Cognitive processes mediating behavioral change.

The present experiment was designed to test the theory that psychological procedures achieve changes in behavior by altering the level and strength of self-efficacy. In this formulation, perceived self-efficacy. In this formulation, perceived self-efficacy influences level of performance by enhancing intensity and persistence of effort. Adult phobics were administered treatments based upon either performance mastery experiences, vicarious experiences., or they received no treatment. Their efficacy expectations and approach behavior toward threats differing on a similarity dimension were measured before and after treatment. In accord with our prediction, the mastery-based treatment produced higher, stronger, and more generalized expectations of personal efficacy than did the treatment relying solely upon vicarious experiences. Results of a microanalysis further confirm the hypothesized relationship between self-efficacy and behavioral change. Self-efficacy was a uniformly accurate predictor of performance on tasks of varying difficulty with different threats regardless of whether the changes in self-efficacy were produced through enactive mastery or by vicarious experience alone.     

Information search and attribution: Cognitive processes mediating the effect of false autonomic feedback

All published experiments using false autonomic feedback are reviewed and four sets of necessary conditions mediating its effects are proposed. These conditions convern (a) search for an explanation of the feedback, (b) availability of potentially explanatory context features, (c) causal attribution of the feedback, and (d) salience of the perceived causes. Conflicting results, including outcomes of cognitive desensitization, are explicable by reference to these conditions. Evidence supports the attributional theory of emotional behaviour and the assumed equivalence of actual and fictitious arousal although the boundary conditions of the latter postulate need still be explored.     

Group processes in computer-mediated communication

Three experiments explored the effects of computer-mediated communication on communication efficiency, participation, interpersonal behavior, and group choice. Groups of three members were asked to reach consensus on career choice problems; they communicated face-to-face and in simultaneous computer-mediated discussions or through computer mail. When groups were linked by computer, group members made fewer remarks than they did face-to-face and took longer to make their group decisions. Social equalization was higher in computer-mediated groups in that group members participated more equally in discussions. Computer-mediated groups also exhibited more uninhibited behavior—using strong and inflammatory expressions in interpersonal interactions. Decisions of computer-mediated groups shifted further away from the members' initial individual choices than group decisions which followed face-to-face discussions. We discuss the implications of these findings for extension of theories about group interaction and for analyses of the effects of Computers in organizations.     

素食的心理过程及影响因素

随着人们对健康、环境以及动物保护的关注, 素食主义日渐兴起。国内外对素食的心理学研究仍处于起步阶段。个体选择素食的心理过程涉及认知、情感、动机、认同感等方面, 素食行为受到个体差异、刻板印象、宏观因素的影响。未来研究有待深入探讨社会文化对素食行为的影响、中国文化情境下对素与素食的社会表征、素食的具身认知效应以及素食亚文化的动态形成过程, 以期引导对个体健康与环境有益的饮食模式。     

Gender processes in school functioning and the mediating role of cognitive self-regulation

The catalysts for gender discrepancies across developmental outcomes are widely debated. This study examines cognitive self-regulation (CSR) as a mechanism for understanding gender differences in scholastic performance—both subjective school functioning and objective standardized achievement. Utilizing a national sample from the NICHD SECCYD (n = 1364), not only does CSR (i.e., attention and executive function) in 3rd grade mediate the relation between early mother–child interactions (at 54 months) and scholastic outcomes (in 5th grade), but it also predicts gender discrepancies favoring girls in grades, work persistence and socio-emotional development. Additional exploratory evidence suggests quality mother–child interactions may be more meaningful for girls' CSR; however, for boys, CSR is more predictive of school functioning. Both school functioning and standardized achievement were utilized in this study and highlight that gender differences in development and learning are nuanced and not readily discernible across all measures of scholastic performance. Implications for future research, intervention, and practice are discussed.     

Cognitive appraisal mediating relationship between social anxiety and internet communication in adolescents

Research suggests that people with high social anxiety trait may be more inclined to interact through computer-mediated communication (CMC). The psychological underpinnings of this inclination however remained unclear. The present research thus examines if cognitive appraisal bias (i.e. heighten estimation of social risk and deflated self-efficacy) would mediate the relationship between social anxiety and one’s perception of CMC attributes, contributing to a differential pattern of responses in CMC use. Four hundred and ten adolescents aged 12-18 years completed a set of self-reported measures tapping social anxiety trait, cognitive appraisals, perception of CMC attributes, and pattern of CMC social responses. Structural equation modeling lent support to the mediating role of the cognitive appraisal factors. Those with higher social anxiety trait would attach higher self-relevance to the CMC attributes, and engage in a more socially-involved pattern of interpersonal responses in CMC. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Theory-based screening for prevention: Focusing on mediating processes in children of divorce

Prevention programs in mental health theoretically can benefit from selecting participants who have a greater likelihood of developing psychological problems because of their exposure to the putative mediators targeted for change in an intervention. Screening on mediators may increase statistical power to detect program effects, enhance the cost-effectiveness of intervention trials, and decrease the possibility of iatrogenic effects. The circumstances that optimize the strategy of screening on the basis of mediating variables are discussed, and data are presented to illustrate the development of a mediational selection strategy to identify families who might best benefit from a preventive intervention for children of divorce. In addition, we present evidence that adjustment problems for children experiencing a divorce, as with most mental health problems, are not the result of one specific factor, but are jointly determined by several mediating processes that occur subsequent to the divorce. The mediational selection strategy developed illustrates the utility of measuring a set of mediational processes central to conferring risk for mental health problems to children of divorce.