The underlying structure of the Beck Depression Inventory II: A multidimensional scaling approach

The purpose of the present study was to confirm Beck’s six symptom categorization of depression through the most recent version of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) by employing a confirmatory multidimensional scaling (MDS). This analysis indicates two independent dimensions in the BDI-II. The disturbance domain dimension relates to the domains wherein the disturbances occur, and validates Beck’s six symptom categorization dividing the items into disturbances in basic need-satisfaction, energy regulation, focused attention, regulation of emotion, motivation, and cognitive distortion in self-evaluation. The level of arousal dimension relates to how the disturbances are expressed, namely in an under-active, regular, or over-active manifestation. The MDS solution suggests 18 (6 × 3) symptom areas of depression, and may serve as a guide for constructing additional items.     

Night and day, you are the one: on circadian mismatches and the transference effect in social perception

A study examined the relation between individuals' circadian rhythm and their tendency to exhibit transference effects in social perception. Individuals tested at times of circadian mismatch (i.e., morning persons tested in the evening and evening persons tested in the morning) exhibited more pronounced transference effects than individuals tested at times of circadian match (i.e., morning persons tested in the morning and evening persons tested in the evening). These findings are compatible with the notion that transference effects represent everyday social-cognitive functioning related to activation of social schemata. Additionally, however, they suggest that transference effects are not the inevitable consequence of activating the significant other's schema. Rather, such effects might be particularly likely to occur when an individual's mental resources are limited, as might be the case during circadian mismatches. This latter suggestion differs from psychodynamic views of transference as exclusively a driven, energy-intensive phenomenon.     

The Psychology of Tailoring‐Ingredients in Computer‐Tailored Persuasion

Persuasive information can be tailored to individual characteristics using computer technology. Computer technology offers three ways to persuade people: adaptation, personalization, and feedback. Adaptation refers to the match between the type or the formulation of the persuasive arguments or recommendations and an individual's psychological state. Personalization refers to the incorporation of one or more recognizable individual characteristics (e.g., one's first name) in a persuasive text. Feedback refers to providing the individual with information about him or her that relates to important individual goals. These visible elements in a persuasive message are the tailoring‐ingredients of computer‐tailored persuasion. The present article focuses on explaining how these tailoring‐ingredients influence persuasion, using existing social psychological insights in human functioning and persuasion. The persuasive effects of the tailoring‐ingredients can be explained partly by different psychological processes.     

Goal Systemic Effects in the Context of Choice and Social Judgment

The present paper features a novel approach to motivation and self‐regulation couched in conceptual terms of goal systems theory ( Kruglanski et al., 2002 ). Goal systems theory adopts a cognitive view of motivation and highlights the interrelations of goals and means. The cognitive aspects of the theory have to do with the architecture of cognitions, and the finality of cognitive resources. The motivational aspects of the theory relate to the relation of the goal/means constructs to the dynamics of action and the affective phenomena that accompany goal pursuit. A goal systemic analysis not only affords a better understanding of classic self‐regulatory phenomena, but also offers new insights into various psychological problems such as choice and judgment.     

Perceptions of Responsibility and Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Psychologically Distressed Older Adults

This study explored the perceptions of responsibility for the cause and the solution of problems and the models of helping (or helping orientations) characterizing a sample of 319 community-dwelling, psychologically distressed older adults. All participants were referred for psychotherapy and had either accepted or rejected their referrals. We investigated whether the models distinguished acceptors and rejecters of psychotherapy referrals and whether they were differentially associated with help-seeking from nontherapist helpers. Results indicated that the preponderance of respondents subscribed to the moral and compensatory models. The compensatory model was associated with rejection of referrals, whereas the moral model was associated with increased help-seeking both from mental health professionals and from other formal and informal helpers. Implications of the findings for promoting older adults' utilization of mental health services are discussed.     

Tailoring visual images to fit: Value creation in persuasive messages

The present studies aimed to extend Regulatory Fit Theory in the domain of persuasive communication by (a) using printed advertisement images without any verbal claim, instead of purely or mostly verbal messages; (b) selecting the images to fit the distinct orientations of regulatory mode rather than regulatory focus; and (c) priming regulatory mode orientation instead of relying on chronic prevalence of either locomotion or assessment orientation. We found that recipients primed with a locomotion orientation experienced fit, and were more persuaded, when exposed to “dynamic” versus “static” visual images; conversely, recipients primed with an assessment orientation experienced fit and were more persuaded when exposed to “static” versus “dynamic” images. Our findings show that the experience of fit can be induced by visual messages, resulting in positive effects in terms of attitude toward product advertisement and estimated price of advertised products. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the inferential epistemics of trait centrality in impression formation

We provide a novel, inferential, account of the trait centrality phenomenon. We suggest that a trait possesses the property of “centrality” to the extent that it is subjectively deemed to imply other traits. Five studies explore four central elements of this view. First, trait relations can be stored as unidirectional rules (“if X then Y” but not necessarily “if Y then X”). Second, the strength of individuals' lay inference rules determines the effect of traits on impressions. Third, situationally manipulating the strength of lay inference rules influences the impact of traits on impressions. Fourth, the impact of an inference rule is reduced when it is difficult to discern the inference rule and when processing resources are limited. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.