Error Patterns in the Prediction of Fertility Behavior1

Two separate three-wave, 2-year, longitudinal studies investigated error patterns in two decision models' predictions of couples' birth-planning decisions. One study tested the subjective expected utility model with a sample of married couples from the state of Washington and the other study tested the Fishbein model using a sample of married women from Illinois. Consistent with the proposal that predictions of deviation from the status quo result in a higher proportion of prediction errors than predictions of nondeviation from the status quo, both studies demonstrated that when couples were predicted to decide not to become pregnant, predictive accuracy was very high, but when couples were predicted to decide to become pregnant, predictive accuracy was significantly lower. Two hypothesized explanations for the biased error pattern were considered and received some support. The first, resembling the concept of inertia, is that a stronger motivational force is required to compel a person to elect a change from the status quo than is required to maintain the status quo. The second focuses on changes in decisions as a function of time and events. The heuristic value of directly examining prediction errors, in contrast to the more prevalent practice of reporting only one summary index of goodness of fit, was discussed.     

Hormonal control of sexual attraction in pseudohermaphroditic female dogs

Groups of female dogs exposed to different degrees of androgenic stimulation during development and a control group of ovariectomized females were tested for their attraction to tethered male and female stimulus animals. Attraction to the male was measured before and after administration of estradiol, and attraction to an estrous female was tested before and after administration of testosterone propionate (TP). Time spent visiting the tethered male was approximately equal for all groups prior to hormone treatment, but after receiving estradiol, control females exhibited a pronounced increase in visiting time; the second longest visits were paid by females that had received moderate amounts of androgen before birth; more heavily androgenized females exhibited no increase in attraction to the male despite estradiol injections. Visits to the estrous female before administration of TP were longer for some groups than for others, but there was no relation between the degree of perinatal androgenization and mean visiting time. After injections to TP the most pronounced increase in visiting was shown by females that had received the largest amounts of androgen during development, and the second largest increase occurred in the prenatally androgenized group. Control females showed the smallest increase in visiting time.     

Testing the Compatibility Test: How Instructions, Accountability, and Anticipated Regret Affect Prechoice Screening of Options

Subjects screened a set of jobs, retaining those for which they wished to apply and rejecting those that were no longer under consideration. In Experiment 1, subjects who indicated the jobs for which they would apply/not apply screened out fewer jobs than those with instructions to reject/not reject or those with instructions simply to screen (control). There were no differences between the reject and control conditions. Experiment 2 used a design similar to that of Experiment 1, but subjects were made accountable for their screening judgments. The reject-apply discrepancy remained, but the accountability manipulation made the subjects more stringent in their screening compared to those who were not accountable for their judgments. In Experiment 3, subjects were told to consider either the regret resulting from retaining a bad option (regret bad) or the regret from rejecting a good option (regret good). Subjects in the regret bad condition rejected more jobs than did subjects in the regret good condition, but not more than subjects in the control condition. As predicted by image theory, the normal screening process appears to be to screen out the bad options rather than screen in the good options. This is demonstrated by screening in the control condition being similar to screening under the reject instructions (Experiment 1) and under regret bad instructions (Experiment 3), since these conditions were shown to focus attention on the bad options. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.     

Skills Training for Spouses of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: Outcomes of an Intervention Study

The effects of a 12-week intervention on a patient-focused skills training group and a caregiver-focused skills training group were compared with those on a control group that received comparable attention, but no training. Intervention effects were monitored at the completion of the treatment phase and at 3- and 6-months postintervention. Treatment implementation was documented in a comprehensive fashion to ensure replicability. Both training groups acquired skills that enabled them to improve targeted behaviors (patient problem behaviors and caregiver mood, respectively). Weaker effects were found for more distal outcomes, such as depression, perceived stress, caregiver strain, and self-efficacy.     

Forgiveness in Marriage: Implications for Psychological Aggression and Constructive Communication

Two studies examined whether forgiveness in married couples predicted partner reports of psychological aggression and constructive communication. Study 1 found that forgiveness of hypothetical acts of psychological aggression predicted partner reports of psychological aggression. Study 2 examined actual transgressions and found two underlying dimensions of forgiveness (positive and negative). The negative dimension predicted partner reports of psychological aggression, and, for husbands, the positive dimension predicted partner reports of constructive communication. All findings were independent of both spouses’ marital satisfaction. The implications for understanding marital interaction and future research on forgiveness are discussed.     

Change in caregiver depression as a function of the Strong African American Families Program.

A randomized prevention trial contrasted families who participated in the Strong African American Families Program (SAAF), a preventive intervention for rural African American parents and their 11-year-olds, with control families. This article focuses on the program's effect on primary caregivers' depressive symptoms. Among the 167 caregivers with elevated scores on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, SAAF participation was associated with reduced depressive symptoms, enhanced parenting, and perceived improvements in youth behavior. Change in parenting (consistent discipline, youth monitoring, and open communication) but not change in youth intrapersonal competencies significantly mediated intervention effects on caregivers' depression. Results support the link between reduced depressive symptoms and stronger family relationships, particularly the importance of enhanced parenting efficacy in alleviating depressive symptoms.     

How Does Traditional Masculinity Relate to Men and Women’s Problematic Pornography Viewing?

Sex Roles - Problematic pornography viewing (PPV) is a growing concern. Based on a masculine gender role strain framework, individuals endorsing traditional masculinity ideology (TMI) may be...     

Self-Reported Depression Is Taxonic

Using the Sample-specific simulation method proposed by J. Ruscio, A. M. Ruscio, and T. M. Keane (2004), the S. R. H. Beach and N. Amir (2003) data are re-analyzed. The results for the MAXEIG and MAMBAC procedures are compared across simulated dimensional, simulated taxonic, and original distributions. The comparison indicates that depression is taxonic in the S. R. H. Beach and N. Amir (2003) sample but has a lower base (.06) than previously reported. This result indicates the need to use a relatively high cut point on total Beck Depression Inventory (i.e., BDI>21; A. T. Beck, 1978) when creating groups using the BDI. That is, the data support the presence of a discontinuity between “depressed” and “nondepressed” undergraduates at a relatively high level of depressive symptomatology. At the same time, it is noted that researchers should remain cautious about the interpretation of taxometric procedures used with low base rate taxa until they have been further investigated using Monte Carlo simulations.

Older spouses' perceptions of partners' chronic arthritis pain: implications for spousal responses, support provision, and caregiving experiences

This study of older patients with osteoarthritis and their spouses examined concordance between patients' and spouses' reports of patients' pain severity and the association of concordance with support and caregiving outcomes. Patients and spouses independently viewed videotapes of the patient performing simulated household tasks and provided ratings of patients' pain. Spousal overestimation of patients' pain was the most common type of nonconcordance. Spouses who were accurate in their perceptions of their partner's level of pain during a log-carrying task responded less negatively and provided emotional support that was more satisfying to patients. In addition, spouses who were accurate in their perceptions of their partner's pain during the log-carrying task reported less stress from providing support and assistance. Future research that uses such observational methods may be highly useful for understanding the effects of chronic illness on older couples.