People's Perceptions of Women's and Men's Worry about Life Issues: Worrying about Love, Accomplishment, or Money?

The study was designed to examine people's perceptions of women's and men's worry about life issues and self-perceptions of worry. Some undergraduates (n = 498) rated typical women's or men's worry, and others (n = 396) rated significant others' worry based on the Worry Domain Questionnaire (Tallis, Eysenck, & Mathews, 1992). As expected, participants perceived women as worrying more than men do about relationships, when they rated typical or significant others. As well, they rated typical men as worrying more than typical women about achievement and finances. Participants who rated significant others' worry also rated their own worry and parallel findings were expected. However, women tended to report more worry about achievement than men did. Overall, the findings indicate that the better people know their targets, the less likely they are to perceive their worry in gender stereotypical terms. This article is partially based on Wendy-Jo Wood's Master's thesis.     

Profit maximization versus disadvantageous inequality: the impact of self‐categorization

Choice behavior researchers (e.g., Bazerman, Loewenstein, & White, 1992 ) have found that individuals tend to choose a more lucrative but disadvantageously unequal payoff (e.g., self—$600/other—$800) over a less profitable but equal one (e.g., self—$500/other—$500); greater profit trumps interpersonal social comparison concerns in the choice setting. We suggest, however, that self‐categorization (e.g., Hogg, 2000 ) can shift interpersonal social comparison concerns to the intergroup level and make trading disadvantageous inequality for greater profit more difficult. Studies 1–3 show that profit maximization diminishes when recipients belong to different social categories (e.g., genders, universities). Study 2 further implicates self‐categorization, as self‐categorized individuals tend to forgo profit whether making a choice for themselves or another ingroup member. Study 3, moreover, reveals that social categorization alone is not sufficient to diminish profit maximization; individuals must self‐categorize and identify with their categorization. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Communication Counseling as Part of a Treatment Plan for Depression

It has been estimated that 1 in 4 persons will experience a depressive episode over his or her lifetime (G. Gintner, 2001). The author discusses various etiologies of depression, interpersonal factors related to depression, and research on various communication‐focused counseling interventions. The author maintains that published literature supports a communication‐skills‐centered approach to alleviating the symptoms of depression and recommends that professional counselors assert their ability to provide their clients with effective and healthy treatment for depression.     

Spirituality, Gender, and Supervisory Style in Supervision

This study used the following guiding question: Is gender associated with variations in perceptions of supervisory style and the frequency with which spiritual issues are addressed in supervision? Results suggest that spirituality is perceived relevant to numerous aspects of supervision. For example, findings indicate that a relationship exists between two characteristics of supervisory style and the frequency with which spirituality is addressed in supervision. Results also intimate that male therapists viewed male supervisors as addressing spirituality more frequently than female supervisors, and female therapists viewed female supervisors as addressing spirituality more frequently than male supervisors. Overall, these findings highlight the significance of spirituality within the context of supervision and underscore the critical need for attention to gender in the study of spirituality within clinical settings.     

Programmed Instruction: Construction Responding, Discrimination Responding, and Highlighted Keywords

Skinner (1958) expressed the need for an increase in the effectiveness and efficiency of education. In particular, he suggested that programmed instruction could provide such efficiency. The present study used a within-subject design to compare the effects of four types of instructional materials; those requiring overt construction responses, overt discrimination responses, covert reading of text with highlighted key words, and covert reading of standard text. The materials requiring overt responding produced greater learning than did the covert reading materials, with or without highlighting. There was no difference found between the two types of overt responding; nor were there differences between the two types of covert reading materials. Thus, this study supports the assumption that overt responding is more effective. However, the overt response materials also required proportionately more time. Therefore, this showed no benefit of overt responding in terms of efficiency.     

Cultural values in the home and school experiences of low-income African-American students

The present study examined the presence of specific cultural values within the preferred classroom and home activities of African-American upper elementary students. Written scenarios were constructed and used to determine whether students preferred their home and classroom activities carried out under specific cultural terms. Students also reported their perceptions of teachers and parents’ cultural value-based preferences for classroom and home activities. With analysis of variance techniques, it was shown that students and their parents have significantly stronger preferences for communal and vervistic activities at home and at school than for individualistic and competitive activities. Perceived teacher classroom preferences, however, were significantly higher for individualistic and competitive activities. Such findings underscore the presence of cultural mismatch in the classroom experiences of African-Americans and illustrate a need to enhance school-based efforts to appreciate and utilize cultural value variation.     

Psychological hardiness predicts successful selection in a law enforcement special operations assessment and selection course

We studied the predictive effects of psychological hardiness on successful selection in a United States federal tactical law enforcement assessment and selection (A&S) program. Seventy‐one male experienced law enforcement personnel participated in a week‐long, physically and psychologically rigorous A&S course. Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS‐15) Total Hardiness scores predicted selection in this select sample. Age and cognitive ability moderated the predictive effects of psychological hardiness such that hardiness predicted selection in younger candidates and candidates with higher cognitive ability. Similar findings were obtained for DRS Commitment. DRS‐15 Control facet also differentiated selection in this sample but the predictive effects did not hold when age and cognitive ability were controlled. Findings extend the application of the DRS‐15 to law enforcement personnel selection and highlight the importance of examining moderating effects of psychological hardiness.     

Stress and inflammation among older adults: The moderating role of religiosity

Chronic stress weakens the immune system and leads to heightened bodily inflammation, which in turn is linked with serious health conditions. This study examined whether religiosity moderates the relationship between stress and inflammation (measured by C-reactive Protein (CRP)). A sample of 4,734 community-dwelling older adults was drawn from the 2006 wave of the Health and Retirement Study. Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between chronic stress (8-item index), inflammation (high CRP level), and religiosity (organizational, nonorganizational, and intrinsic), controlling for other factors. Higher levels of stress were significantly associated with high inflammation/CRP (p = .039). Further, intrinsic religiosity acted as a moderator of this relationship (p = .024), such that the relationship between stress and inflammation is lessened for persons with higher levels of intrinsic religiosity. Higher intrinsic religiosity attenuated the effects of stress on inflammation, suggesting that individuals with stronger religious commitment/motivation may better cope with stress.