A mediation model of individual differences in attitudes toward affirmative actions for women

A mediation model of the relation between gender and attitudes toward affirmative action in favor of working women was tested. Four mediation variables were considered: perceived unfairness in the situation of working women, perceived threat to the non-designated group (men), self-esteem, and gender self-concept (masculinity and femininity). 192 women and 128 men, with differing occupations, participated. Gender affects individuals' attitudes toward affirmative actions for women, mediated by perceived unfairness in the situation of working women, perceived threat to the non-designated group, and feminine self-concept. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

The costs and benefits of memory conformity

We examined the influence of external recommendations on memory attributions. In two experiments, participants were led to believe that they were viewing the responses of two prior students to the same memoranda they were currently judging. However, they were not informed of the reliability of these fictive sources of cues or provided with performance feedback as testing proceeded. Experiment 1 demonstrated improvement in the presence of reliable source cues (75% valid), as compared to uncued recognition, whereas performance was unaltered in the presence of random cues provided by an unreliable source (50% valid). Critically, participants did not ignore the unreliable source, but instead appeared to restrict cue use from both sources to low-confidence trials on which internal evidence was highly unreliable. Experiment 2 demonstrated that participants continued to treat an unreliable source as potentially informative even when it was predominantly incorrect (25% valid), highlighting severe limitations in the ability to adequately discount unreliable or deceptive sources of memory cues. Thus, under anonymous source conditions, observers appear to use a low-confidence outsourcing strategy, wherein they restrict reliance on external cues to situations of low confidence.     

Frogs and ponds: a multilevel analysis of the regulatory mode complementarity hypothesis

Regulatory mode is a psychological construct pertaining to the self-regulatory orientation of individuals or teams engaged in goal pursuit. Locomotion, the desire for continuous progress or movement in goal pursuit, and assessment, the desire to critically evaluate and compare goals and means, are orthogonal regulatory modes. However, they are also complementary, in that both locomotion and assessment are necessary for effectual goal pursuit. In the present research, the authors sought to demonstrate that multilevel regulatory mode complementarity can positively affect individual-level performance on goal-relevant tasks. The authors recruited 289 employees (177 men, 112 women) from preexisting work teams in workplace organizations in Italy and obtained (a) employees' individual-level scores on the Regulatory Mode Scale and (b) supervisor ratings of each employee's work performance. The results supported the multilevel complementarity hypothesis for regulatory mode. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Prediction of mathematics achievement: effect of personal, socioeducational and contextual variables

Based upon the self-regulated learning theoretical framework this study examined to what extent students' Math school achievement (fifth to ninth graders from compulsory education) can be explained by different cognitive-motivational, social, educational, and contextual variables. A sample of 571 students (10 to 15 year old) enrolled in the study. Findings suggest that Math achievement can be predicted by self-efficacy in Math, school success and self-regulated learning and that these same variables can be explained by other motivational (ej., achievement goals) and contextual variables (school disruption) stressing this way the main importance of self-regulated learning processes and the role context can play in the promotion of school success. The educational implications of the results to the school levels taken are also discussed in the present paper.     

Psychometric properties of a Multidimensional Scale of Social Expression to assess social skills in the Internet context

The increase in the use of New Technologies in social relationships could be generating a new paradigm in social skills. Valid and reliable instruments to assess these changes are needed. The aim of this study is to analyze the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Social Expression (EMES) in the assessment of social skills on the Internet and Social Networks. A total of 413 college students from the province of Alicante participated on this study. The scale was applied according to two contexts: Real and Internet/Virtual. High internal consistency was shown. The 12-factor structure found for the Virtual Context scale is similar to that of the original study. The scale had shown to be a good predictor of hours of Internet use. In conclusion, EMES-C is useful for assessing real context and Internet context social skills.     

The relationship between stress, hemispheric preference and decision making among managers

Previous studies have shown important effects of stress on decision making (DM). In addition, individuals differ in their relative activation of the left and right hemispheres (hemispheric preference; HP), with possible implications for DM. This study tested the relationship between stress, HP and their interaction, with DM in managers. We included a sample of 114 managers from Israel, Italy and France. Stress was inversely and significantly related to DM thoroughness (r=-.333), left-HP (r=-.24) and was positively correlated with instinctiveness DM (r=.25; all p<.05). Importantly, a stress×HP interaction accounted for an additional and significant 9% of the variance in thoroughness, beyond their main effects, nationality and gender. In this interaction, only in right HP managers, but not in left HP managers, stress was inversely correlated with thoroughness. A stress×HP interaction was not found for instinctiveness. Theoretically, our results advise investigating both situational (stress) and personal or biological (HP) factors in the job stress field. Practically, it can guide stress specialists to whom to provide scarce counseling resources of stress management, to improve workers' DM and well-being.     

Changing the general factor of personality and the c-fos gene expression with methylphenidate and self-regulation therapy

A deepening in the biological nature of the general factor of personality (GFP) is suggested: the activation level of the stress system is here represented by the gene expression of c-fos. The results of a single case experimental design are reported. A model of four coupled differential equations that explains the human personality dynamics as a consequence of a single stimulant drug intake has been fitted to psychological and biological experimental data. The stimulant-drug conditioning and its adaptation to the considered mathematical model is also studied for both kinds of measures. The dynamics of the c-fos expression presents a similar pattern to the dynamics of the psychological measures of personality assessed by the GFP-FAS (Five-Adjective Scale of the General Factor of Personality) as a consequence of a single dose of stimulant drug (methylphenidate). The model predicts similar dynamic patterns for both psychological and biological measures. This study proves that describing mathematically the dynamics of the effects of a stimulant drug as well as the effects of a conditioning method on psychological or subjective variables and on gene expression is possible. It verifies the existence of biological mechanisms underlying the dynamics of the General Factor of Personality (GFP).     

Parenting and the dysregulation profile predict executive functioning in children with acquired brain injury

Background: Children with acquired brain injury (ABI) present with high rates of psychological disorders commonly accompanied by deficits in hot and cold executive functions (EFs). Impairments in EFs have been reported to precede mental health problems. Moreover, children who are vulnerable to developing mental health problems in adulthood frequently present with a dysregulation profile in childhood, characterized by impairments in cognitive, behavioral and emotional regulation. Objective: To identify profiles of behaviors associated with impairment in hot and cold EFs and compare injury factors, environmental stressors and dysregulation profile between them. Methods: A latent profile analysis was conducted with 77 children with ABI aged between 6 and 12. Injury factors, child IQ, environmental stressors and the dysregulation profile were compared between these behavioral profiles. Logistic regressions were conducted to predict profile membership. Results: Two profiles were identified: Profile M, with mild deficits (1–2 SD above the mean) in working memory and social skills, and profile C, presenting clinically significant deficits (2–3 SD above the mean) in shift, initiate, working memory, planning and social skills and mild deficits in inhibit, emotional control and task monitor. Proximal environmental stressors (dysfunctional parenting practices, parental stress, parent’s executive dysfunction, anxiety-trait, and depressive symptoms) and dysregulation symptoms predicted profile membership, whereas injury factors, child IQ and distal environmental stressors did not. Conclusion: Following ABI, children with profile C are at risk of mental health problems and present with more proximal stressors. The dysregulation profile may be useful as a proxy for risk for later mental health problems in children with ABI.     

Observaciones sobre la Teoría Psicológica y su Enseñanza

RESUMEN

Este artículo aborda principalmente la situación actual de los estudios de psicología en nuestro país, que el autor considera muy preocupante. Comienza refiriéndose a los cambios producidos en la teoría psicológica en los últimos años, para pasar luego a analizar la situación de la enseñanza de la psicología y proponer algunas modificaciones, destacando como problema fundamental el tipo de docencia que se imparte. Respecto al plan de estudios, el autor considera que debe incluir materias de tipo optativo y de diferente número de horas, presentando sucintamente algunas de las características que podría tener desde el primer año de carrera hasta los estudios de tercer ciclo. Con estas sugerencias el autor propone cómo podría organizarse una enseñanza digna de la psicología.