The Perks of Being Relational: Reviewing The Perks of Being a Wallflower

This article reviews The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Halfon, Smith, Malkovich, & Chbosky, 2012), a coming-of-age film about 3 high school students attempting to survive school, find themselves, and connect with others. The authors provide a synopsis of various portions of the film and identify important aspects of relational-cultural theory (RCT) within its plot, such as growth-fostering relationships, controlling images, and relational images. Various characters’ plotlines are discussed in relation to what RCT identifies as paramount tenets of human development and mental health. The authors also briefly discuss other counseling issues touched on within the film (i.e., affectional identity, sexual assault, and relational violence).     

The Student as a Physical Being

A pretty freshman, feeling “in a bind” because of academic demands, broke out with hives on her buttocks as she sat at her desk studying; a few days later she was hospitalized with mononucleosis. … Shortly before Christmas vacation a group of coeds noted that the occurrence of menstrual discomforts had suddenly increased in their living units. … A junior, who was experiencing difficulties with her roommate and also her fiancé, developed a constant craving for food and became anxious when her food binges started getting out of hand. …     

The World Is a Necessary Being

Philosophia - A standard conception of metaphysical modality accepts that (i) Some de re modal claims are true, (ii) These should be understood in terms of a possible worlds semantics, and (iii)...     

奖励对创造力的影响及其机制

在奖励对创造力的影响的问题上, 相关研究一直存在很大争议。在系统分析以往研究的基础上, 认为奖励既可以促进创造力也可以阻碍创造力, 这取决于对奖励的界定及对创造力的理解, 也受个体差异和外部环境因素的影响。在作用途径上, 奖励可以通过动机或认知因素以及它们的综合作用对创造力产生影响。研究在此基础上构建出一个综合了奖励和创造力及其影响因素的模型。     

The Faculty of the Future

This paper examines some implications of predicted demographic changes in Canadian universities that may make them unable to replace retiring faculty members in numbers permitting academic business as usual. If the predictions prove correct, it will be desirable to reinterpret received verities about the relationship between professor/student ratios and effective education, the dual roles of teaching and research, and democratic governance in communities of higher education. Possibilities for restructuring inquiry and instruction in ways consistent with the responsibilities of educators are all too briefly explored. A revised division of instructional labour is suggested, along with changes in the conduct of research and academic administration that would free professors to focus on the tasks for which they have the greatest expertise.     

On Being a Whistleblower: The Needleman Case

We believe that members of the scientific community have a primary obligation to promote integrity in research and that this obligation includes a duty to report observations that suggest misconduct to agencies that are empowered to examine and evaluate such evidence. Consonant with this responsibility, we became whistleblowers in the case of Herbert Needleman. His 1979 study (Needleman et al., 1979), on the effects of low-level lead exposure on children, is widely cited and highly influential in the formulation of public policy on lead. The opportunity we had to examine subject selection and data analyses from this study was prematurely halted by efforts to prevent disclosure of our observations. Nevertheless, what we saw left us with serious concerns. We hope that the events here summarized will contribute to revisions of process by which allegations of scientific misconduct are handled and that such revisions will result in less damage to scientists who speak out.     

The Relative Rewards and Costs of Childlessness for Older Women

Currently married or widowed women aged 60–75 (N = 719), either childless or with one or more children, were interviewed about advantages and disadvantages of childlessness and about other family-related and social areas. Results indicate that childless older women did not conform to a stereotype of unhappiness and dissatisfaction. Respondents with and without children valued the rewards of their particular lifestyle and perceived costs in the other.     

The Impact of Performance-Contingent Rewards on Perceived Autonomy and Competence

Two studies examined the impact of performance-contingent rewards on perceived autonomy, competence, and intrinsic motivation. Autonomy was measured in terms of both decisional and affective reports. The first study revealed an undermining effect of performance-contingent rewards on affective reports of autonomy among university students, and an increase in reports of competence. Decisional autonomy judgements were unaffected by rewards. The second study replicated this pattern of findings among elementary school children. These results help resolve Cognitive Evaluation Theory's (E. L. Deci & R. M. Ryan, 1985; R. M. Ryan, V. Mims, & R. Koestner, 1983) and Eisenberger, Rhoades, et al.'s (R. Eisenberger, L. Rhoades, & J. Cameron, 1999) divergent positions on the impact of performance-contingent rewards on autonomy. The studies also included measures of intrinsic motivation.     

Reaping the Rewards of Diversity: The Role of Identity Integration

How does diversity affect individuals and the groups in which they are embedded? This article examines this question using recent theory and research on Identity Integration (II). II refers to an individual's perceptions about whether two distinct social identities, or social groups to which individuals belong, are viewed as compatible (high II) or not (low II). A review of extant research suggests that individuals with high II are better at simultaneously accessing multiple identities and identity‐related knowledge and have improved well‐being and social outcomes. Expanding on this work, we argue that individuals who have higher II, and social collectives that foster II within their members, are more likely to reap the benefits of diversity.     

The Effect on Behavior of Being in a Control Group

This study examined how individuals react when they know they are missing an experimental treatment as a function of having been assigned to a control group. Subjects in one condition were informed that they were a control group and would miss receiving extra money for doing well on experimental tasks. Subjects in a second condition were informed that they would miss receiving electric shocks for doing poorly on the same tasks. In the third condition subjects were given no information about missed conditions. Subjects who believed they were missing the chance to receive extra money tended to do worse, while those who believed they were missing the shocks did better on the experimental tasks than did subjects unaware of any other condition. In addition, missing-reward subjects made more errors and did less work than did missing-punishment subjects. There were no differences in attitude towards the experiment as a function of experimental condition. Differences in task performance were discussed in terms of inequity theory (Adams, 1963), the evaluation of social programs, and Campbell's (Note 1) suggestion of "informed randomization.