Private Prayer and Civic Involvement

We analyze the relationship between private prayer and participation in voluntary association. We argue that prayer fosters a cognitive connection to the needs of others, and thus promotes membership in associations that emphasize personal relationships. Private prayer is not related to membership in political groups. The effect of prayer is strengthened by membership in religious groups, suggesting the relevance of both organizational and devotional aspects of religion for civil society participation.     

Susceptible to Social Influence: Risky “Driving” in Response to Peer Pressure1

In 2 studies, college students were socially influenced to be risky or not in a driving simulation. In both studies, confederate peers posing as passengers used verbal persuasion to affect driving behavior. In Study 1, participants encouraged to drive riskily had more accidents and drove faster than those encouraged to drive slowly or not encouraged at all. In Study 2, participants were influenced normatively or informationally to drive safely or riskily. As in Study 1, influence to drive riskily increased risk taking. Additionally, informational influence to drive safely resulted in the least risk taking. Together, the studies highlight the substantial influence of peers in a risk‐related situation; in real life, peer influence to be risky could contribute to automobile accidents.     

Saving for a Rainy Day? Comparative Optimism About Disability in Old Age

This study examined young (n = 40) and middle‐aged (n = 30) adults' susceptibility to comparative optimism and comparative pessimism regarding disability in old age and their willingness to save for long‐term care. Participants rated their risk of diverse levels of disability in old age, compared to another similar person, and indicated the amount of money they would be willing to save for future long‐term care. While middle‐aged participants showed the same level of comparative optimism for diverse disability levels, younger participants showed increasing levels of comparative optimism with increasing disability. Participants' comparative optimism levels and age both predicted their intentions to save. The findings are discussed in terms of theories of judgment and behavioral decision making.     

FIRST-PERSON BELIEF AND EMPIRICAL CERTAINTY

This is a critical exposition and limited defence of a theory of first-person belief transiently held by Roderick Chisholm after giving up the early haecceity theory of Person and Object (1976) and before adopting the late self-attribution theory of The First Person (1981). I reconstruct that 'middle' theory as involving what I call a 'hard-core' approach to de re belief and I rebut objections concerning epistemic supervenience and abnormal consciousness. In my rebuttals, I sketch a variant of the middle theory according to which first-person belief essentially involves the believer's introspective acquaintance with herself.     

The measurement of reliability of social relations components from round‐robin designs

The social relations model (SRM) is a useful tool for measuring relationship effects, defined as the unique perceptions or behaviors of 2 people. The sources of variance in SRM studies are persons (actors and partners), groups, and items; the relationship effect is defined as the actor–partner interaction. By removing variance because of persons and groups, a measure of a “pure” relationship effect is obtained. In this article, generalizability theory (G Theory) is applied to estimate the reliability of SRM components from round‐robin data structures. Using G Theory, reliability formulas for actor, partner, group, and relationship are developed and interpretations for the reliability estimates are provided. The authors also discuss how these formulas can be used in both planning and interpreting results from relationship research.     

A Fuller Account: The Role of ‘Fittingness’ in Thomas Aquinas' Development of the Doctrine of the Atonement

This article draws attention to Thomas Aquinas' under‐appreciated development of the doctrine of the atonement. I argue that Thomas' pursuit of the ‘fittingness’ of the passion yields an exceptional grasp of the multiplicity of effects accomplished by Christ's death. To defend this thesis, I explore the methodology underlying Thomas' approach to the atonement, contrasting it with that of Anselm. I then follow the implications of Thomas' methodology in his stance toward the diverse atonement theories of his day. In conclusion, I briefly note the significance of Thomas' method and conclusions for contemporary debates concerning the efficacy of Christ's passion.