Governing the grapevine: the study of rumor during World War II

Throughout the early 1940s, a host of rumors relating to the Second World War began to circulate, leading the government to establish various committees and undertake multiple projects intended to counteract rumors that were believed to threaten civilian morale and compromise national security. Simultaneously, social scientists also began taking measures to study and combat rumor. Such efforts included the institution of several community groups, deemed "rumor clinics," that aimed to decrease the prevalence of wartime rumor by educating the general public. This article outlines the rise and fall of rumor clinics, focusing specifically on the shifting boundaries and the mounting tensions between the United States government and social scientists in the study of rumor during World War II.     

The roles of trauma exposure,rejection sensitivity,and callous‐unemotional traits in the aggressive behavior of justice‐involved youth: A moderated mediation model

Research has demonstrated an association between childhood trauma exposure and adolescent aggression. This association may be explained by rejection sensitivity, defined as anger, or anxiety in the anticipation of rejection, which can be a consequence of trauma exposure. Callous‐unemotional (CU) traits also are associated with trauma exposure and aggressive behavior; however, research has not yet investigated the interactive roles that rejection sensitivity and CU traits play in the relation between trauma exposure and aggression. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the role of rejection sensitivity in the association between trauma exposure and aggression, and whether this indirect effect was moderated by CU traits. Participants included 380 detained youth (98 girls, 282 boys) who completed self‐report measures of trauma exposure, angry, and anxious rejection sensitivity, CU traits, and aggression. Results of moderated mediation demonstrated that the relation between trauma exposure and aggression exhibited an indirect effect through angry rejection sensitivity, but only at moderate or high levels of CU traits. This pattern was not found for anxious rejection sensitivity. Results suggest that interventions aimed to decrease aggressive behavior in traumatized adolescents may benefit from considering how youth respond to rejection, as well as whether youth endorse CU traits, as this may help to limit further involvement in the juvenile justice system after release.

     

Stability of biodata keys and dimensions across English-speaking countries: A test of the cross-situational hypothesis

Questions have been raised about the generalizability of biodata instruments across situations. In the present study, the stability of a biodata scoring key and factor structure was examined across two situations—the insurance industry in the United States and the United Kingdom/Republic of Ireland. Results indicated that the validity of a biodata scoring key could be successfully transported. Confirmatory factor analysis, using a maximum likelihood estimation procedure (LISREL), also indicated that the biodata factor structure was stable across the countries and cultures. The reliability and validity of the dimension scores also were successfully transported. The results provide new support for the contention that biodata keys, as well as underlying dimensional structures, can generalize across situations, specifically English-speaking countries and cultures.This research was conducted while the first two authors were at LIMRA, International.     

The Association Between Religious Beliefs and Practices and End-of-Life Fears Among Members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A)

This study examines the association between various religious beliefs and practices and fears pertaining to death and dying in a national sample of liberal Protestant U.S. adults. Data were analyzed from a 2002 survey of members and elders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) (N = 935). Four measures of religion were tested together in models predicting four end-of-life fears. Church attendance (p < .01), other church involvement (p < .05), and belief in life after death (p < .001) had negative associations with the fear of what happens after death. Private devotion was inversely related to the fear of dying in pain (p < .05). Involvement in church activities (p < .05), aside from religious services, was inversely related to the fear of leaving loved ones behind. Females tended to be more fearful than males of dying alone and dying in pain and older adults tended to be less fearful than younger adults of the unknown and of leaving loved ones behind.     

"I'm not the only one!" group therapy with older children and adolescents who have learning disabilities

Children and adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) are vulnerable to psychosocial difficulties. Both the detrimental impact of LD on social adjustment and the significance of peer relations for developmental needs make group therapy a natural intervention. Despite modifications that are required due to their cognitive deficits, many students with LD fit the criteria and can benefit from group psychotherapy. In this paper, a model of group therapy for older children and adolescents with LD is presented. The approach is informed by a combination of self psychology, mutual aid, and interpersonal group therapy. The leaders use special techniques to accommodate the LD and to foster the group process. Examples are presented to illustrate the approach.     

Risk avoidance: Graphs versus numbers

There have long been speculations that graphical and numerical presentations of risk statistics differ in their impact on people’s willingness to pursue actions that could harm or even kill them. But research has been unclear about the processes whereby the pictorial character of graphical displays per se might affect those risky decisions or even whether such effects actually occur. In two studies, we demonstrate that the pictorial nature of a graphical risk display can, indeed, increase risk avoidance. This increase is associated with a heightened impression of the riskiness of less safe alternatives. The results suggest that this picture-driven, intensified sense of riskiness, in turn, rests on two kinds of mechanisms: one cognitive, the other affective. Cognitively, pictorial presentations impose weaker upper bounds on people’s internal representations of the chances that riskier alternatives will bring about actual harm. Affectively, pictures ignite stronger, more aversive negative associations with riskier options and their outcomes.     

The Influence of Cultural and Racial Identification on the Psychosocial Adjustment of Inner-City African American Children in School

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship and combined influence of racial identity and Africentric values on African American children's psychosocial adjustment. Participants were 104 (53 males, 51 females) African American fourth-grade students attending an inner-city public school in a northeastern city. Child and teacher ratings were used to assess the relationship between racial identity, Africentric values, and several indices of child psychosocial adjustment, including child behavior control, school interest, and teacher perceptions of child strengths and problems in the classroom. Child self-esteem and the effects of gender and cohort were used as covariates in several analyses in the study. Overall, findings from the study supported the usefulness of combining racial identity and Africentric values into a single model of ethnic identification for African American children. Implications for risk prevention and enhancement of psychosocial functioning among African American children are discussed.     

Environmental barriers to HIV prevention among incarcerated adolescents: a qualitative assessment

The purpose of this research was to identify environmental factors that influence incarcerated adolescents' risk for HIV/STDs. Based on data from six gender-stratified focus groups consisting of 28 incarcerated adolescents from three detention centers in Georgia, the following salient environments emerged: schools, families, peer groups, neighborhoods, malls, and detention centers. These environments represent places in which factors related to sexual decision-making are embedded for this high-risk population. Within these environments, five factors influence their risk for HIV/STDs: (1) hierarchical messages that promote abstinence and risk reduction, (2) availability and accessibility of condoms, (3) acceptability of condoms, (4) availability of comprehensive sex education, and (5) parental communication about sex and risk reduction. Increased understanding of the role of these factors may contribute to the development of integrated interventions designed to prevent HIV/STDs among incarcerated adolescents.