SYLLOGISTIC REASONING AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN FROM CANADA AND SIERRA LEONE

Solution of 3-term syllogisms was examined in the context of culture and IQ. Children from elementary schools in Edmonton and Freetown were divided into high and low on the basis of their scores on Coloured Progressive Matrices. In each culture, those with higher scores on Progressive Matrices were expected to do better on syllogistic reasoning than those with lower scores. Across cultures, no difference in performance was expected. In terms of the relation of syllogistic reasoning to simultaneous and successive processing, both processes were expected to be involved in the solution of syllogisms. The results confirmed these hypotheses. It was also indicated that the children from Freetown were better than Edmonton's in syllogisms, dispelling any doubts in regard to their competence in ‘verbal’ reasoning.     

Simultaneous and successive syntheses and intelligence

Recent studies on information processing have developed an alternative model of mental abilities which constitutes an integration of Russian clinical research and North American factor analytic research. This model proposes that information may be processed in a simultaneous synthesis or a successive synthesis. The present study examines variations in these syntheses in three intelligence groups in order to identify the types of information processing characteristic of different intelligence groups. A stratified sampling of verbal and nonverbal IQ was used to select 60 boys of age 9–10 in each of three verbal IQ ranges: 71–90, 91–110, and 111–130. A battery of tests used in previous research was administered to all subjects. Multivariate analyses of variance and discriminant analyses indicated that the IQ groups differed markedly on tests used to identify simultaneous synthesis, most notably Raven's Progressive Matrices, and differed slightly less on tests of successive synthesis. Factor analyses of the test intercorrelations for each group revealed more factorial invariance across the IQ groups than had been suggested by a previous exploratory study. It was concluded that strong individual differences exist in simultaneous and successive syntheses over the major portion of the standardized intelligence range, and no high degree of specialization of information processing was characteristic of an intelligence group.     

Selecting entrepreneurial employees using a person-group fit perspective

As jobs become unstructured and collective endeavor oriented, it is increasingly being realized that work groups must become more autonomous and entrepreneurial. The selection literature is however silent on the predictive mechanisms that may be leveraged to select group members with the desired competencies. The person-group fit perspective enables us to hypothesize and demonstrate that selection instruments geared toward gauging an individual's fit within a group are likely to manifest entrepreneurial competencies and behaviors in the individual. Further, the nature of the job, in terms of the structuredness of work (task formalization) and the repetitiveness of work activities (task routinization), has a moderating impact on the relationship between overall entrepreneurial competence and selection practices. The study has implications for incorporating the principles of person-group fit into the design of job profiles.     

First record of geophagy in Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striata) prior to egg-laying: an instinct for calcium supplement

Animal Cognition - Geophagy has been documented in different animal taxa including Aves and particularly in Passeriformes. However, no geophagic activity has been reported in the genus Turdoides of...     

Promoting resilience to depression among couples during pregnancy: The protective functions of intimate relationship satisfaction and self-compassion

Pregnancy, while often marked by joy, may pose considerable risk for depression among parents. Against a backdrop of adverse life events, expectant parents may be even more vulnerable to developing symptoms of depression during the prenatal period. Thus, it is critical to identify sources of resilience that might facilitate a successful transition to parenthood among couples who have a history of adversity. Prior work suggests that interpersonal and intrapersonal factors associated with resilience, such as intimate relationship satisfaction and self-compassion (i.e., self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness), have the potential to attenuate prenatal depression among couples with a history of stressful life experiences. We tested this possibility in a sample of 159 couples navigating pregnancy. As predicted, a greater number of prior stressful life experiences was associated with increased depression symptom severity for both mothers and fathers. However, moderation analyses revealed the positive link between cumulative stressful life experiences and depression symptom severity was attenuated among mothers who reported greater self-compassion in the form of feelings of common humanity, and fathers who reported higher levels of intimate relationship satisfaction and self-compassion in the form of mindfulness. Findings suggest enhancing intimate relationship satisfaction and self-compassion among expectant couples may be valuable in attenuating prenatal depression among those with a greater history of adversity.     

Toleration and prejudice-reduction: Two ways of improving intergroup relations

While a large body of social psychological research has shed light on the nature of prejudice and how to reduce it, we argue that such work does not address situations of cultural or religious outgroup beliefs and practices that are considered incompatible with one's own. The present theoretical article contrasts a prejudice-reduction approach with a toleration-based approach to consider the differences each have with regard to the attitude object they focus upon, the perceived reasonableness of the attitude, and the behavioral consequences each may lead to. In doing so, we consider the psychological processes involved in whether the negative attitude leads to negative actions. We conclude by arguing that a toleration-based approach forms an important addition to the psychological thinking about cultural diversity and intergroup relations. Collectively, the present work makes a novel contribution to the social psychological literature by stimulating theory development and raising novel questions for empirical research.     

Interculturalism: A new diversity ideology with interrelated components of dialogue,unity, and identity flexibility

Increased cultural diversity has led to considerable debate on how to best promote intergroup harmony within pluralistic nations. In the current research, we consider the nature of interculturalism, a new diversity ideology extensively discussed by political philosophers and policy-makers in Europe and beyond. Interculturalism consists of three interrelated components of dialogue, unity, and identity flexibility. Using data (N = 2,364) from three national surveys in two ethnically diverse nations (Netherlands and USA), we test a new measure of interculturalism and establish its independence from multiculturalism and assimilation. We then demonstrate that interculturalism predicts positive intergroup outcomes, over and above multiculturalism, and is in a theoretically meaningful way related to various criterion measures. Collectively, these studies establish the uniqueness of interculturalism from multiculturalism and demonstrate its promise for improving intergroup relations in culturally diverse nations.     

Is Ultimate Attribution Error Universal? Inter-group Attribution for Success and Failure among University Students in Delhi

Research on inter-group attribution and ultimate attribution error has mostly focused on religious and ethnic groups. However, in view of the distinct nature of Indian social structure, this study examined inter-group attributions in caste context. The study was conducted with university students belonging to two caste groups. A total of 95 students participated in the study: 51 from General Caste category and 44 from Scheduled Caste category. Hypothetical situations were used to record attributions made for the success and failure of both in-group and out-group along the dimensions of locus of causality, stability, and controllability. Results indicated that General Caste category participants showed no inter-group attribution bias. Moreover, Scheduled Caste category participants showed a pattern of in-group derogation. These results are explained in terms of role of education and ideology in influencing the inter-group attribution process, suggesting that ultimate attribution error is not universal.

     

Physical framework for a counselling environment in India: Thematic analysis of counsellors' perceptions

The influence of the physical environment on the counselling process is an inevitable part of a counselling session. However, there is little insight in Indian research into the desirable elements of the physical environment of the counselling room that helps facilitate a counselling session. Interviews were conducted with 10 professional counsellors in India. Thematic analysis of the data brought out various Basic and Organising themes under the following three Global themes: (a) Elements of the physical framework; (b) Counsellor's perspectives about the physical framework in counselling; and (c) Motivation to build a framework. The findings show how counsellors can systematise the physical framework to help construct the counselling session effectively.     

Development of a social interaction questionnaire for the trainers and mothers of children with disabilities participating in Dousa-hou (Japanese psycho-rehabilitation) camps

A 12-item Social Interaction Questionnaire was developed to measure the social interactions among trainers and mothers of children with disabilities in Dousa-hou camps. Dousa-hou is a Japanese psychological rehabilitation method which is widely used for children with mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and autism in Japan and other Asian countries. The primary focus of the rehabilitation method is to improve bodily movements, posture, and social support to patients and their first-degree relatives as well as promoting social interaction among participants. Two factors of interaction, (1) educational and daily life matters and (2) health and care matters, emerged through factor analysis. Cronbach coefficient alpha of the questionnaire was .91. The back-translated version of the Social Interaction Questionnaire also yielded two factors and Cronbach coefficient alpha of .87. It was found that mothers or first degree relatives (N=138; M = 43.5 yr., SD = 12.3) of the patients reported more social interaction than trainers when interacting with their child's trainer, supervisor, other trainers, and other mothers during six-day Dousa-hou camps.