Predictors of loneliness among students and nuns in Angola and Portugal

The authors conducted 2 studies to examine the relationship between loneliness and psychosocial variables among people from Angola and Portugal. In the 1st study, the participants were 129 college students from Angola and 122 from Portugal, and in the 2nd study participants were 105 nuns from Angola and 74 from Portugal. The following instruments were administered to all participants in both studies: the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (D. Russell, L. Peplau, & C. Cutrona, 1980), the Neuroticism Scale (J. Barros, 1999), the Optimism Scale (J. Barros, 1998), and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (E. Diener, R. Emmons, R. Larsen, & S. Griffin, 1985). Ethnic differences were found in loneliness. The Angolan participants recorded higher scores for loneliness than did the Portuguese participants. For both samples the most prominent predictors of loneliness were neuroticism and dissatisfaction with life.     

A short-form measure of loneliness among second-generation migrants

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric characteristics of a 6-item measure to assess loneliness among 109 second-generation adolescent migrants. Analysis supported the validity and reliability of the scale with this sample of acculturating adolescents.     

Effects of different training histories upon manufacturing a tool to solve a problem: insight in capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.)

Animal Cognition - The emergence of novel behavior is a multilayered phenomenon that comprehends distinct processes. One such process is known as insightful problem solving. “Insight”...     

Spontaneous imagined contact and intergroup relations: Quality matters

While research on experimental interventions that aim to improve outgroup attitudes via contact imagery grows, it is important to examine if contact imagery that occurs in spontaneous, non-experimentally controlled conditions drives attitudes, and in what direction. To answer this, we constructed and validated a spontaneous imagined intergroup contact scale (SIICS) that differentiates between frequency, quality and elaboration of the spontaneous imagery of outgroups. In three correlational studies (N_Portugal = 305, N_{United Kingdom} = 185, N_Italy = 276), we tested the role of spontaneous imagined contact frequency, quality and elaboration in predicting attitudes and social distance (Studies 1–3) and intended behaviour (Study 3) toward immigrant groups. Results demonstrated that spontaneous imagined contact quality consistently predicted key outcome variables above and beyond the other two dimensions. Importantly, the effects were significant while controlling for other potent forms of direct and indirect contact. Implications of the findings for theory and practice are discussed.     

Do they want contact with us? The role of intergroup contact meta‐perceptions on positive contact and attitudes

This research examined the role of contact meta‐perceptions on positive intergroup contact and outgroup attitudes. Specifically, perceptions of the ingroup's and outgroup's desire for intergroup contact were simultaneously tested as predictors of intergroup contact and outgroup attitudes. Three correlational studies were conducted in three distinct contexts, international students' view of British students, general public views of people with schizophrenia, and both Muslims' and non‐Muslims' views of one another. Among these three intergroup relationships, the role of outgroup contact meta‐perceptions was consistently highlighted as predictor of intergroup contact. In stark contrast, ingroup contact meta‐perceptions did not emerge as a significant predictor of contact. Intergroup contact then predicted outgroup attitudes (Studies 1, 2, and 3) and stereotyping (Studies 2 and 3) via reduced anxiety (Studies 2 and 3). The results demonstrate the importance of explicitly highlighting outgroups' openness for intergroup interactions and are discussed in the context of intergroup relations literature.     

Work–Home Interaction and Psychological Strain: The Moderating Role of Sleep Quality

Sleep has been considered crucial for recovery, but little is known about the specific associations between the work–family interface and sleep quality. Based on COR theory, the goal of this study is to examine the moderating role of sleep quality on the relationship between work–home interaction (i.e. negative work–home interaction, negative home–work interaction, positive work–home interaction, and positive home–work interaction) and psychological strain. A total of 273 ambulance workers from Spain participated in the study. Multiple regression analyses revealed that sleep quality moderated the relationship between negative and positive home–work interaction and psychological strain. Findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.     

Belonging Without Belonging: Utilizing Evangelical Self-Identification to Analyze Political Attitudes and Preferences

Research typically defines evangelical belonging as affiliation with an evangelical denomination, but this approach excludes many self-identified evangelicals, even though previous studies of religious groups find that self-identification is a powerful predictor of political preferences. Using data from the National Survey of Religion and Politics, we investigate the usefulness of self-identification for classifying evangelicals. The effects of three types of evangelical belonging (religious tradition-only, self-identification-only, and a combination of religious tradition and self-identification) on respondents' political attitudes, party identification, and vote choice suggest that religious tradition is a good predictor of political attitudes while self-identification is a good predictor of party identification. We conclude that self-identification and tradition are both important to understanding evangelicalism and politics in America.     

Social perceptions of achieving students and achievement goals of students in Malaysia and the Philippines

The study investigates the hypothesis that country differences in achievement goals of students are associated with differences in how students with different achievement goals are perceived by students in different cultures. University students from Malaysia and the Philippine were asked to complete questionnaires on their achievement goals and on their perceptions of hypothetical students who exemplify the different achievement goals. The perception questions related to social goals such as peer affiliation, personal qualities, and likeability. The achievement goals data indicated that Filipino students reported higher levels of mastery goals compared to their Malaysian counterparts, who in turn reported higher levels of performance approach goals. Hierarchical regression analysis indicate that country differences in mastery and performance goals can be accounted for by differences in perceptions of mastery- and performance-goal oriented peers, particularly those perceptions that relate to social affiliation and social approval. The results are discussed in terms of how achievement goal constructs are perceived in different countries, and how differences in perception may relate to some social dimensions in the adoption of achievement goals.     

The interaction of respiration and visual feedback on the control of force and neural activation of the agonist muscle

The purpose of this study was to compare force variability and the neural activation of the agonist muscle during constant isometric contractions at different force levels when the amplitude of respiration and visual feedback were varied. Twenty young adults (20–32 years, 10 men and 10 women) were instructed to accurately match a target force at 15% and 50% of their maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) with abduction of the index finger while controlling their respiration at different amplitudes (85%, 100% and 125% normal) in the presence and absence of visual feedback. Each trial lasted 22 s and visual feedback was removed from 8–12 and 16–20 s. Each subject performed three trials with each respiratory condition at each force level. Force variability was quantified as the standard deviation of the detrended force data. The neural activation of the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) was measured with bipolar surface electrodes placed distal to the innervation zone. Relative to normal respiration, force variability increased significantly only during high-amplitude respiration (∼63%). The increase in force variability from normal- to high-amplitude respiration was strongly associated with amplified force oscillations from 0 to 3 Hz (R² ranged from .68 to .84, p < .001). Furthermore, the increase in force variability was exacerbated in the presence of visual feedback at 50% MVC (vision vs. no-vision: .97 vs. .87 N) and was strongly associated with amplified force oscillations from 0 to 1 Hz (R² = .82) and weakly associated with greater power from 12 to 30 Hz (R² = .24) in the EMG of the agonist muscle. Our findings demonstrate that high-amplitude respiration and visual feedback of force interact and amplify force variability in young adults during moderate levels of effort.     

Chronicity and severity of maternal postpartum depression and infant sleep disorders: a population-based cohort study in southern Brazil

A cohort study was conducted with 397 women randomly selected from the Brazilian National System of Public Health, to describe the prevalence rates of infant sleep problems at 12-month of life, and its association with chronicity and severity of maternal depressive symptoms. Mothers were assessed, first, from the 9th to the 12th week postpartum and then at 12 months after delivery, with EPDS and a self-rating questionnaire regarding babies’ sleep behavior. After controlling for possible confounders, babies whose mothers had severe chronic depressive symptoms were at higher risk for sleep disorder at 12 months of birth.