Interracial Friendships, Multicultural Sensitivity, and Social Competence: How Are They Related?

The present study used sociometric questionnaires to examine the relationship between interracial friendships, multicultural sensitivity, and social competence in fifth-grade children. Participants completed four questionnaires that provided information about who their friends were, friendship quality, racial and ethnic attitudes, and social competence. Results indicated that fifth-grade girls with high-quality interracial friendships indicated less minority rejection, more diverse social networks, and more sociability and leadership characteristics than their peers with no or low-quality interracial friendships. Similar results were not found for boys in the study. These findings have important educational and clinical implications.     

Means of Assessing Ordinal Interactions in Social Psychology: The Case of Sexism in Judgments of Social Power

This article assesses the efficacy of several statistical methods used for detecting male sexism in ratings of social power. Sexist ratings would be indicated through the observation of an ordinal interaction where female powerholders suffer when being rated by male targets. Such an interaction is typically assessed through an ANOVA. However, Bobko (1986) and Strube & Bobko (1989) recommend alternate methods that may be more appropriate. These methods are reviewed and evaluated using data obtained from 381 undergraduate students. Participants provided ratings of their male and female supervisors' power usage. Analysis indicates that the methods for detecting ordinal interactions recommended by Bobko & Strube are more appropriate than the traditional ANOVA. Furthermore, sexist ratings were observed for 3 of 6 power bases.     

Social Power in the Classroom: Student Attributions for Compliance

This study assessed university students' attributions for compliance after envisioning their instructors attempting to influence them through the use of social power. Differences in student attributions were hypothesized based on student gender, region of residence within the United States, and class standing (i.e., lower vs. upper division). Participants ( N = 326) completed a modified version of Raven, Schwarzwald, and Koslowsky's (1998) Interpersonal Power Inventory. The power dynamic between teachers and students differs from that of a more traditional supervisor-subordinate relationship. Support was not obtained for the hypothesis regarding student gender, while full support was obtained for the hypotheses regarding region of residence and class standing. Implications for instructors are discussed, as well as implications for future social power research.     

Utilizing Need for Cognition and Perceived Self‐Efficacy to Predict Academic Performance1

A study was conducted to determine whether academic performance could be predicted on the bases of the constructs need for cognition (NFC) and academic self‐efficacy. Two hypotheses were generated: Positive correlations will be found between academic self‐efficacy, NFC, and grade point average (GPA); and efficacy and NFC will serve as significant predictors of GPA. The path mediation technique recommended by Baron & Kenny (1986) for testing mediated relationships was also performed in order to assess the causal direction of the NFC and academic self‐efficacy variables. Participants were 138 undergraduate students. The first hypothesis was generally supported in that significant correlations were found between NFC, efficacy beliefs, and GPA. In support of the second hypothesis, path analysis revealed that NFC and academic self‐efficacy were significant predictors of GPA. Furthermore, the NFC‐GPA relationship was shown to be mediated by efficacy beliefs.     

Psychology in sub‐Saharan Africa: Challenges,prospects and promises

The experiences of African communities are significantly underrepresented in the current psychological literature as compared to those of Western European and North American communities. Professional psychology in sub‐Saharan African is either nonexistent or strongly modeled after practices in North America and Western Europe. The modeling of psychology in sub‐Saharan Africa on the North American and Western European experience is a result of the more extensive marketing of the Western cultural heritage around the globe by national governments, education institutions and international aid agencies vis a vis the marketing of alternative cultural heritages. It is also reflective of the historically unequal intercultural exchanges between Western and African cultural heritages and in favour of the former. A greater representation of the African experience in the psychological literature could add to the richness and global relevance of psychology.     

Attention Bias Modification Treatment for Adolescents With Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) tends to emerge during the early teenage years and is particularly refractory to change even when standard evidence-based CBT treatments are delivered. Efforts have been made to develop novel, mechanistic-driven interventions for this disorder. In the present study, we examined Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT) for youth with SAD. Participants were 58 adolescents (mean age = 14.29 years) who met diagnostic criteria for SAD and who were randomized to ABMT or a placebo control condition, Attention Control Training (ACT). We predicted that ABMT would result in greater changes in both threat biases and social anxiety symptoms. We also explored potential moderators of change including the severity of social anxiety symptoms, the level of threat bias at pretreatment, and the degree of temperament-defined attention control. Contrary to our hypotheses, changes in attention bias were not observed in either condition, changes in social anxiety symptoms and diagnosis were small, and significant differences were not observed between the ABMT and ACT conditions. Little support for the proposed moderators was obtained. Reasons for our failure to find support for ABMT and its potential moderators are explored and recommendations for changes in the ABMT paradigm are suggested.     

Influence in the Ivory Tower: Examining the Appropriate Use of Social Power in the University Classroom

A study was conducted to determine how appropriate university students feel it is for professors to use varying bases of social power as a means of influence. Participants ( n  = 91) completed a modified version of the Interpersonal Power Inventory ( Raven, Schwarzwald, & Koslowsky, 1998 ) and a demographic questionnaire. Students rated the use of soft power as significantly more appropriate than harsh power. Repeated-measures ANOVA indicated that informational and expert power were thought to be the most appropriate bases for professors to use, and a gender effect was observed such that female students rated the use of social power in the classroom as significantly less appropriate than did male students. Implications for university instructors and other power holders are discussed.     

Suicidal ideation versus suicidal obsession: a case report

This case report illustrates the relationship between stress and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by describing an unusual case of OCD sequelae following a suicide attempt. The patient is a 29-year-old married woman who suffered a major depressive episode without OCD and tried to commit suicide by drinking household cleaner. Following the attempt, violent obsessive thoughts of harming herself and others emerged along with avoidance behavior. After exposure therapy, there was a decrease in her obsessive thoughts, less anxiety, and no avoidance behavior. This report highlights not only the existence of "posttraumatic obsession" but also the importance of accurate interpretation of suicidal preoccupation, leading to the diagnosis of OCD rather then suicidal ideation secondary to depression.