A Comparison of Sexual Relationships Among Hispanic Men by Sexual Orientation: Implications for HIV/STI Prevention

Hispanic men experience high rates of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when compared to non-Hispanic whites. Many factors contribute to HIV/STI risk among Hispanic men. Some researchers have suggested that primary relationships may be a source of HIV/STIs because some men engage in sexual relationships outside of the primary relationship. However, little is known about this among Hispanic men, and less is known about how sexual relationships differ by sexual orientation. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to determine if Hispanic men engage in sexual relationships outside of primary relationships; and (2) to compare sex outside of primary relationships by sexual orientation. Data for this study were obtained from a larger study that investigated health risks of Hispanic men residing in the U.S.–Mexico border community. Participants were recruited from agencies that provided services to Hispanic men. Participants completed a structured interview that included questions about primary relationships and sex outside of primary relationships. The sample consisted of 103 Hispanic men (50 heterosexual, 43 gay, and 10 bisexual Hispanic men), but two participants refused to answer relationship questions, resulting in a sample of 101 Hispanic men. About one-third of the participants (n = 29) reported sex outside of the primary relationship, but no differences were found between the gay/bisexual and heterosexual men, X ² (2, N = 101) = 9.91, p = .128. More gay/bisexual men reported sex with the primary partner and another person at the same time than heterosexual men, X ² (2, N = 101) = 13.32, p = .010. More gay/bisexual men reported open relationships when compared to heterosexual men, X ² (2, N = 101) = 17.23, p = .008, and more gay/bisexual men reported sex outside the primary relationship without the primary partner’s knowledge, X ² (2, N = 101) = 15.09. p = .020. However, more heterosexual men reported that condoms were not used for sex outside the primary relationship when compared to gay/bisexual men, X ² (2, N = 101) = 14.01, p = .029. Sex outside of primary relationships presents some implications for HIV/STI prevention among Hispanic men. Because gay/bisexual men experience higher rates of HIV/STI, more attention needs to be focused on all forms of relationships to prevent acquisition of HIV/STIs. Among heterosexual Hispanic men more attention needs to be given to reinforcement of safer sex practices both outside the primary relationship, and within the primary relationship if high risk sex is occurring outside the primary relationship. More research is needed on the reasons for sex outside the primary relationship among Hispanic men, as well as research to promote safer sex practices when sex occurs outside of the primary relationship.     

Shock and awe: Distinct effects of taboo words on lexical decision and free recall

Taboo stimuli are highly arousing, but it has been suggested that they also have inherent taboo-specific properties such as tabooness, offensiveness, or shock value. Prior studies have shown that taboo words have slower response times in lexical decision and higher recall probabilities in free recall; however, taboo words often differ from other words on more than just arousal and taboo properties. Here, we replicated both of these findings and conducted detailed item analyses to determine which word properties drive these behavioural effects. We found that lexical-decision performance was best explained by measures of lexical accessibility (e.g., word frequency) and tabooness, rather than arousal, valence, or offensiveness. However, free-recall performance was primarily driven by emotional word properties, and tabooness was the most important emotional word property for model fit. Our results suggest that the processing of taboo words is influenced by distinct sets of factors and by an intrinsic taboo-specific property.     

Assessment of Psychopathic Traits in Singaporean Adolescents: Validation of the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD)

There is little knowledge available concerning psychopathic traits in Asian adolescents; a lack of a suitable measurement instrument for assessing psychopathy in Asian societies may account for this. This study aimed to validate a widely used scale in the West — the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) — in Singaporean school-based and at-risk adolescents. Using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), this study examined the two-factor (i.e., grandiose-manipulative/impulsive traits and callous-unemotional traits) and three-factor (i.e., grandiose-manipulative traits, impulsivity, and callous-unemotional traits) models of the APSD in 1027 school-based and 113 at-risk adolescents. School samples are adolescents from three secondary schools, while at-risk samples are adolescents who manifest different types of delinquent behaviors and are either placed in more structured settings or need closer supervision although they have not violated the law. Gender invariance was further tested in the school-based sample by conducting a multigroup CFA. The convergent validity of the APSD was also investigated in the school-based sample. For the school-based adolescents, the APSD revealed that the three-factor model provided a superior fit over the two-factor model and the factorial invariance across gender. Significant relationships between the three dimensions of the APSD and aggression and delinquency support the convergent validity of the APSD. As for the at-risk adolescents, both the two- and three-factor models were acceptable, but the two-factor model was preferred as it was parsimonious and it aligned with the conceptualized characteristics of psychopathic traits. Findings suggest that the APSD is a reliable and sound instrument for measuring psychopathic traits in Asian school-based and at-risk adolescents.     

Assessment of the Language Preferences of Five Children with Autism from Spanish-Speaking Homes

Although the number of English Language Learner students is increasing in the US school system, little is known about the preferences of language of instruction, particularly among young students with autism. We implemented a choice assessment with five children with autism to determine preference between English and Spanish instruction using a concurrent-operant design. Participants were allowed to choose between English instruction, Spanish instruction, and a no-language control condition using BIGmack communication devices. We compared choice allocation between previously mastered skills (easy tasks) and targets in the acquisition phase of learning (difficult tasks). None of the participants indicated a preference for language of instruction during easy tasks, while four participants indicated a preference during difficult tasks. Results suggest that the concurrent-operant procedure is an effective method for assessing preference of language of instruction with students with autism.     

Social competence in Zimbabwean multicultural schools: Effects of ethnic and gender differences

S tudents' social competence was investigated in relation to race/ethnicity and gender for a sample of 371 Zimbabwean students attending racially/ethnically integrated schools. About 42% of the students were black, and 58% white (mean age 12 years; SD=9 months). Peer and teacher sociometric ratings of children's social behaviour, social responsibility, and friendliness comprised the social competence measures. Tests of empirical independence among these social competence measures supported their uniqueness in reliably assessing components of the general construct of social competence among Zimbabwean students. Multiple analysis of variance procedures were used to examine the relationship between social competence statuses and group membership (i.e., race/ethnicity, gender) while controlling for aggregate scores and classroom racial proportions. Superior academic achievement and racial/ehnic propinquity are social status levelling factors in multiracial school settings. Teachers rated white students higher on social responsibility and social behaviour. Students rated white students higher on social responsibility only. Comparisons of social competence by ethnicity and gender revealed that white and female students were rated significantly higher on social behaviour and social responsibility than their black and male classmates. Female students were perceived as more socially competent or better adjusted to school than males. Reliable differences in social competence in race/ethnicity and gender groups were concentrated in peer ratings of social responsibility and in teacher ratings of social behaviour and social responsibility. In postcolonial settings or settings with a history of race/ethnicity and gender‐based privilege, minorities from a dominant culture may have higher social status than peers from a majority culture. Superior social competence in females is a resource for school adaptation and social climate. Students have perceptions of social competence in peers that only partially overlap with those of teachers and contribute uniquely to their experience of school. Social competence in students is multifaceted, gendered, and differently perceived by teachers and peers.     

Microblogging, online expression, and political efficacy among young chinese citizens: the moderating role of information and entertainment needs in the use of weibo

In 2011, China's Internet population reached over half a billion users and the popular Twitter-like social networking service, Weibo, has been adopted by half of the users since its launch in August 2009. Given the potential of the Internet to facilitate a civic culture in the authoritarian state, the use of Weibo and its effects on citizens' political attitudes and behaviors are of important concern. A survey of 499 Weibo users found that intensity of use was related to increased willingness to express opinions about government and politics, the perception that one has the ability to participate in politics, and feelings that the government is not responsive to the demands of citizens. Moreover, the above relationships were moderated by the motivations of Weibo use, such that information motives strengthened the relationships while entertainment motives weakened the relationships.     

Paradoxical effects of testing: retrieval enhances both accurate recall and suggestibility in eyewitnesses

Although retrieval practice typically enhances memory retention, it can also impair subsequent eyewitness memory accuracy (Chan, Thomas, & Bulevich, 2009). Specifically, participants who had taken an initial test about a witnessed event were more likely than nontested participants to recall subsequently encountered misinformation—an effect we called retrieval-enhanced suggestibility (RES). Here, we sought to test the generality of RES and to further elucidate its underlying mechanisms. To that end, we tested a dual mechanism account, which suggests that RES occurs because initial testing (a) enhances learning of the later misinformation by reducing proactive interference and (b) causes the reactivated memory trace to be more susceptible to later interference (i.e., a reconsolidation account). Three major findings emerged. First, RES was found after a 1-week delay, where a robust testing benefit occurred for event details that were not contradicted by later misinformation. Second, blockage of reconsolidation was unnecessary for RES to occur. Third, initial testing enhanced learning of the misinformation even when proactive interference played a minimal role.     

General belief in a just world and resilience: Evidence from a collectivistic culture

Previous research showed that in the individualistic culture, adults endorse the personal more than the general belief in a just world (PBJW vs. GBJW). Comparatively little is known about the prevalence character and adaptive functions of GBJW, especially in the collectivistic culture. We conducted three surveys among the Chinese adults and adolescents. We found that (1) Chinese adults and adolescents endorsed more GBJW than PBJW; (2) Adult survivors with high exposure to post‐earthquake trauma and adolescents in the poverty‐stricken area maintained high GBJW, with relatively lower PBJW. (3) GBJW predicted the psychological resilience in all the three samples independent of PBJW. The results imply that in contrast to populations from the individualistic culture, people from the collectivistic culture endorse a robust GBJW, which allows them to resiliently confront harsh realities. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.