Differential Conditioning Based on a Difference in the Predictability of Reinforcement

A Pavlovian procedure containing a set of several alternative reliable trial stimuli and a set of several alternative unreliable trial stimuli was used to determine if reliability of outcome, per se, would differentially condition additional trial stimuli that either preceded or followed those original trial stimuli in a serial conditioning paradigm. The reinforcing effectiveness of the antecedent stimuli themselves was later tested in a higher-order conditioning design. It was found that different rates could be established to the different antecedent stimuli in the absence of a difference in the probability of reinforcement. Further, stimuli paired with those antecedent stimuli in the higher-order conditioning test also exhibited a difference in rate. It was concluded that a combination of a stimulus that is always followed by food and another that is never followed by food are, in net, a more effective reinforcer than a common stimulus that has the same overall probability of reinforcement but which is followed by both outcomes.     

Willingness to fake: Examining the impact of competitive climate and hiring situations

Applicants may be willing to fake in job interviews with the aim of creating a positive impression. In two vignette‐based experiments, we examined if a competitive—versus noncompetitive—climate (Study 1) and hiring situation (Study 2) increased participants' willingness to fake. We also examined if Honesty–Humility and Competitive Worldviews moderated the relation between willingness to fake and how competitive participants believed they must be in order to secure the job. Results demonstrated that a competitive climate and hiring situation increased willingness to fake. Honesty–Humility and Competitive Worldviews were related to willingness to fake, but these relations did not change substantially at different levels of perceived need for competitiveness. Overall, results lend some theoretical support to propositions about applicant faking.     

Psychometric examination of the short version of the learning climate questionnaire using item response theory

Self-determination theory proposes that autonomy support in the classroom is critical for students’ optimal motivation and performance. However, the literature has not adequately demonstrated the psychometric qualities of the most popular measurement for autonomy-supportive classrooms, the Learning Climate Questionnaire (LCQ) and its short version. Using the graded response model in item response theory (IRT), the current study evaluates the short version of the LCQ with a large sample (N?=?13570). IRT and classic psychometric analyses show that the scale is generally satisfactory in measuring latent learning climate, with the exceptions that Item 4 appears to be inadequate and that the scale is relatively weak in distinguishing highly autonomy-supportive classrooms. We provide suggestions for future studies, such as dropping Item 4 and including more items that tap into instructional practices located on the higher end of the latent autonomy support spectrum. Implications of the current findings for the conceptualization of autonomy support are also discussed.     

International Registry of Counsellor Education Programs: CACREP's Contribution to the Development of Counseling as a Global Profession

This article addresses the issues and challenges involved in the development of the counseling profession internationally and the role that quality assurance plays in its development. It chronicles the development of the International Registry for Counsellor Education Programs and its contributions, a critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of current developments, and hopes for the future of international counselling.     

The relationships between perfectionism,religious motivation,and mental health utilisation among latter-day saint students

The present study examined the influence of perfectionism and religious motivation on help-seeking and attitudes towards mental health services (ATMHS) in a Latter-Day Saint sample of 119 undergraduates. Increased levels of perfectionism significantly predicted more negative ATMHS. Higher intrinsic religious motivation was significantly and positively related to help-seeking from religious sources, but not from mental health professionals. Intrinsic religious motivation was also related to perfectionism, but only for adaptive subscales. The implications for focusing utilisation interventions towards religious populations are discussed.