SUBJECTIVE PSEUDOCYESIS IN NORMAL WOMEN WHO EXHIBIT ENHANCED IMAGININGS AND ELEVATED INDICATORS OF ELECTRICAL LABILITY WITHIN THE TEMPORAL LOBES: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE “MISSING EMBRYO SYNDROME”

Tolerance of Ambiguity and the Perception of UFOS

As some percipients of UFOs may misinterpret ambiguous yet conventional aerial phenomena, this research tested the hypothesis that percipients of UFOs would score significantly lower on tolerance of ambiguity than nonpercipients. 39 percipients and 43 nonpercipients completed a measure of tolerance of ambiguity and the findings supported the hypothesis. Confounding factors such as respondents' age and sex could not reasonably account for this finding. Results complement conventional explanations for some UFO sightings.

[Pregnancy Delusions and Pseudocyesis: Brief Approach]

INTRODUCTION

Pregnancy delusions have usually been considered as symptoms of psychotic disorders in opposition to the hysterical and psychosomatic nature of pseudocyesis, though several authors have described some semiologic intersection between the two phenomena.

METHOD

Introduction of four cases of patients with pregnancy delusions as well as review and discussion of relevant bibliography.

RESULTS

In fact, there are symptoms shared by pregnancy delusions psychosis and pseudocyesis, without detriment of nosological differentiation between the two phenomena. There is certain confusion regarding conceptual and terminological issues that does not contribute to mark precise boundaries.

CONCLUSION

A comprehensive and holistic approach for the study of pseudocyesis and pregnancy delusion is proposed. Maybe, these disorders are more frequently observed in Latin America.

Extraterrestrial Beliefs and Experiences: An Application of the Theory of Reasoned Action

The authors expanded the applicability of I. Ajzen and M. Fishbein's (1980) theory of reasoned action by assessing the participants' beliefs, attitudes, and experiences related to sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and to alien abductions. The authors designed and administered a survey on UFO phenomena to 398 Canadian students. The survey contains items relating to each component of Ajzen and Fishbein's model, as well as scales that evaluate paranormal beliefs and social desirability. A majority of the sample believed in UFOs, although most had never seen one. However, only a minority believed in alien abductions--again, most without having had any reported experience. According to path analyses, UFO beliefs originated from societal forces rather than from personal experiences as the model would predict.

Shifting gustatory thresholds and food cravings during pregnancy as expanding uterine-induced steady potential shifts within the insula: an hypothesis

A logical extrapolation from the principle that structure dictates function is that transient or anomalous experiences are consequences of simultaneous stimulations of proximal brain regions not typically co-activated. In this paper the occasional shifts in gustatory threshold during the menstrual cycle, the craving for unusual tastes experienced by some during pregnancies, and, the reports by postmenopausal women of the "burning mouth syndrome" are hypothesized to be artifacts of the proximity of gustatory and uterine representations within the female insula. Transient (menstrual) or tonic (pregnancy) stimulation within the uterus might shift the locus of neuronal activity within the insula to include adjacent gustatory neurons and consequently alter taste experiences. Specific tests of this hypothesis are suggested.