Preliminary validation of a Chinese version of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2

The increased globalization of psychology and related fields necessitates the availability of psychometric instruments in a number of languages, countries and cultures. Unfortunately, research on anger and aggression in Chinese populations has suffered from a lack of valid and reliable measurement instruments. Therefore, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2) was translated into Chinese (Chinese STAXI-2). Two samples of Hong Kong Chinese ( N  = 489 and N  = 775) completed the Chinese STAXI-2. Participants in the second sample also completed measures of anger rumination and aggression. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of responses from the first sample resulted in the loss of nine items from the 57 original items due to misspecification. A second CFA, using responses from the second sample, supported the construct validity of the modified scale. Moderate correlations were observed with measures of aggression and anger rumination, and significant differences were found between males and females on three anger expression subscales (Anger Expression-In, Anger Control-Out, and Anger Control-In). The preliminary evidence suggests that the abbreviated inventory may be a useful measure of state and trait anger, and anger expression in some Chinese populations.     

Who benefits from memory training?

Cognitive training programs can have significant benefits. However, their efficacy is often reduced for individuals of advanced age or lower cognitive ability. Using older adult subjects, we examined the role of self-initiation of cognitive control in a training program that targets recollection memory. Relative time spent on an open-ended, intentional encoding task that requires the self-initiation of cognitive control was highly predictive of improvement in the training task, and fully accounted for individual differences related to age and crystallized intelligence. Analyzing training programs from the perspective of cognitive theory may help clarify how these programs have their effects and suggest ways to optimize such programs for the individuals who need them most.     

Psychometric validation of the Flourishing-at-Work Scale – Short Form (FWS-SF): Results and implications of a South African study

The aim of this study was to validate the Flourishing-at-Work Scale Short Form (FWS-SF) in a South African fast-moving consumable goods industry. Participants were a stratified random sample of 779 employees of an alcoholic beverage company (female = 40.4%, black = 33.4%). The FWS-SF and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Latent variable modelling was applied to assess the psychometric properties of the FWS-SF. The results supported the three-factor structure of FWS-SF. Scores from the FWS-SM showed acceptable reliability. A total of 8% of participants were languishing, while 35.9% were flourishing. The FWS-SF appears valid for research use in assessing the work-related well-being of individuals in organisations.     

Left frontal cortical activation and spreading of alternatives: tests of the action-based model of dissonance

The action-based model of dissonance predicts that following decisional commitment, approach-oriented motivational processes occur to assist in translating the decision into effective and unconflicted behavior. Therefore, the modulation of these approach-oriented processes should affect the degree to which individuals change their attitudes to be more consistent with the decisional commitment (spreading of alternatives). Experiment 1 demonstrated that a neurofeedback-induced decrease in relative left frontal cortical activation, which has been implicated in approach motivational processes, caused a reduction in spreading of alternatives. Experiment 2 manipulated an action-oriented mindset following a decision and demonstrated that the action-oriented mindset caused increased activation in the left frontal cortical region as well as increased spreading of alternatives. Discussion focuses on how this integration of neuroscience and dissonance theory benefits both parent literatures.     

Conformity: moods matter

This study examined the hypotheses that positive mood enhances conformity and that negative mood reduces it. Participants were induced to feel positive, neutral, or negative moods and then answered, in private, six mathematical questions. They observed that wrong answers were unanimously given by five bogus participants for three of the questions. Conformity was measured by whether they indicated the erroneous answers given by these bogus participants in these three questions. The results were supportive of the hypothesis. The current results are consistent with past findings about mood differences in heuristic versus elaborative processing. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Waiting

Many people have heard of the sacred sound Aum, but do we really understand what it means or what it is? This article answers that question by examining the original text in which the sacred syllable of Aum is introduced. The three letters that make up the sound Aum each represents a corresponding psychological state. Waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep are the three main states of consciousness explored in the Mā ūkya Upaniad, a small section contained within the larger Hindu text known as the Upaniads. Some of these texts date back to around the second millennium b.c.e. What can these ancient explorations of human consciousness teach us today and how do they relate to modern depth psychology? The shortest of the Upaniads, the Mā ūkya Upaniad, may be said to hold some of the most profound psychological reflections in all of Indian religious philosophy. In addition to these three states of being, the elusive fourth state, known as Turīya, is also explored in relation to the sacred syllable Aum. This article integrates the commentaries of various Indian gurus with a perspective from analytical psychology. The sounds comprising Aum are explored symbolically and in terms of their psychological meaning, and the psychological role and function of spiritual practices, both East and West, are considered.     

Habitual Self‐Control: A Brief Measure of Persistent Goal Pursuit

Habitual self‐control is defined as a trait‐like personal resource factor that facilitates the enactment of difficult intentions. A 14‐item Habitual Self‐Control Questionnaire (HSCQ) was developed to assess this trait. Reliability, factorial validity, and criterion validity were assessed in five undergraduate student subsamples with an overall N of 2224. Internal consistency was .81 across the entire sample, and test–retest reliability was .83 over a one‐month interval. The HSCQ showed a theoretically meaningful pattern in terms of convergent and discriminant validity and criterion validity in predicting a variety of health behaviours that relate to self‐control, including exercise, dieting behaviour, binge eating and weight loss success. Further, the HSCQ contributed uniquely to the prediction of health behaviours beyond alternative self‐control scales. In a longitudinal part of the study, the HSCQ added to the prediction of action plan completion and satisfaction beyond motivation and moderated the relationship between motivation and enactment of action plans as theoretically expected. In sum, the results provided strong evidence for the reliability and validity of the HSCQ and highlighted some theoretically meaningful differences to already existing measures of self‐control. Theoretical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Not “just” a coincidence: Frontal‐striatal interactions in working memory and interval timing

The frontal cortex and basal ganglia play central roles in working memory and in the ability to time brief intervals. We outline recent theoretical and empirical work to suggest that working memory and interval timing rely not only on the same anatomic structures, but also on the same neural representation of a specific stimulus. Specifically, cortical neurons may fire in an oscillatory fashion to form representations of stimuli, and the striatum (a basal ganglia structure) may detect those patterns of cortical firing that occur co‐incident to important events. Information about stimulus identity can be extracted from which cortical neurons are involved in the representation, and information about duration can be extracted from their relative phase. The principles derived from these biologically based models also fit well with a family of behaviourally based models that emphasise the importance of time in many working memory phenomena.