Linearity of Personality–Performance Relationships: A large‐scale examination

This paper reviews theory and past research concerning nonlinear relationships between personality tests and job performance. We compare linear and nonlinear regression models for each of the 32 Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ32i) scales using job performance as the criterion variable. We evaluate linear, quadratic, and cubic relationships between personality and job performance by calculating changes in R (ΔR) between the linear and nonlinear models. We use 3 decision rules of varying levels for ΔR and divide a large sample randomly into 2 samples to cross‐validate any nonlinear effects found. Few scales exhibited nonlinearity and the magnitude of the departures from linearity were small.     

Family participation in the care of patients in public health disasters

The ethical implications of disaster planning garner increasing scrutiny. The role of families in disaster efforts is a topic that requires additional ethical examination. This article reviews the potential roles for families before and during disasters, with particular attention to the impact on children and vulnerable elderly patients. The potential positive and negative impact of family participation in different aspects of healthcare and disaster efforts is assessed.     

Physical growth delays and stress dysregulation in stunted and non-stunted Ukrainian institution-reared children

To study the effect of institutional rearing on physical growth and stress regulation we examined 16 institution-reared children (3–6 years old) in Ukraine and compared them with 18 native family-reared children pair-matched on age and gender. Physical growth trajectories were examined on the basis of archival medical records and current measurements of height, weight, and head circumference. Stress regulation was studied on the basis of diurnal salivary cortisol sampled six times during 1 day. 31% of institution-reared children were stunted at 48 months whereas none of the family-reared children were. Substantial delays in physical growth were observed in institution-reared children especially during the first year of life. From 24 months onwards a tendency for improvement in physical growth was evident among the temporarily stunted institution-reared children, with complete catch-up in weight and partial catch-up in height by the time of assessment. Chronically stunted institution-reared children demonstrated persistent severe growth delays. Institution-reared and family-reared children showed similar patterns of diurnal cortisol production with decreases over the day. However, temporarily stunted institution-reared children had a significantly higher total daily cortisol production than both chronically stunted institution-reared children and family-reared children. These data confirm previous findings regarding physical growth delays and stress dysregulation associated with institutional care, but also point to differences in cortisol production between stunted and non-stunted institution-reared children.     

Computerised cognitive‐behaviour therapy (cCBT) and older people: A pilot study to determine factors that influence willingness to engage with cCBT

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore whether older people with depression and/or anxiety were potentially willing to engage with computerised cognitive‐behaviour therapy (cCBT). Method: A short questionnaire was sent to 60 service users aged 65+ who were identified as having anxiety and/or depression. Results: There was a 63.3% response rate for the questionnaire. Almost half of the respondents said they would be interested in using cCBT, and would be willing to learn the necessary computer skills. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that older people with anxiety and/or depression may be willing to engage with cCBT. However, a number of important factors are highlighted that would need to be considered in deciding whether to develop access to cCBT for older people.     

Testing a self-determination theory intervention for motivating tobacco cessation: supporting autonomy and competence in a clinical trial.

A longitudinal randomized trial tested the self-determination theory (SDT) intervention and process model of health behavior change for tobacco cessation (N = 1006). Adult smokers were recruited for a study of smokers' health and were assigned to intensive treatment or community care. Participants were relatively poor and undereducated. Intervention patients perceived greater autonomy support and reported greater autonomous and competence motivations than did control patients. They also reported greater medication use and significantly greater abstinence. Structural equation modeling analyses confirmed the SDT process model in which perceived autonomy support led to increases in autonomous and competence motivations, which in turn led to greater cessation. The causal role of autonomy support in the internalization of autonomous motivation, perceived competence, and smoking cessation was supported.     

Masculinity Ideology and Forgiveness of Racial Discrimination among African American Men: Direct and Interactive Relationships

Forgiveness research has focused almost exclusively on interpersonal transgressions committed in close relationships. Consequently, less is known about factors informing forgiveness of non-intimate actors. The current study addresses these gaps by investigating correlates of forgiveness over racial discrimination among African American men (N?=?171). Specifically, we explore relationships between the endorsement of traditional masculine ideology (e.g., restrictive emotionality), overall forgiveness, forgiveness with positive affect, and forgiveness with the absence of negative affect. Links between personality, religiosity, social support, discrimination experiences, and these forms of forgiveness also are examined. Restrictive emotionality emerged as a barrier to forgiveness of discrimination. However, the relationship between restrictive emotionality and forgiveness was moderated by age, socioeconomic status, personality, and religious coping disposition.     

Impairments in trace EB conditioning by knife-cut lesions to the fornix in rabbits: reversal by galantamine

Previous work in our laboratory demonstrated that galantamine, a cholinesterase inhibitor and weak cholinergic agonist, facilitated classical trace eyeblink conditioning in healthy, young rabbits [Simon, B. B., Knuckley, B., & Powell, D. A. (2004). Galantamine facilitates acquisition of a trace-conditioned eyeblink response in healthy, young rabbits. Learning & Memory, 11(1), 116-122.]. The current study investigated the effects of galantamine (0.0 or 3.0mg/kg) in rabbits sustaining knife-cut lesions to the fimbria-fornix, a major projection pathway connecting the hippocampus to cortical and subcortical brain structures involved in the formation of long-term memories. Two experiments were conducted. Experiment one assessed the effects of knife-cut lesions to the fornix or sham surgeries on trace eyeblink (EB) conditioning. Results indicate that fornix lesions significantly retarded EB conditioning when trace parameters were employed. Experiment 2 assessed whether treatment with galantamine would reverse the deficits caused by fornix damage. Results indicate that 3.0mg/kg GAL reversed trace EB conditioning deficits in animals with fornix knife-cut lesions. These findings suggest that galantamine may provide benefit in the reversal of cognitive dysfunction following certain types of brain damage, especially damage involving hippocampal structures.     

The influence of intergroup comparisons on Africans' intelligence test performance in a job selection context

Sub-Saharan Africans living in Belgium (N = 69) completed a culture-free intelligence test in a simulated job selection environment. Prior to testing, the authors instructed participants that Africans' average performance on this test was generally better (positive comparison), worse (negative comparison), or equal to Belgians' performance. In a control condition, no such information was given. Results indicated that, compared with the equal and control conditions, performance was lower when intergroup comparisons were negative. In the former condition, participants were also more likely to endorse external factors that may account for lower performance. The authors interpreted the findings in line with stereotype threat theory (C. M. Steele & J. Aronson, 1995). In the context of job selection, the validity of intelligence tests conducted with members of stigmatized groups may be affected by the salience of social stereotypes and intergroup social comparisons.     

The Social Production of Altruism: Motivations for Caring Action in a Low-Income Urban Community

Contemporary social science paints a bleak picture of inner-city relational life. Indeed, the relationships of low-income, urban-residing Americans are represented as rife with distress, violence and family disruption. At present, no body of social scientific work systematically examines the factors that promote loving or selfless interactions among low-income, inner-city American individuals, families and communities. In an effort to fill that gap, this ethnographic study examined the motivations for altruism among a sample of adults (n = 40) who reside in an economically distressed housing community (i.e., housing project) in New York City. Content analyses of interviews indicated that participants attributed altruism to an interplay between 14 motives that were then ordered into four overarching categories of motives: (1) needs-centered motives, (2) norm-based motives deriving from religious/spiritual ideology, relationships and personal factors, (3) abstract motives (e.g., humanism), and (4) sociopolitical factors. The implications of these findings are discussed.