Repeated exposure and the attractiveness of synthetic speech: An inverted-U relationship

Previous experimental investigation of the effects of repeating an unfamiliar stimulus suggests that mere exposure breeds attraction (e.g., Zajonc, 1968). On the other hand, correlational work with naturally occurring stimuli such as names, music, or landscapes suggests that there is also an overexposure effect: the preference function does rise with familiarity at first but then reaches a turning point and diminishes. The study (N=72) demonstrates this inverted-U relationship in an experimental setting. The stimuli were synthetic nonsense speech, permitting exact control of exposure durations and interstimulus intervals. The critical factors for demonstrating the effect are probably (1) the inclusion of a large number of repetitions, and (2) blocked repetition of each stimulus in a homogeneous sequence not interspersed with other more or less frequent stimuli.     

Coping use versus effectiveness as moderating the stress—strain relationship

This paper takes another look at coping as a moderator of the stress—strain relationship by assessing the extent of correspondence between subjects' use of various coping behaviours and their perception of their helpfulness (coping effectiveness). The use of four coping strategies and the perception of their helpfulness, as well as the stress and psychological distress of 79 subjects whose spouses were hospitalized, were assessed by questionnaires. The results show that when applying coping effectiveness scores, problem-focused coping and avoidance coping moderate the stress—strain relationship. Coping use scales revealed that only positiveappraisal coping reduced psychological distress.     

On the motivational effects of positive verbal reinforcement on performance: Toward an inverted-U relationship

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the motivational effects of positive verbal reinforcement on the performance of a qualitative task. Male subjects performed on a task consisting of 24 slides that allowed them to test their decision-making abilities in simulated situations. Subjects performed under one of five noncontingent verbal reinforcement ratios (.00, .25, .50, .75, or 1.00). Subjects' accuracy and reaction times to each of the 24 slide stimuli were recorded and transformed into a total performance index. In line with an inverted-U hypothesis, it was hypothesized that if motivational effects of positive verbal reinforcement exist, they should induce a curvilinear relationship between reinforcement ratio and performance. This hypothesis was supported by the results of a trend analysis that showed that only the quadratic curvilinear term was significant. Inspection of means revealed the presence of an inverted-U curve such that performance gradually increased from ratio 0 and reached a maximum at ratio .50, following which a decrease in performance was obtained for ratios .75 and 1.00. Results support a motivational interpretation of the effects of positive verbal reinforcement on performance. Findings are discussed in light of the interaction between motivational and attentional processes.     

Perceived victimization as the mechanism underlying the relationship between work stressors and counterproductive work behaviors

Employees who report workplace stressors are more likely to engage in counterproductive work behavior (CWB). However, the specific mechanisms that underlie these relationships are not well understood. This study utilizes a moderated-mediation model to examine perceived victimization as the mediator between work stressors and CWB. This model is investigated using data from 207 matched subordinate–supervisor pairs via a multiphasic data collection, with results revealing that work stressors (workload, organizational constraints, and interpersonal conflict) are related to CWB and that these relationships are mediated by perceived victimization by workplace aggression for people with more hostile attributional styles. The implications are that varying reasons for engaging in CWB may exist, based on the employee’s interpretation of events.     

Self-defeating behaviors in organizations: the relationship between thwarted belonging and interpersonal work behaviors

This multisource field study applied belongingness theory to examine whether thwarted belonging, defined as the perceived discrepancy between one's desired and actual levels of belonging with respect to one's coworkers, predicts interpersonal work behaviors that are self-defeating. Controlling for demographic variables, job type, justice constructs, and trust in organization in a multilevel regression analysis using data from 130 employees of a clinical chemical laboratory and their supervisors, the authors found that employees who perceive greater levels of desired coworker belonging than actual levels of coworker belonging were more likely to engage in interpersonally harmful and less likely to engage in interpersonally helpful behaviors. Implications for the application of belongingness theory to explain self-defeating behaviors in organizations are discussed.     

Psychological cost-benefit as an intervening construct in career choice models

A causal model for career choice was outlined, encompassing psychological cost-benefit-profit as a central intervening construct. The model was applied to the career choice (education vs work) after high school graduation and tested on longitudinal data from 173 students. The main problem concerned the relationship among the components in the causal career choice model, using multiple correlation and path analysis as tools. The results showed clear sex differences. For boys, the model was a rather powerful predictor of career choice (R = 0.70), and Psychological profit with regard to continued education had a clear direct effect as well as an indirect effect on career choice. For girls, the predictive validity was low (R = 0.35) and Psychological profit affected career choice only indirectly via Educational aspiration.     

Coping success and its relationship to psychological distress for older adults.

The role of coping success on psychosocial distress was investigated in 147 older adults who experienced a major health problem and 82 older adults who reported a major loss in the past 6 months. Home interviews provided data on satisfaction with coping efforts and negative changes associated with events. Significant predictors of coping success were identified and controlled for in subsequent analyses predicting mental health. Efficacy in coping with loss was associated with less psychological distress. Coping efficacy interacted with coping efforts in predicting distress for those with health downturns; efficacy in coping was associated with less distress only for those who were actively engaged in coping. Analyses of longitudinal data replicated the cross-sectional findings for coping with loss.     

The relationship of assertiveness to college students' safer sex behaviors.

Educational programs designed to curtail the present sexually transmitted disease (STD) epidemic emphasize the role of assertiveness in reducing personal risk. This study investigated the relationship between assertiveness tendencies and safer sex behaviors in heterosexual college students. It was predicted that assertiveness would vary positively, and nonassertiveness negatively, with three types of precautionary behaviors: caution about engaging in sexual intimacy, inquiry about a potential partner's STD risk history, and frequency of condom use. A convenience sample of 253 undergraduates (159 females and 94 males) anonymously completed a sexual behavior/demographic questionnaire and the Intimate Relationships Questionnaire (IRQ), designed for this study and involving assertive, nonassertive, and aggressive responses to scenarios relevant to safer sex. The findings confirmed the hypothesized relationships between IRQ assertiveness tendencies and safer sex practices. Gender differences were discovered on the IRQ and in the health-protective behaviors of using caution and inquiring about a prospective partner's STD risk history. Implications for STD prevention strategies are discussed.     

Coaching behaviors associated with changes in fear of failure: changes in self-talk and need satisfaction as potential mechanisms

Cognitive-interpersonal and motivational mechanisms may regulate relations between youth perceptions of interpersonal aspects of the social ecology and their fear-of-failure (FF) levels. Youth (N=165) registered for a summer swim league rated their fear of failure at the beginning, middle, and end of the season. Extensive model comparisons indicated that youths' end-of-season ratings of coach behaviors could be reduced to three factors (affiliation, control, blame). Perceived control and blame from coaches predicted residualized change in corresponding aspects of youths' self-talk, but only changes in self-blame positively predicted changes in FF levels during the season. Perceived affiliation from coaches predicted autonomy need satisfaction which, in turn, negatively predicted the rate of change in FF levels during the season. These findings indicate that (a) youth perceptions of coaches were directly and indirectly related to acute socialization of FF and (b) both cognitive-interpersonal and motivational mechanisms contributed to this socialization process. Further research is needed to test for developmental differences in these mechanisms to determine whether findings generalize to more heterogeneous and at-risk populations and to investigate other potential social-ecological influences on socialization.     

Investigating the relationship between social behaviors and phonological awareness in preschool children

Purpose

This study examined the longitudinal effects of social behaviors in predicting phonological awareness outcomes in 4-year-old children.

Method

One hundred two children (52 boys, 50 girls) were recruited from 11 schools serving low-income neighborhoods in a large metropolitan city and were assessed at the beginning and end of the preschool year. All children received assessments of their phonological awareness skills, expressive vocabulary, non-verbal IQ, and teachers completed behavioral ratings at pretest. At the end of the academic year, children participated in tests of phonological awareness using standardized assessments.

Results

The results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that being excluded by peers contributed up to 3% of the variance in negatively predicting phonological awareness outcomes after controlling for initial phonological awareness skills, expressive vocabulary, and cognition which is a small effect size.

Conclusion

Early peer exclusion can impact negatively on the acquisition of phonological awareness skills in 4-year-old children in preschool. The results of this study suggest that a child's overall behavioral competence and how they are treated by the peer group may play an important role in their ease of academic skill attainment. Given the link between peer exclusion and difficulties with phonological awareness outcomes, additional professional development programs that provide teachers with strategies to create inclusive classrooms may be warranted in preventing against the emergence of maladaptive behaviors at first entry into formal schooling.     

The Coping Paradox: Work,Stress, and Coping in the U.S. Army

The military environment has unique stressors. This study investigates the types of stressors, appraisals, and coping responses of U.S. soldiers and their leaders. A qualitative analysis of interviews indicates that the traditional coping buffers of social drinking and seeking social support from fellow soldiers, family, and leaders can potentially serve as sources of stress. While this paradox may be a result of the unique types of stressors in the military work environment, these results should direct researchers to better understand individuals' perceptions and appraisals of stress, with a focus on the meaning of stress, given contextual factors inherent in the workplace. The findings are discussed in relation to the literature on the impact of stress on physical and psychological health.     

Temporal Relationships in Coping as an Encounter Unfolds

Abstract

Previous studies on attitudes toward authority among non-Aboriginal school children in Australia have provided some support for the notion that attitudes toward parents influence the development of attitudes toward other institutional authorities, and that school children have generally positive attitudes toward such authorities. The cross-cultural validity of these propositions was tested with a sample of 46 Australian Aboriginal school children who completed reliable Likert-type scales measuring attitudes toward parents, the police, the law, and teachers. Principal components analysis of the scale scores indicated that, unlike results previously obtained with non-Aboriginal children (Rigby, Schofield, &; Slee, 1987), attitude toward parents was factorially distinct from attitudes toward the other authorities. Although the children in the Aboriginal sample were not, as a whole, negatively inclined toward the authorities, they were significantly less positively disposed toward parents and the police than the children in the non-Aboriginal comparison group were.     

Success strivings and their relationship to affective work behaviors: gender differences.

Gender differences in the importance of six life success dimensions and their relationships to job satisfaction, job involvement, and propensity to stay on the job were examined among 756 working women and men in southeast Florida. Results showed that the female participants rated family relationships, personal fulfillment, and security as more important success measures than their male counterparts did, and they rated status/wealth as less important. Professional fulfillment and security were not significantly different. The relationships between measures of success and work behaviors also varied significantly by gender, even after controlling for demographic and job position variables.     

Recency effects in memory,as a function of modality of intervening events

Summary Word lists of fifteen items were presented to eye or to ear, with recall either immediately, or after a visual task, or after an auditory one. Instructions were to recall the last items first. An intervening task using the same modality greatly reduced recall of the last items presented; whereas a visual task did not do so for acoustically presented items. An auditory task reduced visual memory. These results suggest a specific auditory memory for recent events, over-written by subsequent auditory events.This research was supported by the Medical Research Council. The experimental work was performed at the Applied Psychology Unit, Cambridge.     

The intervening role of social worldviews in the relationship between the five‐factor model of personality and social attitudes

The present research investigates in a student (N = 183) and a voter sample (N = 276) whether the relationships between the Five‐Factor Model (FFM) personality dimensions and social attitudes (i.e. Right‐Wing Authoritarianism [RWA] and Social Dominance Orientation [SDO]) are mediated by social worldviews (i.e. dangerous and jungle worldviews). Two important results were obtained. First, the perception of the world as inherently dangerous and chaotic partially mediated the relationships of the personality dimensions Openness and Neuroticism and the social attitude RWA. Second, the jungle worldview completely mediated the relationships between Agreeableness and SDO, but considerable item overlap between the jungle worldview and SDO was also noted. It was further revealed that acquiescence response set and item overlap had an impact on social worldviews and attitudes, but that their relationships were hardly affected by these biases. The discussion focuses on the status of social worldviews to explain social attitudes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

黑暗三联征与攻击行为关系的元分析

利用元分析方法, 从整体上探究黑暗三联征和攻击行为的关系, 共纳入87篇定量研究, 90个独立样本, 41273名被试进行元分析。结果发现：黑暗三联征与攻击行为的关系均呈正相关(r = 0.338~0.405), 自恋与攻击行为的相关强度显著低于马基雅维利主义和精神病态的相关强度。黑暗三联征与攻击行为的关系受到文化背景、性别、攻击类型等多种因素的影响。结论显示, 自恋与其余两种黑暗人格有较大差异, 后续研究可以结合东方文化进一步探究黑暗三联征。