On delineating and integrating the study of variability and stability in personality psychology: Interpersonal trust as illustration

Although the person–situation debate is coming to an end, it is not yet clear how to integrate the two perspectives on personality nor what an integration would look like. The density distributions approach is proposed as a way to integrate the two perspectives while maintaining and delineating their respective contributions. Four requirements of an integration are proposed and the density distributions approach is shown to meet all four. This integration is illustrated with an experience-sampling study of interpersonal trust. Each individual varied his or her trust level considerably from interaction to interaction (sizeable intraindividual variability), yet maintained a stable average level of trust over many interactions (sizeable consistency). Manifestation of trust in daily life was predicted by the type of relationship and strongly positively predicted interaction quality.     

A consideration of intimate and non-intimate interactions in therapy.

Viewing therapy as a conversation among participants, rather than as an interview concluding with an intervention selected by an expert, allows one to consider the contributions of each member of the conversation in comparable terms. I propose a distinction between intimate interaction, in which meaning is co-created or shared, and non-intimate interaction, in which meaning is rejected, provided, or misunderstood. I suggest that intimate interaction between therapists and clients is therapeutic and that non-intimate interaction rarely is. However, it is in the acknowledgment and repair of the inevitable lapses of intimate interaction that occur between therapists and clients that there is an opportunity for a profoundly meaningful collaboration.     

Mother-child interaction and resilience in children with early developmental risk

Although prenatal and genetic factors make strong contributions to the emergence of intellectual disability (ID), children's early environment may have the potential to alter developmental trajectories and to foster resilience in children with early risk. The present study examined mother-child interaction and the promotion of competence in 50 children with early developmental delays. Three related but distinct aspects of mother-child interaction were considered: maternal technical scaffolding, maternal positive sensitivity, and mother-child dyadic pleasure. Children were classified as exhibiting undifferentiated delays at age 3, based upon performance on developmental assessments and the absence of known genetic syndromes. Mother-child interaction was assessed at age 4 through observational ratings of structured laboratory tasks, and through naturalistic home observations. ID was identified at age 5 using the dual criteria of clinically significant delays in cognitive functioning and adaptive behavior. Maternal technical scaffolding and dyadic pleasure each uniquely predicted reduced likelihood of later ID, beyond the contributions of children's early developmental level and behavioral functioning. Follow-up analyses suggested that mother-child interaction was primarily important to resilience in the area of adaptive behavior, with scaffolding and dyadic pleasure differentially associated with particular subdomains. Implications for theories of intellectual disability and for family-based early intervention and prevention efforts are discussed.     

Re-conceptualizing Self,Speaker, and Body: Applying an Enactive and Conversation Analytic Approach to Selfhood and Cognition

In this article I review significant contributions to the subfield of Embodied Cognition that formulate an inclusive account of the body's role in cognitive processes. I argue that a reconceptualization of the mind–body problem must take into account some notion of the self as a nonlocalized, transient phenomenon that emerges through day-to-day interaction. Drawing on literature from epistemology, phenomenology, and Conversation Analysis, I aim to revise contributions that rely on essentialized notions of the self and speaker, in terms of an enactive and Conversation Analytic approach to selfhood and cognition.     

社会困境中同伴行为、合作信念对合作变化的影响

本研究采用连续式公共物品困境,考察不同类型的个体在同伴遵守和违反均等规范两种条件下合作的前后变化及其可能的机制。结果发现：（1）依据行为决策对被试进行的分类与其社会价值取向之间不存在相关;（2）一人违反均等条件下被试的合作水平高于多人违反均等条件下的合作水平;（3）高贡献者在前后两次互动中维持较高的合作水平和信念水平;（4）低贡献者第二次决策时比第一次决策时更合作,这可能是由于他们的合作信念提高。     

Stability and change in temperament during adolescence

This study assessed genetic and environmental contributions to temperament during adolescence within the Nonshared Environment and Adolescent Development project (NEAD; D. Reiss, J. M. Neiderhiser, E. M. Hetherington, & R. Plomin, 2000). NEAD is a national study that includes twins and other sibling types who vary in regard to genetic relatedness. Seven hundred twenty sibling pairs (aged 12.1-13.5 years) participated at Time 1, and 395 sibling pairs (aged 14.7-16.2 years) participated again at Time 2. At both Times, mothers and fathers rated their children's temperament (emotionality, activity, sociability, and shyness). At Times 1 and 2, genetic and nonshared environmental factors accounted for variance in temperament, whereas shared environmental contributions were negligible. However, at Time 1, genetic contributions were inflated, and shared environmental contributions were masked if sibling contrast effects were not taken into account. At Time 2, sibling interaction effects had little impact on estimates of genetic and environmental contributions to temperament. Last, temperament stability was primarily explained by genetic factors, whereas both genetic and nonshared environmental factors accounted for change.     

Georg Simmel and social psyhology

Georg Simmel (1858–1918), now best known as a sociologist, made a number of significant contributions to social psychology (especially in the field of small-group interaction) which have been recognized in recent decades. The study of hitherto often neglected material suggests that Simmel's early interest in psychology was maintained in much of his sociological work. The present study seeks to outline Simmel's interest in psychology within this wider context.     

‘The less I trust,the less I contribute (or not)?’ The effects of trust,accountability and self‐monitoring in social dilemmas

The present research examined the influence of trust, accountability, and self‐monitoring on individual decision makers' willingness to contribute in a give‐some game and in an experimental public goods dilemma. Previous research has shown that trust and contributions are positively related such that high trusters generally contribute more than low trusters. The present research questions the pervasiveness of this relation by arguing that low trusters may increase their contributions to the same level as those of high trusters, but only under circumstances where their decisions are highly identifiable to their interaction partner(s). Both studies showed that strong perceptions of trust, high accountability and high self‐monitoring influenced contributions positively. In line with predictions, individuals low in trust contributed up to the same level as high trusters when accountability was high rather than low. Moreover, this interaction between trust and accountability was only found among those classified as high self‐monitors. Our results suggest that the well‐known positive relation between trust and contributions may take a different form when situational cues and individual predispositions are taken into account. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Justice Orientation as a Moderator of the Framing Effect on Procedural Justice Perception

Justice orientation is a justice-relevant personality trait, which is referred to as the tendency to attend to fairness issues and to internalize justice as a moral virtue. This study examined the moderating role of justice orientation in the relationship between justice perception and response to a decision problem. The authors manipulated procedural justice and the outcome valence of the decision frame within a vignette, and measured justice orientation of 174 Japanese participants. As hypothesized, the results indicated an interaction between procedural justice and framing manipulation, which was moderated by individual differences in justice orientation. In negative framing, justice effects were larger for individuals with high rather than low justice orientation. The results are explained from a social justice perspective, and the contributions and limitations of this study are also discussed with respect to our sample and framing manipulation.     

Affiliation with new peer acquaintances during two initial social support interactions

Abstract This investigation examined the influence of a prior social support interaction on a subsequent interaction between new peer acquaintances. Pairs of adolescent peers (recruited in a large metropolitan area in the United States) were videotaped as they met and discussed current life concerns in 2 separate interactions. Results indicated that (a) the behaviors of new interaction partners are coordinated within an interaction (social coordination hypothesis), (b) behaviors exhibited during an initial interaction predict behaviors exhibited during a subsequent interaction (influential interaction hypothesis), (c) individuals affiliate in similar ways across interactions (cross‐situational consistency hypothesis), and (d) behaviors reflecting greater comfort with interaction increase across interactions (uncertainty reduction hypothesis). The discussion focuses on implications of results and contributions to existing literatures.     

Reflection in thought and action: Maternal parenting reflectivity predicts mind‐minded comments and interactive behavior

Recent research has identified mothers' mental reflective functioning and verbal mind‐minded comments as important predictors of subsequent infant attachment security. In the present study, we examine associations between mothers' (N = 95) parenting reflectivity expressed in an interview and observed parenting behavior, including verbal mind‐minded comments and interactive behavior during interaction with their 7‐month‐old infants. Parenting reflectivity was coded from the Working Model of the Child Interview. Maternal behavior was assessed via observations of mother–infant interaction during free play and structured teaching tasks. Both maternal appropriate mind‐minded comments as well as other indicators of maternal interactive behavior were coded. Parenting reflectivity was positively correlated with mind‐minded comments and behavioral sensitivity. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that parenting reflectivity contributed to maternal behavior beyond the contributions of mothers' educational status and depression symptoms. Discussion emphasizes the importance of individual differences in parental capacity to accurately perceive and mentalize their infants' experience, and the consequences of these differences for caregiving behavior.     

Multi-Party,Whole-Body Interactions in Mathematical Activity

This study interrogates the contributions of multi-party, whole-body interactions to students' collaboration and negotiation of mathematics ideas in a task setting called walking scale geometry, where bodies in interaction became complex resources for students' emerging goals in problem solving. Whole bodies took up overlapping roles representing geometric objects, contributing to the communication and negotiation of problem-solving strategies and engaging as mathematical instruments for representation.     

Cation and anion contributions to gustatory quality of simple salts

Curves of mean percentages of the four gustatory quality responses as a function of concentration of solutions of LiCl, KCl, lithium sulfate, and potassium sulfate were evaluated as to the relative contributions of the cation and anion to the quality. It was concluded that chloride ion, and sulfate ion to a lesser degree, were responsible for the salty quality. In the mid-range concentrations, potassium ion was responsible for the bitter quality, and lithium ion, by means of an ion-soliient interaction; was responsible for the sour quality reported. At the very low concentrations, at which all salts tested evoked sweet responses, a structure produced by a solvent-cation interaction was assumed to be responsible. The details of the presumed structure are still to be clarified. Although one ion in each salt is primarily responsible for a particular quality over a given concentration, the other ion usually modifies the effect.     

Genotype-environment interaction in personality development: identical twins reared apart

The focus of this study is to identify specific genotype-environment (GE) interactions as they contribute to individual differences in personality in later life. In behavioral genetics, GE interaction refers to the possibility that individuals of different genotypes may respond differently to specific environments. A sample of 99 pairs of identical twins reared apart, whose average age is 59 years, has been studied as part of the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA). Hierarchical multiple regression was used to detect interactions between personality and environmental measures after the main effects of genotype and environment were removed. Analyses yield evidence for 11 significant interactions that provide the first evidence for GE interaction in human development using specific environmental measures. Thus, in addition to the main-effect contributions of heredity and environment, GE interactions contribute to individual differences in personality as measured in the second half of the life course.     

Social Support from Family and Friends and Subjective Well-Being of Older African Americans

This study examines the impact of informal social support from family and friends on the well-being of older African Americans. Analyses are based on a nationally representative sample of older African Americans from the National Survey of American Life (n = 837). Three measures of well-being are examined: life satisfaction, happiness and self-esteem. The social support variables include frequency of contact with family and friends, subjective closeness with family and friends, and negative interactions with family. Results indicate that family contact is positively correlated with life satisfaction. Subjective closeness with family is associated with life satisfaction and happiness and both subjective closeness with friends and negative interaction with family are associated with happiness and self-esteem. There are also significant interactions between family closeness and family contact for life satisfaction, as well as friendship closeness and negative interaction with family for happiness. Overall, our study finds that family and friend relationships make unique contributions to the well-being of older African Americans. Qualitative aspects of family and friend support networks (i.e., subjective closeness, negative interactions) are more important than are structural aspects (i.e., frequency of contact). Our analysis verify that relationships with family members can both enhance and be detrimental to well-being. The findings are discussed in relation to prior research on social support and negative interaction and their unique associations with well-being among older African Americans.     

Relations between self-serving cognitive distortions, psychopathic traits, and antisocial behavior in a non-clinical sample of adolescents

The aim of the present study was to assess the relative contributions self-serving cognitive distortions and psychopathic traits to adolescent antisocial behavior. Participants were 972 high-school students who completed self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that self-serving cognitive distortions, psychopathic traits, as well as their interaction term were significant predictors of antisocial behavior in both genders after adjustment for the main other cognitive, psychopathological and sociofamilial variables. High levels of self-serving cognitive distortions were associated with more extensive antisocial behavior among participants with higher scores on psychopathic traits. This result may have implications for prevention and treatment.     

Relations between self-serving cognitive distortions,psychopathic traits,and antisocial behavior in a non-clinical sample of adolescents

The aim of the present study was to assess the relative contributions self-serving cognitive distortions and psychopathic traits to adolescent antisocial behavior. Participants were 972 high-school students who completed self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that self-serving cognitive distortions, psychopathic traits, as well as their interaction term were significant predictors of antisocial behavior in both genders after adjustment for the main other cognitive, psychopathological and sociofamilial variables. High levels of self-serving cognitive distortions were associated with more extensive antisocial behavior among participants with higher scores on psychopathic traits. This result may have implications for prevention and treatment.     

Social Anxiety, Emotional Intelligence, and Interpersonal Adjustment

There has been no published investigation made of the relationship between social anxiety and emotional intelligence (EI), or of their shared impact upon interpersonal adjustment. This study examined these questions using structural equation modeling with self-report data from a large nonclinical sample (N = 2629). EI was found to be highly related to social interaction anxiety, but not performance anxiety. A model permitting these three predictors to inter-correlate indicated that the EI factor was the dominant predictor of interpersonal adjustment, substantially reducing the unique contribution made by interaction anxiety. This pattern reflected the principal contributions made to interaction anxiety by the interpersonal and, particularly, intrapersonal domains of EI.     

When does procedural justice influence perceived legitimacy? The role of standing uncertainty and group identification

Many empirical studies have shown that procedural justice is the key determinant of whether an individual perceives an authority figure as legitimate. However, based on relational models of procedural justice and the uncertainty management model, there is reason to believe that the association between procedural justice and perceived legitimacy may be stronger for individuals who are uncertain about their standing as group members (moderation); this interaction might predict group identification and, in turn, perceived legitimacy (mediation). We tested this mediated moderation model in two experiments (Studies 1a and 1b) and a field study (Study 2) using different operationalizations of standing uncertainty across studies. The results of Studies 1a and 1b demonstrated that the association between procedural justice and perceived legitimacy was stronger for participants with high (vs. low) standing uncertainty. Study 2 showed that group identification mediated the association between this interaction effect and perceived legitimacy. Together, the results of the mediated moderation analysis showed that procedural justice was positively associated with perceived legitimacy through high group identification when standing uncertainty was high. The theoretical contributions and practical implications of our findings are discussed.     

An analysis of situation and person components of jealousy

Previous studies on jealousy have focused on person factors or on situational factors, but none has compared their relative importance. Two studies are presented which analyze the contributions of persons, situations, and their interaction, with respect to jealous reactions. The first study examined intraperson variability in the intensity of jealous responses of 302 males and females when presented with four types of hypothetical jealousy situations (work, family, social, and sexual). The results of the first study supported a dispositional explanation of jealousy (i.e., substantial person and situational variance). In addition, a sizable interaction effect was revealed. Study 2 examined the nature of this interaction for sexual jealousy. Jealousy situations were broken down by distinguishing between the event, characteristics of the partner, and the relationship as separate components of the situation. Seventy-one female respondents indicated their perception of threat and their degree of upset when considering the same hypothetical jealousy-evoking events with three different partners. A substantial person component was found. In addition, responses to the jealousy-evoking events were found to vary as a function of which partner was being considered. The second study demonstrated that aspects of the relationship (i.e., relative involvement) were more important than personality characteristics of the partner in determining this intrasubject variability in the intensity of jealous rections.