study found that the ambivalence in different web-based reviews has a different impact on the helpfulness of the reviews. Specifically, for reviews with positive emotional valence, the higher the degree of inconsistency between the numerical rating and sentiment, the greater the helpfulness is (ßpositive 1=.046; P<.001). For reviews with negative and neutral emotional valence, the impact is opposite, that is, the higher the degree of inconsistency between the numerical rating and sentiment, the lesser the helpfulness is (ßnegative 1=-.059, P<.001; ßneutral 1=-.030, P=.22). Considering the traits of the data, the results were also verified using the logistic regression model (θpositive 1=0.056, P=.005; θnegative 1=-0.080, P<.001; θneutral 1=-0.060, P=.03) and Tobit model. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the existence of ambivalence between the cognitive and affective dimensions in single reviews and found that for reviews with positive emotional valence, the ambivalent attitudes lead to more helpfulness, but for reviews with negative and neutral emotion valence, the ambivalence attitudes lead to less helpfulness. The results contribute to the web-based review literature and inspire a better design for rating mechanisms in review websites to enhance the helpfulness of reviews.
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Médicos , Humanos , Afeto , Emoções , Internet , Relações Médico-Paciente , Médicos/psicologiaRESUMO
The objective of this study was to investigate how cortisol levels and appraisals of daily hassles differ across tripartite dimensions of depression and anxiety in emerging adults. Data collected from a sample of undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university was used to investigate these aims. This included salivary cortisol data collected over four days, scores on a measure of the tripartite model of anxiety and depression, and scores on a measure of daily hassles administered everyday for two weeks. Generalized estimating equations and multilevel modeling techniques were used to analyze data. Elevated cortisol levels during the awakening period and the evening period, lower total levels across the day, steeper diurnal slopes, and elevated levels of negative affect and physiological hyperarousal predicted experiences of daily hassles. Tripartite dimensions were unrelated to cortisol indices. The present study demonstrates the utility of modeling multiple cortisol indices and provides evidence of differential associations between physiological and phenomenological indices of stress.
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Depressão , Hidrocortisona , Humanos , Adulto , Saliva , Ansiedade , Transtornos de Ansiedade , Ritmo Circadiano/fisiologia , Estresse PsicológicoRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: This study investigated attitudes towards dementia among Chinese immigrants aged 50 years and over living in Australia and compares these attitudes with those of individuals living in mainland China. It aimed to better understand what older Chinese adults think about dementia and to inform the development of tailored dementia-related services for this group of people. DESIGN: A qualitative design involving individual interviews was employed in this study. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-six participants were recruited: 21 in Melbourne and 25 in Beijing. All interviewees were born in mainland China, were community-dwelling, and did not have a dementia diagnosis. MEASUREMENTS: The tripartite model of attitudes was used to guide the semi-structured interview design and report the results. Thematic qualitative analysis was employed. RESULTS: In both groups, most participants held negative feelings, stigmatized views and negative stereotypes of dementia. However, most participants expressed a willingness to help individuals living with dementia. Regarding dementia care, nearly all participants preferred home care but thought formal care would become the mainstream form of care in the future. Fewer Melbourne participants expressed concerns regarding developing dementia, were interested in dementia, or perceived a need for dementia-related educational activities. Melbourne participants also reported more avoidant responses to dementia or individuals living with dementia. CONCLUSION: This study carefully compares attitudes towards dementia between older Chinese immigrants in Melbourne and older Chinese adults in Beijing. Similarities and differences were observed between these two groups. Dementia-related service providers should consider the sociocultural changes and migration-related barriers experienced by Chinese immigrants.
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Demência , Emigrantes e Imigrantes , Idoso , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Atitude , Pequim , População do Leste Asiático , AustráliaRESUMO
Self-disclosures on online social networks have received increased attention in the last two decades. Researchers from different disciplines investigated manifold influencing variables, and studies applied different theories to explain why many users share very sensitive and personal information despite potential risks and negative consequences, whereas others do not. Oftentimes, it is argued that self-disclosure decisions result from a kind of rational "calculus" of risks and benefits. However, such an assumption of rationality can and has been criticized. Nevertheless, fundamental cognitive and affective mechanisms that underlie self-disclosure decision making on social networks are still under-explored. By building upon previous self-disclosure theories and models, dual-and tripartite-system perspectives of decision making, and former empirical findings, we propose a Tripartite Self-Disclosure Decision (TSDD) model that conceptualizes inner processes of online self-disclosure decision making. Central to this model is the proposed interaction of three neural and cognitive/affective systems: a reflective, an impulsive, and an interoceptive system. We further highlight individual and environmental features, which can impact individuals' online self-disclosure decisions by (interactively) influencing the proposed inner decision-making processes targeting the aforementioned three systems. Possible short- and long-term consequences are also discussed, which in turn can affect certain model components in subsequent self-disclosure decision situations. By taking such a neurocognitive perspective, we expand current research and models, which helps to better understand potentially risky information sharing on online social networks and can support attempts to prevent users from incautious self-disclosures.
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Assisted dying refers to the steps of the administration of a voluntary assisted dying substance and the administration of the substance. In Australia, assisted dying is now legal in all states. However, there is limited knowledge of what underpins the community's attitudes toward assisted dying. It is important for health professionals to understand what underpins attitudes toward assisted dying when navigating the option with patients and family members. We used a survey based on the Tripartite Model of Attitudes to examine the degree to which beliefs, emotions, and experiences, as well as knowledge, underpinned attitudes towards assisted dying. With a sample of 108, we found emotions and beliefs to significantly explain attitudes towards assisted dying. Knowledge of assisted dying practices was low amongst the sample. Our findings suggest that education of assisted dying is required, and that attitudes towards assisted dying in the Australian community are underpinned by beliefs and emotions.
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Since Stern first started his work in 1938, the field has recognized several empirically supported models of the etiology of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Two such models are the Tripartite Model of the Development of BPD and the Biosocial Development Model of BPD. The Tripartite Model of the Development of BPD suggests that it is a combination of a hyperbolic temperament, traumatic childhood experiences, and an event or series of events that trigger the onset of BPD. Whereas the Biosocial Development Model of BPD elaborates on the work of Linehan's Biosocial Theory. This model suggests a combination of an emotionally vulnerable temperament and an invalidating environment cause BPD. Over 70 years of research support these models. This article covers a detailed description of each of these models, the decades of research supporting these models, similarities, differences, treatment implications, the latest research, and future directions.
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The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a small, subcortical brain structure. It is a target for deep brain stimulation, an invasive treatment that reduces motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Side effects of DBS are commonly explained using the tripartite model of STN organization, which proposes three functionally distinct subregions in the STN specialized in cognitive, limbic, and motor processing. However, evidence for the tripartite model exclusively comes from anatomical studies and functional studies using clinical patients. Here, we provide the first experimental tests of the tripartite model in healthy volunteers using ultra-high field 7 Tesla (T) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Thirty-four participants performed a random-dot motion decision-making task with a difficulty manipulation and a choice payoff manipulation aimed to differentially affect cognitive and limbic networks. Moreover, participants responded with their left and right index finger, differentially affecting motor networks. We analysed BOLD signal in three subregions of the STN along the dorsolateral-ventromedial axis, identified using manually delineated high resolution anatomical images and based on a previously published atlas. Using these paradigms, all segments responded equally to the experimental manipulations, and the tasks did not provide evidence for the tripartite model.
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Estimulação Encefálica Profunda , Doença de Parkinson , Núcleo Subtalâmico , Estimulação Encefálica Profunda/métodos , Humanos , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética/métodos , Doença de Parkinson/diagnóstico por imagem , Núcleo Subtalâmico/diagnóstico por imagemRESUMO
Most body image studies assess only linear relations between predictors and outcome variables, relying on techniques such as multiple Linear Regression. These predictor variables are often validated multi-item measures that aggregate individual items into a single scale. The advent of machine learning has made it possible to apply Nonlinear Regression algorithms-such as Random Forest and Deep Neural Networks-to identify potentially complex linear and nonlinear connections between a multitude of predictors (e.g., all individual items from a scale) and outcome (output) variables. Using a national dataset, we tested the extent to which these techniques allowed us to explain a greater share of the variance in body-image outcomes (adjusted R2) than possible with Linear Regression. We examined how well the connections between body dissatisfaction and dieting behavior could be predicted from demographic factors and measures derived from objectification theory and the tripartite-influence model. In this particular case, although Random Forest analyses sometimes provided greater predictive power than Linear Regression models, the advantages were small. More generally, however, this paper demonstrates how body image researchers might harness the power of machine learning techniques to identify previously undiscovered relations among body image variables.
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Imagem Corporal , Aprendizado de Máquina , Imagem Corporal/psicologia , Humanos , Modelos LinearesRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Building upon the tripartite model of anxiety and depression, the current study aims to examine mechanisms of comorbidity between anxiety and depression using the ProQOL (Professional Quality of Life; including the constructs of burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion satisfaction) in a sample of Chinese health-care clinicians. METHOD: A randomized cross-sectional survey was distributed to 1620 participants who were recruited from eight state-owned hospitals in a city in southern China between January and May 2017. A total of 1562 questionnaires were returned (a response rate of 96.4%). After the cases with more than 10% missing variables and multivariate outliers being removed, 1423 valid cases remained. Multiple mediator models were used for mediation analysis that was conducted using the PROCESS v3.1 macro for SPSS. RESULTS: The indirect effects of anxiety upon depression through burnout (a1 = . 601 (95% confidence interval (CI): .552, .650), p < .001; b1 = .137 (95% CI: .101, .174), p < .001) and compassion satisfaction (a3= -.297 (95% CI: -.352, -.241), p < .001; b3 = -.069 (95% CI: -.100, -.039), p < .001) were significant, while there was no evidence that anxiety influenced depression by changing secondary traumatic stress. The indirect effects of depression upon anxiety through secondary traumatic stress (a2 = . 535 (95% CI: .483, .588), p < .001); b2 = .154 (95% CI: .120, .188), p < .001) were both positive and significant, while there was no evidence that depression influenced anxiety by changing burnout and compassion satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: In the current sample, burnout and compassion satisfaction mediated the effect of anxiety upon depression and secondary traumatic stress mediated the effect of depression upon anxiety. The findings of the current study offer support to the tripartite model.
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Esgotamento Profissional , Qualidade de Vida , Ansiedade/epidemiologia , Esgotamento Profissional/epidemiologia , China/epidemiologia , Estudos Transversais , Depressão/epidemiologia , Humanos , Satisfação no Emprego , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
The postpartum period may be a particular window of vulnerability for eating disorder symptoms given changes to body shape and weight that women experience. However, no quantitative studies have identified risk factors for postpartum eating disorder symptoms, and current psychosocial frameworks of risk may be missing key elements unique to this period. This manuscript reviews existing quantitative and qualitative literature regarding the developmental trajectory of eating disorder symptoms during the perinatal period and proposes an application of three psychosocial models of eating disorder risk (objectification theory, the tripartite influence model of body image and eating disturbances, and social comparison theory) to the postpartum period. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative literature, this paper identifies novel postpartum-specific factors that should be included for consideration in psychosocial models (e.g., self-oriented body comparison and pressure to achieve a prepregnancy weight and shape). This review is the first to theorize potential postpartum-specific risk factors for postpartum eating disorder symptoms. Prior models of eating disorder risk omit key psychosocial factors that are unique to the postpartum period. Other limitations of prior research relate to measurement and methodology. This critical window of vulnerability has been largely ignored in the quantitative literature and necessitates further research.
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Imagem Corporal , Transtornos da Alimentação e da Ingestão de Alimentos/psicologia , Período Pós-Parto/psicologia , Peso Corporal , Feminino , Humanos , Período Periparto/psicologia , Gravidez , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Intrinsic motivation is a well-established concept in psychology, yet, different types of intrinsic motivation have not been thoroughly investigated. We examined covariates associated with three types of intrinsic motivation from self-determination theory (SDT) within the education context: IM to know, IM to accomplish, and IM to experience stimulation. METHODS: A meta-analysis was conducted on samples examining the tripartite model of intrinsic motivation between 1989 and 2019. In total, 78 samples met the inclusion criteria, representing 41,633 participants across multiple nationalities. The average age of participants across samples was 19 years, and 58.2% of participants were female. Path analysis and relative weight analysis were applied to meta-analytically derived correlations. DISCUSSION: Results indicated that IM to know and IM to accomplish were moderately strong predictors of adaptive student outcomes. However, results also indicated a large degree of redundancy including indistinguishable antecedent pathways. IM to experience stimulation was positively, yet, less strongly associated with adaptive outcomes. However, it did appear to be empirically distinct from the remaining intrinsic motivation types in respect to its outcomes and antecedents. CONCLUSION: Intrinsic motivation appears to be a relatively homogeneous construct within educational psychology. Specification of different types of intrinsic motivation is likely to provide only marginal benefit.
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Motivação , Autonomia Pessoal , Adulto , Escolaridade , Feminino , Humanos , Estudos Retrospectivos , Estudantes , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Background: Multidimensional scaling (MDS) is a data reduction tool that produces a visual representation of the association between variables to facilitate the identification of underlying concepts and structures. This technique has been underused in well-being research.Aim: This study used MDS to unravel the underlying concepts and structures in the 14 items of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF).Methods: A sample of 22 606 American students was used. Two-dimensional MDS plots were generated for the entire sample, and separately for each gender group.Results: MDS yielded three non-overlapping clusters of the items that correspond to the three hypothesized well-being concepts measured by the MHC-SF. The results also showed that the items vary along the two underlying dimensions of personal vs. social, and hedonic vs. eudaimonic. The same general structure was found in both females and males.Conclusion: These results supplement and extend the findings of prior factor analytic studies on the MHC-SF by showing that the items of the scale can be distinguished along two separate continua. The results also support the tripartite model of mental well-being.
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Inquéritos Epidemiológicos , Saúde Mental/estatística & dados numéricos , Interpretação Estatística de Dados , Análise Fatorial , Feminino , Inquéritos Epidemiológicos/normas , Humanos , Masculino , Fatores Sexuais , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Prospective memory (PM) - or memory for tasks to be completed in the future - is essential for daily functioning. Although depression and anxiety have been shown to impair PM performance, few studies have explored the relative contributions of different symptom domains. Here, we examined the relation between anxiety, depression, negative mood, and PM performance using the tripartite model. The tripartite model attributes the substantial overlap between anxiety and depression to general distress/negative affect. Twenty-seven non-diagnosed undergraduate participants first completed self-report measures of depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI], State Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI]), and affect (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule). They were then given an event-based PM instruction to be completed during three ongoing cognitive tasks. Depressive symptoms and positive affect were unrelated to PM performance. Higher anxiety symptoms (BAI, r = -0.62; STAI, r = -0.41) and negative affect (r = -0.45) were associated with poorer PM performance, with anxiety doubling the variance explained over-and-above negative affect ( Δ R2 = 0.20). These preliminary results suggest that anxiety symptoms may be uniquely related to impairments in PM function, and highlight the need for future studies to consider the individual contributions of symptoms to understand changes in cognition and behavior.
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Ansiedade/fisiopatologia , Disfunção Cognitiva/fisiopatologia , Depressão/fisiopatologia , Memória Episódica , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Modelos Biológicos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The tripartite model of mental well-being offers a comprehensive account of the nature of mental well-being. According to this model, mental well-being is composed of three distinct yet related dimensions of subjective (hedonic), psychological and social well-being. AIMS: The present study investigated the structural and discriminant validity of the three well-being factors. METHODS: A large American sample (N = 2732) was used. Data were analyzed using both Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM). RESULTS: It was found that the well-being variables loaded on three separate factors, indicating that the tripartite model was consistent with the data. Discriminant validity was further evidenced by moderate correlations between the latent factors, and differential relationships with the Big Five personality traits. ESEM proved to be a more appropriate approach for analyzing the data given the presence of cross-loadings. CONCLUSIONS: These results support adequate structural and discriminant validity for the dimensions of the tripartite model.
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Saúde Mental , Modelos Psicológicos , Personalidade , Idoso , Análise Fatorial , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Reprodutibilidade dos TestesRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Affective models (e.g., tripartite model) delineate shared and unique components of depression and anxiety. Specifically, negative affect is broadly associated with these symptoms, whereas low positive affect is relatively specific to depression and social anxiety. However, it is unknown how affect relates to symptoms as they occur naturalistically in daily life or as a within-person dynamic process. METHOD: 135 treatment-seeking adults completed a baseline assessment of trait affect and then rated current affect and symptoms (depression, social anxiety, panic, worry) three times per day for 10 days. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used, and prospective analyses held constant current symptoms. RESULTS: Baseline trait negative affect and individual differences in momentary negative affect predicted all four symptoms in daily life, whereas low positive affect predicted greater depression only. Similar results were found for within-person concurrent analyses. Prospectively, momentary negative affect predicted increased depression up to 24 h later, and increased panic or worry up to 8-16 h later. Low momentary positive affect predicted greater depression only (8 h later). LIMITATIONS: All data were self-reported, and some relevant anxiety and mood symptoms were excluded. The timing of reports was random and may have missed notable symptoms. Given the novelty of the study, replication is important. CONCLUSIONS: Affective models of depression and anxiety derived from retrospective assessments demonstrated strong ecological validity. With the exception of PA and social anxiety, associations found at the between-person level generally applied to within-person processes, which may be amenable to tracking and targeting in therapy.
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Afeto , Ansiedade/psicologia , Depressão/psicologia , Modelos Psicológicos , Transtornos de Ansiedade/psicologia , Transtorno Depressivo/psicologia , Humanos , AutorrelatoRESUMO
In this article, we introduce the "Campbell Paradigm" as a novel variant of Rosenberg and Hovland's (1960) tripartite model of attitudes. The Campbell Paradigm is based on a highly restricted measurement model that speaks of a compensatory relation between a person's latent attitude and the costs that come with any specific behavior. It overcomes the overarching weakness of the original tripartite model (i.e., its relative irrelevance for actual behavior) and offers a parsimonious explanation for behavior. Even though this seems attractive, we also discuss why the paradigm has not gained momentum in the 50 years since it was originally proposed by Donald T. Campbell. To demonstrate the paradigm's suitability even when implemented with an unrefined instrument in a domain where it has not been used previously, we apply the paradigm to a classic data example from attitude research from the 1984 US presidential election to account for the electorate's voting intentions and actual voting behaviors.
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In this review article we propose a model of the brain systems, the deficiency of which may underlie problematic eating. This integrative model is based on studies that have focused on discrete brain components involved in problematic eating, combined with insights from studies on the neurocognitive basis of other addictive and problematic behaviors. The model includes: (a) a hyper-functioning reward anticipation and processing system (amygdala-striatum dependent) in response to food-related cues; (b) a hypo-functioning reflective and inhibitory control system (prefrontal cortex dependent), that fails to anticipate and properly weigh future outcomes; and (c) an altered interoceptive awareness system (insular cortex dependent) that translates homeostatic violation signals into a strong consumption desire that hijacks the inhibitory system and excites the reward system. We posit that when the abovementioned systems are imbalanced in such a way that the dopamine axis is hyperactive in relation to food cues and the inhibitory system is weak, and this is further aggravated by an altered interoceptive awareness system, people may experience loss of control or inability to resist tempting/rewarding foods. This loss of control over food consumption can explain, at least in part, the development of excess weight and contribute to the obesity epidemic.