Black Women's Self-Perceptions of Attractiveness Following Exposure to White Versus Black Beauty Standards: The Moderating Role of Racial Identity and Self-Esteem

This study examined racial identity, self-esteem, and Black versus White beauty standards as moderators of body image perceptions among 60 Black women. In two experimental conditions, subjects evaluated photographs of either three Black models or three White models, all previously determined to be attractive. Control group subjects did not evaluate photographs. All subjects then completed measures of their own body esteem and attractiveness. Results indicated that body esteem was positively related to self-esteem for subjects in the photograph conditions but not for subjects in the control condition. The relative attractiveness ratings of self versus models were dependent on race of the models and subjects' self-esteem, and on race of the models and subjects' racial identity. The first interaction indicated more favorable comparative ratings for subjects with high self-esteem, but only following exposure to White models. The second interaction indicated more favorable comparative ratings for subjects with high African self-consciousness, but only following exposure to White models. Taken together, the results suggest that explicit beauty standards engage a comparison process and, in the case of Black respondents with high self-esteem or with high African self-consciousness, result in self-evaluations that are significantly higher than the attractiveness attributed to White standards of beauty.     

Schematic and situational determinants of depressed and nondepressed students' interpretation of feedback

We examined whether depressed persons' social skill deficits contribute to their negative cognitions and whether this contribution is independent of their negative schemata. Depressed (n = 60) and nondepressed (n = 60) subjects engaged in group discussions. We assessed subjects' social competence schemata with a questionnaire and subjects' actual level of social competence in the discussion through objective ratings made by codiscussants and outside observers. We found that independently of their negative schemata, depressed subjects' social skill deficits explained a significant portion of the variance in their more negative interpretation of feedback (relative to nondepressed subjects'). This suggests that real deficits in depressed persons' performance compound the effects of their negative schemata and further contribute to their negative cognitions. We also further explored findings by Dykman et al. (1989) and Lewinsohn et al. (1980).     

Self-esteem of victim and the intent of third-party aggression in the reduction of hostile aggression

High- and low-self-esteem male subjects were angered by a male confederate's critical reply to their autobiographical letter. A comparison with a nonangered group showed that this insulting reply led to aggression as measured by both administered shock and changes in self-rated hostility. Subjects who had been angered next heard one of three speeches by the experimenter: a speech in retaliation to the confederate's reply, a speech in retaliation to an unrelated incident, or a control, filler speech. Third-party retaliation related to the insulting reply reduced aggression, while third-party retaliation unrelated to the reply failed to reduce aggression in the overall analysis. Comparisons were also made within each level of self-esteem. There were no significant differences between the experimental treatments among the high-self-esteem subjects. Among low-self-esteem subjects, both related and unrelated retaliation significantly reduced subjects' aggression, but related retaliation was significantly more effective in reducing aggression than was unrelated retaliation. The results were interpreted as supporting equity and self-esteem explanations of hostile aggression.These studies were conducted as part of a doctoral dissertation in the Department of Psychology, University of Miami. The author wishes to express his gratitude to his chairman, Dr. Edward J. Murray; to Pedro Villa, who served as the second experimenter; and to Robert Anacreonte, Kenneth Koos, Joel Lerner, Carlos Pages, and Michael Sisbarro, who served as confederates.     

Rational Selective Exploitation Among Americans and Chinese: General Similarity, With One Surprise

A cross-cultural experiment tested predictions regarding reward allocation decisions among subjects in the United States and Taiwan. The experiment included five independent variables—two between-subject factors (American vs. Chinese; instrumental vs. unspecified vs. social-emotional allocator orientation) and three within-subject factors (high vs. low employee competence, social skill, and mobility). In general, Americans and Chinese distributed rewards quite similarly: In both cultures, allocators distributed greater rewards to employees who were more competent and possessed greater social skill. In both cultures, instrumental allocator orientation induced stronger tendencies to base allocations on competence; social-emotional allocator orientation induced stronger tendencies to base allocations on social skill. In both cultures, subjects engaged in competence-based "rational selective exploitation"—among highly competent employees, those with greater professional mobility received larger portions of the reward pool than did counterparts with constrained mobility. In both cultures, subjects also evidenced an unexpected social-skill-based rational selective exploitation—among employees with good social skill those with greater professional mobility received larger portions of the reward pool than did counterparts with constrained mobility. However, there were a number of interactions with culture that ran contrary to our a priori predictions: We hypothesized that Americans would exhibit greater individualism by focusing on competence in allocating outcomes, and that Chinese would exhibit greater collectivism by focusing on social skill. Although Americans did attend to employee competence more than Chinese, Americans also attended to employee social skill more than Chinese. These findings are discussed in terms of an expanded conceptualization of the nature of individualism and collectivism.     

Investigating the effectiveness of two therapeutic modalities in enhancing self-esteem among female adolescents

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Adlerian therapy (AT) and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) in enhancing self-esteem among a sample of female adolescents. The researchers used the Arabic version of Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale and semi-structured interviews as data collection tools to evaluate the effectiveness of both therapies. The study sample consisted of 60 female students in the 10th and 11th grades selected from a Jordanian government school based on their low self-esteem scale scores. The participants were randomly divided into three equal groups: two experimental groups and one control group. One of the experimental groups received AT, while the other groups received training on SFBT, while the control group did not receive any treatment. Each experimental group met for one 50-minute session per week for 8 weeks. The data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance and one-way analysis of covariance . The results showed that SFBT was significantly more effective in increasing self-esteem than AT and no treatment. In addition, AT was found to be substantially more effective in enhancing self-esteem than no treatment. The researchers supported these results using data collected from the experimental groups' participants through a semi-structured interview.     

The relationship of steady dating to self-esteem and sex role identity among adolescents

It was hypothesized that adolescents who have steady dates, compared to those who do not, would be perceived by their peers as possessing the following: higher self-esteem, self-perception of higher self-esteem, higher correspondence to their gender's identity, and self-perception of higher correspondence to their gender's identity. A questionnaire was developed and randomly distributed among 480 adolescent boys and girls in Ramat Hasharon, Israel. The research used a 2 (lack or existence of steady date) X 2 (sex of perceived adolescent--boy or girl) X 2 (sex of subjects) X 3 (subjects' grade level--8th, 10th, or 12th grade) factorial design. Analyses of variance results supported the four hypotheses. In addition, the steady-dating factor was found to be significantly more important to male than to female subjects. The research suggests a positive link between steady dating and self-esteem and sex role identity but offers no definitive conclusion on the qualitative aspects of steady dating.     

成败操纵反馈情境下内隐自尊的稳定性研究

本研究采用内隐联想测验,通过控制不同的反馈情境,采用前--后测实验设计进行实验.结果发现:(1)反馈情境是影响内隐自尊稳定性的一个重要因素.如果个体在特定情境下得到及时反馈,其内隐自尊会显著降低;而投有得到及时反馈韵个体,虽然内隐自尊并没有发生显著的变化,却表现出了一致的上升趋势.(2)与男性相比,女性的内隐自尊在一定情境下表现出了明显的不稳定性.(3)所有被试接受了不同的反馈后,在后测中的反应速度明显快于处理之前.     

Depression, constructive thinking and patient satisfaction in cardiac treatment adherence

Many patients fail to adhere to prescribed treatment regimens, particularly patients who are depressed. This study examined the link between depression and adherence among 92 patients undergoing post-operative cardiac rehabilitation. Self-reported adherence was measured in terms of both general recommendations and specific health behaviours. Greater depression was associated with general - but not specific - adherence, and this relationship was mediated by lower satisfaction with their doctor - patient interactions. The link between depression and patient satisfaction was itself mediated by less constructive thinking among patients. These results suggest that adherence among cardiac rehabilitation patients may be enhanced by addressing patients' cognitive coping, and by improving the quality of their doctor - patient interactions.     

初中学生自尊特点的初步研究

对991名城乡在校初中生施以Coopersmith自尊问卷（25条目版）测验。对问卷的测量学分析发现：该自尊问卷的中文版具有较高的信度,其与有关测量工具之间的效标关联效度合乎逻辑;对被试自尊特点的分析发现：初中阶段学生的自尊存在极显著的年级差异,初中二年级开始自尊极显著地降低;初中生的自尊不存在性别差异;城市被试的自尊在总体上高于农村被试,但城乡因素与被试的性别有交互作用;独生子女的自尊高于非独生子女,但这一差异仅存在于初中一年级。     

Evaluation of a holistic cardiac rehabilitation in the reduction of biopsychosocial risk factors among patients with coronary heart disease

The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Lifestyle Change Program (LSCP). LSCP was a holistic cardiac rehabilitation (CR) intervention focusing on several psychosocial and biological predictors of coronary heart disease including depression, hostility, low social support, high perceived stress, low spirituality, low life satisfaction, overall health status and cholesterol levels. Utilising a quasi-experimental design, overall health scores of LSCP patients were compared with those of a control group. To assess differences within-and between- groups, two (programme type) × 2 (age) × 2 (gender) × 2 (time) mixed design ANOVAs were used. Within-group relationships for psychosocial assessments and cholesterol levels were analysed using paired-samples t-tests. Results suggest that there were no significant differences between the LSCP group and the control group with regard to overall health status. However, the LSCP participants reported significantly lower levels of depression and perceived stress, as well as significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and spirituality upon programme completion. In addition, lipid panels changed significantly: A significant decrease in total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins and triglycerides, as well as a significant increase in high-density lipoproteins. These trends suggest that holistic CR may be effective at reducing biopsychosocial risk factors for future cardiac events. Future studies, utilising an experimental design, are necessary to determine whether holistic programmes are more effective than traditional programmes in the reduction of cardiac risk factors.     

Esteem maintenance among groups: Laboratory and field studies of group performance cognitions

Across 48 experimental groups, those that scored higher on group self-esteem attributed perceived positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors. Groups provided more elaborate rationalizations about perceived negative outcomes and less elaborate rationalizations about perceived positive outcomes. They also espoused greater confidence in improved performance after negative outcomes and less confidence following positive outcomes. Similar findings were observed among 252 intact work groups in an employment setting. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding how group self-esteem influences how groups evaluate and respond to performance feedback.     

Factors associated with loneliness among alcoholics in rehabilitation centers.

Loneliness questionnaires were distributed to 92 male and 60 female American subjects undergoing treatment in selected alcohol rehabilitation centers. Factors associated with feelings of loneliness for these individuals were investigated. Significant differences were found between the loneliness scores of men and women, between individuals who had different familial histories of alcoholism, and between subjects who indicated various degrees of happiness during the previous year. A significant negative relationship was also found between loneliness and the following variables: self-esteem, self-rated marital satisfaction, self-rated job satisfaction, and number of years alcohol was consumed.     

Memory for Movement Sequences in Gymnastics: Effects of Age and Skill Level

The authors studied the performances of 8- to 13-year-old skilled (n = 30) and less skilled (n = 30) gymnasts on a gymnastics routine recall task by examining the role of memorization strategies and imagery ability. Subjects had to reproduce 3 movement sequences presented on videotape. The number of trials needed to achieve correct recall, the strategies employed, and the subjects' imagery ability were analyzed. Recall performance improved with age and skill level. Movement labeling was the most prevalent strategy used; its frequency increased with age, although it did not lead to better recall performance. Performance was higher, however, among subjects with better imagery skills. The role of strategy development in the age-related improvement in memory performance was not clearly demonstrated. The effect of skill level is interpreted in terms of knowledge bases and kinesthetic movement encoding.     

The effect of a career development programme based on the Hope-Action Theory: Hope to Work for refugees in British Columbia

The purpose of this study was to assess the proximal and distal outcomes of a career development training programme for refugees that was developed based on the Hope-Action Theory (HAT). Adopting an experimental design, proximal outcomes such as self-efficacy, hope-action competencies, job search clarity, and career adaptability were assessed three times; and distal outcomes including employment status, job-seeking activities, career growth, hopeful career state, work engagement, and job satisfaction were assessed once at nine months. We used a two-way mixed effects analysis of covariance and a serial mediation analysis. The programme was effective in developing hope-action competencies, general self-efficacy, and job search clarity. The experimental group participants exhibited higher hopeful career state and work engagement. A serial mediation model of the HAT-based intervention predicting job satisfaction was found. Limitations and future directions are discussed.     

Imagery intervention in open and closed tennis motor skill performance

To assess use of imagery intervention in performance of two tennis motor skills the quasi-experimental design included a pre- and posttest and a control group. The tennis service shot and service receiving skill were selected as representative of open and closed skills, respectively. 48 subjects, male tennis players, whose ages ranged from 16 to 18 yr. (M = 17.2), were divided into two groups: (1) Technical practice only which was used as control group and (2) Imagery group who received both imagery and technical practice. Analysis of covariance showed a significant main effect for the imagery intervention on the closed skill (p = .002). Findings suggest that imaging a positive outcome may be more powerful in improving performance of closed skill movements than of open skill movements.     

记忆状态下儿童青少年脑波超慢涨落特点的研究

用ET技术对24名7—18岁的儿童青少年进行了静息状态和记忆状态下脑电超慢涨落特点的比较研究,结果表明,在记忆状态下：(1)被试S1、S2频率明显下降,记忆成绩好的被试这一特点更为明显;(2)男生左脑功率明显下降,女生右脑功率明显上升;(3)左脑优势被试左前脑功率下降,右脑优势被试右前脑功率上升。     

Interactive effect of long-term mental stress and cardiac stress reactivity on carotid intima-media thickness: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study

The present study examined the interaction between vital exhaustion and cardiac reactivity and recovery on preclinical atherosclerosis assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in young men and women. We measured heart rate (HR), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and pre-ejection period (PEP) in response to mental arithmetic and speech tasks. Vital exhaustion and carotid IMT were also measured. Significant associations were observed for men aged 28-37 years, but not for men aged 22-25 years, nor for women in these age groups. It was shown that, among highly exhausted men in the older age group, lower HR reactivity was related to greater IMT. Our results also imply that, among non-exhausted men in this age group, slow HR and RSA recovery after acute stress predicted higher IMT. These results suggest that long-term stress as assessed by vital exhaustion is a risk only if it has resulted in ineffective cardiac stress reactivity. Autonomic imbalance resulting from chronic stress may be the common mechanism linking vital exhaustion and cardiac responsiveness to an increased risk of atherosclerosis.     

Resilience is associated with better recovery in Chinese people diagnosed with coronary heart disease

This study investigated the impact of personal resilience (a composite measure of optimism, perceived control and self-esteem) on outcome measures in 67 Chinese coronary heart disease patients in response to an 8-week rehabilitation programme. The effect of personal resilience on posttraumatic growth attributed to the onset of heart disease was also examined. Results indicated that coronary heart disease patients high in personal resilience achieved better outcomes than those low in personal resilience, as indicated by higher physical and mental summary measures in SF-36, lower cholesterol levels and better performance on the 6?min walk test. Moreover, personal resilience was demonstrated to be a significant predictor of the level of posttraumatic growth although the rehabilitation programme exerted a weak mediating effect on the link between personal resilience and posttraumatic growth. Findings were discussed in relation to clinical implications of the construct of personal resilience and the intervention programme.     

Perceptions of wisdom: What is it and who has it?

One hundred fifty-five men and 233 women, aged 20 to 79 years, were asked to name both the most wise and the most interpersonally wise persons they knew personally and to give the age and sex of each. Participants were also asked for the areas in which their nominees were particularly wise. Overall, men and women responded similarly. The subjects tended to nominate individuals who were older than they were; the difference between their own age and their nominees' age decreased with increasing age. Subjects nominated males more often than females as wise and this tendency increased with the subjects' age. With the exception of older women, participants nominated females more often than males as interpersonally wise. When asked to report the areas in which their wise nominees were particularly wise, subjects tended to mention specific skill areas (e.g., business or science) for male nominees and interpersonal skill areas for female nominees.Please note that Nancy W. Denney is deceased.