Support processes in same‐ and mixed‐sex relationships: Type and source matters

Research has established that social support for relationships is an important predictor of well‐being. However, the underlying assumption that social support specifically for relationships is a separate construct from general social support has not been properly tested empirically, nor has the question of whether support processes vary by source (friends vs. family). The current study (N = 1,281) used confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to address these issues. Support was found for a theoretical model in which social support specifically for relationships predicts relationship well‐being and, in turn, mental and physical health, even while controlling for general social support. Somewhat different patterns were found by source of support (family vs. friends) and by relationship type (same sex vs. mixed sex).     

Public Lab: Community-Based Approaches to Urban and Environmental Health and Justice

This paper explores three cases of Do-It-Yourself, open-source technologies developed within the diverse array of topics and themes in the communities around the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab). These cases focus on aerial mapping, water quality monitoring and civic science practices. The techniques discussed have in common the use of accessible, community-built technologies for acquiring data. They are also concerned with embedding collaborative and open source principles into the objects, tools, social formations and data sharing practices that emerge from these inquiries. The focus is on developing processes of collaborative design and experimentation through material engagement with technology and issues of concern. Problem-solving, here, is a tactic, while the strategy is an ongoing engagement with the problem of participation in its technological, social and political dimensions especially considering the increasing centralization and specialization of scientific and technological expertise. The authors also discuss and reflect on the Public Lab’s approach to civic science in light of ideas and practices of citizen/civic veillance, or “sousveillance”, by emphasizing people before data, and by investigating the new ways of seeing and doing that this shift in perspective might provide.     

Narcissism in Organizations: A Multisource Appraisal Reflects Different Perspectives

The majority of employees state that their manager is the worst aspect of their job. Over the past decade, a considerable amount of research has been devoted to identifying factors that contribute to immoral and ineffective leader behavior. Researchers have continually linked personality, and in particular narcissism, to the proclivity of leaders to behave ineffectively and unethically. This study represents an initial attempt to examine the relationship between narcissism and leadership in an organizational setting to determine the extent to which narcissism is related to managerial effectiveness and integrity. Results indicated that narcissism was negatively related to supervisor ratings of interpersonal performance and integrity. In contrast, narcissism was unrelated to subordinate ratings of interpersonal performance and integrity. Furthermore, narcissism was unrelated to supervisor and subordinate ratings of conceptual performance. The unique relationship between narcissistic leaders and their followers is offered as an explanation for these findings.     

TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS RESEARCH IN READING INSTRUCTION: EARLY EFFORTS TO PRESENT FOCUS

A quantitative and qualitative investigation was conducted to determine the relative efficacy of textual and instructional manipulations on concept acquisition. One hundred four high‐school chemistry students were assigned randomly to one of four treatments ‐‐ a group that read the course textbook (nonrefutational text), a group that read refutational text (i.e., text which cited and refuted common misconceptions about the topic for study), a group that read nonrefutational text but experienced a prereading activation activity (designed to elicit cognitive dissonance) and a group that read refutational text following the same activation activity. Results of Analyses of Covariance revealed no significant differences between the groups on three measures designed to assess concept comprehension and learning. A purposive sample of eleven students was selected for a qualitative examination of their text‐processing strategies. Analyses of audio‐recorded interviews revealed insights into the process of conceptual change. An instructional model of the construct of prior knowledge is presented.     

When low-warmth targets are liked: the roles of competence, gender, and relative status

Previous research has shown that people use warmth and competence as basic dimensions to evaluate others and to interpret their behavior, but little research has examined the conditions under which low-warmth targets are liked. A series of 3 experiments involving 4 vignettes showed, in general, that low-warmth targets were better liked when they exhibited higher competence and that high-status persons displayed greater tolerance toward the low-warmth person of low status. Exceptions to these patterns were predicted and found as a function of the type of organizational context in which evaluations were made: groups that place priority on individual goals over common goals and groups that are performance oriented rather than relationship oriented. Target gender interacted with competence and relative status.     

Accuracy of Reported Family History and Effectiveness of Medical Record Requests in Genetic Counseling for Alzheimer Disease

The University of British Columbia Hospital Clinic for Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders (UBCH-CARD) invests significant effort to obtain medical records for the confirmation of patient–reported family histories of dementia. The effectiveness of requesting these records was assessed through a review of the 275 requests made by UBCH-CARD genetic counselors during the 24-month period of January 1, 2005–December 31, 2006. The results were categorized according to outcome. Useful medical records were obtained from 92 (33.5%) requests: 77 (28%) records supported, and 15 (5.5%) records did not support, the patient–reported information. An additional 20 (7.5%) requests yielded only vague information. When verification was possible, patient–reported family histories of Alzheimer disease, dementia, or memory loss were accurate in 84% of cases. During the study period, almost 500 h of genetic counselor work time was spent obtaining, reviewing, and following-up on records received. Changes made to UBCH-CARD procedure in response to these findings are discussed.     

Father contributions to cortisol responses in infancy and toddlerhood

The current study is one of the first prospective examinations of longitudinal associations between observed father caregiving behaviors and child cortisol reactivity and regulation in response to emotional arousal. Observations of father and mother caregiving behaviors and child cortisol levels in response to challenges at 7 months and 24 months of child age were collected. Analyses were based on a subsample of children from the Family Life Project who lived with both their biological mothers and fathers and for whom there was at least partial cortisol data (7 months: n = 717; 24 months: n = 579). At the challenge conducted at 7 months of child age, 49.0% of the sample were girls; racial composition of the sample was 25.8% African American and 74.2% European American. At the challenge conducted at 24 months of child age 49.9% of the sample were girls; racial composition was 24.7% African American and 75.3% European American. We conducted analyses across assessment points simultaneously using mixed linear modeling for repeated measures data to test for differential effects of fathering across infancy and toddlerhood. Concurrent measures of father negativity were positively associated with greater increases in child cortisol levels in response to emotion challenge at 7 months (p = .01) and with higher overall levels of cortisol at 24 months (p < .001). However, there was no evidence that father caregiving during infancy independently predicted later cortisol activity during toddlerhood.     

The role of age and inhibitory efficiency in working memory processing and storage components

In this study, we examined the extent to which inhibitory efficiency accounted for age-related decline in the processing and storage components of working memory. Older and younger adults performed a sequential task, which served as an index of deletion-type inhibition (the ability to suppress no-longer-relevant information). The reading span task was used to measure working memory components by examining processing accuracy, processing time, and end-word recall of sentences presented. Reduced inhibitory efficiency, which was poorer in older adults, predicted age-related decline in recall, over and above the effects of processing speed. Similar results were observed for processing accuracy, although the age effect in this component was marginal. These results highlight the important role of deletion-type inhibition in explaining age-related decline in working memory performance, particularly in the storage component, and extend previous research by examining this relationship at a componential level.