Perceived and actual control in EMG treatment of back pain

The aim of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that the perception of the apparent amount of voluntary control over muscle activity determines the efficacy of EMG biofeedback treatment in back-pain patients. Twenty-four patients with nonorganic or minor organic back pain were randomly assigned to three training conditions: low-success, high-success and linear feedback of training performance. Contrary to expectations about the relationship between perceived control over muscle tension and pain, no differences in the effects of treatment were found between these three experimental groups. Statistically and clinically significant treatment gains were, however, found in all groups. Thus, the hypothesis of a relationship between perceived muscle tension reduction and pain reports in chronic back-pain patients is not confirmed. After a close analysis of the training sessions, and the muscle activity reduction actually obtained, an alternative hypothesis about EMG biofeedback training procedures is formulated.     

Perceived cultural importance and actual self-importance of values in cultural identification

Cross-cultural psychologists assume that core cultural values define to a large extent what a culture is. Typically, core values are identified through an actual self-importance approach, in which core values are those that members of the culture as a group strongly endorse. In this article, the authors propose a perceived cultural importance approach to identifying core values, in which core values are values that members of the culture as a group generally believe to be important in the culture. In 5 studies, the authors examine the utility of the perceived cultural importance approach. Results consistently showed that, compared with values of high actual self-importance, values of high perceived cultural importance play a more important role in cultural identification. These findings have important implications for conceptualizing and measuring cultures.     

Perceived and actual characteristics of parents and partners: A test of a freudian model of mate selection

The present research examined the psychoanalytic theory of mate selection (Freud, 1927) which proposes that people choose romantic partners similar to their oppositesex parents (Epstein & Guttman, 1984). This phenomenon was addressed as both an actual phenomenon that guides partner choice and as a perceived phenomenon regarding people's conceptualizations of their parents and partners. Participants were asked to describe their parents, significant others, and ideal significant others in terms of several personality characteristics. Also, actual parents and partners of subjects described themselves. For four of eight personality variables, subjects' opposite-sex parents scored similarly to their partners. Also, subjects perceived their significant others as similar to their parents across all variables. Relationship satisfaction was significantly related to the degree to which participants perceive similarity between their parents and partners. Implications for understanding how people's parents influence both actual mate selection and romantic partner perception are discussed. The author expresses his gratitude to the institutions of the University of New Hampshire and Western Oregon University for supporting this research. Additionally, the author expresses his sincere appreciation for the help of the following individuals who all contributed to this research in some way: Rebecca Warner, Kathleen Bauman, Nicole (Nikki) Stoecker, Sara Elizabeth Kay Hubbard, Tracy Beckel, Becky Briggs, Jennifer Palmacci, Cortney Ravenscroft, Allison Schermerhorn, Gregory Tetrault, Vicki Banyard, Kathleen McCartney, Jack Lannamann, and Sally Ward.     

Perceived organizational support,career satisfaction,and the retention of older workers

Through two studies with diverse samples, we tested a conceptual model of the relationships between organizational and career factors and older workers' intention to remain with their organization. Perceived organizational support mediated the relationship between training and development practices, hierarchical, and job content plateauing and intention to remain. Career satisfaction mediated the relationship between perceived organizational support, job content plateauing, and intention to remain. We conclude that implementing training and development practices targeting older workers and tailored to their needs and providing interesting and challenging job assignments are important to perceptions of organizational support and career satisfaction and ultimately to the retention of older workers.     

Perceived and actual characteristics of parents and partners: A test of a freudian model of mate selection

The present research examined the psychoanalytic theory of mate selection (Freud, 1927) which proposes that people choose romantic partners similar to their oppositesex parents (Epstein & Guttman, 1984). This phenomenon was addressed as both an actual phenomenon that guides partner choice and as a perceived phenomenon regarding people's conceptualizations of their parents and partners. Participants were asked to describe their parents, significant others, and ideal significant others in terms of several personality characteristics. Also, actual parents and partners of subjects described themselves. For four of eight personality variables, subjects' opposite-sex parents scored similarly to their partners. Also, subjects perceived their significant others as similar to their parents across all variables. Relationship satisfaction was significantly related to the degree to which participants perceive similarity between their parents and partners. Implications for understanding how people's parents influence both actual mate selection and romantic partner perception are discussed. The author expresses his gratitude to the institutions of the University of New Hampshire and Western Oregon University for supporting this research. Additionally, the author expresses his sincere appreciation for the help of the following individuals who all contributed to this research in some way: Rebecca Warner, Kathleen Bauman, Nicole (Nikki) Stoecker, Sara Elizabeth Kay Hubbard, Tracy Beckel, Becky Briggs, Jennifer Palmacci, Cortney Ravenscroft, Allison Schermerhorn, Gregory Tetrault, Vicki Banyard, Kathleen McCartney, Jack Lannamann, and Sally Ward.     

Perceived brand authenticity: Examining the effects of inferred dedication and anticipated quality on consumers' purchase intentions and actual choices

This research investigates both the downstream effect of perceived brand authenticity on consumers' actual, consequential choice and the important role of inferred brand dedication in the relationship between perceived brand authenticity, anticipated quality, and purchase intentions. We also investigate the interactive effect of two source-related factors—intrinsic motivation and congruity—on consumers' brand authenticity perceptions. We present findings from three studies using different product categories (utilitarian/consumable: hand sanitizer; hedonic/consumable: chocolate; hedonic/non-consumable: sunglasses). Study 1 shows that consumers use information regarding the intrinsic motivation of those behind the brand and congruity between the brand's actions and what it represents to consumers when forming brand authenticity perceptions and that intrinsic motivation and congruity interact to increase authenticity perceptions. We anticipate that consumers' positivity toward brands perceived as authentic will extend to actual choice through anticipated quality. Study 2 demonstrates that consumers choose authentic brands over inauthentic brands above what chance would dictate and anticipated quality can forecast this choice. Next, we extend our collective process knowledge by exploring an underlying reason why consumers anticipate that brands presented through marketing communications as authentic will have higher quality. We suggest that when managers present brands as authentic, consumers infer greater dedication of those behind the brand and inferred dedication influences anticipated product quality. Study 3 provides support and uncovers a serial mediation process, highlighting the importance of inferred dedication. Specifically, perceived brand authenticity increases consumers' brand dedication inferences, which in turn increases anticipated product quality, and ultimately purchase intentions.     

Perceived risk vs actual driving performance during distracted driving: A comparative analysis of phone use and other secondary distractions

The present study attempts to explore the association of drivers’ risk perception towards phone usage as well as other everyday distractions (operating a music player and eating during driving), and their driving performance observed during these distracted conditions. For this purpose, driving simulator experiments were conducted with 90 participants to collect their driving performance data and a questionnaire was conducted to obtain their basic details along with their risk perceptions. Firstly, the driving performance was divided into clusters using hierarchical clustering and the clustered subgroups were compared for crash and non-crash cases to identify the groups having significant performance degradation. Based on this comparison, the driving performance subgroups were then divided into the following crash risk probabilities: High risk, Moderate risk and Low risk. Further, the associations of perceived risk with these performance subgroups and other potential factors were analyzed using association rules mining technique. Most of the drivers (72.06%) reported texting as an extremely risky task. But, surprisingly none of them considered conversation as an extremely risky task. However, in case of conversation, it was found that even though the professional drivers reported the task to be not at all risky, the observed crash risk was high for them (S = 5.21%, C = 67.86%), indicating an underestimation of the associated risk by the drivers. Similarly, the results revealed that for music player and eating tasks, drivers reported the distracting tasks to be less risky, but, in some instances, their driving performance was associated with higher chances of crash occurrence. Many interesting associations of risk perception and driving performance with respect to demographic and driving characteristics were also obtained. The findings can be useful while designing the awareness programs related to distracted driving with an aim to reduce such practices.     

Perceived,not actual,similarity predicts initial attraction in a live romantic context: Evidence from the speed‐dating paradigm

The “similarity‐attraction” effect stands as one of the most well‐known findings in social psychology. However, some research contends that perceived but not actual similarity influences attraction. The current study is the first to examine the effects of actual and perceived similarity simultaneously during a face‐to‐face initial romantic encounter. Participants attending a speed‐dating event interacted with ～12 members of the opposite sex for 4 min each. Actual and perceived similarity for each pair were calculated from questionnaire responses assessed before the event and after each date. Data revealed that perceived, but not actual, similarity significantly predicted romantic liking in this speed‐dating context. Furthermore, perceived similarity was a far weaker predictor of attraction when assessed using specific traits rather than generally.     

Teenagers' perceived and actual probabilities of pregnancy

This study sought to determine how teenagers' actual and perceived probabilities of pregnancy are related. Data were collected from interviews with 425 women aged nineteen or younger who attended the Door, a multiservice center for youth in New York City. Subjects were asked to estimate their likelihood of becoming pregnant the last time they had intercourse, and to indicate the dates of both last intercourse and last menstrual period in order to determine their objective and subjective assessments of risk of pregnancy. It was found that the perceived probability of pregnancy was not highly correlated with actual risk: the distributions of perceived probability of pregnancy were nearly identical for both those who were and were not at actual risk. Moreover, respondents' level of knowledge about the timing of ovulation was not significantly related to the accuracy of their risk assessment. The findings also indicate that teenagers' use of contraception is guided more by their perceived risk of pregnancy than by the actual risk. Policy implications are discussed.     

Perceived control and health

Perceived control (PC) is defined as thebelief that one can determine one’s own internal states and behavior, influence one’s environment, and/or bring about desired outcomes. Two important dimensions of PC are delineated: (1) whether the object of control is located in the past or the future and (2) whether the object of control is over outcome, behavior, or process. A variety of constructs and measures of PC (e.g., efficacy, attribution, and locus of control) are discussed in relation to these dimensions and selected studies are reviewed. The issues, controversies, and limits of the research on perceived control and health are addressed in terms of the antecedents and consequences of perceived control. Investigations should clearly conceptualize the object of perceived control, use measures that match the conceptualization, and when attempting to manipulate control, directly measure perceived control. The relation between PC and health outcomes is complex, and different aspects of PC may interact to affect health outcomes.     

Perceived Threat and Authoritarianism

There has been a long history of work on authoritarianism that has looked at the role of societal threat. Much of the empirical research in this tradition has relied on aggregate data to examine the relationship between societal threat and authoritarian attitudes and behaviors. Our analysis uses individual-level data and a range of perceived threat measures to better understand the dynamics of authoritarianism and threat. We also move beyond the hypothesis of a direct relationship between threat and authoritarianism, and hypothesize instead that the relationship involves interaction effects: societal threat activates authoritarian predispositions. As predicted, our analysis finds no evidence of a direct effect of societal threat but significant evidence of an interaction between authoritarian predispositions and perceived threat. We consider the implications of these results for our understanding of authoritarianism.     

Perceived control and health

Perceived control (PC) is defined as thebelief that one can determine one’s own internal states and behavior, influence one’s environment, and/or bring about desired outcomes. Two important dimensions of PC are delineated: (1) whether the object of control is located in the past or the future and (2) whether the object of control is over outcome, behavior, or process. A variety of constructs and measures of PC (e.g., efficacy, attribution, and locus of control) are discussed in relation to these dimensions and selected studies are reviewed. The issues, controversies, and limits of the research on perceived control and health are addressed in terms of the antecedents and consequences of perceived control. Investigations should clearly conceptualize the object of perceived control, use measures that match the conceptualization, and when attempting to manipulate control, directly measure perceived control. The relation between PC and health outcomes is complex, and different aspects of PC may interact to affect health outcomes.     

出世与入世之间——论道教伦理之要义

宗教伦理思想和道德学说既是宗教神学理论的一个重要组成部分,又是宗教修行实践的指导,是宗教信徒日常生活中的行为规范和原则。因此宗教伦理思想比起宗教的其他神学理论,在教徒中有着更广泛和深入的影响,对教徒的精神和社会生活具有不可替代的作用。道教伦理是以道教信仰为基础的人伦准则和社会行为规范。道教以其“仙道贵生”的生命伦理、“尊道贵德”的社会伦理、“敬神感通”的神学伦理以及“道法自然”与“知和曰常”的生态伦理,涵盖了人与个体(自我)生命、人与人、人与神、人与自然等多重道德关系,以其特有的方式,传递着社会系统的思…     

Perceived organizational support‐burnout‐satisfaction relationship in workers with disabilities: The moderation of family support

Our study tests the perceived organizational support‐burnout‐satisfaction relationship based on stressor–strain–outcome model of stress (Koeske & Koeske, 1993 ) and on the conservation of resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989 ) in workers with disabilities employed in ordinary or competitive jobs (open labor market), analyzing the relationship between perceived organizational support, family support, job satisfaction and burnout. We use a sample of 246 workers with physical, motor, sensory and psychological disabilities working in ordinary jobs. To test our proposed model we used a regression‐based path analysis using PROCESS software, which is a computational tool for estimating and probing interactions and the conditional indirect effects of moderated mediation models. We find that the positive relationship between organizational support and job satisfaction was partially mediated by the levels of cynicism and the relationship between burnout and job satisfaction was moderated by family support. Employees with low support from family had identical job satisfaction with high burnout or low burnout, but employees with high support from family when they had high burnout had lower job satisfaction than when they had low burnout, indicating that the support outside work could have a negative effect in workers’ life. Practical implications and future research are discussed and proposed. 1 1 A previous version of the abstract has been published in the European Congress of Psychology‐2015‐Abstract Book.
     

Verbal Sexual Coercion and Perceived Victim Responsibility: Mediating Effects of Perceived Control

Verbal coercion involves unwanted sexual penetration compelled by psychological pressure. It was hypothesized that, to the degree that verbal coercion is seen as controllable, victims may be held more responsible. Two samples of US undergraduates rated perceptions of hypothetical sexual coercion scenarios. In Study 1, participants (N = 120) read scenarios of either verbal coercion or rape by a male dating partner. Participants perceived verbal coercion as more controllable than rape, which accounted for the greater responsibility attributed to verbal coercion victims. In Study 2, participants (N = 275) read scenarios involving either male-to-female or female-to-male verbal coercion. Participants perceived female-to-male coercion as more controllable, which accounted for the greater responsibility attributed to a verbally coerced man.