Multidimensional locus of control in sociopolitical activists of conservative and liberal ideologies.

Three studies were conducted to examine the relationship between a multi-dimensional measure of locus of control and sociopolitical activism, controlling for the effects of political ideology. In Study 1, 98 male college students completed a measure of conservatism-liberalism. Kerpelman's Activism scale, and locus of control scales designed to differentiate between two types of externals: belief in powerful others versus belief in chance forces. In Studies 2 and 3, female college students (Ns=26 and 40) who differed in the extent of their participation in leftist political activities or feminist causes responded to the multidimensional locus of control scales. As predicted, results from analyses of variance and trend analyses indicate that for liberals, increases in expectancies of control by powerful others are positively associated with increases in activism, while for conservatives, there is a negative relationship. The importance of controlling for ideology and the implications of the differentiated view of externality for understanding social action are discussed.     

The Relationship between Sex Offender Height and Pedophilic Interest

The current study examined the relationship between offender height and pedophilic interest (as measured by having a victim under 13 years old) in a sample of 22,228 registered sex offenders in the United States. Results revealed that offenders with victims age 12 and under were, on average, nearly one-quarter inch shorter than offenders of adults, and .18 inches shorter than those with minor teen victims. Implications for future research about the biological etiology of child sexual abuse perpetration are discussed, including the role of adverse childhood experiences in the neurodevelopment of offenders.     

Megan's Law and its impact on community re-entry for sex offenders

Community notification, known as "Megan's Law," provides the public with information about known sex offenders in an effort to assist parents and potential victims to protect themselves from dangerous predators. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of community notification on the lives of registered sex offenders. Two hundred and thirty-nine sex offenders in Connecticut and Indiana were surveyed. The negative consequences that occurred with the greatest frequency included job loss, threats and harassment, property damage, and suffering of household members. A minority of sex offenders reported housing disruption or physical violence following community notification. The majority experienced psychosocial distress such as depression, shame, and hopelessness. Recommendations are made for community notification policies that rely on empirically derived risk assessment classification systems in order to better inform the public about sex offenders' danger while minimizing the obstacles that interfere with successful community reintegration.     

Posttransient shifts in auditory lateralization

Presenting an intense (e.g., 80-dB [SPL]) "transient" (e.g., 50-msec) inducer to the ear reduces the loudness of subsequent signals at or near the frequency of the inducer. In this study, we ask whether similar inducers also affect lateralization. In two experiments, we asked how inducing tones presented to one ear (the exposed ear) affect judgments of the lateral position of subsequent target tones having various interaural intensity differences. In Experiment 1, inducers had the same frequency as the targets, and, as predicted, reduced the tendency to lateralize the targets to the exposed ear. In Experiment 2, the frequency of the inducers and the target differed (different critical bands), thereby eliminating the effect on lateralization. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that inducers temporarily reduce the magnitude of the representation of intensity signals in the frequency region around them and that this reduction occurs, at least partly, peripherally to the site at which binaural intensity differences are encoded. The results imply further that the reduction in loudness previously reported under similar stimulus conditions reflects a more general reduction of intensity-based information in hearing.     

Generating Hypotheses After 14 Years of Marital Followup; Or,How Should One Speculate? A Reply to DeKay,Greeno, and Houck*

Gottman and Levenson (2002) for the purpose of post hoc speculation, developed a number of ordinary least squares regressions to model the length of marriage of divorcing couples in a 14-year longitudinal study. We believe that our analyses are appropriate for our purpose. We do not agree with DeKay, Greeno, and Houck (2002) that a duration-model approach would have been more appropriate, and instead argue that the analyses used are more powerful and generate more interesting speculations. When speculating, one makes an important contribution just by being interesting, not necessarily by being right. The purpose of post hoc speculation is to generate discussion, and we are pleased that even at the outset we have accomplished this goal. In this reply to DeKay et al., we argue that the two-process model for earlier versus later divorcing that we propose is both interesting and clinically useful.     

Sexual Relationships in Psychology Training: A Brief Comment on Ethical Guidelines and Coping Strategies

Research has suggested that sexual relationships between psychology educators and their students often have adverse consequences. Therefore, ethical guidelines setting limits on such relationships are proposed. Coping strategies are offered for students who experience sexual harassment from educators. The task of the administrator in handling complaints of harassment is also discussed.     

Implementing Trauma-Informed Care in Correctional Treatment and Supervision

ABSTRACT

This article provides a rationale for trauma-informed care (TIC) in correctional services, and challenges readers to think about offending behavior through the lens of trauma. Based on interdisciplinary research and cross-theoretical literature, TIC can help in our quest to develop relevant and successful programs, practices, and policies, and the best methods for delivering them. Using Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s core principles of TIC, this article will make suggestions for the implementation of trauma-informed service delivery and practices across correctional settings. The authors translate trauma-informed concepts into practice behaviors through the acronym SHARE (safety, hope, autonomy, respect, empathy), which honors the principles of TIC recommended by SAMHSA and the principles of effective correctional rehabilitation. TIC in corrections may help improve the desired outcomes of successful re-entry and reduced recidivism.     

Reflections on 30 years of Cognition & Emotion

ABSTRACT

The publication of the first issue of Cognition & Emotion in 1987 helped open the floodgates to what has become a golden age of emotion research in the social and biological sciences. In this article, I describe the intellectual landscape of that era and trace key developments that helped foster the growth of the field of affective science. Looking back from a present-day perspective, I offer some thoughts on the major changes that have occurred over the past three decades, the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, and my own personal journey toward becoming an affective scientist (which largely occurred during this period). Finally, I offer three considerations that might be helpful for young researchers who are already in the field of affective science or are considering entering it.