Groups as social network members: Overlooked sources of social support

In a study of the link between physical disability and social relationships among the elderly, questions about social network and social support evoked a surprisingly large number of group responses. People mentioned "my grandchildren," "the people in my building," "people at the senior center," and other groups in ways that suggested that the real unit of support was extraindividual and could not be accurately understood by reference to individual people within those groups. This paper describes the frequency of such responses and the circumstances under which they emerged. Definitions of social support and of social network should not be restricted to dyadic relationships between individuals; better understanding of social support processes would derive from consideration of the kinds of social support functions best offered by groups vs. individuals and consideration of differences in the ways in which support is derived from groups and individuals.     

Chimpanzees demonstrate individual differences in social information use

Studies of transmission biases in social learning have greatly informed our understanding of how behaviour patterns may diffuse through animal populations, yet within-species inter-individual variation in social information use has received little attention and remains poorly understood. We have addressed this question by examining individual performances across multiple experiments with the same population of primates. We compiled a dataset spanning 16 social learning studies (26 experimental conditions) carried out at the same study site over a 12-year period, incorporating a total of 167 chimpanzees. We applied a binary scoring system to code each participant’s performance in each study according to whether they demonstrated evidence of using social information from conspecifics to solve the experimental task or not (Social Information Score—‘SIS’). Bayesian binomial mixed effects models were then used to estimate the extent to which individual differences influenced SIS, together with any effects of sex, rearing history, age, prior involvement in research and task type on SIS. An estimate of repeatability found that approximately half of the variance in SIS was accounted for by individual identity, indicating that individual differences play a critical role in the social learning behaviour of chimpanzees. According to the model that best fit the data, females were, depending on their rearing history, 15–24% more likely to use social information to solve experimental tasks than males. However, there was no strong evidence of an effect of age or research experience, and pedigree records indicated that SIS was not a strongly heritable trait. Our study offers a novel, transferable method for the study of individual differences in social learning.     

Early experience and social processes in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): II. Complex social interaction

Differences in simple and complex social behavior were examined between monkeys reared with either animate, though nonconspecific, or inanimate surrogate mothers. In the first experiment, members of each rearing condition were formed into 6-member social groups for ten 5.5-hr trials. In the second experiment, members of each rearing condition were formed into social groups twice daily, one formation comprising all 6 group-members and one comprising 5 group-members, with a different individual excluded each day. Although members of both groups displayed deficient forms of social behavior, individuals reared with animate companions were able to use their limited social repertoires in more sophisticated ways, depending upon the social context. The results are discussed in terms of two "tasks" of social ontogeny, the acquisition of behavioral and social competences.     

Counterspaces: A Unit of Analysis for Understanding the Role of Settings in Marginalized Individuals’ Adaptive Responses to Oppression

Research and theory on the intervening variables that enable individuals who experience marginalization and oppression to achieve well-being have historically relied on an individual level of analysis. Yet, there is a growing body of literature that highlights the roles that contexts play in facilitating processes that result in wellness among marginalized individuals. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that highlights a specific type of setting, referred to as "counterspaces," which promotes the psychological well-being of individuals who experience oppression. Counterspaces are theorized to enhance well-being by challenging deficit-oriented societal narratives concerning marginalized individuals' identities. The conceptual frame proposed here suggests that "challenging" can occur through at least three processes: (1) narrative identity work, (2) acts of resistance, and (3) direct relational transactions. This paper articulates each of these challenging processes. Additionally, the utility of using the Counterspaces framework for thinking critically about and investigating how settings-and the transactional processes that unfold within them-are associated with the promotion of psychological wellness for various marginalized populations is discussed.     

International Perspectives on the Legal Environment for Selection

Perspectives from 22 countries on aspects of the legal environment for selection are presented in this article. Issues addressed include (a) whether there are racial/ethnic/religious subgroups viewed as "disadvantaged," (b) whether research documents mean differences between groups on individual difference measures relevant to job performance, (c) whether there are laws prohibiting discrimination against specific groups, (d) the evidence required to make and refute a claim of discrimination, (e) the consequences of violation of the laws, (f) whether particular selection methods are limited or banned, (g) whether preferential treatment of members of disadvantaged groups is permitted, and (h) whether the practice of industrial and organizational psychology has been affected by the legal environment.     

儿童的同伴交往与孤独感:一项2年纵向研究

用提名法和问卷法对小学的3、4年级274名儿童进行两年追踪调查,采用交叉滞后设计,考察了同伴交往4个特征水平上的变量与孤独感的相互预测关系。结果发现：（1）自我报告的同伴交往变量——友谊质量和社交自我知觉与孤独感之间的交叉滞后效应显著;而同伴评定的同伴交往变量——积极提名、消极提名、受同伴欺负、消极退缩与孤独感之间的交叉滞后效应不显著;另外,前测的互选朋友数能显著负向预测后测的孤独感,前测的孤独感不能显著预测后测的互选朋友数。（2）在排除了早期其它变量的效应之后,积极提名分、消极提名分、受同伴欺负得分、消极退缩得分、互选朋友数在两年之间仍然呈现出高度的稳定性;友谊质量和社交自我知觉以及孤独感则表现出中等程度的稳定性     

Does social environment influence learning ability in a family-living lizard?

Early developmental environment can have profound effects on individual physiology, behaviour, and learning. In birds and mammals, social isolation during development is known to negatively affect learning ability; yet in other taxa, like reptiles, the effect of social isolation during development on learning ability is unknown. We investigated how social environment affects learning ability in the family-living tree skink (Egernia striolata). We hypothesized that early social environment shapes cognitive development in skinks and predicted that skinks raised in social isolation would have reduced learning ability compared to skinks raised socially. Offspring were separated at birth into two rearing treatments: (1) raised alone or (2) in a pair. After 1 year, we quantified spatial learning ability of skinks in these rearing treatments (N = 14 solitary, 14 social). We found no effect of rearing treatment on learning ability. The number of skinks to successfully learn the task, the number of trials taken to learn the task, the latency to perform the task, and the number of errors in each trial did not differ between isolated and socially reared skinks. Our results were unexpected, yet the facultative nature of this species’ social system may result in a reduced effect of social isolation on behaviour when compared to species with obligate sociality. Overall, our findings do not provide evidence that social environment affects development of spatial learning ability in this family-living lizard.     

A meta-analytic approach to growth curve analysis

A meta-analytic approach to growth curve analysis is described and illustrated by applying it to the evaluation of the Arizona Pilot Project, an experimental project for financing the treatment of the severely mentally ill. In this approach to longitudinal data analysis, each individual subject for which repeated measures are obtained is initially treated as a separate case study for analysis. This approach has at least two distinct advantages. First, it does not assume a balanced design (equal numbers of repeated observations) across all subjects; to accommodate a variable number of observations for each subject, individual growth curve parameters are differentially weighted by the number of repeated measures on which they are based. Second, it does not assume homogeneity of treatment effects (equal slopes) across all subjects. Individual differences in growth curve parameters representing potentially unequal developmental rates through time are explicitly modeled. A meta-analytic approach to growth curve analysis may be the optimal analytical strategy for longitudinal studies where either (1) a balanced design is not feasible or (2) an assumption of homogeneity of treatment effects across all individuals is theoretically indefensible. In our evaluation of the Arizona Pilot Project, individual growth curve parameters were obtained for each of the 13 rationally derived subscales of the New York Functional Assessment Survey, over time, by linear regression analysis. The slopes, intercepts, and residuals obtained for each individual were then subjected to meta-analytic causal modeling. Using factor analytic models and then general linear models for the latent constructs, the growth curve parameters of all individuals were systematically related to each other via common factors and predicted based on hypothesized exogenous causal factors. The same two highly correlated common factors were found for all three growth curve parameters analyzed, a general psychological factor and a general functional factor. The factor patterns were found to be nearly identical across the separate analyses of individual intercepts, slopes, and residuals. Direct effects on the unique factors of each subscale of the New York Functional Assessment Survey were tested for each growth curve parameter by including the common factors as hierarchically prior predictors in the structural model for each of the indicator variables, thus statistically controlling for any indirect effect produced on the indicator through the common factors. The exogenous predictors modeled were theoretically specified orthogonal contrasts for Method of Payment (comparing Arizona Pilot Project treatment or "capitation" to traditional or "fee-for-service" care as a control), Treatment Administration Site (comparing various locations within treatment or control groups), Pretreatment Assessment (comparing general functional level at intake as assigned by an Outside Assessment Team), and various interactions among these main effects. The intercepts, representing the initial status of individual subjects on both the two common factors and the 13 unique factors of the subscales of the New York Functional Assessment Survey, were found to vary significantly across many of the various different treatment conditions, treatment administration sites, and pretreatment functional levels. This indicated a severe threat to the validity of the originally intended design of the Arizona Pilot Project as a randomized experiment. When the systematic variations were statistically controlled by including intercepts as hierarchically prior predictors in the structural models for slopes, recasting the experiment as a nonequivalent groups design, the effects of the intercepts on the slopes were found to be both statistically significant and substantial in magnitude. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)     

Women's career patterns: A study of Swedish women born in the 1950s

Patterns of career development have been found to be an important factor for long‐term career rewards and well‐being. However, existing career models excessively focus on men or elite women and upon paid work, typically without considering other roles. Based on a life course perspective, this study aimed to identify women's career development patterns by examining the dynamic interactions between individuals' involvement in working life and other career‐related domains of life. Career biographies, from the ages of 16 to 43, were recorded through retrospective reports from a representative sample of Swedish women (N = 549) participating in a longitudinal programme on individual development. Seven career‐related activities were coded and combined into career sequences covering the entire period. Data were analysed using optimal matching, and nine distinct career patterns ‐ disparate in terms of the timing, ordering and duration of activities ‐ were identified. There were significant differences between the career patterns in early educational aspirations and early sexual experiences, as well as in life‐role values and socio‐economic status in middle age. With respect to the consequences of career patterns for well‐being, there were significant differences in self‐rated health but not in job satisfaction or life satisfaction. The diversity of patterns is discussed from a perspective that takes account of both life course theory and the choices made by individual women in a society that provides childcare facilities, parental leave and other types of support to working parents.     

Why are attitude–behaviour inconsistencies uncomfortable? Using motivational theories to explore individual differences in dissonance arousal and motivation to compensate

Using cognitive dissonance theories and self-determination theory, we explored the role of individual differences in global and contextual motivational orientations on dissonance arousal processes following spontaneous attitude–behaviour inconsistencies (ABIs). Study 1 (N = 382) showed that individual differences in global motivation relate to the frequency of ABIs and dissonance arousal across important life domains. Studies 2 (N = 282) and 3 (N = 202) showed that individual differences in contextual motivation toward the environment predict the relative frequency of ABIs and the quantity and quality of proximal motivation to compensate for ABIs in that context. Autonomous motivation was associated with a tendency to compensate for ABIs to both reduce dissonance and restore self-integrity. Controlled motivation disposed individuals to reduce dissonance to protect ego-invested self-structures, and to be indifferent to non self-threatening ABIs. Amotivation left people indifferent to ABIs. Individual differences in motivational orientations could explain why ABIs are uncomfortable and motivate people to compensate differently when they face ABIs.     

生命早期环境不可预测性对过度进食的影响:基于生命史理论

在生命史理论的视角下, 本研究通过两个研究揭示了生命早期环境不可预测性对过度进食的影响及其作用机制。研究1招募处于生命早期阶段的91名初中生(年龄12~14岁), 采用饱食进食(Eating in the absence of hunger, EAH)范式, 结果发现生命早期环境不可预测性能够显著正向预测个体饱食状态下的高热量食物选择(即过度进食); 研究2招募新冠病毒疾病(COVID-19)暴发背景下301名武汉市居民(高死亡威胁组)和179名其他省市居民(控制组) (年龄18~60岁)为被试, 通过问卷法回溯性地测量生命早期环境不可预测性并探究其影响当前过度进食的机制, 结果发现生命早期环境不可预测性通过生命史策略的中介作用间接影响过度进食。同时, 死亡威胁(新冠病毒疫情)扩大了环境不可预测性通过生命史策略间接影响过度进食的效应, 而社会支持则能缓冲这一效应。研究结果为COVID-19背景下和灾后居民的健康进食干预提供了依据。     

Relation of spelling and writing in learning disabilities

The paper describes a study in which the relationship between the cognitive and psychomotor aspects of children's spelling and writing performances was investigated. By comparing data from various categories of children the relationship between the semantic and psychomotor functions could be examined, and differences between the skill performances of the three groups of students were predicted. A four-way 3 X 3 X 2 X 2 orthogonal design with categories of subjects, type, structure, and length of task as independent variables was used in the laboratory study, with 24 "normal", 24 dyslexic, and 24 dysgraphic nine-year-old children as subjects. Most of the 16 hypotheses were verified by data identifying some of the spelling and writing characteristics of the three groups of children and the effects of contextual parameters on their performances. Dyslexic children, for example, seemed to write more slowly than the others, and their mean score of spelling errors was the highest one, whereas the dysgraphic children had the lowest mean score in writing accuracy and rhythm.     

Open-field behavior of spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto normotensive rats: effects of reciprocal cross-fostering

The influence of the maternal environment on the development of open-field behavior in spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats was investigated using the technique of reciprocal cross-fostering. Entire litters of SHR and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) normotensive rats were either reared by their natural mothers, in-fostered to dams of the same strain, or cross-fostered to dams of the opposite strain on the day after birth. Open-field behavior was assessed in male and female rats from the six groups (2 strains x 3 rearing conditions) at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days of age. Animals were observed in the open-field during a 5-min test period and the number of squares entered and hindlimb rears were recorded. At all ages tested, SHR rats were more active in the open field, entering more squares and rearing more frequently than WKYs. SHR females were more active than age-matched SHR males, while no sex differences were apparent in the WKY strain. At each age, open-field behavior was similar across WKY rearing groups. SHR control and in-fostered animals responded similarly in the open field; however, SHR cross-fostered rats (particularly females) tended to be more active than controls. Although cross-fostering has profound effects on cardiovascular development and functioning in the SHR, it appears that altering the early maternal environment experienced by SHR pups does not grossly affect the development of open-field behavior.     

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function and the metabolic syndrome X of obesity

Obesity has negative health consequences related to fat distribution, particularly the central or visceral accumulation of fat. The major complications associated with visceral obesity, termed the "Metabolic Syndrome of Obesity," or "Syndrome X," are type II diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. As with certain mood disorders, the syndrome may be a consequence of neuroendocrine perturbations typically associated with chronic stress. Our work with bonnet macaque monkeys provides an animal model for the relationship between early stress, behavioral and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation, and Syndrome X. During their infant's first half-year, mothers face a variable foraging demand (VFD), in which ample food varies unpredictably in the difficulty of its acquisition, and the offspring show persistent abnormalities in systems known to modulate stress and affective regulation. Early work on the bonnet macaque noted the emergence of a sample of spontaneously obese subjects as they matured. Using the VFD model, the current study showed that there was a clear relationship between early cerebrospinal fluid corticotropin-releasing factor levels and subsequently measured body mass index, supporting the hypotheses regarding the interactive roles of early experience and HPA axis dysregulation in the ontogeny of both metabolic and mood disorders.     

Within- and between-culture variation: individual differences and the cultural logics of honor, face, and dignity cultures

The CuPS (Culture × Person × Situation) approach attempts to jointly consider culture and individual differences, without treating either as noise and without reducing one to the other. Culture is important because it helps define psychological situations and create meaningful clusters of behavior according to particular logics. Individual differences are important because individuals vary in the extent to which they endorse or reject a culture's ideals. Further, because different cultures are organized by different logics, individual differences mean something different in each. Central to these studies are concepts of honor-related violence and individual worth as being inalienable versus socially conferred. We illustrate our argument with 2 experiments involving participants from honor, face, and dignity cultures. The studies showed that the same "type" of person who was most helpful, honest, and likely to behave with integrity in one culture was the "type" of person least likely to do so in another culture. We discuss how CuPS can provide a rudimentary but integrated approach to understanding both within- and between-culture variation.     

Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of biogenic amines and corticotropin-releasing factor in adolescent non-human primates as a function of the timing of adverse early rearing

Adolescent bonnet macaques nursed as infants by mothers facing unpredictable requirements for food procurement (variable foraging demand, VFD) display persistent neurobiological disturbances. This study examined the long-term neurochemical and behavioral effects of adverse rearing initiated later in infancy than in previous cohorts of subjects to test the hypothesis that the timing of an early adverse experience would influence patterns of biobehavioral outcome. Cisternal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) monoamine and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) concentrations were obtained from 20 bonnet macaques (11 VFD-reared and 9 normally reared controls) approximately 2 years after the end of differential rearing. VFD-reared primates displayed on multiple samplings significantly lower CSF CRF concentrations and higher CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) concentration compared to controls. In the VFD-reared, significant inverse correlations between CRF and all three monoamines were found (5-HIAA, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenethyleneglycol and homovanillic acid), most prominently for 5-HIAA. In controls, but not VFD-reared subjects, CSF CRF was positively correlated with changes in "gregariousness" upon presentation of a fear stimulus. VFD-reared subjects displayed greater baseline hierarchical engagement than controls. In contrast to prior findings, in which rearing under VFD conditions at an earlier age led to increased CSF CRF compared with controls, CSF CRF was lower after later exposure to VFD rearing than in controls. Thus, the timing of exposure to VFD conditions early in life evidently determines whether CSF CRF was found to be elevated or decreased, within the context of increased serotonin metabolism, during the course of primate maturation.     

The effect of early life stress on the cognitive phenotype of children with an extra X chromosome (47,XXY/47,XXX)

Studies on gene–environment interactions suggest that some individuals may be more susceptible to life adversities than others due to their genetic profile. This study assesses whether or not children with an extra X chromosome are more vulnerable to the negative impact of early life stress on cognitive functioning than typically-developing children.

A total of 50 children with an extra X chromosome and 103 non-clinical controls aged 9 to 18 years participated in the study. Cognitive functioning in domains of language, social cognition and executive functioning were assessed. Early life stress was measured with the Questionnaire of Life Events. High levels of early life stress were found to be associated with compromised executive functioning in the areas of mental flexibility and inhibitory control, irrespective of group membership. In contrast, the children with an extra X chromosome were found to be disproportionally vulnerable to deficits in social cognition on top of executive dysfunction, as compared to typically-developing children. Within the extra X group the number of negative life events is significantly correlated with more problems in inhibition, mental flexibility and social cognition. It is concluded that children with an extra X chromosome are vulnerable to adverse life events, with social cognition being particularly impacted in addition to the negative effects on executive functioning. The findings that developmental outcome is codependent on early environmental factors in genetically vulnerable children also underscores opportunities for training and support to positively influence the course of development.     

The Perfect Mix: Regulatory Complementarity and the Speed-Accuracy Balance in Group Performance

ABSTRACT— In this research, we varied the composition of 4-member groups. One third of the groups consisted exclusively of "locomotors," individuals predominantly oriented toward action. Another third of the groups consisted exclusively of "assessors," individuals predominantly oriented toward evaluation. The final third of the groups consisted of a mix of locomotors and assessors. We found that the groups containing only locomotors were faster than the groups containing only assessors, and the groups containing only assessors were more accurate than the groups containing only locomotors. The groups containing a mix of assessors and locomotors were as fast as the groups containing only locomotors and as accurate as the groups containing only assessors. These results echo findings at the individual level of analysis, and suggest that the testing and action components of operating systems independently contribute to performance both intra- and interpersonally.     

Cognitive style: problem solving by rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) reared with living or inanimate substitute mothers

Cognitive style, reflected in the generation of novel solutions and the use of identifiable response strategies in problem-solving situations, was contrasted in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) reared individually with either canine companions or inanimate surrogate mothers. Four experiments were conducted over a 5-year period, examining problem solving in relatively unstructured as well as more formal situations. Results indicated that whereas the 2 rearing groups did not differ on most measures of performance, consistent response strategies were identified for the dog-raised monkeys. The results were compared with previously published data from the same monkeys demonstrating rearing group differences in abilities to engage in complex social interaction. The animate nature of the early rearing environment may facilitate-the development of a cognitive style that influences problem-solving abilities in both the social and nonsocial realms.     

Perceptions of Thriving by Women who have Experienced Abuse or Status-Related Oppression

This study used the term "thriving," grounded theory design, and focus group interviews to investigate women's health. Purposeful sampling yielded women who had experienced abuse in adult interpersonal relationships and status-related oppression ( N =21). Four focus groups identified factors that define and contribute to thriving, began the analysis, and later confirmed the output. Results indicated thriving exceeds previous exploration of the absence of problems to denote vigorous, even superlative health. A model emerged about the defining and contributing properties of thriving as a specific type of energy characterized by complex interconnections between and cycles of activity, rest, and stasis. Three factors defined the structure and process of thriving: (a) individual perceptions, motives, and resources, (b) the nature of the relationship a woman has with her adversity, and (c) properties of the environment vis-à-vis interpersonal relationships. Implications for assessment, prevention, and intervention strategies, as well as future research directions are explored.