Differential Effectiveness of Hypothermic Targeted Temperature Management According to the Severity of Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome

International guidelines recommend targeted temperature management (TTM) to improve the neurological outcomes in adult patients with post-cardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS). However, it still remains unclear if the lower temperature setting (hypothermic TTM) or higher temperature setting (normothermic TTM) is superior for TTM. According to the most recent large randomized controlled trial (RCT), hypothermic TTM was not found to be associated with superior neurological outcomes than normothermic TTM in PCAS patients. Even though this represents high-quality evidence obtained from a well-designed large RCT, we believe that we still need to continue investigating the potential benefits of hypothermic TTM. In fact, several studies have indicated that the beneficial effect of hypothermic TTM differs according to the severity of PCAS, suggesting that there may be a subgroup of PCAS patients that is especially likely to benefit from hypothermic TTM. Herein, we summarize the results of major RCTs conducted to evaluate the beneficial effects of hypothermic TTM, review the recent literature suggesting the possibility that the therapeutic effect of hypothermic TTM differs according to the severity of PCAS, and discuss the potential of individualized TTM.

Body exposure, its forms of delivery and potentially associated working mechanisms: How to move the field forward

Background Body image disturbance (BID) is a hallmark feature of eating disorders (EDs) and has proven to be involved in their etiology and maintenance. Therefore, the targeting of BID in treatment is crucial, and has been incorporated in various treatment manuals. One of the most common techniques in the treatment of BID is body exposure (BE), the confrontation with one’s own body. BE has been found to be effective in individuals with EDs or high body dissatisfaction. However, BE is applied in a multitude of ways, most of which are based on one or a combination of the hypothesized underlying working mechanisms, with no differential effectiveness known so far. Method The aim of this paper is to selectively review the main hypothesized working mechanisms of BE and their translation into therapeutic approaches. Results and Conclusion Specifically, we underline that studies are needed to pinpoint the proposed mechanisms and to develop an empirically informed theoretical model of BE. We provide a framework for future studies in order to identify working mechanisms and increase effectiveness of BE.

Animals Like Us: Leveraging the Negativity Bias in Anthropomorphism to Reduce Beef Consumption

Our current work contributes to the literature of meat consumption reduction. Capitalizing on the inherent humanizing characteristic of anthropomorphism coupled with leveraging negativity bias, we created a novel approach to reduce meat-eating intention. Using on-pack product stickers, we compare an anthropomorphic message stressing the capacity to experience pain with two other anthropomorphic messages that have been used before in the literature (intelligence and pro-social behavior of animals). We find that an on-pack pain anthropomorphic sticker reduces purchase intentions of the meat product and intention to consume meat in general and is more effective than stickers displaying pro-social or intelligence messages. We also show that the pain message’s negative impact on purchase intention is serially mediated by anticipatory guilt and attitude towards meat. In addition, we show that the differential effectiveness of the anthropomorphic messages can be explained by the negativity bias. That is, when the pro-social and intelligence messages were formulated in a negative way (as is pain), all three messages were equally effective at reducing intention to purchase meat and increase intention to reduce meat consumption.

Justify my love: Cognitive dissonance reduction among perpetrators of online and offline infidelity

A longitudinal survey study was conducted to examine which strategies for reducing cognitive dissonance were used among men engaging in infidelity. Data were collected in two waves, 1 month apart ( n time1 = 1514, n time2 = 425), from a sample of male users of Ashley Madison, a “married dating” site targeting users who are seeking to engage in infidelity. Because perpetrators of infidelity may justify their behaviors differently depending on whether they cheated in an online environment, both online and offline infidelity behaviors were considered. Results indicated that attitude change and self-concept change were positively related to online infidelity, while only self-concept change was positively related to offline infidelity, suggesting their differential effectiveness for various communication media. Self-concept change, attitude change, and denial of responsibility were negatively related to psychological discomfort and perceived negative impact at time 2, indicating their relative success for reducing negative psychological outcomes compared to other strategies such as adding consonant cognitions.

Enhancing Self-Monitoring with Differential Negative Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior for Increasing Students’ Writing Production

Many students find writing aversive and behave in ways to escape the task. Self-monitoring and differential negative reinforcement of alternative behavior (DNRA) are two approaches that have been shown to improve the quantity of writing performance but have never been combined to determine whether they are more effective in combination than in isolation. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the differential effectiveness of self-monitoring versus self-monitoring plus DNRA for increasing the number of words and sentences written using a multiple probe design across three participants during two 10-minute sessions. For each baseline session, participants were given a story starter prompt to write as much as they could, received a short break, and then the second 10-minute session would begin. Self-monitoring indicated an increase in a number of words written and an unstable but slightly higher trend in a number of sentences written for one participant. The other two participants showed decreasing trends in both the number of words and sentences written during self-monitoring. Results of self-monitoring plus DNRA indicated an increase in a number of words and sentences written for one participant, while the other two participants showed little to no improvement. Areas for future research, limitations, and implications for practice are discussed.