From thinking about what might have been to sharing what we know: The effects of counterfactual mind-sets on information sharing in groups

We hypothesized that the activation of a counterfactual mind-set minimizes group decision errors caused by the failure of groups to discuss unshared, uniquely held information. In two experiments, we manipulated the salience of counterfactual thoughts in a pre-task scenario and then had groups of three individuals discuss a murder mystery case. In both experiments, counterfactual mind-sets increased the discussion of unshared information and helped groups to identify the correct murder suspect. These results emerged regardless of whether the direction of the counterfactual thoughts was upward (Experiment 1) or downward (Experiment 2), suggesting that it is the process of thinking counterfactually, and not the content of the counterfactuals, that improves group decision making.     

Ethics Education: Recommendations for an Evolving Discipline

This article describes results of a national questionnaire completed by counselor education program professors regarding their teaching of ethics. The questionnaire asked professors about 5 aspects of ethics education: materials used, instructional methods used, content taught, methods of evaluation used, and professors' goals for the ethics education of their students. Questionnaire results and demographic data about professors and programs are used to describe perceptions and practices of counselor educators who teach ethics.     

Traditional response interference effects from anticipated action outcomes: a response-effect compatibility paradigm

An act as simple as pressing a button involves various stages of processing. Each stage of action production is susceptible to interference from competing representations/processes. For example, in the Simon Effect, interference arises from an incongruence between incidental spatial information and the spatial properties of intended action; in the flanker task, interference arises when visual targets and distracters are associated with different responses (response interference [RI]). Less interference arises in the flanker task when targets and distracters are different in appearance but associated with the same response (perceptual interference [PI]). Interference also stems from the automatic activation of representations associated with the anticipated effects of an action, response-effect (R–E) compatibility (e.g., the presence of a left-pointing arrow after one presses a button on the right will increase interference in future trials). This has been explained by ideomotor theory—that the mental representation of anticipated action-effects are activated automatically by voluntary action and that such representations can cause facilitation or interference by automatically priming their associated action plans. To illuminate the nature of action production and provide additional support for ideomotor theory, we examined for the first time the effects of PI and RI in a new R–E compatibility paradigm.     

A Group Journey—to Hell and Back

The process of a therapy group in an inpatient daycare unit¹ became saturated with anger and detachment, ultimately leading to a despairing silence. Based on Ferenczi’s concept of Orpha, I will explain the group silence as indicative of deep trauma and dissociative self-states. I propose that the therapist’s willingness to “hang in” with his group and be part of a seemingly unbearable enactment enhances the possibility for emergence of hope and restoration of positive communication. It is rare in the literature for authors to expose the pitfalls that they and their group members can fall into, leading to despair, shame, and hopelessness. When working in the complex environment of a mental hospital where every level of staff is stressed, therapists often find themselves without support and consultation. My hope is that my colleagues can learn from my challenges, errors, and lessons, as I have.     

Women are not less field independent than men—the role of stereotype threat

Prior research has shown that females are less field independent (FI) than males. However, when gender identity is salient, performance on tests assessing constructs similar to FI may be hindered, because of stereotype threat. This study examined the impact of stereotype threat on gender differences in FI. We expected that (a) reporting one's own gender prior to FI testing and (b) having an opposite‐gender experimenter would activate stereotype threat, and in turn result in lower performance on a test of FI among females. Overall, 170 participants were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions in a between‐participants design varying the participant's gender, experimenter's gender and timing of the gender question (before vs. after test). Results showed that reporting one's gender before the FI test led to lower FI performance among females. Furthermore, females achieved higher FI when experimenters were females and gender questions were administered after the FI test.     

Context and alcohol consumption behaviors affect inhibitory control

Contrasting the traditional focus on alcohol‐related visual images, this study examined the impact of both alcohol‐related auditory cues and visual stimuli on inhibitory control (IC). Fifty‐eight participants completed a Go/No‐Go Task, with alcohol‐related and neutral visual stimuli presented with or without short or continuous auditory bar cues. Participants performed worse when presented with alcohol‐related images and auditory cues. Problematic alcohol consumption and higher effortful control (EC) were associated with better IC performance for alcohol images. It is postulated that those with higher EC may be better able to ignore alcohol‐related stimuli, while those with problematic alcohol consumption are unconsciously less attuned to these. This runs contrary to current dogma and highlights the importance of examining both auditory and visual stimuli when investigating IC.     

How Working With a Helpful Versus Less Helpful Confederate Influences Joint-Action in a Pegboard Task

Actors change their movement strategies to complement a coactor's movements when performing cooperative tasks. To further investigate this topic, the authors designed a pegboard task whereby a participant-confederate pair worked together to move a peg from one side of the board to the other. The authors examined how the experience of working with a helpful confederate versus less helpful confederate influenced the participant's movement behavior. Results provide evidence that participants change their movement behaviors in response to the actions of the confederate. Here the human capacity to act in such a manner exemplifies an individual's ability to utilize his or her own action system to understand others and interact to complete joint action tasks. Individuals appear to adapt their behavior to their experiences, and thus may be helpful in some contexts and less helpful in others.