ATTITUDES TOWARD WOMEN IN TAIWAN AND CHINA

The goals of this article are to review published data from both English and Chinese sources on current attitudes toward women in Taiwan and China and to discuss issues in cross-cultural research that may affect the discovery and reporting of effects. Chinese women in both countries, when compared to men, had more liberal attitudes toward women, but women in China had more traditionally oriented attitudes than women in Taiwan. Yang's (1986) modernization theory was used to explain these results. There was also some overlap of gender roles in both cultures, with some traditional masculine (or feminine) roles played by the other gender. We propose that modernization may lead not only to greater gender equality but also to changes in the nature of gender roles, leading to greater gender-role overlap, in which it is advantageous for both men and women to have less distinctive gender-role characteristics. Finally, issues of construct validation, response sets, and alternative approaches to scale development are addressed, and suggestions for future research are offered.     

More Eagerness,More Suffering from Search Bias: Accuracy Incentives and Need for Cognition Exacerbate the Detrimental Effects of Excessive Searching in Finding Romantic Partners Online

The systematic use of Web search tools to browse and evaluate recommendations is widespread. Such tools may be crucial for users to truly benefit from the enormous selection of options available online. However, a recent study demonstrated that a greater number of search options triggered excessive searching and led to inferior decisions (i.e., the more‐means‐worse effect; Wu & Chiou, 2009 ). Given that individuals who are motivated to make accurate choices (the accuracy incentive) tend to engage in broader and more exhaustive searches, Experiment 1 examined how the accuracy incentive influenced the search process. The findings indicated that the accuracy incentive led to excessive searching and poorer choices. Moreover, the search ratio, an indicator of excessive searching, mediated the negative effect of the accuracy incentive on choice quality. Experiment 2 investigated the role of the need for cognition (NFC) in the more‐means‐worse effect. High‐NFC participants demonstrated an increased tendency toward excessive searching and exhibited poorer selectivity than did low‐NFC participants. The current research indicated that the accuracy incentive of online searchers may serve as a determinant of excessive searching and that online searchers characterized by high NFC may be more vulnerable to the negative effects of excessive searching. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Home Environment and Classroom Climate: An Investigation of their Relation to Students’ Academic Self-Concept in a Streamed Setting

Many studies concur that students’ perceptions of their home and school environments, such as relationships with parents and teachers, are related to their academic self-concept (for example, Chang et al., Int J of Behav Dev 27(2):182–189, 2003; Ireson and Hallam, Br J Educ Psychol 75:297–311, 2005; Jang, J Kor Home Econ, 39:101–114, 2001; Lau and Leung, Br J Educ Psychol, 62:193–202, 1992; Lau and Pun, Social Behav Pers, 27(6):639–650, 1999; Masche and Barber, “Connectedness and separation in parent-adolescent relationships: Indicators of a successful identity development.” Paper presented at the SRCD Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, April 19–22, 2001; Sanders, “School–family–community partnerships and the academic achievement of African American, urban adolescents.” Report No. 7. EDRS. ED 402404, 1996). Nonetheless, little is known about whether the strength of the relationships is comparable for students of different ability streams, or if the predictors of variance of their academic self-concept are similar. To fill the empirical gap, a 3-year longitudinal study was conducted with Secondary One students (approximate age 13) from three government schools in Singapore. Pearson product–moment correlation and Fisher’s z _r transformation showed that there were significant differences in the strength of the relationships between higher- and lower-ability stream students’ academic self-concept and their perceived home environment and classroom climate. In addition, stepwise multiple linear regressions established that lower-ability stream students’ perceived teachers’ expectations had more consistent and substantial impact on their confidence level than that of their higher-ability stream counterparts. In comparison, higher-ability stream students’ perceived parental academic support had more consistent impact on their academic self-concept than that of their lower-ability stream peers.     

Passion and intrinsic motivation in digital gaming.

Digital gaming is fast becoming a favorite activity all over the world. Yet very few studies have examined the underlying motivational processes involved in digital gaming. One motivational force that receives little attention in psychology is passion, which could help us understand the motivation of gamers. The purpose of the present study was to identify subgroups of young people with distinctive passion profiles on self-determined regulations, flow dispositions, affect, and engagement time in gaming. One hundred fifty-five students from two secondary schools in Singapore participated in the survey. There were 134 males and 8 females (13 unspecified). The participants completed a questionnaire to measure harmonious passion (HP), obsessive passion (OP), perceived locus of causality, disposition flow, positive and negative affects, and engagement time in gaming. Cluster analysis found three clusters with distinct passion profiles. The first cluster had an average HP/OP profile, the second cluster had a low HP/OP profile, and the third cluster had a high HP/OP profile. The three clusters displayed different levels of cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. Cluster analysis, as this study shows, is useful in identifying groups of gamers with different passion profiles. It has helped us gain a deeper understanding of motivation in digital gaming.     

Suicide methods in singapore (2000-2004): types and associations

The choice of suicide methods varies between countries. Common methods used in Singapore between 2000 and 2004 were jumping (72.4%), hanging (16.6%), and poisoning (5.9%). Those who jumped were more likely to be young, single, female, and to have had a major mental illness. By comparison, those who hung themselves were more likely to be older (OR 2.68), Indian (OR 2.32), and to leave a suicide note (OR 1.53). Those who used poison were more likely to be married (OR 2.33), to be on antidepressants (OR 2.40), to have previously attempted suicide (OR 2.13), and to leave a letter (OR 2.30). The choice was determined by accessibility, acceptability, generational, gender, and racial factors.     

Factors of Early Suicide after Discharge: A National Linkage Study for Suicide Victims in Taiwan

Patients recently discharged from psychiatric inpatient care have a higher suicide rate. The study aimed to identify the characteristics associated with early suicide of those patients discharged from psychiatric wards in Taiwan. The results indicated that among 672 suicide victims who died within one year post‐discharge from psychiatric wards in Taiwan between 2000 and 2004, diagnosis of schizophrenia, shorter disease duration, and co‐morbidity with cancer were all significantly associated with suicide occurring within one month of discharge. Clinical diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, recent psychiatric diagnosis, and co‐morbidity with severe physical illnesses should receive special monitoring for potential suicide after discharge.