Implicit psychologists' estimates of attitude-behaviour consistencies

To investigate the relationship between implicit psychological hypotheses and explicit empirical findings, summaries of twenty published studies on attitude-behaviour consistency were presented to a sample of forty-eight psychology undergraduates. Subjects were asked to estimate the percentage of agreement between attitudes and behaviour obtained by each study. Correlations between subjects' covariation judgements and empirically obtained attitude-behaviour consistencies were minimal and nonsignificant. Results are discussed in the light of more recent research on attitude-behaviour relationship.     

Human Agency in the Missio Dei and the Problem of Discipleship

At the heart of this article is an inquiry into the relationship between human and divine agency in the doctrine of the missio Dei and a critique of the turn to the language of discipleship in looking to articulate this agency. Taking the World Council of Churches’ Commission of World Mission and Evangelism's two recent documents, Together towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes (TTL) and the “Arusha Call to Discipleship,” as a case study, this article will seek to articulate an account of human participation in the missio Dei which maintains the emphasis on spirituality in TTL. Through a close reading of TTL and the Arusha Call, the article will demonstrate that the introduction of discipleship language has not solved the issue of agency but rather has changed the account of agency and, as a result, the missiology. By turning to accounts of faithful participation from qualitative research into British Methodism, to John V. Taylor's Go-between God, and to Pope Francis’ Evangelii gaudium, I will suggest that a better account of human agency in the missio Dei can be developed by emphasizing the pneumatology of TTL and by turning to language of attentiveness, accompaniment, and discernment.     

“Put a Little Love in Your Heart”: Acceptance of Paternalistic and Ally Political Discourses Both Predict Pro-Roma Solidarity Intentions Through Moral Inclusion

The way politicians talk about minorities institutes the normative context of intergroup relations. We investigated how endorsement of different political discourses predicts donation and collective action intentions by majority members toward the Roma in five European countries. The survey was conducted online using samples demographically similar to the populations of Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, France, and Ireland (N = 5,054). First, results showed that accepting paternalistic discourse versus discourse promoting allyship were not distinguishable; both promoted higher moral inclusion which in turn predicted higher prosocial intentions. Second, donations (i.e., immediate relief) and collective action (i.e., social change action) were driven by identical factors. Third, acceptance of openly hostile political discourse neither predicted moral exclusion, nor lower prosocial intentions. In summary, our research provides important evidence that when it comes to Roma—non-Roma relations, the previously established distinction between solidarity intentions that aim to solidify status relations versus bring about social change is completely blurred, presumably because of the social context in which any positive message communicates moral inclusion challenging the hostile status quo.     

The influence of eye movements and eye position on perception of the visual vertical

Summary Four experiments are reported which involved the adjustment of two points of light in an otherwise dark room to the visual vertical. In the first two experiments different point separations (corresponding to visual angles of about 2° and 23°) were employed in an attempt to control the degree of scanning eye movements. Binocular adjustments to the visual vertical during body tilt were influenced by the point separation (Exp. 1), but monocular adjustments with the head upright were not (Exp. 2). Using the larger point separation and fixating the top point the visual vertical using the right eye was counterclockwise of that with fixation of the bottom point when the head was upright (Exp. 3), but this difference was not found for judgments during tilt (Exp. 4). The results were discussed in terms of the rotational changes in eye position accompanying scanning eye movements and ocular elevation and depression.

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Zusammenfassung Es wird über vier Experimente berichtet, in denen es um die Einstellungen zweier Lichtpunkte in eine vertikale Richtung geht. In den ersten zwei Experimenten sollte der Einfluß der Fixierbewegungen der Augen geprüft werden. Der Winkelabstand der Lichtpunkte betrug 2° oder 23°. Bei seitwärts geneigtem Körper und binokularer Betrachtung wurde ein Unterschied gefunden (Exp. 1). Bei aufrecht gehaltenem Kopf und monokularer Betrachtung dagegen zeigte sich kein Unterschied (Exp. 2). Wurde in aufrechter Körperlage und bei einem Punktabstand von 23° der obere Punkt mit dem rechten Auge fixiert, so verschob sich die scheinbare Vertikale im Uhrzeigersinn; sie verschob sich noch weiter im Uhrzeigersinn, wenn der untere Punkt fixiert wurde (Exp. 3). Bei geneigtem Körper wurde dagegen kein Unterschied festgestellt (Exp. 4). Die Ergebnisse werden im Zusammenhang mit der Augendrehung diskutiert, die mit dem scanning sowie mit der Auf- und Abbewegung der Augen beim Fixieren verbunden ist.

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This research was carried out while I was a recipient of a Forschungsstipendium from the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, appreciation for which is gratefully acknowledged. I also wish to thank the subjects who participated in the experiments.     

Über Wahrnehmungsverhalten beim 8- bis 10wöchigen Säugling

Zusammenfassung Im Rahmen einer Systemtheorie des Verhaltens und der Persönlichkeit und auf dem Hintergrund der Ergebnisse der Berner Längsschnittuntersuchungen wird eine Hypothese über die Genese der Wahrnehmung entwickelt, wonach die frühesten Wahrnehmungen im wesentlichen Verarbeitungen der Reizwirkungen in einer von zwei Klassen von Verhaltenssystemen sind, nämlich der Abwendung und Selbstsicherung (A-Systeme) bzw. der Zuwendung zur Außenwelt (Z-Systeme).In einem Experiment mit 8-, 9- und l0wöchigen Säuglingen wurde das Wahrnehmungsverhalten in Abhängigkeit von verschiedenen Reizfiguren, von der individuellen Eigenart und vom Aktivationsniveau des Kindes mit Hilfe eines Zeitstichprobenverfahrens beobachtet. Der auf die Differenzierung zwischen den verschiedenen Reizfiguren entfallende Varianzanteil steigt mit zunehmendem Alter an, während die Wirkung der autonomen Aktivationsprozesse allmählich zurücktritt. Mit 10 Wochen kann eine geordnete Form oder gute Gestalt leichter verarbeitet werden als eine mehr zufällige Form.Einige Probleme im Zusammenhang mit Annahmen, Methoden und Ergebnissen des Experiments werden diskutiert, darunter die Theorie der Formwahrnehmung, die Genese von Subjekt- und Objektsystem und die beschränkte Bedeutung der Methode der bevorzugten Fixierung in der Erforschung der Säuglingswahrnehmung.

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Summary Within the framework of a System Theory of behavior and personality and against the background of the results of the Bernese Longitudinal Studies, a hypothesis of the genesis of perception is developed. It states that the earliest perceptions are essentially integrations of the effects of stimuli into one of two classes of behavioral systems, viz. withdrawal and self-preservation (A-systems) or, respectively, approach to the outer world (Z-systems).The perceptual behavior of 8-, 9-, and 10-week-old infants as a function of different stimulus forms, individuality, and activation level was observed by means of a time-sampling rating method. The proportion of variance accounted for by the differences between stimuli was found to increase with age; at the same time the effect of autonomic activation processes was decreasing. At the age of 10 weeks the infant can work up an orderly form or good Gestalt more readily than a more irregularly-shaped form.Some problems in connection with the assumptions, methods, and results of the study are then discussed, including form perception theory, the genesis of subject- and object-system, and some restriction of the method of preferred fixation in the study of infant perception.

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Gegenwärtig als Canada Council Postdoctoral Fellow an der York University in Toronto, Ont., Canada. Der Verfasser möchte seinem verehrten Lehrer Richard Meili seinen herzlichen Dank für die Anregung dieser Arbeit ausdrücken.     

Historical perspectives on near-death phenomena

The authors present an introductory overview of the history of near-death phenomena, followed by a synopsis of near-death research representative of three historical eras: 1880s–1930; 1930s–1960; and 1960 to the present.     

Cognitive-behavior therapy and physical disability

This article attempts to assist the cognitive understanding of children and adults with significant physical disability. A discrimination is offered between disability and handicap. Common cognitive schemes and irrational beliefs of people with physical disabilities are explored. The development of belief systems from a social learning perspective and several cognitive assumptions of parents and families of children who have physical disabilities are presented. Finally, certain self evaluative beliefs specifically related to physical disability are examined in terms of how they relate to self image and, concomitantly, behavior. The article offers information arrived upon from the author's clinical practice as well as the author's personal experience as a person with a physical disability.Dr. John D. Sweetland, received his Ph.D. in Clinical and School Psychology from Hofstra University in 1979. His doctoral dissertation involved the application of a Rational Emotive Education program specifically for severely physically disabled children. He is a licensed psychologist in New York State, a school psychologist with the Port Washington Public Schools and in private practice with offices in Merrick and Massapequa, Long Island. Dr. Sweetland had polio and is semiambulatory. He was also a gymnast and a nationally ranked competitive acrobat.     

Distinguishing deviant and non-deviant nurses using the personnel reaction blank

Personnel Reaction Blank (PRB) scores and biographical data were obtained from two groups of registered nurses; a deviant group, represented by those who had official actions taken against their nursing license by the Minnesota Board of Nursing (n=53) and a non-deviant group of nurses (n=79) randomly selected from a broader population. The hypothesis that the deviant group of nurses would exhibit lower PRB scores, on average, compared to the non-deviant group was confirmed. The mean PRB scores for the deviant nurses (m=32.43) were significantly lower (p.01) than for the randomly selected non-deviant nurses (m=35.06). A multiple regression logit analysis showed that in addition to PRB scores, college degree, sex, and household income variables were also significantly related (p.001) to deviant and non-deviant group assignment; nonetheless, PRB significantly differentiated these groups after holding these variables constant.This study is based on the Masters thesis research of the first author. We acknowledge the help of the study subjects who contributed their time and effort.     

The International Student: Female Circumcision Issues

The authors describe the process and practice of female circumcision, the impact it may have on circumcised female international college students, and some counseling strategies for the college counselor.