Colour for Representationalists

Redness is the property that makes things look red in normal circumstances. That seems obvious enough. But then colour is whatever property does that job: a certain reflectance profile as it might be. Redness is the property something is represented to have when it looks red. That seems obvious enough. But looking red does not represent that which looks red as having a certain reflectance profile. What should we say about this antinomy and how does our answer impact on the contest between realism and subjectivism about colour? I address the issues through the lens of a representationalist position on colour experience.     

Impulsivity, anger, and psychopathy: the moderating effect of ethnicity

The present research tested the four-factor Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV) latent variable model for structural invariance across ethnicity in a large sample of civil psychiatric patients. In addition, it also examined how Barratt (1994) impulsivity and Novaco (1994) anger latent variables were related to the psychopathy dimensions within and across ethnicity. The data were analyzed with Mplus (Muthen & Muthen, 2001), and results indicated that the four-factor model was invariant across Caucasian and African American males in terms of both item factor loadings and thresholds. However, differential relations between the external correlates and the psychopathy dimensions were found across groups, suggesting that the association between impulsivity and psychopathy may be moderated by ethnicity.     

Simple arithmetic processing: surface form effects in a priming task

Models of numerical processing vary on whether they assume common or separate processing pathways for problems represented in different surface forms. The present study employed a priming procedure, with target naming task, in an investigation of surface form effects in simple addition and multiplication operations. Participants were presented with Arabic digit and number word problems in one of three prime-target relationships, including congruent (e.g., '2+3' and '5'), incongruent (e.g., '9+7' and '5') and neutral (e.g., 'X+Y' and '5') conditions. The results revealed significant facilitatory effects in response to congruent digit stimuli at SOAs of 300 and 1000ms, in both operations. In contrast, inhibitory effects were observed in response to incongruent word stimuli in both the addition and multiplication operations at 300ms, and in the addition operation at 1000ms. The overall priming effects observed in the digit condition were significantly greater than in the word condition at 1000ms in the multiplication operation and at 300ms in the addition operation. The results provide support to separate pathway accounts of simple arithmetic processing for problems represented in different surface forms. An explanation for variation in processing due to differences in access to visual and phonological representations is provided.     

Self-efficacy and work-related performance: the integral role of individual differences

The present study estimated the unique contribution of self-efficacy to work-related performance controlling for personality (the Big 5 traits), intelligence or general mental ability, and job or task experience. Results, based on a meta-analysis of the relevant literatures, revealed that overall, across all studies and moderator conditions, the contribution of self-efficacy relative to purportedly more distal variables is relatively small. Within moderator categories, there were several cases in which self-efficacy made unique contributions to work-related performance. For example, self-efficacy predicted performance in jobs or tasks of low complexity but not those of medium or high complexity, and self-efficacy predicted performance for task but not job performance. Overall, results suggest that the predictive validity of self-efficacy is attenuated in the presence of individual differences, though this attenuation does depend on the context.     

Gender, Race and Morality in the Virtual World and Its Relationship to Morality in the Real World

This research examines children’s beliefs about moral behavior in the virtual world and the real world. Participants were 515 children, average age 12 years old. One-third were African American and two-thirds were Caucasian American. Children completed surveys mailed to their homes which included questions about the acceptability of morally questionable virtual behaviors. Findings indicated: (1) gender and race differences in the acceptability of morally questionable behaviors in the virtual world; (2) moral behavior and moral attitudes in the real world predicted the acceptability of morally questionable behaviors in the virtual world; and (3) the frequency of IT use predicted the acceptability of morally questionable behaviors in the virtual world. Implications for children’s IT education are discussed.     

Correlates of Spirituality among African Americans and Caribbean Blacks in the United States: Findings from the National Survey of American Life

The present study examined differences in reports of spirituality among African Americans, Caribbean Blacks (Black Caribbeans), and non-Hispanic whites using data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). Bivariate analyses indicated that African Americans were most likely to endorse statements regarding the importance of spirituality in their lives ("How important is spirituality in your life?") and self-assessments of spirituality ("How spiritual would you say you are?"), followed by Caribbean Blacks and non-Hispanic whites. Regression analyses indicated that African Americans and Caribbean Blacks had significantly higher levels of spirituality than did non-Hispanic whites. However, there were no significant differences in spirituality between African Americans and Caribbean Blacks. Separate regression analyses for African Americans and Caribbean Blacks indicated distinctive patterns of sociodemographic and denominational correlates of spiritual sentiments. Findings are discussed in relation to available survey and ethnographic data on self-assessments of spirituality.     

A comparison between three and five factor models of Pakistani personality data

The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R), the Eysenck Personality Profiler Short Version (EPP-S), and the Big Five Inventory (BFI-V4a) were administered to 135 postgraduate students of business in Pakistan. Whilst Extraversion and Neuroticism scales from the three questionnaires were highly correlated, it was found that Agreeableness was most highly correlated with Psychoticism in the EPQ-R and Conscientiousness was most highly correlated with Psychoticism in the EPP-S. Principal component analyses with varimax rotation were carried out. The analyses generally suggested that the five factor model rather than the three-factor model was more robust and better for interpretation of all the higher order scales of the EPQ-R, EPP-S, and BFI-V4a in the Pakistani data. Results show that the superiority of the five factor solution results from the inclusion of a broader variety of personality scales in the input data, whereas Eysenck's three factor solution seems to be best when a less complete but possibly more important set of variables are input.     

Exploring Ethnic,Gender, and Sexual Orientation Variables in Supervision: Do They Really Matter?

This study explored discussions of cultural variables in supervision and their influence on supervisory satisfaction and working alliance. Results indicated limited discussions occurred, but when these discussions did occur, supervisees reported enhanced supervisory working alliance and increased satisfaction with supervision. These findings highlight the importance of supervisors initiating discussions of cultural variables. Este estudio exploró discusiones sobre variables culturales y su influencia en la satisfacción y alianza de supervisión. Los resultados indicaron discusiones limitadas, pero cuando estas ocurrieron, los supervisados reportaron un aumento en la alianza de trabajo y satisfacción con la supervisión. Estos resultados hacen notable la importancia de que los supervisores inicien discusiones sobre los variables culturales.     

Mediators of the Gender Difference in Rumination

Rumination is engaging in a passive focus on one's symptoms of distress and on the possible causes and consequences of these symptoms. Women are more likely than men to engage in rumination. This study examined whether gender differences in the following beliefs would mediate the gender difference in rumination: the controllability of emotions, the appropriateness of rumination as a coping strategy, responsibility for the emotional tone of relationships, and mastery over negative events. The sample was 740 community-dwelling adults between 25 and 75 years of age, who completed a survey by mail. The combination of beliefs about control of emotions, responsibility for the emotional tone of relationships, and mastery over negative events fully mediated the gender difference in rumination. Alternative hypotheses that the gender difference in rumination was due to gender differences in distress, emotional expressivity, and the tendency to give socially desirable answers were not supported.