The relationship between religiosity/spirituality and well-being in gay and heterosexual Orthodox Jews

Numerous studies have demonstrated positive relationships between religiosity/spirituality and emotional well-being. Little research exists, though, on these relationships in Orthodox Jewish and gay populations. Therefore, data from two studies focusing on heterosexual Orthodox Jews (Study 1, 52 females, 18 males) and gay Orthodox Jews (Study 2, 191 males) are presented. The studies assessed religiosity, spirituality, and well-being using validated self-report measures. In Study 1, religiosity and spirituality were generally positively correlated with well-being. In Study 2, spirituality was positively correlated with well-being, while religiosity entered into a complex pattern of relationships. For gay Orthodox Jews, religiosity may not have the same associations with well-being that it does for heterosexual Orthodox Jews, although spirituality may provide an alternative pathway for emotional benefits.     

Family therapy after a death in the traditional Jewish family

A family therapist working with a religious family should be aware of its religious dynamics which, as part of the family's overriding belief system, influence coping mechanisms. We discuss here some of the dynamics within a traditional Jewish family following a death, including traditional and specially constructed therapeutic rituals.     

Inside and outside the mind: The effects of age,organization, and access to external sources on retrieval of life events

Older and middle-aged adults recorded autobiographical events on one of two forms of a Personal History Calendar, organized either by year-of-occurrence or by life event category. In Experiment 1, calendars were completed in three stages. In Stage 1, subjects completed the calendar from memory (half were told to expect Stage 2). In Stage 2, each subject reviewed Stage 1 responses with his/her spouse. In Stage 3, subjects could consult external sources. The Event Calendar yielded the most complete Stage 1 recall only for the older group. The Year Calendar generally yielded the greatest number of events, but only when members of a couple did not expect Stage 2. In Experiment 2, subjects completed the calendars in one stage, during which they had access to external sources. The Year Calendar elicited more events than the Event Calendar, but only for older subjects. The results are discussed in terms of retrieval processes in autobiographical memory, and implicatons for survey-based research.     

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN MEASURING EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT: A CHALLENGE TO PSYCHOLOGY

Les différences culturelles dans la mesure de la réussite scolaire: un problème pour les psychologies. — La “culture éducative”, C'est-à-dire le système standard de formation et d'évaluation, peut varier considérablement d'un pays à L'autre. La recherche interculturelle devrait utiliser les découvertes faites par la psychologie expérimentale en matière de processus d'apprentissage pour résoudre les problèmes de L'évaluation des niveaux d'instruction. Les comparaisons interculturelles portant sur L'intelligence et la réussite scolaire doivent prendre en considération les différences qui se manifestent dans L'acquisition des capacités particulières impliquées dans les tests. C'est ainsi, par exemple, qu'une comparaison expérimentale d'étudiants américains et israéliens portant sur la rétention d'un matériel symbolique et d'un matériel significatif, et utilisant un test subjectif de reconstruction (écrire un essai) et un test objectif de reconnaissance à choix multiple, a fait apparaître une performance supérieure des étudiants israéliens dans les deux types de tâches. Puisqu'il n'y a aucune raison de supposer que les étudiants américains testés sont globalement moins intelligents que les étudiants israèliens, les AA pensent que les écarts observés sont relatifs aux différences dans les pratiques éducatives et les manières de tester des deux pays: les Américains tendent à mettre L'accent sur les tests objectifs (reconnaissance) tandis que les israéliens utilisent davantage les tests de type subjectif (écrire un essai, reconstruction). Apparemment, les étudiants qui réussissent les tâches de reconstruction peuvent réussir aussi bien les tâches impliquant une reconnaissance, mais L'inverse n'est pas forcément vrai. Puisque la mémoire joue un rôle important dans la performance aux tests de réussite scolaire et dans la plupart des tests d'intelligence, on ne doit pas négliger les différences interculturelles qui apparaissent dans la rétention et dans la mesure de la rétention.     

The effect of performance trend on performance ratings occurs through observer attributions,but depends on performance variability

Research regarding the influence of dynamic performance characteristics on performance ratings suggests that raters are remarkably susceptible to observed trends in performance over time, such that systematic trends or patterns in performance can have an undue influence on how performance is evaluated. However, research in this domain has not fully explained how dynamic performance characteristics influence performance judgments. Drawing on attribution theory, we introduce a model whereby the impact of dynamic performance characteristics on subsequent performance judgments occurs through attributions for performance. Then, in three experimental studies, we show that dynamic performance characteristics influence attributions for performance, which in turn affect performance ratings.     

Maternal Sensitivity: a Resilience Factor against Internalizing Symptoms in Early Adolescents Born Very Preterm?

Compared with full-terms, preterm individuals are more at risk from infancy to adulthood for developing internalizing symptoms. Early maternal interactive behavior, especially maternal sensitivity, has been found to be a resilience factor in the developmental outcome of preterm children. The present longitudinal study aimed at examining whether early interactive parenting behaviors have a long term impact on the internalizing symptoms of preterm-born young adolescents. A total sample of 36 very preterm and 22 full-term children participated in an 11-year follow-up study. Maternal interactive behavior was assessed during a mother–infant interaction when the infant was 18 months old. At 11 years, internalizing symptoms were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the interaction between groups (preterm/full-term) and maternal sensitivity at 18 months significantly explained CBCL internalizing symptoms at 11 years (β = ?0.526; p < 0.05). Specifically, although prematurity was related to internalizing problems, preterm children with higher maternal sensitivity did not differ from their full-term-born peers on the CBCL internalizing problems domain. These results suggest that maternal sensitivity is a long-term resilience factor preventing the development of internalizing problems at early adolescence in very preterm individuals.