DIVINING “DIVINE ACTION” IN THEOLOGY‐AND‐SCIENCE: A REVIEW ESSAY

The topic of divine action has been central to the theology‐and‐science discussion over the last twenty years. Some tentative conclusions are currently being drawn in light of research initiatives that have been engaged on this topic. I review three recent books that have responded in some way to the ongoing discussion. These responses show that, notwithstanding the advances made in the conversation, much work remains to be done before a plausible theory of divine action emerges at the interface of theology and science.     

Sexual prejudice and anger network activation: mediating role of negative affect

The present study sought to establish whether increases in negative affect following exposure to homosexuality mediate the relation between sexual prejudice and anger network activation. Participants were 159 heterosexual men who completed measures of sexual prejudice and state negative affect. Participants were randomly assigned to view a short video depicting either a male–male or male–female sexual interaction and, following the video, again reported state negative affect. Anger network activation was then assessed via response latencies from a lexical decision task that required participants to identify emotion or emotionally neutral words from non‐words. Results indicated that the pattern of covariation between sexual prejudice and anger facilitation was significantly more positive when participants viewed male–male erotica relative to male–female erotica. Increases in negative affect, particularly anxiety/fear, were found to mediate this association. These findings suggest that increases in negative affect following exposure to homosexuality may be the emotional trigger for biases in the processing of anger‐related information and represent the cognitive underpinnings of sexually prejudiced aggression toward gay men. Aggr. Behav. 00:1–10, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Libertarianism and Conjoined Twins

Philosophia - This paper presents a new challenge for libertarianism. (Or rather: for any version of libertarianism committed to absolute, indefeasible self-ownership rights). The problem, in a...     

Employees' Well-being in Greater China: The Direct and Moderating Effects of General Self-efficacy

This study investigated the direct and moderating effect of general self-efficacy on the relationship between stressors and well-being in Chinese societies. Survey data were collected from 386 and 306 employees in Hong Kong and Beijing, respectively. The results consistently showed that general self-efficacy was positively related to mental well-being and physical well-being. A series of hierarchical regressions revealed that general self-efficacy moderated the relationship between stressors and mental well-being, yet did not moderate the relationship between stressors and physical well-being. Results verified that general self-efficacy plays an important role in employees' well-being in the collectivist society of China.
Cette recherche porte sur l'effet direct et régulateur de l'auto-efficience générale sur la relation entre les facteurs de stress et le bien-être dans les sociétés chinoises. Les données d'enquête ont été obtenues auprès de 386 salariés de Hong-Kong et 306 de Pékin. Les résultats montrent régulièrement que l'auto-efficience générale est positivement corrélée avec le bien-être physique et mental. Une succession de régressions hiérarchiques a révélé que l'auto-efficience générale régulait la relation entre les facteurs de stress et le bien-être mental, mais pas celle entre les facteurs de stress et le bien-être physique. Les résultats vérifient l'hypothèse selon laquelle l'auto-efficience générale joue un rôle important pour le bien-être des salariés dans la société collectiviste chinoise.     

Examining the Relations Among Narcissism, Impulsivity, and Self-Defeating Behaviors

ABSTRACT A recent meta-analysis ( S. Vazire & D. C. Funder, 2006 ) suggested that narcissism and impulsivity are related and that impulsivity partially accounts for the relation between narcissism and self-defeating behaviors (SDB). This research examines these hypotheses in two studies and tests a competing hypothesis that Extraversion and Agreeableness account for this relation. In Study 1 , we examined the relations among narcissism, impulsivity, and aggression. Both narcissism and impulsivity predicted aggression, but impulsivity did not mediate the narcissism–aggression relation. In Study 2 , narcissism was related to a measure of SDB and manifested divergent relations with a range of impulsivity traits from three measures. None of the impulsivity models accounted for the narcissism–SDB relation, although there were unique mediating paths for traits related to sensation and fun seeking. The domains of Extraversion and low Agreeableness successfully mediated the entire narcissism–SDB relation. We address the discrepancy between the current and meta-analytic findings.     

The relationship between pain tolerance and trait aggression: effects of sex and gender role

The literature on pain and aggression has indicated that pain elicits aggression. However, research has generally examined pain as a situational variable and focused less on the dispositional ability of an individual to tolerate pain. The dearth of research on pain tolerance and aggression appears to contradict the existing theory on the aggression‐eliciting effect of pain, in that studies have found a positive relationship between pain tolerance and aggression. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the relationship between pain tolerance and aggression is moderated by sex and whether the positive relationship could be explained by masculine gender role conformity. A sample of 195 collegiate men and women completed trait measures and a laboratory assessment of pain tolerance. Results indicated that correlations between pain tolerance and trait aggression were significant and positive for men but not women. However, when men's conformity to masculine gender role was controlled for, the relationship between pain tolerance and trait aggression was nil and nonsignificant. Results are discussed in reference to socialization and maintenance of masculine status. Aggr. Behav. 35:422–429, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

An International Study of the Psychometric Properties of the Hofstede Values Survey Module 1994: A Comparison of Individual and Country/Province Level Results

Hofstede's Values Survey Module has been the basis for much cross‐cultural and cross‐national research in the workplace, but little information about its psychometric properties has been available. This study provides internal consistency (coefficient alpha) statistics from samples representing 23 nations/provinces. Across both English and translated versions, internal consistencies tended to be poor, and in the majority of cases failed to achieve even a liberal criterion of 0.60. Even when data were aggregated by sample coefficient alphas were poor for all but long‐term orientation. At the participant level, long‐term orientation and individualism had marginal internal consistencies, whereas power distance, masculinity, and uncertainty avoidance subscales had inadequate internal consistencies. A replication of Hofstede's ecological factor analysis failed to support the five subscales. It is suggested that the construct validity of these scales is suspect, and that they should be used with caution.     

Extended similarity trees

Proximity data can be represented by an extended tree, which generalizes traditional trees by including marked segments that correspond to overlapping clusters. An extended tree is a graphical representation of the distinctive features model. A computer program (EXTREE) that constructs extended trees is described and applied to several sets of conceptual and perceptual proximity data.This research was supported in part by a National Science Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship to the first author.A magnetic tape containing both the EXTREE program described in the article and ADDTREE/P program for fitting additive trees can also be obtained from the above address. Requests for the program should be accompanied by a check for $25 made out to Teachers College, to cover the costs of the tape and postage.