Ethnic Identity in Jewish Families

Forty-eight Jewish families living in Central New York were interviewed about the development of their ethnic identity. Within each family, parents and children were asked about how they developed their ethnic identity to explore qualitatively how Jewish identity shapes and influences family dynamics. The semi-structured family interviews were coded using a constant comparison methodology. Seven qualitative categories emerged (gendered decisions, negotiating continuity, family of origin, survivors, active learning, traditions, and cultural religion). Jewish identity formation in families and the implications for clinical practice are explored.     

Mood as input and perseverative worrying following the induction of discrete negative moods

Previous research has demonstrated that a combination of negative mood and rigorous "as many as can" stop rules can be used to help explain a range of perseverative psychopathologies such as pathological worrying, compulsive checking, and depressive rumination (known as the mood-as-input hypothesis). The aim of the present study was to extend this work and examine whether specific emotions of the same valence will have similar or differential effects on task perseveration. The study experimentally induced discrete moods and manipulated task stop rules in an analog population. Results showed that perseveration at a worry-based interview task conformed to standard mood-as-input predictions in which perseveration was significantly greater when an "as many as can" stop rule was paired with a negative mood or a "feel like continuing" stop rule was paired with a positively valenced mood. The pattern of results revealed no significant inherent differences in processing depending on the type of discrete negative mood being experienced. These findings support a view of mood-as-input effects where overall valency is the important factor in determining perseveration.     

Canonical Extensions and Discrete Dualities for Finitely Generated Varieties of Lattice-based Algebras

The paper investigates completions in the context of finitely generated lattice-based varieties of algebras. In particular the structure of canonical extensions in such a variety ${\mathcal {A}}$ is explored, and the role of the natural extension in providing a realisation of the canonical extension is discussed. The completions considered are Boolean topological algebras with respect to the interval topology, and consequences of this feature for their structure are revealed. In addition, we call on recent results from duality theory to show that topological and discrete dualities for ${\mathcal {A}}$ exist in partnership.     

Subjective Wellbeing in China: A Review

We critically review studies of subjective wellbeing conducted in China by the International Wellbeing Group, and we evaluate the International Wellbeing Index (IWI), a new instrument they developed. Subjective wellbeing was positive and similar in studies across China, and conformed to the normative range. Its resilience (PWI = 61.2–67.1) mirrors survey findings conducted in Western countries, in agreement with Subjective Wellbeing Homeostasis. Reliability, validity and psychometric analyses support the utility of the IWI as a measure of subjective wellbeing. Our conclusions have implications for research and social development in China, discussed further in this review.     

Cognitive neutralising strategies and their use across differing stressor types

Abstract

Three studies are described which investigate the kinds of strategies that individuals use to devalue the threatening meaning of a stressor (cognitive neutralising strategies, CNS). These studies identified seven factorially independent constructs corresponding to Downward Comparison, Positive Reappraisal, Cognitive Disengagement, Optimism, Faith in Social Support, Denial and Life Perspective. The use of CNS was highly correlated with the use of problem-focused coping strategies regardless of stressor type, but associated with the use of avoidance coping and emotion-focused coping only in the case of certain stressor types. The role of CNS in the coping process is discussed in the light of the present results.     

Successful differential evaluative conditioning using simultaneous and trace conditioning procedures in the picture–picture paradigm

This paper describes a study designed to investigate the efficacy of two traditional classical conditioning procedures in generating evaluative conditioning (EC) in the picture–picture paradigm in human participants. Differential EC was found using both simultaneous and trace conditioning procedures. In addition, the use of a block–subblock (BSB) nonpaired control condition and full counterbalancing of conditioned stimulus–unconditioned stimulus (CS–UCS) pairings across participants indicated that the observed EC effects were the result of associative learning. Examination of whether successful conditioning could take place with or without conscious awareness of CS–UCS contingencies was inconclusive. The results provide evidence for EC as an associative process and also provide some insight into the possible conditioning parameters that might successfully generate EC.     

Foreign‐Born Therapists: How Acculturation and Supervisors' Multicultural Competence Are Associated With Clinical Self‐Efficacy

The authors examined the associations between acculturation, supervisors' multicultural competence, and clinicians' self‐efficacy in a sample of 153 immigrant therapists currently practicing in the United States. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and 3 additional questionnaires that examined their levels of acculturation, perceived supervisors' multicultural competence, and clinical self‐efficacy. Results suggested that perceived prejudice, not level of acculturation, was significantly associated with foreign‐born therapists' clinical self‐efficacy. Perceived supervisors' multicultural competence was significantly associated with therapists' clinical self‐efficacy. Recommendations for supervisors working with foreign‐born therapists are provided. Los autores examinaron las asociaciones entre aculturación, competencia multicultural de los supervisores y autoeficacia de los profesionales clínicos en una muestra de 153 terapeutas inmigrantes actualmente en activo en los Estados Unidos. Los participantes completaron un cuestionario demográfico y tres cuestionarios adicionales que examinaron sus niveles de aculturación, la competencia multicultural percibida de sus supervisores y la autoeficacia clínica. Los resultados sugieren que los prejuicios percibidos, no el nivel de aculturación, están asociados de forma significativa con la autoeficacia clínica de los terapeutas nacidos en el extranjero. La competencia multicultural percibida de sus supervisores está asociada significativamente con la autoeficacia clínica de los terapeutas. Se proporcionan recomendaciones para supervisores que trabajan con terapeutas nacidos en el extranjero.     

Doing Therapy in a Foreign Land: When the Therapist Is “Not From Here”

The psychotherapy field has been paying closer attention to how therapists’ characteristics, history, and styles affect therapeutic encounters and contribute to successful therapy outcomes. Therapists have been encouraged to increase self-awareness of their own socio-cultural dimensions to optimally connect with clients. However, the experience of therapists’ own immigration has received little attention. This article highlights the experience of immigration as important for understanding the self of the therapist, describing core experiences related to immigration for immigrant therapists in the United States. This article additionally describes how these experiences can affect immigrant therapists’ clinical encounters. Finally, recommendations are provided for immigrant therapists, clinical supervisors, and training programs.     

Home literacy experiences and literacy acquisition among children in Guangzhou, south China

Sénéchal's research in the West with English- and French-speaking children included positive relations of the development of literacy skills with home literacy experiences. There is a need to extend this research to other countries, especially in China where few studies have been done. This study examined relations of parental reports of formal and informal home literacy variables with Chinese children's vocabulary and written language development. Consistent with previous studies in the West, informal home literacy experiences were associated with Chinese children's vocabulary knowledge, and formal literacy experiences with reading skills. These findings fit previous research which distinguishes formal and informal literacy experiences in relation to children's performance on reading and language skills, and indicates reading to children is less effective for acquisition of print-specific skills.