Avoidance Responses to Alternative Alcohol Warning Labels1

A preference-based measure of responses to warning labels was used to study alternative alcohol warning labels that differed in: (a) length, (b) presence of qualifier words, (c) alternative content, and (d) specific beverage. The specific risks mentioned were more important than the overall label length, qualifier words reduced avoidance responses, various alternative warnings elicited more avoidance responses than the existing alcohol warning label, and more avoidance responses were made to labels on a whiskey bottle than on a beer bottle. Warnings with the words “poison,”“cancer,” or “health problems” were the most powerful. The results for college students in Study 1 were replicated in a high-school sample in Study 2.     

Ethnocentrism and Authoritarianism in the Police: Challenging Stereotypes and Reconceptualizing Ingroup Identification1

Reports of community alienation and high ingroup identification in the police suggest that they are a particularly ethnocentric group. To empirically test this hypothesis, a sample of urban police officers was surveyed to ascertain their social identity pattern. Results indicated a high level of peer solidarity, community alienation differentiated on the basis of race and social class, and the perception that the source of alienation lies more with the community than with the officers themselves. A central finding was that those officers who identified most strongly with peers also tended to report lower levels of alienation from the community groups. This finding, in conjunction with unremarkable levels of authoritarianism and perceived stress in the sample, challenges the stereotype of the ethnocentric, authoritarian, and stressed out police officer. Results are placed within a novel framework for understanding the police solidarity phenomenon, and implications for police-community relations are discussed.     

Effect of Persuasive Appeals in AIDS PSAs and Condom Commercials on Intentions to Use Condoms1

The study compared the effect of five persuasive appeals used in AIDS PSAs and condom commercials (fear arousal-no sex/condom theme; fear arousal-sex/condom theme; erotic; humorous; factual) on 122 male and 114 female college students' i]ntentions to use and taking of condoms. Results showed that the two fear appeals were more effective than other appeals in increasing intentions to use condoms with a new partner. The fear appeal–no sex/condom theme was more effective than other appeals for increasing intentions to use condoms with a steady partner. Compared to men, women rated commercials as more effective for increasing intentions to use condoms with a new partner. Persuasive appeals had no effect on the taking of free condoms. The best predictor of commercial effectiveness was the degree to which a commercial evoked a high fear of AIDS. Other significant predictors were subjects' a]ttitude toward condom use and commercial qualities of being humorous, romantic, credible, and factual. Implications are that all five types of appeals are potentially effective for use in AIDS PSAs. Recommendations include combining appeals (e.g. fear with erotic) and emphasizing the positive features of condom use.     

A course in hypnosis for chaplains

Understanding the mental processes involved in suffering has always been the best basis for communication between patients and caretakers. In this paper we are concerned first with acknowledgment of the existence, generally unknown, and the effects, generally unrecognized, of the hypnotic processes that occur in many forms of suffering, and second with developing our thesis that the understanding and use of hypnotic principles can greatly enrich the chaplain's capacity to alleviate suffering. In this brief presentation we will confine our discussion to the teaching of hypnosis as a virtual necessity in modern clinical training for chaplains. Comments and considerations will precede and follow an outline of the course presently offered at Lenox Hill Hospital [but we cannot here attempt to discuss or explain the fundamentals of hypnotic process or any other aspects of the course content itself]. A basic bibliography is appended for those who wish to know more about hypnosis itself.     

The role of neuroimaging in the discovery of processing stages a review

In this contribution we show how neuroimaging methods can augment behavioural methods to discover processing stages. Event Related Brain Potentials (ERPs), Brain Electrical Source Analysis (BESA) and regional changes in cerebral blood flow (rCBF) do not necessarily require behavioural responses. With the aid of rCBF we are able to discover several cortical and subcortical brain systems (processors) active in selective attention and memory search tasks. BESA describes cortical activity with high temporal resolution in terms of a limited number of neural generators within these brain systems. The combination of behavioural methods and neuroimaging provides a picture of the functional architecture of the brain. The review is organized around three processors: the Visual, Cognitive and Manual Motor Processors.     

A hybrid decision framework for evaluating psychometric evidence

The United States Supreme Court in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (1993) directed federal trial judges to preliminarily evaluate the scientific bases of proffered expert evidence. This article presents a decision flowchart for evaluating psychometric data, and attempts to operationalize existing evidentiary standards in hybrid (part science/part law) terms. The resulting framework should better assist courts and forensic experts to understand, evaluate, and apply scientific reasoning in determining the admissibility and probative value of psychometric evidence.     

Assessing mental capacity and susceptibility to undue influence

Clinicians are commonly asked to participate in the determination of an individual's mental capacity and susceptibility to undue influence. Vague statutory definitions and lack of operational criteria for both determinations have contributed to inconsistency in the quality and usefulness of expert input to these determinations. Questionnaire responses of 119 probate judges from the U.S. indicate that this input is quite influential despite the problems mentioned above. This paper presents and discusses the judges' views on selected procedural and conceptual aspects of expert evaluation and testimony.     

Expert psychological testimony on eyewitness reliability before and after Daubert: the state of the law and the science

This article examines the legal and scientific issues inherent in the use of expert psychological testimony on the factors that affect eyewitness reliability. First, the history of the use of such expert testimony is traced. Next, we look at the criteria that state and federal courts have used in determining whether to admit such testimony, as well as the grounds upon which the testimony has been excluded. We then examine the Daubert decision and discuss its implications for the use of expert eyewitness testimony. We conclude by reviewing eyewitness research and research on jury decision-making that is likely to assume new importance in the post-Daubert era.     

Towards a Hierarchical Model of Self-concept for Hong Kong Chinese Adults with Physical Disabilities

This paper explores the basic facets and structure of the self-concepts of groups of 135 and 146 Hong Kong Chinese adults with and without physical disabilities, respectively. Comparison of responses to a 20-item scale indicated a very similar pattern of the importance the individuals in these groups attached to these areas of their lives. However, the non-disabled group did report higher satisfaction ratings on six of these areas and factor analysis of both the importance and satisfaction ratings showed a similar underlying factor structure for both groups. Content analysis of open-ended questions confirmed that both groups shared similar self-concept facets except that the subjects with physical disabilities most frequently reported the importance of “functional independence in daily living tasks”. It is proposed that this facet needs to be included in a self-concept instrument appropriate for subjects with physical disabilities. Models of self-concept were then suggested for each group.