Learning Emotional Intelligence: An Exploratory Study in the Domain of Health

This research examines the role of emotional intelligence (EI) on the adoption and maintenance of a healthy weight. We implemented an intervention over a 6‐week period demonstrating that EI can be learned to promote the use of cognitive health knowledge in the adoption and maintenance of a healthy weight. Results suggest that improving EI reduces the negative impact of low EI on positive health outcomes, and promotes quality decision making related to health (i.e., reduced calorie intake).     

UNLOCKING THE KEY TO BIODATA SCORING: A COMPARISON OF EMPIRICAL,RATIONAL, AND HYBRID APPROACHES AT DIFFERENT SAMPLE SIZES

The criterion‐related validities of empirical, rational, and hybrid keying procedures for a biodata inventory were compared at different sample sizes. Rational keying yielded the lowest validities. Hybrid keying performed best at the smallest sample sizes studied, followed by empirical keying at moderate sizes, and stepwise regression weighting of items at the largest sample sizes.     

A TRICKLE‐DOWN MODEL OF ABUSIVE SUPERVISION

Much of the abusive supervision research has focused on the supervisor–subordinate dyad when examining the effects of abusive supervision on employee outcomes. Using data from a large multisource field study, we extend this research by testing a trickle‐down model of abusive supervision across 3 hierarchical levels (i.e., managers, supervisors, and employees). Drawing on social learning theory and social information processing theory, we find general support for the study hypotheses. Specifically, we find that abusive manager behavior is positively related to abusive supervisor behavior, which in turn is positively related to work group interpersonal deviance. In addition, hostile climate moderates the relationship between abusive supervisor behavior and work group interpersonal deviance such that the relationship is stronger when hostile climate is high. The results provide support for our trickle‐down model in that abusive manager behavior was not only related to abusive supervisor behavior but was also associated with employees’ behavior 2 hierarchical levels below the manager.     

INTELLECTUAL VIRTUE AND THE JUSTIFICATION OF PERSONS

In this paper, I develop a model of personal justification that is rooted in the intellectual virtues and the concept of epistemic praise. In particular, I show how a character‐based understanding of the virtues gives rise to an important emphasis on agents and how this provides the resources for dealing with several problems in epistemology.     

The consequences of high levels of attachment security

Attachment security is known to have various positive outcomes. Recent evidence, however, suggests that security, especially high levels of it, may also have negative outcomes. Three studies tested this possibility. Studies 1 and 2 showed a linear rather than curvilinear trend between security and positive outcomes, suggesting that even at high levels security correlates with positive outcomes. Study 3, which focused on secure behaviors, found that exhibiting high levels of secure behaviors was related to a higher frequency of negative outcomes. However, dispositional attachment security was negatively correlated with negative outcomes, and engaging in secure behaviors strengthened this correlation. These findings suggest that secure behaviors rather than perceptions associated with attachment security (i.e., working models) may be related with negative outcomes.     

Friend support and psychological distress in a U.S. adult twin sample

Friend support is often assumed to exert direct environmental influences on psychological distress, yet the role of both genetic and environmental influences on this association has not been examined. This study investigates whether both genetic and environmental factors explain the link between friend support and psychological distress in adults. The sample was drawn from the Midlife Development in the United States study and included 947 pairs of monozygotic, same‐sex dizygotic (DZ), and opposite‐sex DZ twins. Results showed that genetic influences explain the association between friend support and psychological distress, suggesting that heritable contributions to friend support also shape psychological distress. Interventions focused on psychological distress should consider how individuals' heritable characteristics influence their friend support and psychological distress.     

Giving dyadic data analysis away: A user‐friendly app for actor–partner interdependence models

The actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) is widely used for analyzing dyadic data. Although dyadic research has become immensely popular, its statistical complexity can be a barrier. To remedy this, a free user‐friendly web application, called APIM_SEM, has been developed. This app automatically performs the statistical analyses (i.e., structural equation modeling) of both simple and complex APIMs. It allows the researcher to analyze distinguishable or indistinguishable dyads, to examine dyadic patterns, to estimate actor and partner effects of one or two predictors, and to control for covariates. Results are provided in software and text format, complemented by summary tables and figures. As an illustration, the effect of perception of the partner on satisfaction is assessed by fitting APIMs with varying complexity.     

Negative internal causal attributions of a specific offense and forgiveness

Causal attributions are important social‐cognitive predictors of forgiveness. This article presents the Transgression Attribution Questionnaire (TAQ), a measure of one's negative internal causal attributions of a specific offense. In 4 studies, scores on the TAQ showed initial evidence of estimated internal consistency, temporal stability, and construct validity. Negative internal attributions for the cause of a transgression predicted lower levels of empathy and forgiveness. Furthermore, scores on the TAQ predicted forgiveness over and above the hurtfulness of the offense, relationship commitment, and a general measure of internal causal attributions in relationships. The current research bridges research on internal causal attributions and forgiveness. Implications for the social‐cognitive study of forgiveness and the measurement of causal attributions are discussed.