First Impressions After Various Types of Deception: Less Favorable Following Expectancy Violation

This experiment involving 96 undergraduates tested whether the expectancy-violation model could explain how different types of discovered verbal deception influence first impressions. A female confederate responded to a participant's question about her weight with a lie, true, secretive, or technically true (i.e., equivocal) statement. The confederate who lied or kept her weight a secret was less well liked, was seen as less moral, was less likely to be recommended as a dating partner, and made a worse overall impression than one who told the truth or equivocated. Violation of expectations for an honest answer mediated the relation between type of deception and both liking and recommendation as a dating partner. Thus, violating people's expectations for an honest answer can cause one to be seen in a less favorable light.     

Examining Compulsive Sexual Behavior and Psychopathology Among a Sample of Postdeployment U.S. Male and Female Military Veterans

Compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) is defined as difficulties in controlling inappropriate or excessive sexual fantasies, urges, or behaviors that cause subjective distress or impairment in important areas of daily functioning. Using data from a baseline telephone interview, we examined the prevalence of CSB in a convenience sample of 820 postdeployed U.S. military male and female veterans and investigated correlates of CSB with sociodemographics and other mental health and sexual history characteristics. More men (13.8%) than women (4.3%) endorsed CSB-related symptoms. Given the limited sample size of women reporting CSB, correlational analyses were conducted only with men. After adjusting for significant sociodemographics, results indicated that gambling, suicidality, and sexually transmitted infections were significantly associated with male CSB. Current results suggest that CSB may be prevalent among U.S. military veterans post deployment and associated with significant negative health indices in men. CSB warrants attention regarding screening and intervention.     

African Americans and Mathematics Outcomes on National Assessment of Educational Progress: Parental and Individual Influences

This study investigated within group differences between African American female and male students who participated in the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics assessment. Using results from participating states, we compare average scale scores of African American students based on home regulatory environment and interest in mathematics. Results indicated that African American male students who discussed studies 2–3 times a week scored higher than African American female students who discussed studies every day. In three states (Connecticut, Florida, and New Jersey), African American males who never or hardly ever discussed studies at home scored higher than African American males who never or hardly ever discussed studies at home in the state of Arkansas. In two states (Florida and New Jersey), African American males who discussed studies every few weeks scored higher than African American males who discussed studies every few weeks in Arkansas. In four states (Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey), the overall scale scores of African American males was higher than those of African American males in Arkansas. As a result of the findings, we present practical implications for parents of African American students.     

Prospective risk factors for subsequent exposure to potentially traumatic events

Abstract

In a sample of 1528 college students, we examined (1) whether several risk factors prospectively predicted exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) over a 2-month period and (2) whether dependent events (i.e., those more likely to depend upon one's behavior or characteristics) and independent events were predicted by different risk factors. Logistic regression analyses indicated that overall subsequent PTE exposure was higher for women, those with more previous PTEs, and those who engaged in more binge drinking. Female gender and previous PTE exposure also predicted exposure to independent events. Subsequent dependent PTE exposure was predicted by more previous PTEs and binge drinking, and was somewhat higher in ethnic minority students. Implications for prevention efforts are discussed.     

Relationship Between Religiosity and Conduct Problems Among African American and Caucasian Adolescents

This study investigated the relationship between religiosity and conduct problems in a racially diverse sample of high school aged adolescents (ages 13–19) who attended public schools in a large metropolitan area. The results of the study found racial and gender differences in religiosity: African American adolescents were more likely to attend church, describe themselves as very religious and use Collaborative and Deferring religious coping styles; they were less likely to use Self-Directing religious coping styles when compared to Caucasian adolescents. Females were more likely to be involved in church activities, use a Collaborative religious coping style and tended to be less likely to use a Self-Directing religious coping style when compared to males. The results of multiple regression analyses, after controlling for race, gender, and self-reported religiousness found that Self-Directing and Deferring religious coping styles were risk factors for conduct problems; there was no relationship between Collaborative religious coping and conduct problems. The findings from the study provide additional support for the importance of considering religiosity, race and gender when examining mental health outcomes in adolescents and have implications for the development of mental health interventions for adolescents.     

Post-training disruption of Arc protein expression in the anterior cingulate cortex impairs long-term memory for inhibitory avoidance training

The activity-regulated-cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc) has a well established role in memory consolidation and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus and amygdala. However the role of Arc within the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), an area of the brain involved in processing memory for pain, has yet to be examined. Here we sought to determine if Arc protein within neurons of the rat ACC is necessary for the consolidation of a single-trial, contextual inhibitory avoidance (IA) task. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting revealed an increase in Arc protein within the ACC following IA training in a shock-specific manner, suggesting that ACC Arc expression may play a critical role in the consolidation of the aversive task. To directly test this hypothesis, male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained on the IA task and given post-training intra-ACC infusions of Arc antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs), designed to suppress Arc translation, or control scrambled ODNs that do not suppress Arc translation. Memory retention was tested 48h after training. Arc antisense-induced disruption of Arc protein expression in the ACC impaired long-term memory for the IA task as compared to rats given intra-ACC infusions of the scrambled control ODNS, suggesting that Arc expression in the ACC is important for the consolidation of emotional memory. Results further indicate that knock down of Arc 6h after training impairs IA memory. This is consistent with time course findings indicating elevated Arc expression at 3 and 6h after IA training but not 12 or 48h. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that Arc expression in the ACC participates in synaptic plasticity that underlies long-term memory.     

Gender bias in employment contexts: A closer examination of the role incongruity principle

This research extends the role incongruity analysis of employment-related gender bias by investigating the role of dispositional and situational antecedents, specifically political ideology and the salience of cues to the traditional female gender role. The prediction that conservatives would show an anti-female candidate bias and liberals would show a pro-female bias when the traditional female gender role is salient was tested across three experimental studies. In Study 1, 126 participants evaluated a male or a female job applicant with thoughts of the traditional female gender role activated or not. Results showed that when the gender role is salient, political ideology moderates evaluations of the female candidates such that conservatives evaluate her negatively and liberals evaluate her positively. Study 2 (89 participants) replicated this effect and showed that this political ideology-based bias does not occur when the non-traditional female gender role is made salient. Study 2 also demonstrated that the observed effects are not driven by liberals' and conservatives' differing perceptions regarding the female applicant's qualifications for the job. Finally, Study 3 (159 participants) both replicated the political ideology-based evaluation bias for female candidates and demonstrated that this bias is mediated by conservatives' and liberals' attitudes toward the roles of women in society.     

Kinematic motion analysis and muscle activation patterns of continuous reaching in survivors of stroke

Coordinated reaching requires continuous interaction between the efferent motor output and afferent feedback; this interaction may be significantly compromised following a stroke. The authors sought to characterize how survivors of stroke generate continuous, goal-directed reaching. Sixteen survivors of stroke completed functional testing of the stroke-affected side and a continuous reaching task between 2 targets with both sides. Motion analysis and electromyography data were collected to determine segmental contributions to reach (e.g., amount of compensatory trunk), spatiotemporal parameters (e.g., peak velocities), and muscle activation patterns (MAP). Repeated measures analyses of variance compared how survivors of stroke reach with the stroke-affected versus less affected sides. Correlations were determined between kinematic outcomes and functional ability. Participants used significantly more trunk movement and less shoulder flexion and elbow extension when reaching with the stroke-affected side. This corresponded with less muscle activity in the proximal musculature including the anterior, middle, and posterior deltoid on the stroke-affected side. There were significant correlations between the segmental contributions to reach, functional ability, and MAPs. Survivors of stroke generate reduced MAPs in the stroke-affected side corresponding to altered segmental kinematics and function ability. These findings suggest that impairments in the ability to generate sufficient MAPs may contribute to the difficulty in generating continuous reaching motions.     

System-Level Change in Cultural and Linguistic Competence (CLC): How Changes in CLC are Related to Service Experience Outcomes in Systems of Care

As US demographic trends shift toward more diversity, it becomes increasingly necessary to address differential needs of diverse groups of youth in mental health service systems. Cultural and linguistic competence (CLC) is essential to providing the most appropriate mental health services to youth and their families. The successful implementation of CLC often begins at the system level. Though various factors may affect change and system-level factors set the tone for broad acceptance of CLC within systems, there is limited empirical evidence linking culturally competent practices to outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to examine system-level CLC changes over time within systems of care and their associations with service experiences among youth and their families. Participants were 4,512 youth and their families enrolled in the national evaluation of the Children’s Mental Health Initiative (CMHI). Results suggest that implementation of CLC at the system level improves over time in funded systems of care. Further, variation exists in specific system-level components of CLC. In addition, the changes in CLC at the system level are related to family/caregiver participation in treatment. Implications for supporting positive changes in CLC among systems of care communities, and specific strategies for community psychologists, are discussed.