Symmetry Evaluation by Comparing Acquisition of Conditional Relations in Successive (Go/No-Go) Matching-to-Sample Training

The Psychological Record - The successive matching-to-sample (go/no-go) procedure has been shown to be an effective procedure for reducing stimulus-control digressions in conditional-relation...     

THE REGRESS-PROBLEM: A REPLY TO VERMAZEN

This paper is intended to meet some objections that Vermazen has raised about the treatment of the regress-problem in the author's book on the philosophy of action. This problem is shown to involve a skeptical claim about the very existence of actions as distinct from happenings. It is argued, against Vermazen's contention, that only one version of the problem is at work in that book and that, while Danto's basic actions, McCann's volitions and O'Shaughnessy's and Hornsby's tryings do not solve, after analysis, that version of the problem, the author's proposal does in fact provide a solution to it.     

Cognitive "babyness": Developmental differences in the power of young children's supernatural thinking to influence positive and negative affect

Perceptions of maturational status may play an important role in facilitating caretaking and resources toward children expressing them. Previous work has revealed evidence that cues of cognitive immaturity foster positive perceptions in adults toward young children at a time during their lives when they are most dependent on adult care. In the current series of studies, the authors investigated when during development these biases emerge. They tested American and Spanish adolescents ranging from 10 to 17 years of age. Each participant rated a series of vignettes presenting different expressions of immature and mature thinking attributed to young children. Results revealed that older adolescents performed similarly to adults tested in previous studies (D. F. Bjorklund, C. Hernández Blasi, & V. A. Periss, 2010), rating positively expressions of supernatural thinking (e.g., animism) compared with other forms of immature cognition labeled as natural (e.g., overestimation). Both male and female participants 14 years and older favored children expressing the immature supernatural cognition on traits reflecting positive affect (e.g., endearing, likeable), while associating greater negative affect (e.g., sneaky, impatient with) with children expressing immature natural cognition. However, younger adolescents consistently rated all forms of immature thinking less positively than mature thinking, suggesting that a positive bias for some forms of immature thinking develops during adolescence. Based on an evolutionary developmental framework, the authors suggest that supernatural thinking may have a unique role in humans, fostering positive perceptions of young children in older adolescents (and adults) as they prepare themselves for the possible role of parenthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Relative age effect in Olympic Taekwondo athletes

Relative age effects refer to the effects of age differences among individuals who have been grouped together for a performance activity. This study aimed to investigate the relative age effect on Olympic Taekwondo athletes, in several Olympic Games, and in both sexes. The study sample consisted of 291 athletes who had competed in Atlanta, Sydney, and Beijing Olympic Games. The relative age effect was examined for the general distribution of athletes by quartile, for each of the individuals, and for male and female athletes. There were no discernable effects of relative age on Olympic Taekwondo athletes.     

Analysis of Sexual Strategies Theory in the Spanish population

The aim of this study was to test some of the main hypotheses derived from Buss' Sexual Strategies Theory on a representative Spanish sample. These hypotheses refer to the different strategies men and woman seem to adopt when they want to engage in a short-term sexual relationship (fling), or in a long-term one (loving relationship). (The technical term "strategies", unlike its equivalent in everyday language, is not meant to imply something necessarily planned or conscious). Data was obtained by self-report from a representative sample of 1949 Spanish people. Almost all the results verify the working hypotheses, conferring some empirical support on the theory from which they were deduced, within an evolutionary Social Psychology paradigm. In any case, it is argued that socialization approaches ("double moral" and the social construction of gender role and sexual identity) can also explain most of the differences obtained, in perfect compatibility with biological perspectives.     

Evaluation of the factorial and metric equivalence of the Sexual Assertiveness Scale (SAS) by sex

Sexual assertiveness refers to the ability to initiate sexual activity, refuse unwanted sexual activity, and use contraceptive methods to avoid sexually transmitted diseases, developing healthy sexual behaviors. The Sexual Assertiveness Scale (SAS) assesses these three dimensions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate, using structural equation modeling and differential item functioning, the equivalence of the scale between men and women. Standard scores are also provided. A total of 4,034 participants from 21 Spanish provinces took part in the study. Quota sampling method was used. Results indicate a strict equivalent dimensionality of the Sexual Assertiveness Scale across sexes. One item was flagged by differential item functioning, although it does not affect the scale. Therefore, there is no significant bias in the scale when comparing across sexes. Standard scores show similar Initiation assertiveness scores for men and women, and higher scores on Refusal and Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention for women. This scale can be used on men and women with sufficient psychometric guarantees.