Remote Viewing with and without controlled Out-Of-Body Consciousness

Four participants, chosen for their experience in reaching an Out-of-Body state of consciousness via hypnotic induction, were asked to describe five different and unknown locations, at first using Remote Viewing conditions in an ordinary state of consciousness and then again using Remote Viewing in Out-of-Body state of consciousness. According to an assessment by two independent judges, the average percentages of information obtained in Remote Viewing were 55% for those correct and 35% for those wrong, while in Out-of-Body they were 54% and 35% respectively. The average percentage of identical information to both conditions was 14%. Furthermore, three out of four participants obtained a higher percentage of correct answers and a lower percentage of incorrect answers in the OB-RV condition. This study illustrates the possibility of also using Remote Viewing in an Out-of-Body state of consciousness that is induced and controlled via hypnosis to obtain accurate information about unknown locations in an unconventional way.

ICF as a Problem Solving Tool in Transdisciplinary Teams

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) (WHO, 2005) represents an international tool to address, plan, and evaluate complex psychosocial interventions. ICF represents a common metalanguage which aims to overcome conceptual profession-specific terminology and increase common understanding and coordination of complex health intervention processes. Even though strongly recommended by the WHO, UNICEF, World Bank, etc., its use is still limited due to the necessary transformations of specific constructs (e.g. in psychology) into the new meta-categories. The paper addresses attempts to transform traditional constructs in psychology and special education into the metalanguage of ICF and provides selected empirical evidence by means of performed usability studies in Austria and Germany of these transformation processes.

Reconstructive surgery in strabismus patients and perceived quality of life

Purpose: Data of the subjective assessment of strabismus-related quality of life from patients with manifest strabismus are important in order to obtain the best possible treatment recommendations for affected people. The aim of this study is the analysis of the quality of life based on squinting Austrians with and without reconstructive strabismus surgery. Methods: The strabismus-specific AS-20 questionnaire was completed by 26 strabismus patients without reconstructive surgery, 27 strabismus patients with reconstructive surgery and 35 non-squinting people from Austria. These data were evaluated and analyzed. Results: In the German version of the AS-20, clear evidence could be provided for group differences of perceived strabismus-related quality of life after reconstructive strabismus surgery. In the two psychosocial sub-scales (self-perception & interaction) significant differences were found in the comparison of the groups (p < .001). Also in the functional subcategories (reading function & general function), highly significant differences were determined (p < .001). Conclusions: Untreated manifest strabismus leads to negative psychosocial effects on the quality of life of those affected. Reconstructive strabismus surgery reduces these discomforts and leads to a significant increase in the quality of life related to strabismus in both psychosocial and functional areas.

Who decides? On those involved in the choice of school for educational careers of children at the end of primary school

The choice of school for the secondary school sets the course for the future academic and professional career. This study clarifies who is the main decision maker in the choice of school based on an empirical survey using a questionnaire in which 828 parents from southern Lower Austria participated. In accordance with the literature, 618 parents state that they made the educational choice together with their children, with interesting significant subgroups regarding the gender of the child and the parents, the education of the parents, the siblings’ success and the parents’ educational aspirations.

A comparative study of the Professional Quality of Life Factors in Nepali MHPSS Practitioners

Aim: Using the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale, this study outlined the prevalence and compared the impact on trauma care professionals serving earthquake survivors and those serving other categories of trauma survivors. Methods: A non-experimental comparative survey study design was applied. Results: The overall assessment outlined that Nepali professionals (N=112) are found to be at low risk of Burnout (M = 19.98, SD = 4.98), and at moderate level of risk for the Secondary Traumatic Stress (M = 21.34, SD = 5.50), whereas, the overall Compassion Satisfaction was at a moderate level (M = 41.19, SD = 5.74). The multivariate analysis determined the differences in the ProQOL measures between the groups, where, Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Compassion Satisfaction scores among the professionals serving both categories of trauma survivors had no significant differences (F (6, 216) = 0.58, Wilk’s Λ = 0.573, p > .05). Conclusions: Nepali care professionals serving trauma survivors in post-earthquake contexts are moderately affected by their provision of care; however, there were no significant differences in the impact on ProQOL measures among the professionals serving different categories of trauma-affected beneficiaries.

The influence of incentive motivation and risk tolerance on risky decisions

Risky decisions lead to cognitive-emotional stress because they depend on personal advantages and disadvantages. Assuming that incentive motivation, which is presumably determined by self-interest, and risk tolerance influence risky decisions, we expect that individuals would react differently. The Reinforcement-Sensitivity-Theory (RST) including the Behavioral-Approach-System (BAS) and the Behavioral-Inhibition-System (BIS) seemed to be the most suitable personality theory for this research. Three online surveys with 173, 232 and 299 participants (PN) were conducted in order to identify direct effects from the independent constructs as well as indirect effects by mediators such as current self-control power and self-assessment in view of managing risks. The hypothesis was tested by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on data from the last two studies, and it was confirmed in both studies. More specific, the latent factors incentive motivation (or BAS) and risk tolerance (or BIS), including their predictors, indicated direct influences on risky decisions. Besides, impulsivity as a personality sub-factor should no longer belong to the BAS, but instead to the BIS as BIS (-). Furthermore, incentive motivation and risk tolerance showed reliable interactive effects only as latent factors. Mediator variables between self-interest and risky decision making showed indirect effects, too, e.g. loss of self-control power or disregarding the self-concept. Finally, the RST gets new impulses from this research model by the new latent factor risk-assessment in the SEM, which is responsible for coordinating and controlling the activities from the BIS and the BAS.

Mozart Sharpens and Mahler Degrades the Word Memory Trace

We investigated the impact of the Mozart effect on word memory when music was heard in the delay rather than using music to induce mood or as background music. A sample of N = 84 participants was randomly assigned to one of three groups listening to a one-minute sound clip of Mozart (Kleine Nachtmusik) or Mahler (Adagietto) during the delay, with a third control group waiting in silence for the word memory test. Words were positive, negative or neutral and matched for word length and frequency. The word memory task was repeated three times (enforced rehearsal). Word memory was best after Mozart and worst after Mahler, with memory performance in the control condition in between. The Mozart effect occurred for word memory across positive, negative and neutral words. The Mozart effect also occurred independently of ethnicity, or the level of happiness in the participants. We conclude that word memory traces sharpened after Mozart’s music because the sonogram and spectrograms showed that this music had self-contained and bounded phrases like in psycholinguistic structures of words and sentences. In contrast, word memory traces may have washed out and degraded during the delay because Mahler’s music was flowing like a foreign language speech stream where a native speaker would not be able to parse words.