Memory for news in young and old adults

Memory for news stories was studied in 48 young and 48 old adults (20-40 and 60-80 years of age, respectively). Three stories selected from actual news programs were presented in print, audio, and TV formats for study. Young adults recalled a higher proportion of news content than old adults and performed better on source recognition tests. Presentation of the information in a TV format led to better performance than in an audio format for both young and old adults. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that approximately 86% of the age-related variance in news recall was mediated by measures of sensory acuity and processing speed, and commonality analysis revealed that 75% of the age-related variance was mediated jointly by acuity and speed. Findings support common-cause and generalized slowing views of memory impairment in old age.     

Mediation process and the acquisition of language

Summary Two experiments were conducted with chaining paradigm in which three lists were differentiated in semantic organization. In Experiment I, chaining (A-B, B-C, A-C), pseudo-chaining (A-B, B'-C, A-C) and non-chaining (A-B, D-C, A-C) conditions produced no difference in the performance on the A-C list in Stage III and A-B recall in Stage IV was the same for all conditions, corresponding to the same performance on the A-B list in Stage I. The findings were confirmed by Experiment II in which two types of mediators (preposition versus contentive) were used in chaining paradigm. No evidence of mediated facilitation was found. The results were discussed with regard to whether mediation process could provide an adequate explanatory device of language acquisition process.The study was supported by a grant from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. I am very grateful to Prof. Dr. W. Metzger for his useful suggestions.     

Sound localization in small birds: absolute localization in azimuth

Nine small birds of 3 species (Melopsittacus undulatus, Serinus canarius, and Poephila guttata) were trained in an operant procedure to fly to sound sources for food reward. The angle between the 2 sound sources was varied on a session-by-session basis, and threshold (i.e., minimum resolvable angle) was taken as the angle that corresponded to a performance level of 75% correct. In all, thresholds were calculated for pure tones of 5 different frequencies, noise bands of 3 different spectral compositions, and species-specific contact or distance calls recorded from each of the 3 species. Thresholds for both simple and complex stimuli were larger than 25 degrees. There were statistically significant species differences for each stimulus set, but these differences were not correlated with species differences in head size. Birds with 1 ear plugged performed as well as binaural birds in this task. Birds deafened in 1 ear, however, performed at chance.     

The costly pursuit of self-esteem

Researchers have recently questioned the benefits associated with having high self-esteem. The authors propose that the importance of self-esteem lies more in how people strive for it rather than whether it is high or low. They argue that in domains in which their self-worth is invested, people adopt the goal to validate their abilities and qualities, and hence their self-worth. When people have self-validation goals, they react to threats in these domains in ways that undermine learning; relatedness; autonomy and self-regulation; and over time, mental and physical health. The short-term emotional benefits of pursuing self-esteem are often outweighed by long-term costs. Previous research on self-esteem is reinterpreted in terms of self-esteem striving. Cultural roots of the pursuit of self-esteem are considered. Finally, the alternatives to pursuing self-esteem, and ways of avoiding its costs, are discussed.     

Beliefs About Faith and Work: Development and Validation of Honoring God and Prosperity Gospel Scales

Disputes over the connection between beliefs and behaviors, coupled with the relative paucity of survey measures of specific theological beliefs related to work and its association with financial success, motivated the development of two beliefs scales: beliefs about work as a means to honor God and beliefs about God promising prosperity for believers. Analyses demonstrated these two scales to be distinct from one another and reliable. Using a national sample of over 1,000 working adults, we assessed the relationship of the specific belief scales to Lynn et al.’s (J Bus Ethics 85(2):227–241, 2009) faith at work scale, Mirels and Garrett’s (J Consul Clin Psychol 36(1):40–44, 1971) Protestant Work Ethic scale, two personality scales (Conscientiousness and Neuroticism), entrepreneurial behavior, helping behavior, and religious tradition. Results indicate convergent and divergent validity and demonstrate the potential utility of these beliefs scales for predicting work-related attitudes and practices.     

“Deeply Woven Roots”: Health Initiatives and Community Social Services of Faith-Based Organizations of the Hidalgo County,Texas

Faith-based organizations (FBO) continue to play a significant role in the lives of individuals and communities in the United States. This study focused on the contributions of FBO to the health and well-being of residents of Rio Grande Valley, South Texas. Specifically, this study examined two main areas of involvement of FBO in Hidalgo County, Texas: health initiatives and community social services. Despite their influential and historical involvement, FBO partnership in the delivery of health and social services is not well accounted for. This study explores the characteristics of the clergy, parishioners, and FBO that are associated with community health initiatives and social services. Analyses revealed that FBO deliver a remarkably wide range of services. On a weekly basis, one in six or 17 % of Hidalgo County residents were reported as receiving some form of health assistance or social services from county FBO. Variations exist depending on the characteristics of the clergy and the FBO. Policy and practice recommendations include engaging in additional networking, organizing resources, and strengthening FBO health initiatives.     

Enhanced divergent thinking and creativity in musicians: a behavioral and near-infrared spectroscopy study

Empirical studies of creativity have focused on the importance of divergent thinking, which supports generating novel solutions to loosely defined problems. The present study examined creativity and frontal cortical activity in an externally-validated group of creative individuals (trained musicians) and demographically matched control participants, using behavioral tasks and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Experiment 1 examined convergent and divergent thinking with respect to intelligence and personality. Experiment 2 investigated frontal oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentration changes during divergent thinking with NIRS. Results of Experiment 1 indicated enhanced creativity in musicians who also showed increased verbal ability and schizotypal personality but their enhanced divergent thinking remained robust after co-varying out these two factors. In Experiment 2, NIRS showed greater bilateral frontal activity in musicians during divergent thinking compared with nonmusicians. Overall, these results suggest that creative individuals are characterized by enhanced divergent thinking, which is supported by increased frontal cortical activity.     

Conflict Between Religion and Science Among Academic Scientists?

Using new survey data ( N = 1,646), we examine the attitudes academic scientists at 21 elite U.S. research universities have about the perceived conflict between religion and science. In contrast to public opinion and scholarly discourse, most scientists do not perceive a conflict between science and religion. Different from what other studies would indicate, this belief does not vary between social and natural scientists. We argue that maintaining plausibility frameworks for religion is an important correlate of whether scientists will reject the conflict paradigm, with such frameworks taking surprising forms. When scientists do not attend religious services they are more likely to accept the conflict paradigm. When scientists think their peers have a positive view of religion, they are less likely to agree there is a conflict between science and religion. Religious upbringing is associated with scientists adopting the conflict paradigm. Spirituality is much more important in this population than other research would lead us to believe. Results reformulate widely cited earlier research, offer new insights about how scientists view the connection between religion and science, and expand public discussion about religious challenges to science.     

Better moods for better eating?: How mood influences food choice

How do moods influence one's preference for foods? By introducing the role of enjoyment- versus health-oriented benefits of foods in the mood and food consumption relationship, this research informs both temporal construal theory and mood management framework by positing that mood influences the choice between healthy versus indulgent foods through its impact on temporal construal, which alters the weights people put on long-term health benefits versus short-term mood management benefits when making choices. The results from four experiments show that a positive mood cues distal, abstract construal and increases the salience of long-term goals such as health, leading to greater preference for healthy foods over indulgent foods. The results also show that a negative mood cues proximal construal and increases the salience of immediate, concrete goals such as mood management, leading to greater preference for indulgent foods over healthy foods.     

Job Control and Burnout: A Meta‐Analytic Test of the Conservation of Resources Model

This meta‐analytic study of 71 independent samples from 66 studies (N = 48,528) examined the relationship between job control and burnout. Based on the Conservation of Resources model, job control was hypothesised to have a stronger relationship with depersonalisation and personal accomplishment than with emotional exhaustion. Overall, results supported the main hypothesis. Moderator analyses indicated that the relations tended to be different depending on job types, the national power distance scores of the samples, and the response formats of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The results imply that interventions in job control can reduce depersonalisation and enhance personal accomplishment.