Keeping up impressions: Inferential rules for impression change across the Big Five

Not all first impressions have equal longevity. Which kinds of impression have the greatest mobility—downward and upward—over the course of acquaintanceships? In this article, we propose an inferential account of impression maintenance across Big Five trait domains. With data from field and laboratory studies, we provide evidence that positive impressions of agreeableness (A), conscientiousness (C), and emotional stability (ES) are especially vulnerable to small amounts of contrary evidence, whereas positive first impressions of extraversion (E) and openness (O) are more resistant to contrary information. Impressions of E and O demonstrated minimal susceptibility to negativity effects in a longitudinal study of college roommate impressions (Study 1), in a study of perceivers’ implicit theories about different trait domains (Study 2), and in an experimental study of manipulated impression change (Study 3).     

Recall,recognition, and confidence patterns in eyewitness testimony

The diversity of methods, contents and tests used in the study of eyewitness memory may have contributed to discrepancies in results in this field. In this experiment, using incidental or intentional learning, we examine the recall and recognition of actions and details concerning the central and peripheral information of a kidnapping. A similar pattern emerges in free recall, hits and recognition confidence: scores are much higher in actions than in central details and there are almost no differences between peripheral actions and details, showing that the distribution of attentional resources is different for actions and details in central than in peripheral information. Although in recall the degree of error was low, in recognition false alarms, especially those in central actions, reduced the level of accuracy to even lower than chance performance in both incidental and intentional groups, also showing that subjects accept false but plausible contents with a high level of confidence. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Epidemics,Psycho-Actives and Evangelical Conversion among the Airo-Pai of Amazonian Peru

The examination of Airo-Pai cultural dynamics and narratives of conversion reveals the indigenous interpretation of evangelicalism within the context of land colonisation by non-indigenous Nationals, coca farming and epidemics of diseases. The rejection of drugs and alcohol required of evangelicals is perceived by the indigenous population as instrumental in eradicating substance abuse and violence arising from colonisation. At the same time, the motivation for conversion derives from culturally specific understandings of the moral causes of illness and death and the ambivalent value of psycho-active substances and shamans. Evangelicalism provides a means of conceiving the overcoming of death and asserting an ancestral paradigm of sociality encapsulated in the notion of 'living well'.     

Mock juror's perceptions of a child witness passing or failing a truth and lies discussion or promising to tell the truth

This study examined the effect of a child passing or failing the UK truth and lies discussion (TLD) compared with the Canadian promise to tell the truth on mock jurors' decisions regarding witness credibility and truthfulness and defendant guilt. Ninety-two participants read a vignette that described a child witnessing his father physically attacking his mother. The vignette was manipulated for witness age (age 4 years and age 8 years) and TLD performance/promise. Supporting the hypotheses, participants rated the witness's credibility and truthfulness significantly higher after a witness passed a TLD and after promising to tell the truth. The age of the child witness did not significantly affect jurors' decision making. The results are discussed in relation to arguments regarding the abolition of the UK's TLD in favour of introducing a promise to tell the truth.     

“I think you understand me.” Studying the associations between actual,assumed, and perceived understanding within couples

The current study examined the associations between actual, assumed, and perceived understanding and partners’ levels of dyadic adjustment. One hundred fifty-two couples provided questionnaire data (assumed and perceived understanding), participated in a videotaped conflict interaction, and in a video-review task to assess actual understanding (empathic accuracy). The data were analyzed by means of the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. The results suggest that (a) some aspects of how well someone assumes that (s)he has understood the partner during a preceding conflict interaction were positively associated with his/her own objective level of understanding (actor effect), (b) that someone's perception of how understood (s)he feels was not associated with the partner's objective level of understanding (partner effect), and (c) perceived understanding, but not actual understanding, was positively associated with dyadic adjustment.     

Why did I buy this? Consumers' post‐impulse‐consumption experience and its impact on the propensity for future impulse buying behaviour

This paper advances research into impulse buying by examining how this behaviour is reinforced/curtailed, highlighting the primary role of the post‐purchase experience in encouraging future impulse buying behaviour. Extant research emphasizes the role of the purchase experience, that is, psychological benefits attained from the impulse purchase experience itself, as a reinforcer of impulse buying. Conversely, this paper uses experiments to demonstrate that it is the post‐purchase experience, not the purchase experience, that reinforces or curtails future impulse buying. Indeed, irrespective of the valence of the purchase experience, a negative post‐purchase experience (whereby a product or service is found to have limited use/does not deliver expected benefits) results in post‐purchase regret, which in turn curtails future impulse buying. In contrast, a positive post‐purchase experience reinforces impulse buying. This research also demonstrates that consumers utilize three types of coping mechanisms to mitigate post‐purchase regret, that is, planful problem solving, positive reinterpretation, or mental disengagement. However, although the use of planful problem solving curtails future impulse buying, use of the other two mechanisms results in behaviour reinforcement. These findings have several important implications for both marketers and consumers, which the authors discuss in detail.     

Joint Physical Custody and Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction in 37 North American and European Countries

Joint physical custody, a parental care arrangement in which a child lives with each parent about equally after separation or divorce, is an increasingly common phenomenon in many Western countries. Although attention from family scholars, practitioners, and law professionals is growing, there are hardly any numbers on the prevalence of joint physical custody (JPC). Moreover, studies using large‐scale representative data on the effects of JPC for children’s well‐being are still rare. The data for this study come from Health Behaviour in School‐Aged Children (HBSC), a representative cross‐national survey of adolescents in 37 European and North American countries that was conducted in 2002, 2006, and 2010 and included information on students at the ages of 11, 13, and 15 years (N = 92,886). First, results revealed that symmetrical JPC after family dissolution is still very rare in the majority of countries (5% or less), but reaches 10–20% in some countries. Second, adolescents’ life satisfaction in nonintact families is higher in symmetric JPC arrangements than in asymmetric care arrangements. However, after controlling for children and family characteristics, the differences disappear. Thus, it is not the symmetric JPC arrangement that induces adolescents’ higher life satisfaction, but rather the children and family characteristics that are associated with the choice of such a custody arrangement by separated or divorced parents.     

Swipe Right for… My Therapist? Ethical Considerations for Therapists Using Dating Apps

There is a lack of research on the experiences of mental health professionals using dating applications as well as the clinical and ethical implications that may follow. Previous studies have found that clinicians are utilizing dating profiles and are discovering or being discovered by their clients. Despite this current engagement, there are no specific guidelines to help clinicians ethically navigate dating applications. In response, this work explores the existing literature on dating applications, clinicians’ encounters with dating applications, and how the ethical considerations of boundaries, self-disclosure, and self-presentation may inform the use of dating applications. Throughout, the authors highlight these ethical concerns and provide suggestions for mental health professionals who are utilizing these platforms and for those who may be considering creating a dating profile.