An Augmented Risk Information Seeking Model: The Case of Global Warming

This effort argues for an augmented version of the relatively new Risk Information Seeking and Processing (RISP) Model, and subsequently applies this augmented RISP model specifically to environmental risk information seeking. Nearly 830 randomly selected members of a national panel were surveyed about their attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors regarding seeking information about an environmental risk—global warming. Path analysis suggests the promise of applying an augmented RISP model to environmental risk information seeking (R² = .72 for information seeking intent) and reinforces prior research, which indicated the notable contribution that perceived social pressures may have when individuals seek such information (β = .68, p < .001).     

The Embodied Couple

SUMMARY

Herein is described the use of a specific physical posture for couples to assume for the purpose of assessing the dynamics of their relationship. Its careful and artful use creates a microcosm of the couple's interactive style, revealing significant behaviors and feelings in the therapist's presence.     

Defining Risk,Motivating Responsibility and Rethinking Global Warming

This paper breaks with the sociological notion of ‘risk society’ and argues in favour of a philosophical view that sees the two planetary threats of late modernity, nuclear weapons and global warming, as ultimate challenges to morality and politics rather than risks that we can take and manage. The paper also raises the question of why we should feel responsible for the effects of these two global challenges on future generations and in this sense elaborates on the transgenerational chain of parenthood rather than on considerations of justice.     

The Effect of Target's Physical Attractiveness and Dominance on STD-Risk Perceptions

Utilizing a 2 × 2 design, the present study examined the effect of a female's physical attractiveness and dominance on men's sexual motivation and sexually transmitted disease (STD) risk perceptions in a sample of 72 heterosexual male college students. As predicted. participants were more motivated to have sex with more physically attractive women. Nonetheless, they also believed that the more physically attractive women had been more promiscuous in the past, and believed that unprotected sex with a physically attractive woman implied a relatively somewhat higher risk of contracting an STD. In contrast, the more socially dominant women were perceived as having practiced safer sex more regularly and as having had less risky sexual partners in the past. Practical implications of this study are discussed.     

The Effect of Transformational and Transactional Leadership Perceptions on Feedback-Seeking Intentions

This paper explores the relationship between leadership style as operationalized by trans-formational/transactional leadership (Bass, 1985) and feedback-seeking behavior. Participants ( n = 132) were presented with a vignette describing either a transformational or a transactional leader. Leadership style (transformational leader) was significantly related to higher feedback-seeking intentions. Further, controlling for manipulated leadership style, participants' perceptions of leader consideration behaviors resulted in higher feedback-seeking intentions. These findings suggest that not only does exposure to a certain leader affect feedback-seeking behavior, but also perceptions of certain characteristics of a leader's behavior are important. These findings explain one potential mechanism through which transformational leaders might affect the development of their subordinates and raises interesting implications for leadership coaching.     

The Embodied Subjective Perspective

Perspective is a distinctive feature of external perception. There is a question of how to account for perceptual constancy in spite of changing perspectives. Alva Noe proposes the notion of ＂perspectival property＂ [P-property] and appeals to the perspectival aspect of perceptual content. His proposal conflicts with perceptual experiences and hence incurs many criticisms. Drawing on Husserl＇s phenomenology and Gibsonian psychology, I propose the notion of ＂perspectival awareness＂ [P-awareness]. I will argue that P-awareness is embodied pre-thematic self-awareness instead of the experience of a special kind of objective property. With the notion of P-awareness in mind, I then elaborate on the embodied subjective feature of perspective.     

抽象动词的具身表征：运动特征的影响

本研究使用具身行为范式—动作-句子相符效应（ACE）探讨了动词运动特征在抽象动词具身表征中的作用。实验1验证ACE在考察感觉运动系统参与双音节动词表征问题上的可行性,结果在具体动词中得到了ACE。实验2以不同运动特征值的抽象动词为材料,在高运动抽象动词中得到了ACE,但在低运动抽象动词中未发现ACE,且ACE大小与运动特征评分显著相关。结果证明了感觉运动系统在抽象动词表征中的参与,支持抽象概念的具身表征观点。     

The Effect of Looking Behavior on Perceptions of a Communicator's Credibility1

A courtroom simulation technique was employed to examine the effects of a communicator's looking behavior on observers' perceptions of his credibility. Half of the subjects heard testimony presented on behalf of a defendent by a witness (one of three confederates) who was visually presented as either looking directly toward the target of his communication (gaze maintenance) or slightly downward (gaze aversion) while testifying. The other half of the subjects merely heard the audio portion of the testimony. The results indicated that witnesses who averted their gaze were perceived to be less credible and, ultimately, the defendant for whom they testified was judged as more likely to be guilty. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for research concerned with the communicative effects of visual behavior.     

The Effect of Effort and Weight Controllability on Perceptions of Obese Individuals

We examined the impact of offset controllability (capability of losing weight) and offset effort (efforts to lose weight) on judgments of an obese target. Participants (n = 216) read about an obese person whose body weight was controllable/uncontrollable, and who did/did not put in effort to eat healthily and exercise. Effort played a more important role than controllability in evaluations of the target. Targets who put in effort to be healthy were ascribed fewer obesity stereotypes, evoked less disgust, and were considered to have a more acceptable lifestyle. These findings extend attribution theory and have implications for strategies to reduce weight bias.     

Touching as Teaching: The Effect of Touch on Students' Perceptions and Performance

The effect of instructor touch on students' ratings of the instructor and students' performance in the classroom was investigated. A total of 171 male and female college students participated in individual conferences with their instructors following the first examination in the course. Half were touched by their instructors during the conference; the other half were not. Students then evaluated the instructor, the instructor's teaching effectiveness, and the utility of the conference. Analysis of results revealed that students who were touched during the conference gave their instructors significantly higher ratings than those who were not touched. In addition, students in the touched condition showed superior performance on the next course examination, scoring .58 standard deviations higher on the examination compared to the untouched students. The authors conclude that touching, when conducted in a conference situation to help students improve class performance, can be a highly effective teaching tool.     

身体形式和社会环境对SNARC效应的影响:基于具身认知观的理解

目前SNARC效应在认知心理学领域得到了广泛研究,然而较少有研究考察身体形式和社会环境对SNARC效应的影响.研究以127名在校大学生为被试,使用奇偶判断任务、Go/No-go任务以及合作情境下的Go/No-go任务依次展开了三个研究,拟揭示身体形式和社会环境对SNARC效应的影响.实验一要求被试双手完成奇偶判断任务,结果出现了经典的SNARC效应.实验二要求被试完成Go/No-go任务,并让被试单手(左手或右手)对奇数或偶数进行反应,结果SNARC效应没有出现,这表明认知主体的身体形式对SNARC效应产生了影响.实验三要求被试合作完成Go/No-go任务,该实验按照被试所坐的位置(左边和右边)和反应手(左手和右手),设计了四个条件,结果只有身体位置和反应手完全一致时出现了 SNARC 效应.以上结果一方面表明了具身认知观的合理性,另外一方面扩展了以往对SNARC效应本质的理解.     

裸露尤“物”:性客体化影响社会认知的眼动证据

客体化理论认为,对女性身体的关注会导致对其能力、热情和道德等社会属性评价的降低,然而以往研究缺乏直接证据。本研究以50名大学生为被试,采用眼动仪考察了对泳装图片和非泳装图片人物聪明程度评价过程中的眼动特征,结果发现:相比非泳装图片,被试对泳装图片人物的聪明程度评分更低;相比非泳装图片,被试对泳装图片人物胸部的注视点更多,注视时间和首次注视时间更长,对面孔的注视时间和首次注视时间更短。眼动特征表明,对泳装图片社会感知过程中存在客体化注视,直接且直观地支持了客体化理论。     

复合字母刺激心理旋转加工中的整体优先效应

采用复合字母材料结合正镜像判断任务,首次揭示了心理旋转加工中的整体优先效应。实验一延长复合字母材料的呈现时间,检验心理旋转实验常用的正/镜像判断任务中的视知觉整体优先效应;实验二将实验一的复合字母材料旋转一定角度,考察心理旋转加工中的整体优先效应。结果发现：（1）延长复合字母呈现时间后的字母正镜像判断任务中,被试判断大字母和判断小字母的时间没有显著差异,并且大小字母是否一致对大字母判断和小字母判断的影响无显著差异;（2）在排除了视知觉的整体优先效应存在的情况下,发现心理旋转加工中存在明显的整体优先效应,大字母（整体）旋转条件下的反应时显著短于小字母（局部）旋转条件下的反应时;（3）旋转角度一致性对大字母旋转和小字母旋转条件下的反应时均无显著影响,表明心理旋转的整体优先效应模式可能有别于视知觉加工的整体优先效应模式     

具身知觉符号理论视角下的情绪启动效应

从知觉符号理论出发对情绪启动效应进行解读,启动刺激与目标刺激涉及的知觉符号相似性、框架相似性及模态激活延续性是情绪启动效应产生的可能机制和影响因素。在此基础上总结归纳出情绪启动的知觉符号匹配假说,并建构情绪启动效应认知加工模型,对现有情绪启动理论进行整合和拓展,以促进情绪启动刺激材料的拓展、提高研究生态效度; 促进情绪启动效应操作的有效性,进而提高其应用价值。情绪启动研究亦能反哺于知觉符号理论,促进其发展。     

The Effect of Genetic Counseling on Knowledge and Perceptions Regarding Risks for Breast Cancer

In 1994, a clinic for cancer risk counseling was opened at Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem. Most of the counselees have been women who had breast cancer and/or a relative with breast cancer. In order to evaluate the effect of this counseling on women's knowledge and perceptions regarding the risks for breast cancer, a questionnaire was given before and after the counseling session to 60 healthy women who came to the clinic because they have relatives with breast cancer. According to the genetic counselors' estimations, most of these women had a significantly increased risk (compared to the general population) of developing cancer. Before counseling, the women overestimated the population risk for breast cancer, the contribution of heredity to morbidity of cancer, and their own risks to get cancer. After counseling session, they gave reduced estimates, closer to the real ones. The subjective perceptions regarding these risks were reduced after counseling, except for the perceptions regarding their relativerisks which have not changed after the counseling. About 90% of the women who came to the clinic wanted to be tested for genetic predisposition to cancer. For most of these women, the expectations that the test can rule out a genetic predisposition to cancer became more realistic after the counseling. The option to first test an affected relative was offered to all families, and a test was actually conducted in 75% of the families.