Homicidal violence during foreign military missions--prevention and legal issues.
(1/11)
OBJECTIVES: The study involved Nigerian soldiers engaged in peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Yugoslavia. Using case illustrations, the study sought to describe patterns of homicidal violence among soldiers from the same country or soldiers from allied forces, and to suggest possible reasons for the attacks. DESIGN AND SETTING: Nigeria was actively involved in peacekeeping missions in Liberia between 1990 and 1996. During this period, intentional homicidal attacks occurred among the Nigerian military personnel. Post-homicidal interviews conducted among the perpetrators were combined with evidence obtained at military courts to produce the case studies. SUBJECTS: Six Nigerian military personnel who attacked other Nigerians or soldiers from allied forces, with homicidal intent. RESULTS: Possible predisposing and precipitating factors for these attacks were highlighted. The possibility of recognising these factors before embarking on overseas missions was discussed, so that preventive measures could be instituted as far as possible. Finally, medico-legal implications of homicide in the military were discussed. CONCLUSIONS: A certain degree of pre-combat selection is essential to exclude soldiers with definite severe psychopathology. A clearly defined length of duty in the mission areas and adequate communication with home could reduce maladjustment. Health personnel deployed to mission areas should be very conversant with mental health issues so that early recognition of psychological maladjustment is possible. (+info)
Neuropsychological assessment in extreme environments.
(2/11)
In this paper, we summarize studies that used ANAM tests to assess the effects of environmental stressors. The findings document performance changes resulting from conditions relevant to military operational medicine. These conditions included radiation exposure, toxins, high altitude, undersea conditions, Marine basic training, advanced military training, and fatigue. The results of these studies demonstrate that ANAM detects cognitive changes in extreme environments. (+info)
The ARES test system for palm OS handheld computers.
(3/11)
The ARES (ANAM Readiness Evaluation System) is a cognitive testing system designed for operation on palm OS handheld computers i.e., Personal Digital Assistants (PDA). It provides an inexpensive and portable testing platform for field and clinical applications. ARES test batteries can be configured from a library of tests derived from the ANAM test system. ARES features include support of multiple users on a single PDA, a Microsoft Windows test battery authoring program, and a program for downloading, viewing, graphing, and archiving data. In validity tests, the same subjects were tested on identical ARES and conventional ANAM NeuroCog test batteries. Scores from the two platforms correlated highly, but absolute scores differed slightly. In reliability testing with the ARES Warrior battery, ARES scores were highly correlated in daily tests. (+info)
ANAM genogram: historical perspectives, description, and current endeavors.
(4/11)
This paper presents a historical overview and current perspective of the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) test system. We discuss the history of its development along with a synopsis of the evolution of computerized testing that has occurred and led to ANAM over the past 30 years within the Department of Defense (DoD). We include a description of our current system and test library. Finally, we present an overview of advanced development projects that are presently underway. We have intentionally avoided addressing issues of reliability, stability, clinical sensitivity, and construct validity in this paper. These issues are presented in other reports in this special issue. (+info)
The ethics of interrogation and the American Psychological Association: a critique of policy and process.
(5/11)
The relationship between temperamental traits and the level of performance of an eye-hand co-ordination task in jet pilots.
(6/11)
When assessing the psychological suitability for the profession of a pilot, it is important to consider personality traits and psychomotor abilities. Our study aimed at estimating the role of temperamental traits as components of pilots' personality in eye-hand co-ordination. The assumption was that differences in the escalation of the level of temperamental traits, as measured with the Formal Characteristic of Behaviour-Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI), will significantly influence eye-hand co-ordination. At the level of general scores, enhanced briskness proved to be the most important trait for eye-hand co-ordination. An analysis of partial scores additionally underlined the importance of sensory sensitivity, endurance and activity. The application of eye-hand co-ordination tasks, which involve energetic and temporal dimensions of performance, helped to disclose the role of biologically-based personality traits in psychomotor performance. The implication of these findings for selecting pilots is discussed. (+info)
Differential brain activation to angry faces by elite warfighters: neural processing evidence for enhanced threat detection.
(7/11)