Is the good life characterized by self-control? Perceived regulatory success and judgments of life quality

To what extent do people view self-control as central to achieving a healthy, high-quality life? While scientific evidence strongly supports the notion that self-control is associated with successful adaptation and optimal functioning, we examine whether individuals connect this trait with positive outcomes. In Study 1, participants rated the likelihood that an individual with high self-control (or self-esteem) would experience good health and a high-quality life. Studies 2–3 experimentally portrayed a target person as high or low in self-control (and self-esteem) before participants rated the target on an array of positive outcomes. Across studies, self-control was perceived as less strongly connected with a high-quality life than self-esteem. Mediation analyses suggest that people link self-esteem (but not self-control) with healthy behaviors that, in turn, lead to superior perceived physical and psychological health. While self-esteem is strongly associated with lay concepts of the good life, the importance of self-control may be comparatively under-recognized.     

Ethnophaulisms for ethnic immigrant groups: the contributions of group size and familiarity

An archival analysis was conducted on the ethnophaulisms for ethnic immigrant groups as a function of the size and the familiarity of those groups. Cognitive representation was operationalized as the degree of complexity in, and the valence of, the ethnophaulisms applied to ethnic immigrant groups in the United States during each of 15 consecutive 10‐year time periods. Group size was operationalized as the number of first‐generation persons in these ethnic groups during each of these same 15 10‐year time periods. Familiarity was operationalized in terms of the number of times each ethnic immigrant group was mentioned in social histories and popular songs for each of these same 15 10‐year time periods. Ethnophaulisms for smaller groups tended to be less complex and more negative and ethnophaulisms for less familiar groups tended to be less complex and more negative. Analyses delineate the interrelations between ethnic immigrant group size, ethnic immigrant group familiarity, and the cognitive representations of these groups. The implications of these results for research on intergroup perceptions are discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessment of minority group children

A variety of problems have been experienced with psychological assessment of minority children. Traditional norm-referenced measurement has repeatedly received criticism concerning cultural unfairness or bias. Responses to such accusations primarily have been in the form of new instrumentation aimed at attaining a culture fair assessment. Little response has been evident from a conceptual standpoint addressing the issues of purpose and use of test results Although many have turned to criterion-referenced measurement as an answer to the problems of norm-referenced evaluation, cultural bias is not necessarily avoided in this framework either. Issues of who determines criteria and what those criteria include must be addressed if criterion-referenced measurement is to meet adequately the challenge of multicultural evaluation.     

Exposure to Spatial Cues Facilitates Visual Discrimination but Not Spatial Guidance

The performance in a radial-arm maze of two groups of rats with restricted access to extra-maze visual cues was studied. One group received extensive exposure to the visual environment of the maze, whereas the second group was never exposed to the environment, aside from their experience in the maze itself. Spatial exposure resulted in a slightly improved ability to discriminate between previously visited and unvisited spatial locations, which can be explained on the basis of general perceptual learning processes. However, there was no evidence that spatial exposure resulted in control of choices by the spatial relations among the maze locations. These results are discussed in terms of theories of spatial learning which appeal to perceptual learning and cognitive mapping.     

Variations in reflex blink-rate during visual-motor tasks

The influence of the performance of various tasks on the reflex blink rate has been investigated repeatedly, but the results obtained have been somewhat contradictory. More recently, it has been suggested that the reflex blink rate may be a considerable factor in the accuracy with which visual-motor tasks are performed. The aim of the present experiment was to attempt to obtain further evidence on both these questions.

The experiment was carried out in two parts. The main part was done in the laboratory, while a validating experiment was carried out on the road. In the laboratory, subjects were required t o steer a pencil along a moving track which varied in difficulty. The difficulty of the response was varied by using a direct control on some trials and a velocity control on others. Blink rate, errors, and control measurements were recorded throughout. In the road experiment, cine films were taken of the driver's eyes while driving in heavy traffic and in open country.

The results of both experiments show:

(a) That there are marked individual differences in blink rate, the relative order of which is maintained in spite of variations in the actual blink rate.

(b) That there is no relationship between the accuracy with which a particular individual carries out a task of this sort and his blink rate. The rapid “blinker” is no more and no less likely to be accurate than the infrequeiit I “blinker.”

(c) That the actual blink rate for all individuals varies inversely with the difficulty of the task and the amount of control movement necessary. The blink rate decreases as the necessity for detailed visual control of movement increases. Blink rates when driving a car in heavy traffic, or when steering along an oscillating track, are considerably lower than when driving in open country or when following a straight track.

(d) That the adjustment of the blink rate to the difficulty of the task is achieved not only by an alteration in overall blink rate, but also by a change in the distribution of blinking. The blink rate is approximately constant under constant conditions, but when the task is varying in difficulty, blinking occurs just before and just after periods of maximum difficulty, but is completely inhibited during the periods of maximum difficulty itself.