Distracted by danger: Temporal and spatial dynamics of visual selection in the presence of threat

Threatening stimuli are known to influence attentional and visual processes in order to prioritize selection. For example, previous research showed faster detection of threatening relative to nonthreatening stimuli. This has led to the proposal that threatening stimuli are prioritized automatically via a rapid subcortical route. However, in most studies, the threatening stimulus is always to some extent task relevant. Therefore, it is still unclear if threatening stimuli are automatically prioritized by the visual system. We used the additional singleton paradigm with task-irrelevant fear-conditioned distractors (CS+ and CS-) and indexed the time course of eye movement behavior. The results demonstrate automatic prioritization of threat. First, mean latency of saccades directed to the neutral target was increased in the presence of a threatening (CS+) relative to a nonthreatening distractor (CS-), indicating exogenous attentional capture and delayed disengagement of covert attention. Second, more error saccades were directed to the threatening than to the nonthreatening distractor, indicating a modulation of automatically driven saccades. Nevertheless, cumulative distributions of the saccade latencies showed no modulation of threat for the fastest goal-driven saccades, and threat did not affect the latency of the error saccades to the distractors. Together these results suggest that threatening stimuli are automatically prioritized in attentional and visual selection but not via faster processing. Rather, we suggest that prioritization results from an enhanced representation of the threatening stimulus in the oculomotor system, which drives attentional and visual selection. The current findings are interpreted in terms of a neurobiological model of saccade programming.     

Learning associated increase in heat shock cognate 70 mRNA and protein expression

The Morris water maze is a task widely used to investigate cellular and molecular changes associated with spatial learning and memory. This task has both spatial and aversive (swimming related stress) components. It is possible that stress may influence cellular modifications observed after learning the Morris water maze spatial task. Heat shock proteins, also known as stress proteins, are up-regulated in response to thermal stress, trauma, or environmental insults. In the rat hippocampus, psychophysiological stress increases the levels of heat shock protein 70 (HSC70). In this study, we investigated whether the expression of the hsc70 gene is modulated in the hippocampus during learning of the Morris water maze task. Five groups of rats were trained in the Morris water maze task for varying amounts of time (either 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 days). Training consisted of 10 trials/day in which the animals were given 60s to find a submerged platform. Rats were sacrificed 24h after their last training trial. Results showed a significant increase in hsc70 mRNA and protein levels in the hippocampal formation after two and three days of training, respectively. The increase in mRNA and protein was associated with learning but not stress because the increase was not observed in the yoked control animals. These findings suggest that cellular and molecular changes can occur independent of stress. Moreover, the results are the first to implicate hsc70 expression in spatial learning.     

Navigating the Black Hole: Explicating Layers of Job Search Context and Adaptational Responses

Via a qualitative study, we introduce and elucidate 5 layers of context‐related job search demands (omnibus, organizational, social, task, and personal) that are encountered by both employed and unemployed job seekers. We develop a process model to portray the mechanisms (managing mood and motivation, feedback/help seeking, and self‐reflection/learning) through which these context‐related demands are related to several important job search outcomes. We provide new insight into employed job seekers, showing that they report the job search as full of difficulties, obstacles, and challenges, and that some of these demands parallel those that unemployed job seekers face.     

Predicting appraisals of romantic revenge: The roles of Honesty-Humility, Agreeableness, and vengefulness

This study examined whether personality factors are associated with people’s appraisals of the costs and benefits of romantic revenge. Our goal was to extend our understanding of variables that influence individuals’ decisions to get even with romantic partners. Undergraduates (N = 130) completed the HEXACO personality inventory, the Vengeance Scale, and questionnaires examining people’s beliefs about revenge in romantic relationships. Honesty-Humility predicted individuals’ judgments of revenge as more desirable when appraising its benefits and less undesirable when appraising its costs, whereas Agreeableness only predicted benefit appraisals. Furthermore, vengefulness predicted individuals’ scores on the benefits- and costs-appraisal indices controlling for Honesty-Humility and Agreeableness. These findings provide a first step towards determining whether certain people may be quicker than others to see the benefits of romantic revenge while minimizing its costs.     

Recruiting Highly Educated Graduates: A Study on the Relationship Between Recruitment Information Sources,the Theory of Planned Behavior,and Actual Job Pursuit

Using the theory of planned behavior, we examined the effects of different recruitment-related information sources on the job pursuit of highly educated graduates. The study was conducted using a real-life longitudinal design. Participants reported on potential employers they were interested in. We used hierarchical linear modeling to analyze within-participant relationships of different information sources with the theory of planned behavior variables, job pursuit behavior, and actual job choice. The theory of planned behavior relationships was supported. Recruitment advertising and positive word of mouth related positively to job pursuit intention and behavior. Negative publicity and word of mouth partly related to job pursuit behavior, indicating their role in the recruitment process. On-campus presence related negatively to job pursuit intention and behavior, suggesting that recruiters should convey parsimonious and realistic job-related information.     

Differentiation of Assaultive Delinquents with the Hand Test

The AOS score on the Hand Test significantly differentiated assaultive from non-assaultive delinquents, correctly categorizing 78 percent of the subjects.     

Differentiation of Aggressive Behavior of Institutionalized Schizophrenics with the Hand Test

Changes and trends in personality assessment documented through examination of the first issues of the Journal of Personality Assessment (JPA) for the years 1937 to 1997 revealed the following: (a) compared to the Journal of Personality and PsychologicalReview, JPA published more women first authors and coauthors in every issue except in 1987; (b) of the total 8,524 individuals whose assessment protocols comprised data sets in the 7 issues, l,6 15 (19%) were patients and 4,839 (57%) were undergraduate college students; (c) combining patients and nonpatients, the average age of children under 13 was 12.24 years, the average age of high school students was 15.28 years, and the average age of adults was 24.20 years; (d) only 6% of the participants were identified as African American, Mexican American, Asian Americans, or other; and (e) in the 74 articles examined, 98 different tests, techniques, or tasks to assess personality were discussed. We suggest that future research should include a more diverse group of participants that includes more older people and more people of color.     

Beyond “Objective” and “Projective”: A Logical System for Classifying Psychological Tests: Comment on Meyer and Kurtz (2006)

Using a diverse sample of 4,786 protocols obtained with the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (Meyer, Viglione, Mihura, Erard, &; Erdberg, 2011), we provide a contemporary overview of how people organize Rorschach's inkblots into identifiable regions while formulating responses. After examining how frequently each location was used across all cards in this sample, we examined the consistency of their use by computing parallel information in 17 samples (N = 4,701) obtained using the Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 2003), including clinical, nonclinical, and adult, child, and adolescent data. Even though the CS data could only record a single location for each response, the average correlation of location use across samples was .96. The results also document continuous dimensionality in use rather than any discontinuities that would demarcate a boundary between common and uncommon locations. Implications of this notable reproducibility and dimensionality are discussed for future conceptualization of location typicality, including location coding considerations and possibilities for improved measures of perceptual fit.     

Organizational Structure,Context, and Climate: Their Relationships to Job Satisfaction at Three Managerial Levels

Managers from 120 organizations (183 men and 27 women) from four major Canadian urban centers were surveyed about their job satisfaction. Seven aspects of job satisfaction were evaluated: satisfaction with the firm, pay, promotional opportunities, the job itself, other managers at the same level, immediate supervisor, and subordinates. Overall, managers at the highest level reported the most job satisfaction. For presidents, satisfaction was related to the organization's structure and context, as well as to its climate, whereas for middle managers and vice presidents, job satisfaction was related more frequently to the organization's climate and less frequently to its structure and context.