ICTs for Achieving Millennium Development Goals: Experiences of Connecting Rural China to the Internet

By focusing on Internet application initiatives in four places in rural China, this study examines how the Internet is diffused and used in rural settings and what potential it has in helping rural people improve economic conditions and education. The results of this study show that the diffusion and usage of the Internet in rural areas are conditioned by the interplay of structural factors and individual differences. The change agencies have played a dominant role in introducing the Internet to the rural people. One of the major findings of this study is that Internet adoption and usage tend to be closely associated with local farming and business activities. The information needs, conditioned by the modes of production, influence farmers’ information seeking behaviours, which in turn affect adoption inclination and intensive usage.

Estimating Group-Level Relationships: General Recommendations and Considerations for the Use of Intraclass Correlation Coefficients

Purpose

In this investigation, we argue for why and how available intraclass correlation coefficients and other types of reliability estimates can be employed as sample-based reliability estimates within primary and meta-analytic studies when relationships between group-level phenomena are of interest.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Group-level correlations and reliability estimates were obtained from 46 studies examining organizational climate–performance relationships. We illustrate how the group-level reliability estimates can be used to correct correlations for predictor and criterion unreliability. Procedures are presented for computing the sampling variances of individually corrected correlations that account for sampling error in the group-level reliability estimates.

Findings

Support was found for the conservative nature of meta-analytic parameter estimates when group-level reliability information is sample-based as opposed to assumed population values. In addition, our analyses indicated that conclusions about substantive relationships between group-level variables can change based on availability of sample-based reliabilities within both primary and meta-analytic studies.

Implications

Results from this study suggest that researchers should rely on sample-based meta-analytic procedures when examining the generalizability of group-level relationships. This study also demonstrates the importance of using all available reliability information and accounting for sampling error in the reliability estimates when conducting meta-analyses at the group level of analysis.

Originality/Value

This study breaks ground by systematically examining the use of intraclass correlation coefficients as reliability estimates within group-level meta-analytic studies. Furthermore, illustrative analyses provide guidance to primary and meta-analytic researchers in regard to how to correct group-level correlations for unreliability in the predictor, criterion, or both whenever and in whatever proportions the artifact information is available.

     

Knowledge and Attitudes of Hospital Nurses in Italy Related to Near-Death Experiences

I distributed Nina Thornburg's Near-Death Phenomena Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire to 750 nurses in three Verona hospitals, and received 476 completed questionnaires. Questionnaire respondents had a modest knowledge of near-death experiences (NDEs). Nevertheless, respondents expressed a positive attitude towards NDEs in general, and towards patients who had had NDEs. Thirty-four percent of the nurses had personally encountered NDErs, and those nurses reported a higher level of knowledge than their colleagues who had not had that opportunity. Furthermore, in relation to the global sample, nurses who had encountered an NDEr showed attitudes that were more positive regarding both the NDE itself and the type of assistance they offered NDErs.     

From Online Dating to Online Divorce: An Overview of Couple and Family Relationships Shaped Through Digital Media

From the very early stages of initiating relationships to types of post-break-up behaviors, the internet has the potential to play an influential role in all areas of family and particularly couple relationships. This paper examines how ICTs (“information and communication technology”) can shape such relationships. The impact on the various stages of relationships is systematized (relationship development, couple and family formation, separation) with a special focus on intergenerational opportunities and conflicts associated with modern media usage. Against the background of psychological and media communication theories and psychotherapeutic approaches as well as empirical findings the following topics are considered: (1) Initiation of relationships through ICTs (e.g. meet new partners through online dating); (2) Impact of digital media on relationship development and existing partnerships (e.g. new opportunities and internet-related challenges that have to be faced by couples) (3) Influence of ICTs on separations (e.g. online mediation, getting divorced online). In summary, the role of ICTs in new, existing and separated partnerships and families is multifaceted. An outlook on further developments as well as research desiderata is given.     

心理咨询中工作同盟的发展模式与咨询效果

为了探索工作同盟在咨询过程中的发展模式, 采用Stiles等(2004)提出的4个变化特征参数(shape-of-change parameters)对30个个案的工作同盟在咨询过程中的发展变化进行描述。聚类分析的结果显示有3类工作同盟的发展模式, 分别是线性增长、线性下降和二次增长模式。不过, 3种发展模式、4个变化特征参数及同盟的破裂?修复片段对咨询效果均没有影响。比较咨询效果不同的当事人在工作同盟发展模式上的差异, 发现同一个发展模式对于不同的个案可能有着不同的含义, 咨询师在早期对同盟关系的处理与调控对咨询效果有着重要的影响。     

Online Responsibility: Bad Samaritanism and the Influence of Internet Mediation

In 2008 a young man committed suicide while his webcam was running. 1,500 people apparently watched as the young man lay dying: when people finally made an effort to call the police, it was too late. This closely resembles the case of Kitty Genovese in 1964, where 39 neighbours supposedly watched an attacker assault and did not call until it was too late. This paper examines the role of internet mediation in cases where people may or may not have been good Samaritans and what their responsibilities were. The method is an intuitive one: intuitions on the various potentially morally relevant differences when it comes to responsibility between offline and online situations are examined. The number of onlookers, their physical nearness and their anonymity have no moral relevance when it comes to holding them responsible. Their perceived reality of the situation and ability to act do have an effect on whether we can hold people responsible, but this doesn’t seem to be unique to internet mediation. However the way in which those factors are intrinsically connected to internet mediation does seem to have a diminishing effect on responsibility in online situations.     

Managing Nonsexual Multiple Relationships in University Counseling Centers: Recommendations for Graduate Assistants and Practicum Students

Graduate students typically serve in a wide variety of positions throughout their course of study in an academic setting. Because of the large number of roles assumed, graduate students may encounter several ethical dilemmas unique to the academic setting, particularly dilemmas regarding nonsexual multiple relationships. Although the topic of multiple relationships and psychologists has been extensively discussed in the literature, fewer articles have focused on the potential for nonsexual multiple relationships between graduate assistants, practicum students, and undergraduate students. This article focuses on the unique ethical dilemmas and challenges experienced by graduate assistants completing their practica at University Counseling Centers and provides recommendations for evaluating and managing nonsexual multiple relationships with undergraduate students.     

Online Masquerade: Redesigning the Internet for Free Speech Through the Use of Pseudonyms

Anonymity promotes free speech by protecting the identity of people who might otherwise face negative consequences for expressing their ideas. Wrongdoers, however, often abuse this invisibility cloak. Defenders of anonymity online emphasise its value in advancing public debate and safeguarding political dissension. Critics emphasise the need for identifiability in order to achieve accountability for wrongdoers such as trolls. The problematic tension between anonymity and identifiability online lies in the desirability of having low costs (no repercussions) for desirable speech and high costs (appropriate repercussions) for undesirable speech. If we practice either full anonymity or identifiability, we end up having either low or high costs in all online contexts and for all kinds of speech. I argue that free speech is compatible with instituting costs in the form of repercussions and penalties for controversial and unacceptable speech. Costs can minimise the risks of anonymity by providing a reasonable degree of accountability. Pseudonymity is a tool that can help us regulate those costs while furthering free speech. This article argues that, in order to redesign the Internet to better serve free speech, we should shape much of it to resemble an online masquerade.     

Parameters of Time-out: Research Update and Comparison to Parenting Programs,Books, and Online Recommendations

In reviews published more than 30 years ago, eight parameters important to the use of time-out were identified and available research was summarized. The purpose of the current paper is to provide an updated summary of existing research for each parameter of time-out. Within each parameter, we conducted a thorough review of the published literature and identified all peer-reviewed articles addressing each parameter. We identified and summarized a total of 46 articles across the eight parameters, including 32 not cited in previous reviews. Sufficient findings were available to draw conclusions regarding time-out warning, schedule of time-out, contingent versus noncontingent release, and duration. Tentative conclusions based on only a few studies could be drawn in regard to instructional versus physical administration and verbalized reason for time-out. No conclusions could be drawn regarding time-out signal and specific time-out location. While we know much more today regarding effective implementation of time-out, there is a clear need for further exploration within these identified parameters. In addition to summarizing the literature, we reviewed recommendations made by behavioral parent training programs, parenting books, and parenting Web sites, and compared how well their recommendations matched current research based on the conclusions drawn from our review. We found that parenting sources made strong and specific recommendations on several of the parameters that were either not consistent with available research or simply lacked a sufficient research base.     

Resistance to Group Criticism and Recommendations for Change: Lessons from the Intergroup Sensitivity Effect

This essay reviews research relating to criticism of groups. It is argued that, in order to successfully critique (and change) a group culture, it is not enough to be right. Rather, critics need to be sensitive to a range of variables wrapped up in who they are: their group memberships, their history, and the intergroup context. One example of this is the intergroup sensitivity effect, the phenomenon whereby criticisms that seem reasonable in the mouth of an insider are rejected when coming from an outsider. We discuss the intergroup sensitivity effect, the psychological mechanisms underpinning it, and the contextual factors that moderate it. On the basis of this review, we present a model that can be used to predict resistance (or open-mindedness) in the face of group-directed criticisms and recommendations for change. It is hoped that this model can open up new ways of thinking about group-mediated communication, and at the same time can provide specific, concrete and usable instruction for how to promote change within and between groups.     

Job Type and Recruiters' Inferences of Applicant Personality Drawn from Resume Biodata: Their Relationships with Hiring Recommendations

Using data collected from 244 recruiters who reviewed resumes and made dispositional inferences and hiring recommendations for 122 entry‐level job applicants, we found that type of job opening (Holland's Conventional vs. Enterprising jobs) moderated relationships between recruiter inferences of applicant personality traits and recruiter judgments of applicant employability. Results showed Conscientiousness correlated with employability ratings for Conventional jobs (e.g., accounting) while extraversion was most associated with employability ratings for Enterprising jobs (e.g., marketing).     

Cognitive Enhancement Strategies to Augment Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety and Related Disorders: Rationale and Recommendations for Use With Cognitively Healthy Older Adults

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is widely recognized as an efficacious treatment of anxiety and related disorders—however, recent research suggests that some older adults may derive reduced benefit from CBT as compared to younger adults. Age-related declines in cognition (e.g., memory, attention) may be a contributing factor to the reduced benefit seen in this population. Augmentation strategies for optimizing CBT are now under way (e.g., exercise, medication), and indicate that cognitive support and enhancement strategies can improve both cognitive skills and treatment outcome in anxious older clients. This review discusses the current literature on enhancement strategies that target CBT aptitude directly (e.g., memory aids for therapeutic material) and indirectly (e.g., use of standardized cognitive tasks unrelated to CBT) as methods of augmenting CBT. Recommendations for clinicians and directions for future research are provided.     

大学生网络使用与网络利他行为:网络使用自我效能和性别的作用

以湖北省武汉市两所大学的562名大学生为被试,采用网络利他行为问卷、网络自我效能感问卷和网络使用行为问卷对其进行问卷调查。考察网络使用自我效能在网络使用和网络利他行为之间的中介作用及该中介作用是否受到性别的调节。结果发现:(1)男生在网络利他行为和网络使用自我效能上均显著高于女生;男生在网络游戏、网络信息的使用上显著高于女生,男女生在网络社交上不存在显著差异;(2)网络使用(网络社交、网络信息、网络游戏)与网络使用自我效能、网络利他行为均呈显著正相关,网络使用自我效能与网络利他行为呈显著正相关;(3)网络使用自我效能在网络使用和网络利他行为的关系中具有中介作用,性别在网络使用与网络使用自我效能之间具有调节作用,相对于女生,网络使用自我效能的中介效应在男生群体中更为显著。     

Validation of the Internet and Social Networking Experiences Questionnaire in Spanish adolescents

The aim of this paper is to validate the Internet Related Experiences Questionnaire (IREQ) with a sample of 525 participants from Compulsory Secondary Education, considering the possible addiction to the internet from both interpersonal and intrapersonal dimensions. Besides, associations between CERI scores and several variables such as sex, age as well as selfesteem were analyzed. Results show a good fit of the questionnaire through a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), where the interpersonal factor explains a higher percentage of the variance at the expense of the intrapersonal factor. Statistically significant differences between IREQ scores and age and a lineal positive association between self-esteem and possible interpersonal addiction to the internet were found. The possibility of these results to be affected by the social use of the Internet and the generalization in young people's lives is discussed. Moreover, the need of designing and implementing prevention programs for a healthy use of the internet is discussed.     

Body Techniques of Vulnerability: The Generational Order and the Body in Child Protection Services

The paper seeks to analyze children’s bodily vulnerability as grounded in generational order. The thesis is put forward, that the generational order is embodied via body techniques of vulnerability, deployed both by adults and children. In presenting results from research on professional responses to child maltreatment and neglect, three sets of age related body techniques of vulnerability are identified, concerning caregivers, professionals and the children itself.     

The Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Revised Child version: Reliability and structural validity of the Polish adaptation

The Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Revised Child version (ECR-RC) is a self-report questionnaire measuring attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. The aim of this study was to validate a Polish version of the ECR-RC, assess its reliability and factorial structure based on the results obtained from a community sample of 277 children aged between 10 and 13. The results of confirmatory factor analyses revealed a two-factor structure of the Polish ECR-RC that showed an adequate internal structure and consistency. Moreover, a model fit of an abbreviated, 12-item version and a three-factor structure were tested. Overall, the results of this study offer a valid and reliable tool for assessing attachment anxiety and avoidance in Polish-speaking children.