Moral approval of aggressive acts: A preliminary investigation

A questionnaire was used to investigate 1) the approval of various kinds of aggressive behaviour under different specified circumstances and 2) the arousal of feelings of aggression in imagined situations. In addition, an attitude test was presented which discriminated between the two highest of Kohlberg's levels of moral reasoning [1969]. The subjects were a very varied group of 83 adults (aged 17–68 years) from municipal evening courses in Finland. Aggression was most approved when it was given altruistic purpose. Self-defense was rated as the second highest justification for aggression. Aggression was found least legitimate when the reasons were emotional (drunk, rage). The justification of some types of aggressive behaviour were dependent on the conditions under which they occurred, whereas others appeared independent. Killing and torture were the most disapproved kinds of aggressive behaviour. Another's attack was the most powerful instigator of feelings of aggression, whereas frustration seemed relatively unimportant. Females approved of emotional expressions of aggression to a greater extent than did males. The moral test did not correlate with approval of aggression in general, but a couple of more specific predictions about the effects of level of moral reasoning on attitudes to socially sanctioned forms of aggression were tentatively confirmed.     

Kindergarten children's use of category membership

Kindergarten children (N = 70) learned to order 12 photographically presented objects. The objects were well known and either unrelated or categorizable into two, three, four, or six well-known categories. Free recall was assessed. Results indicated that the children used category membership both to learn and to recall the items. However, they processed the list composed of six pairs of items at least as efficiently as lists composed of fewer but larger groups of items (including a list indexed as easiest through previous adult performance).     

Marital discord and child behavior problems: A meta-analysis

The relation of marital discord to the behavior problems of children was examined through a meta-analysis of the results of prior research. The sample comprised all published studies through 1988 that met criteria for the metaanalysis and that could be located through a combined computer and hand search of the literature. Marital discord included conflict, disharmony, and lack of agreement between currently married parents. Child behavior problems were defined as conduct problems, excluding internalized difficulties, such as anxiety. Four hypotheses were drawn from recent reviews of studies on this topic: The relation between marital conflict and child behavior problems will be (1) positive overall and will be stronger (2) for boys than for girls, (3) for cases based entirely on parent self-report data than for cases involving external sources of data, (4) for clinic than for nonclinic families. Results supported the first three hypotheses. Little evidence was found for an association between marital conflict and the behavior problems of girls. Findings are discussed in terms of their methodological and theoretical implications and in relation to a recent review of research on sex differences in children's reactions to divorce.     

Evaluating the filial behaviour scale across three cultural groups using exploratory structural equation modelling

Filial piety is a Confucian concept that guides how children treat and take care of their parents. The Filial Behaviour Scale (FBS) is a 25-item instrument developed in the Chinese context measuring behavioural manifestations of filial piety. Although the components of filial piety have been found to be relevant across cultures, little research has investigated the psychometric properties of the FBS in other cultural contexts. The present study evaluated the factor structure, internal consistency, measurement invariance and construct validity of the FBS across three cultural groups: the United States, Italy and Malaysia. Participants were 1090 emerging adults (67% females; M_age = 21.29 years, SD = 1.97; White Americans: n = 455, White Italians: n = 428, Malays: n = 328). A two-factor structure emerged across groups: Obedience/Obligation (behaviours showing obedience and obligation towards parents) and Relationship (behaviours expressing affection and promoting positive parent–child relationships). The two factors demonstrated adequate internal consistency, full configural, partial metric and partial scalar invariance, as well as unique associations with depressive symptoms and parent–child relationships across groups. These findings yielded a more nuanced understanding of filial behaviour and supported the utility of a two-factor FBS among emerging adults in various cultural contexts.     

Does work engagement increase after a short respite? The role of job involvement as a double‐edged sword

This study extends research on work engagement by examining how a short respite and general job involvement contribute to work engagement. We gathered questionnaire data from 156 nurses before and after a short respite. Results indicated an increase of work engagement after the respite. Structural equation modelling showed that nurses who experienced psychological detachment from work during the respite showed a higher increase of work engagement. Moreover, nurses who indicated higher job involvement also showed a higher increase of work engagement. Contradictory to this direct positive effect job involvement had on change in work engagement, job involvement exerted a negative indirect effect on change in work engagement by impaired psychological detachment during the respite. Hence, job involvement acted as a double‐edged sword for the increase of work engagement. Practical implications for the organization of short respites and suggestions for future research on recovery processes are discussed.     

Three exploratory studies of relations between young adults' preference for activities involving a specific sense modality and sensory attributes of early memories

Three studies explored whether young adults' preference for using a sense modality, e.g., hearing, correlated with presence or clarity of attributes of that sense modality in earliest memories from childhood, elementary school, or high school. In Study 1, 75 graduates or seniors in fine arts, fashion merchandising, music, conducting, or dance showed no greater frequency or clarity of any modality's sensory attributes. In Study 2, 213 beginning university students' ratings of current importance of activities emphasizing a sense modality correlated with sensory contents of recollections only for smell and taste. In Study 3, 102 beginning students' ratings of current enjoyment in using a sense modality and sensory contents of recollections were correlated and involved every modality except vision.     

The impact of vacation and job stress on burnout and absenteeism

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to test the hypothesis that vacation relief decreases psychological and behavioral strains caused by job stressors. We examined the impact of job stress and vacation on strain on 87 blue-collar employees in an industrial enterprise in central Israel. Whereas former respite research focused on the impact of vacation only on psychological strains such as burnout and job and life satisfaction, the current study also examined a behavioral strain, absenteeism. The employees completed questionnaires before and after vacation and again four weeks later. Our findings show that vacation alleviated perceived job stress and bumout as predicted, replicating findings that a respite from work diminishes levels of strain to lower than chronic, on-the-job levels. We found declines in burnout immediately after the vacation and a return to prevacation levels four weeks later, and a similar pattern with regard to absenteeism.     

The evaluation of an equine-assisted therapy programme with a group of boys in a youth care facility

The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an equine-assisted therapy programme aimed at improving the psychological well-being of boys in a custodial school of industry. Participants were 39 boys who live in a youth care facility for boys who display problem behaviour. They were from different cultural groups (Black, Coloured, and White) and aged between 14 and 18 years. Horses were utilised in the structured sessions to help the boys learn different coping skills through experiential learning. Data were collected on the boys’ level of coping and subjective well-being in order to assess the efficacy of the programme. The data were analysed using independent groups t-test comparisons. The results showed that the programme significantly improved the boys’ subjective well-being, problem focused coping, and emotion focused coping. However, their levels of dysfunctional coping were unchanged following the intervention. An equine-assisted therapy programme appears to show modest evidence of enhancing psychological well-being of adolescent boys in custodial care.     

Educational Psychology Theory and the Promotion of Dental Care for Children Aged Five to Six

The aim of this article is to illustrate the value of educational psychology theory in developing an age-appropriate programme to prevent tooth decay. A theory-based approach was adopted for the programme development, and a questionnaire was used to ascertain the knowledge gaps in 52 children aged five to six years in two preschools in an urban town. The results showed that most of the children had no awareness and only a moderate knowledge of proper dental care. Piaget's cognitive development theory was applied in the planning and implementation of the activities in the programme. The developed programme was presented to educational psychologists and dentists, and their feedback was used to refine the programme. The importance of educational psychology theory was illustrated in the development of an age-appropriate preventative programme as well as in using an accessible pedagogical approach. The value of multidisciplinary colloboration was also illustrated.     

Coping Self-Efficacy as Mediator in the Dynamics of Psychological Well-Being in Various Contexts

The aim of this study was to explore whether coping self-efficacy mediates between various distress related variables on the one hand (symptoms of stress and depression), and the degree of psycho-social well-being as measured on the upper end of the mental health continuum on the other hand. Participants were two multi-cultural student groups (n₁ = 568; n₂=1480) as well as two community samples of Setswana speaking adults (n₃=477; n₄=1275). Students completed the English versions of measures, and the community samples of adults the Setswana versions. Mediation was evaluated through the testing of structural equation models. Coping self-efficacy mediated significantly between distress and wellbeing, although stressors also influenced the level of psychosocial well-being directly.