Opening minds by supporting needs: do autonomy and competence support facilitate mindfulness and academic performance?

Social Psychology of Education - In a pair of studies, the present research examined mindfulness as a mediator through which perceived support for the basic psychological needs of autonomy and...     

On Reflective Knowledge: replies to Battaly and Reed

This article is a reply to Baron Reed and Heather Battaly, two critics in a book symposium on my Reflective Knowledge. The reply to Reed concerns the main content and structure of Descartes??s epistemology. The reply to Battaly concerns how best to deal with epistemic circularity.     

Understanding AIDS preventive behavior with casual and primary partners in homosexual men: The theory of planned behavior and the information-motivation-behavioral-skills model

Abstract

This study examined whether components from the Information-Motivation-Behavioral-Skills Model, in particular information, added explanatory power to factors derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior with respect to predicting AIDS-preventive behaviors among gay men. Participants were recruited from a longstanding cohort study in Amsterdam. Multivariate regression analyses showed that concepts from the Theory of Planned Behavior could account adequately for intentions to use condoms with casual as well as with steady partners. Actual behavior was best predicted by past behavior. In addition, structural equation modeling demonstrated that the causal paths as posited by Theory of Planned Behavior had a good fit to the data. From the presented findings implications for preventive interventions can be drawn. Specifically, interventions to increase condom use with casual partners need to focus at improving perceived behavioral control regarding this behavior, for instance through skills training. Interventions aimed at safer sex within steady relationships should take into account that the HIV-status of the individual and his partner plays an important role in the occurrence of unprotected anal sex in a romantic dyad.     

Everyday Cognitive Functioning in Cardiac Patients: Relationships Between Self-report,Report of a Significant Other and Cognitive Test Performance

ABSTRACT

Candidates for cardiac bypass surgery often experience cognitive decline. Such decline is likely to affect their everyday cognitive functioning. The aim of the present study was to compare cardiac patients' ratings of their everyday cognitive functioning against significant others' ratings and selected neuropsychological tests. Sixty-nine patients completed a battery of standardised cognitive tests. Patients and significant others also completed the Everyday Function Questionnaire independently of each other. Patient and significant other ratings of patients' everyday cognitive difficulties were found to be similar. Despite the similarities in ratings of difficulties, some everyday cognitive tasks were attributed to different processes. Patients' and significant others' ratings were most closely associated with the neuropsychological test of visual memory. Tests of the patients' verbal memory and fluency were only related to significant others' ratings. Test scores of attention and planning were largely unrelated to ratings by either patients or their significant others.     

A Contribution toward the Validation of the FIRO-B Questionnaire

The FIRO-B Questionnaire is a pencil and paper test designed to measure expressed and wanted aspects of the dimensions of inclusion, control, and affection. 25 Ss took the test and also rated themselves on these dimensions. Rank order correlations were calculated between the six FIRO-B scores and the corresponding self-ratings. Five of the six resulting coefficients were significant at or beyond the .05 level. The results were discussed in terms of problems of construct validity and were viewed as contributing toward the validation of the FIRO-B.     

Emergent Leadership and Female Sex Role Identity

The effects of female sex role identity on self- and rater evaluations of emergent leadership behavior were compared in two studies. We used the same consensus-seeking procedure in both studies to collect the data; only the biological sex composition of the groups in the second study was changed. Study 1 examined 15 mixed-sex groups of 39 female and 21 male students; Study 2 contained 96 female students in 22 same-sex groups. Sex role orientation was measured with the Bern Sex Role Inventory (BSRI: Bem, 1974). Androgynous and feminine-oriented self-ratings of leadership were significantly higher than peer ratings and were also significantly higher than the undifferentiated self-ratings. The self-ratings of masculine-oriented women agreed most closely with peer ratings. Contrary to research and theory, peer evaluation of leadership behavior by sex role orientation did not differ.