Longitudinal relationships between core self-evaluations and job satisfaction

Core self-evaluations (CSE) have been proposed as a static personality trait that influences individuals' work experiences. However, CSE can also be influenced by work experiences. Based on the corresponsive principle of personality development, this study incorporated both dispositional and contextual perspectives to examine longitudinal reciprocal relationships between CSE and job satisfaction. Longitudinal data from 5,827 participants in the British Household Panel Survey from 1997 to 2006 were analyzed. A series of structural equation models revealed that job satisfaction and the growth of job satisfaction in previous years positively predicted CSE in a later year. In turn, CSE contributed to higher job satisfaction and growth of job satisfaction in following years. This result shows that both dispositional and contextual forces interweave to shape individuals' self-views and experiences over time.     

Evaluating vigilance deficits in ADHD: a meta-analysis of CPT performance

We meta-analytically review 47 between-groups studies of continuous performance test (CPT) performance in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using a random effects model and correcting for both sampling error and measurement unreliability, we found large effect sizes (δ) for overall performance, but only small to moderate δ for performance over time in the handful of studies that reported that data. Smaller δs for performance over time are likely attributable, in part, to the extensive use of stimuli for which targets and distractors are quite easily differentiated. Artifacts accounted for a considerable proportion of variance among observed δs. Effect sizes reported in previous reviews were significantly attenuated because of the presence of uncorrected artifacts and highlight the necessity of accounting for artifactual variance in future work to determine the amount of true neurocognitive heterogeneity within ADHD. Signal detection theory and diffusion modeling analyses indicated that the ADHD-related deficits were because of decreased perceptual sensitivity (d') and slower drift rates (v). Results are interpreted the context of several recent models of ADHD.     

Effects of a brief media intervention on expectations, attitudes, and intentions of mental health help seeking

This study examined the effects of a mass-media video intervention on expectations, attitudes, and intentions to seek help from professional mental health care services. A public service announcement-style, mass-media video intervention was developed, with prior empirical research on help-seeking behaviors organized according to the theory of reasoned action/planned behavior. In total, 228 participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions: (a) the media-exposed intervention group, who watched programming in which the media intervention was inserted, and (b) the control group, who watched the same programming without the media intervention. The media intervention was not influential on expectation and belief-based barrier variables. However, the media intervention was effective at increasing positive attitudes toward help seeking. Findings regarding the intervention's ability to increase help-seeking intentions for interpersonal problems were complex. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.     

Everyday conceptions of object fall: explicit and tacit understanding during middle childhood

Adults make erroneous predictions about object fall despite recognizing when observed displays are correct or incorrect. Prediction requires explicit engagement with conceptual knowledge, whereas recognition can be achieved through tacit processing. Therefore, it has been suggested that the greater challenge imposed by explicit engagement leads to elements of conceptual understanding being omitted from prediction that are included in recognition. Acknowledging that research with children provides a significant context for exploring this "omission hypothesis" further, this article reports two studies with 6- to 10-year-olds, each of which used prediction and recognition tasks. Study 1 (N=137) focused on understanding of direction of fall, and Study 2 (N=133) addressed speed. Although performance on the recognition tasks was generally superior to performance on the prediction tasks, qualitative differences also emerged. These differences argue against interpreting explicit level understanding purely in terms of omission of tacit constructs, and the article outlines alternative models that may account for the data.     

First-Line Treatment for Pediatric Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

Pediatric obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common psychiatric disorder that impairs children’s functioning in home, school, and community settings. Once thought to be an untreatable or treatment refractory disorder, evidence-based treatments now exist for pediatric OCD. Various psychological treatment approaches for pediatric OCD have been investigated and research supports the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention (E/RP) and combined CBT/E/RP with serotonin reuptake inhibitor pharmacotherapy. This paper reviews these approaches and highlights the prominent role of CBT/E/RP as a first-line treatment for pediatric OCD.     

Chess masters show a hallmark of face processing with chess

Face processing has several distinctive hallmarks that researchers have attributed either to face-specific mechanisms or to extensive experience distinguishing faces. Here, we examined the face-processing hallmark of selective attention failure--as indexed by the congruency effect in the composite paradigm--in a domain of extreme expertise: chess. Among 27 experts, we found that the congruency effect was equally strong with chessboards and faces. Further, comparing these experts with recreational players and novices, we observed a trade-off: Chess expertise was positively related to the congruency effect with chess yet negatively related to the congruency effect with faces. These and other findings reveal a case of expertise-dependent, facelike processing of objects of expertise and suggest that face and expert-chess recognition share common processes.     

The Effect of Religion-Supported Programs on Health-Related Behaviors in Adolescence

Much research has found a relationship between religion and teens?? health related behaviors. The majority of this research focuses on personal religious beliefs and behaviors. But, many religious organizations also sponsor nonreligious activities. There is reason to think that nonreligious programs sponsored by religious organizations will be more likely than school and community-based extracurricular programs to be associated with healthier behaviors, even for youth who are not personally religious. The current study compares the influence of involvement in nonreligious activities that are supported by religious and other organizations for teen health outcomes. Using two waves of longitudinal data from the National Study of Youth and Religion the current study finds that involvement in religion-supported programs is associated with feelings of well-being, better physical health, less alcohol use, and delayed initiation into first sex. Conversely, involvement in activities sponsored by nonreligious organizations is associated with more alcohol use and initiation into sex.     

Peer Victimization and Parental Psychological Control in Adolescence

With a sample of 831 U.S. adolescents (49% girls) followed from 9th to 11th grade, the directionality of the association between school-based peer victimization and adolescents’ perception of their parents’ psychological control were examined. Possible mediating influences of internalizing symptoms were also explored. The results highlight the relevance of adolescent-to-parent influences during adolescence by demonstrating that physical peer victimization was predictive of increases in mother’s psychological control but parental psychological control did not predict subsequent peer victimization. These direct effects were present above and beyond the contribution of adolescent internalizing symptoms to higher parental psychological control. Practical implications of the primacy of adolescent-to-parent influences in predicting the social adjustment of victims of peer harassment are discussed.     

Council-Based Approaches to Reforming the Health Care Response to Domestic Violence: Promising Findings and Cautionary Tales

Councils are commonly formed to address social issues including intimate partner violence (IPV). Research suggests that councils may be well positioned to achieve proximal outcomes, but that their success may depend on contextual factors. The current study compared providers and health care settings at two points in time to explore the degree to which the Health Care Council achieved proximal outcomes in the health care response to IPV, including: (a) providers' reported capacity to screen for IPV, (b) providers' beliefs about IPV as a health care issue and about the IPV screening process, (c) providers' screening behaviors and (d) organizational policies and protocols to encourage screening. This study, while preliminary, provides support for council-based efforts to stimulate change in the health care response to IPV and also highlights the central role that organizational environment plays in shaping desired outcomes.