The Development of Transitivity of Length in Young Children

This research examined whether developmental changes occur in young children's abilities to learn transitive information. Children 4 years 6 months to 5 years 6 months and 6 to 7 years were asked to learn a series, A > B > C, or a nonseries, A > B, C > D. Younger children took longer to learn the series than the nonseries. Children learning the series correctly answered the inference question, but could not distinguish between situations in which it was possible or impossible to make inferences. The results suggest that there are developmental changes in transitivity abilities and that transitivity is a concept that emerges gradually.     

Detecting Social Desirability Bias Using Factor Mixture Models

Based on the conceptualization that social desirable bias (SDB) is a discrete event resulting from an interaction between a scale's items, the testing situation, and the respondent's latent trait on a social desirability factor, we present a method that makes use of factor mixture models to identify which examinees are most likely to provide biased responses, which items elicit the most socially desirable responses, and which external variables predict SDB. Problems associated with the common use of correlation coefficients based on scales' total scores to diagnose SDB and partial correlations to correct for SDB are discussed. The method is demonstrated with an analysis of SDB in the Attitude toward Interprofessional Service-Learning scale with a sample of students from health-related fields.     

Repairing trust with individuals vs. groups

This study incorporates insights from research on group decision-making and trust repair to investigate the differences that arise when alleged transgressors attempt to regain the trust of groups as compared to individuals. Results indicate that repairing trust is generally more difficult with groups than individuals, and both groups and individuals were less trusting when trustees denied culpability (rather than apologized) for a competence-based violation or apologized (rather than denied culpability) for an integrity-based violation. However, the interaction of violation-type and violation-response also ultimately affected the relative difficulty of repairing trust with groups vs. individuals, with the greater harshness of groups dissipating when the transgressors’ responses were effectively matched with the type of violation. Persuasive argumentation rather than normative pressure, furthermore, mediated these differences. Thus, the sequencing of individual vs. group assessments mattered, such that subsequent group assessments affected initial individual assessments but not the reverse.     

Paradox lost: Understanding vague predicates

Abstract

The paper is concerned with the status of vague predicates. It is argued that they are for the most part ‘classifiers’, which are covertly comparatives and name not monadic properties but relations. The Sorites Paradox, it is claimed, is thus defused and a verdict theory of vague predicates is presented. Our practice in using vague words is described and it is contended that in our use of these predicates we always have a permanent possibility of independent demarcation. Wittgenstein's picture of the wall and the swamp is deployed to avoid the Transition Problem and it is argued against Fregeans that we need vague language for the advancement of knowledge and understanding.     

Racial Discrimination and African American Adolescents’ Adjustment: Gender Variation in Family and Community Social Support, Promotive and Protective Factors

The current investigation explores the promotive and protective role of family and community-specific social support on the association between perceived racial discrimination and African American adolescents’ adjustment (e.g., depressive symptoms, school suspensions, school engagement). One thousand nine-hundred forty-two African American adolescents (ages 12–18, M = 15.12; SD = 1.83; 59 % female) from a large Midwestern city participated in this investigation. Regression analyses revealed that perceived racial discrimination was associated with less positive adjustment outcomes for boys and girls. Additionally, there was partial support for gender variation in the promotive role of social support and adolescent adjustment. In particular, while only maternal support was associated with boys’ adjustment, both maternal and paternal support was associated with girls’ adjustment. Also, there was partial support for gender differentiation in the strength and directionality of protective factors. Though in an unpredicted direction, father support moderated the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and girls’ adjustment. Community supports (religious connection and mentor presence) emerged as protective factors for boys’. Findings highlight the role of gender in understanding potential promotive and protective factors for African American adolescents.     

Downsizing in britain and its effects on survivors and their organizations

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the psychological effects of downsizing and redundancy on those remaining within organizations after large-scale redundancy programs. While there have been a number of studies of this type in the recent past, our task is to explore two separate studies which have investigated this phenomena. The first study explores the impact of redundancy in a recently privatized organization in the UK. This, we argue, is a particularly fertile area of study given the radical changes that have affected organizations in the UK that have been subjected to privatization. The results stem from an exploratory and qualitative case study which takes an individual perspective. The second study discussed in this paper explores the results of a survey conducted in the UK that examines the implications of change in both the public and private sector organizations. This survey takes a quantitative look at the implications of redundancy from an organizational perspective. By investigating these two studies, our research explores the impact of redundancy on two levels—the individual level and the organizational level. First, we examine the emotional, attitudinal and behavioral effects of redundancy on survivors and the resultant implications for management: in particular the changing role of line managers where delayering and redundancy has taken place. Second, we explore the impact of redundancy on the organization in terms of organizational morale, motivation, organizational loyalty and job security where redundancy has and has not been used as a method of downsizing.     

A multiple case study approach to work stress prevention in Europe

Work stress has become a major issue among European employees. The current practice of its prevention seems disappointing, as work stress prevention programmes are predominantly reactive and biased to the individual. The lack of organization-level intervention studies is a barrier to progress in reducing work-related stress. In addition to the “true experimental approach”, multiple case studies may provide an adequate research strategy for addressing the potential impact of stress interventions in organizations. The study aim was to obtain more knowledge with respect to evidence-based work stress prevention in Europe, by focusing on both content (cause-effect relationships) and process (“how”). Therefore it was decided: (1) to collect from each European Union member state a work stress intervention study; (2) to analyse each of these cases as to content and process factors; and (3) to systematically compare these studies in a step-by-step approach. Through a network approach, 11 cases were identified. Nine projects received an acceptable methodological standard and were included in this study. Evaluation of these cases reveals that stress prevention is no “one time event”, nor merely a technical process. It is concluded that “true prevention” (i.e., preventive measures that are based on an adequate diagnosis identifying risk factors and risk groups, which theoretically and logically fit in with the problems, and which are introduced and implemented in a proper way) may be beneficial to both the employee and the organization.     

Attacks on Linking Revisited: A New Look at Bion’s Classic Work,edited by Catalina Bronstein and Edna O’Shaughnessy,Routledge, Abingdon and New York, 2018, 186pp.

The American Journal of Psychoanalysis -