Sub‐Dimensions of the Four Factor Model of Cultural Intelligence: Expanding the Conceptualization and Measurement of Cultural Intelligence

Cultural intelligence (CQ) – the capability to function effectively in intercultural settings – has gained increasing attention from researchers and practitioners due to its contemporary relevance to globalization, international management, and workforce diversification. Research‐to‐date demonstrates that CQ predicts a variety of important outcomes in intercultural contexts, such as cultural adaptation, expatriate performance, global leadership, intercultural negotiation, and multicultural team processes. Moving beyond past research that tends to focus on the four primary factors of CQ – metacognitive CQ, cognitive CQ, motivational CQ, and behavioral CQ, we introduce an expanded conceptualization of CQ that delineates sub‐dimensions for each of the four factors. We briefly review psychometric evidence supporting the proposed second order 11‐factor structure and convergent/discriminant validity of the sub‐dimensions. We propose that the next wave of CQ research should be guided by a deeper understanding of each of four factors of CQ.     

Visual working memory for trained and novel polygons

This study investigates whether training changes the capacity of visual working memory (VWM). We compared change detection performance for novel and trained polygons. During training, subjects developed familiarity with 8 random polygons. Specifically, 4 polygons from a set of 8 were presented on each trial. After a brief retention interval, one of the polygons changed and subjects judged which one had changed (Exps. 1–2) or whether there was a change (Exp. 3). After 320 training trials, subjects could recognize the trained polygons with high accuracy. In the testing phase, subjects carried out the same task again, only this time each trial might contain all familiar polygons, all novel polygons, or a mixture of familiar and novel polygons. We found that change detection performance improved during training, but the improvement was not limited to trained polygons. We suggest that familiarity of non-nameable shapes plays a limited role in modulating the capacity of VWM.     

Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Adults’ Childhood Recollections: How are Peak-Experiences Described in China and Portugal?

Peak experiences are joyous and fulfilling moments in life, and thought to be associated with happiness and well-being. However, whether peak experiences vary from culture to culture is still under-researched. The current study investigated the autobiographical memories of peak experiences in Portugal and China. College students from Portugal and Mainland China (N = 161) reported their memory of a peak-experience occurring before the age of 14 and provided a self-rating on its enduring impact. We found that participants from Portugal reported peak-experiences involving a developmental landmark more frequently than did Mainland Chinese. In contrast, Mainland Chinese reported peak-experiences involving serenity more frequently than did Portuguese participants. Although Mainland Chinese provided more details about their peak-experiences, their narratives were more generic and emotionally mild. In particular, memory specificity (specific vs. general) significantly mediated the association between culture and developmental landmark, whereas memory emotionality (low arousal emotions) significantly mediated the link between culture and serenity. This study extends previous research on youthful peak-experiences to a cross-cultural context by incorporating measures of autobiographical memory to analyze variations between these two cultural groups.     

Buffers of peer rejection among girls with and without ADHD: the role of popularity with adults and goal-directed solitary play

We investigated a risk-resilience model in 91 girls with ADHD and 58 age- and ethnicity-equated comparison girls, who participated in all-female naturalistic summer research camps. The hypothesized risk factor was peer rejection (assessed via sociometric nominations), with criterion measures including multiinformant composites of aggressive behavior and anxious/depressed symptoms. The two hypothesized protective factors were the girls' popularity with adult staff (assessed via staff ratings) and objective observations of goal-directed solitary play. Peer rejection was related to higher levels of aggressive behavior and depressed/anxious behavior, confirming its status as a risk factor. Next, for all girls, popularity with adults predicted lower levels of aggression and goal-directed solitary play predicted lower levels of anxiety/depression. Whereas popularity with adults was most protective among the peer-accepted subgroup, solitary play was most protective among the peer-rejected subgroup. Diagnostic status (ADHD versus comparison) moderated the findings such that engaging in meaningful solitary play was a stronger predictor of lower levels of anxious/depressed behavior in girls with ADHD than in comparison girls. We discuss the need for replication in prospective research and implications for research and intervention regarding the social functioning of peer-rejected children, particularly those with behavior disorders.     

Examining the help-seeking intentions of Chinese individuals in the United States

The underutilization of mental health services by Chinese individuals in the United States is concerning. In this study, we examined Chinese individuals’ help-seeking intentions utilizing the theory of planned behavior. Two hundred fifty-one participants were recruited for this study. The results revealed that help-seeking attitudes (β = 0.28, p < 0.001), perceived behavioral control (β = 0.21, p < 0.001), and subjective norms (β = 0.13, p < 0.001) were found to be significant predictors of help-seeking intentions. The implications of the results are discussed.     

Self-Concepts, Domain Values, and Self-Esteem: Relations and Changes at Early Adolescence

We assessed how children's self-concepts of ability for mathematics, English, social, and physical skills activities, ratings of the importance of these activities, and general self-esteem change across the transition to junior high school. Three types of change were assessed: change in mean levels, change in stability, and change in relationships. Twice each year during the sixth and seventh grades, 1,450 children completed questionnaires. Mean levels of children's self-esteem were lowest immediately after the transition, but recovered during seventh grade. Self-concept of ability and importance ratings for math and sports activities showed linear declines. Self-concept of ability for social activities showed a cubic trend, but importance ratings for social activities declined in a linear fashion. Children's self-concepts of ability for math and English became less stable across the junior high transition, whereas beliefs about other activities and general self-esteem were more stable in seventh grade.     

Tests of a temporal theory of attentional binding

Different features of stimuli present in the field of view appear to be registered in different cortical maps. How, then, are the features that come from the same object bound together rather than mistakenly assembled with features coming from other simultaneously present objects? One theory supposes that an attentional mechanism intercepts input coming from particular retinal locations at a way station prior to parsing of the features from the same object. Any enhancement (or facilitation) at that stage will cause all the features from that object to be modified simultaneously in the downstream registers. The imposed temporal synchronicity serves as the essential binding cue. Five experiments provided no support for the theory. There is no tendency for synchronicity of features to cause binding unless the features come from the same location. Location, rather than temporal synchronicity, appears to be the essential cue for binding.     

Effects of the use of percentage agreement on behavioral observation reliabilities: A reassessment

The percentage agreement index has been and continues to be a popular measure of interobserver reliability in applied behavior analysis and child development, as well as in other fields in which behavioral observation techniques are used. An algebraic method and a linear programming method were used to assess chance-corrected reliabilities for a sample of past observations in which the percentage agreement index was used. The results indicated that, had kappa been used instead of percentage agreement, between one-fourth and three-fourth of the reported observations could be judged as unreliable against a lenient criterion and between one-half and three-fourths could be judged as unreliable against a more stringent criterion. It is suggested that the continued use of the percentage agreement index has seriously undermined the reliabilities of past observations and can no longer be justified in future studies.