Posing for success: Clenching a fist facilitates approach

A clenched fist is a gesture often seen both within and outside sports that seems to communicate success or to function in self-encouragement or the encouragement of others. This “encouragement gesture” involves the contraction of forearm flexors, similar to the grasping action that is part of acquisitive approach actions. This gesture may be part of a physiological feedback mechanism that functions to increase or sustain levels of approach in challenging situations by signaling the sufficiency of resources (muscle strength). Here we show that for pleasant but not unpleasant words, subjects were faster in categorizing words while contracting their forearm flexors rather than their forearm tensors. This effect dissipated during the first minute of performance, which may reflect habituation of interoceptive feedback. The data further suggest that the effect is larger when experimenter and subject are of opposite sexes. The facilitated responding to pleasant stimuli suggests that contraction of the forearm flexors promotes approach.     

Narrow-band 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, and 96 cycles/360 degrees angular frequency filters

We measured human frequency response functions for eleven angular frequency filters using a forced-choice procedure in a supra-threshold summation paradigm. Each of the eleven functions of 17 experimental conditions was measured 4-9 times among 12 observers. Results show that, for the arbitrarily selected filter phases, maximum summation effect occurred at test frequency for all filters. These results lead to the conclusion that there are narrow-band angular frequency filters operating in human visual system mostly through summation surrounded by inhibition at the specific test frequency ranges. Our previous suggestion (Simas and Santos, 2002), arguing that summation for the higher angular frequency filters should occur if background angular frequency contrast were set to a maximum of 5 times the test frequency threshold, was supported.     

sleep complaints,behavioral characteristics and vital exhaustion in myocardial infarction cases

Abstract

Prodromal symptoms of vital exhaustion and sleep complaints are increasingly being recognized as important risk indicators for myocardial infarction (MI). In this study, the relationships between vital exhaustion, behavioral characteristics, and MI, and between several sleep complaints and MI were investigated. The subjects were 133 male cases with first MI, 192 male hospital controls, and 133 male neighborhood controls. The instruments used were the Maastricht Questionnaire (vital exhaustion), the Life Styles Questionnaire (sleep complaints, coffee consumption, and current smoking), and the Structured Interview (Type A behavior). All sleep complaints, vital exhaustion, Type A behavior, excessive coffee consumption, and current smoking occurred significantly more often in MI-cases. After controlling for these potential confounders, and age, most sleep complaints retained significant associations with MI, in particular often taking naps during the day and waking up in the morning feeling tired and exhausted.     

Relationship Quality and Purchase Intention and Behavior: The Moderating Impact of Relationship Strength

Purpose  

The purpose of this study was to investigate the link between perceived relationship quality, purchase intention and behavior, and the moderating role of relationship strength.     

The Charm of Disenchantment: A Quest for the Intellectual Attraction of Secularization Theory

In the course of Western history, philosophy has proven to be an active participant in the process of secularization. This article seeks to examine that philosophical role more closely. The central question is how the role of philosophy must be rethought in light of the contemporary critique of classical secularization theory. The first part of the article sheds light on the current crisis of secularization theory. Drawing on recent scholarship in the social sciences, it explains why the classical tenets and assumptions of secularization theory are no longer being considered as plausible and empirically grounded hypotheses. Against that background, the second part turns to philosophy. It examines the implications for a philosophical tradition of religious criticism that has consciously operated within this once-undisputed model of secularization. The question is how this critique of religion must be rethought, if its prominent role in the history of modern philosophy can no longer be ascribed to a general secularization of the Western mind. The third and final part attempts to answer this question by focusing on one of the most frequently overlooked, yet most significant and crucial elements in the history of philosophical secularization: the intrinsic intellectual attraction of religious disenchantment.     

A general framework and an R package for the detection of dichotomous differential item functioning

Differential item functioning (DIF) is an important issue of interest in psychometrics and educational measurement. Several methods have been proposed in recent decades for identifying items that function differently between two or more groups of examinees. Starting from a framework for classifying DIF detection methods and from a comparative overview of the most traditional methods, an R package for nine methods, called difR, is presented. The commands and options are briefly described, and the package is illustrated through the analysis of a data set on verbal aggression.     

Psychological distance boosts value-behavior correspondence in ultimatum bargaining and integrative negotiation

The present research examined how construal level and social motivation interact in influencing individuals’ behavior in social decision making settings. Consistent with recent work on psychological distance and value-behavior correspondence (Eyal, Sagristano, Trope, Liberman, & Chaiken, 2009), it was predicted that under high construal level individuals’ behavior is based on the social motivation they endorsed, no matter whether pro-social or pro-self. Two experiments involving ultimatum game (Experiment 1) and face to face negotiation (Experiment 2) supported the “increased value-behavior correspondence” hypothesis by showing that pro-socials were more cooperative and pro-selves were more competitive under high rather than low construal level. Implications for research on social decision making and psychological distance are discussed.     

延迟时间与反应设置对任务切换的影响

采用任务线索范式,探讨了在不同反应设置条件下,延迟时间对任务切换的影响,以揭示在延迟时间内之前任务设置延迟的认知加工。以切换代价为主要测量指标,结果表明,反应设置和延迟时间的主效应均不显著,但是二者的交互作用显著。简单效应分析发现,在双向设置条件下,切换代价随着延迟时间的延长而显著减少,但是在单向设置条件下无显著差异。这说明,在任务切换中反应设置对延迟时间的影响效应具有调节作用。由此可见,在延迟时间内之前任务设置延迟的是反应设置。     

The relationship between social-cultural attitudes and behavioral measures of cognitive style: a meta-analytic integration of studies

The present meta-analysis investigates the relationship between social-cultural right-wing attitudes and objective measures of cognitive style on a set of 124 unique samples, with a total of 29,209 participants. Intolerance of ambiguity and cognitive ability yielded relationships of moderate strength with right-wing attitudes, whereas only mixed evidence was obtained for rigidity, complexity, and field dependence. In the discussion, we compare the present weak to moderate relationships with a meta-analysis conducted by Jost, Glaser, Kruglanski, and Sulloway (2003b), included predominantly self-report measures of cognitive style, reporting moderate to strong relationships between conservatism. The need to study cognitive ability as a basis of ideological attitudes is also discussed.     

Self‐Concept Clarity and the Management of Social Conflict

ABSTRACT: In 4 studies we examined the relationship between self‐concept clarity and conflict management. Individuals with higher self‐concept clarity were overall more active and showed more cooperative problem‐solving behavior than people with low self‐concept clarity. There were no relationships with contending or yielding. The positive relationship with cooperative behavior was mediated by less rumination (Study 2) and moderated by conflict intensity (Study 3). Specifically, it applied to relatively mild conflicts (Study 3). Finally, Study 4 extended these findings to the group level: Dyad members with higher self‐concept clarity engaged in problem solving, whereas dyad members with lower self‐concept clarity did not. We conclude that higher self‐concept clarity associates with proactive problem solving in social conflict.