Principles for Adapting Assessments of Executive Function across Cultural Contexts

Direct assessments of executive functions (EFs) are increasingly used in research and clinical settings, with a central assumption that they assess "universal" underlying skills. Their use is spreading globally, raising questions about the cultural appropriateness of assessments devised in Western industrialized countries. We selectively reviewed multidisciplinary evidence and theory to identify sets of cultural preferences that may be at odds with the implicit assumptions of EF assessments. These preferences relate to motivation and compliance; cultural expectations for interpersonal engagement; contextualized vs. academic thinking; cultural notions of speed and time; the willingness to be silly, be incorrect, or do the opposite; and subject-matter familiarity. In each case, we discuss how the cultural preference may be incompatible with the assumptions of assessments, and how future research and practice can address the issue. Many of the cultural preferences discussed differ between interdependent and independent cultures and between schooled and unschooled populations. Adapting testing protocols to these cultural preferences in different contexts will be important for expanding our scientific understanding of EF from the narrow slice of the human population that has participated in the research to date.

Which therapist perceptions best predict client outcomes? A naturalistic examination

Examining associations between therapists' perceptions of therapy sessions and client-reported outcomes in naturalistic settings (real-life therapy settings) can provide valuable guidance for the assessment, treatment, and monitoring of clients. This study included data of 1334 sessions from 127 clients (86 individual and 41 couple cases) and 15 therapists, collected at a therapy training center. Clients reported their personal functioning and individual symptoms before each session. Therapists rated clients' participation, receptivity, session progress, goal progress, and therapeutic alliance at the end of each therapy session. Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling analyses revealed that therapist-rated client participation and goal progress predicted better personal functioning, beyond clients' previous personal functioning scores. In contrast, none of therapist-rated session variables predicted clients' individual symptoms, beyond previous symptom scores. Power analyses suggested sufficient statistical power to detect small effect sizes. Findings of the current study have clinical implications for treatment planning and progress monitoring.

How Does Embodying a Transgender Narrative Influence Social Bias? An Explorative Study in an Artistic Context

Virtual reality (VR) protocols inducing illusory embodiment of avatars have shown a positive impact on participants' perception of outgroup members, in line with the idea that the simulation of another's sensorimotor states might underlie prosocial behavior. These studies, however, have been mostly confined to laboratory settings with student populations and the use of artificial avatars. In an interdisciplinary effort benefiting from the heterogeneous sample within a museum, we aimed at quantifying changes in interpersonal perception induced by embodying a transgender man narrating his life. We compared an artistic methodology mixing VR and elaborate sensorimotor stimulation to a more conventional primarily audiovisual VR experience. We tested how these affect embodiment and the perception of transgender men as measured by a brief implicit association test and a questionnaire. Neither significant difference in embodiment nor changes in implicit or explicit bias was found, the latter potentially due to the initially low bias in the group. We further assessed participants' illusory embodiment as a function of age, finding a negative correlation between these. The results are discussed with respect to current theories of embodiment, differences between laboratory and real-life settings, and the intersection of art and science.

Effectiveness of community-based treatment on clinical outcome in children with autism spectrum disorders: An Italian prospective study

OBJECTIVE

Little is known about outcomes of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) interventions in real-life settings. The main aim of this naturalistic study was to collect real-life data on the actual ASDs treatment practices in Italy.

METHODS

A cohort of 48 children undergoing community-based interventions was observed in terms of personal and environmental characteristics, treatment typology and outcomes.

RESULTS

An earlier start of treatment was associated with an improvement of autistic symptoms, independently from symptoms severity (p < 0.05), but not with improvements in terms of intelligence quotient (p = 0.8). Children belonging to lower socioeconomic status families began treatment later (48.0 months) than those belonging to middle (39.8 months) or upper (39.2 months) classes (p < 0.05), and received less hours of treatment.

CONCLUSION

The study showed that ASDs interventions should be observed not only in experimental settings, but also in naturalistic environments, so to appraise the actual effectiveness of integrating different treatment methods in community settings.