The well-being of Romanian workers in Spain: antecedents and moderators

This study adds to our understanding of the negative effect that job insecurity (JI) has over the well-being of migrating workers. The moderating effect of acculturation and support for family was investigated while considering engagement, burnout and physical and psychological health as criteria, in a sample of 477 Romanian employees who work in Spain. Results show that acculturation buffers against the negative effects of JI on engagement, and it attenuates the relationship between JI and burnout or mental health complaints. Support for family has no intervening effect between JI and well-being outcomes. In a three-way JI × support for family × acculturation interaction, JI had a positive relationship with burnout, when migrating workers were married and experienced a low level of acculturation. The findings are of value because they emphasize the importance of acculturation for the occupational health of migrating workers.     

Gender Inequality in Europe and the Life Satisfaction of Working and Non-working Women

Empirical analysis of data drawn from the European Social Survey reveals that—after individual characteristics are controlled for—women engaging in market work and housework have similar life satisfaction levels. Complementing the micro-level data from the survey with country-level variables, namely GDP per capita and gender inequality (measured by the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, GGGI), we estimate a multilevel regression model to shed light on the contextual factors of the life satisfaction of women in Europe. We find that working women’s well-being relative to housewives is greater in countries where the GGGI indicates a smaller gender gap, i.e. where women are in a better position in terms of equality with men in the public domains. We interpret this finding to mean that the so-called ‘paradox of declining female happiness’ is in part due to persistent gender roles which appear to have a larger impact on the well-being of working women.     

My Friends Are My Estate: Friendship Experiences Mediate the Relationship Between Perceived Responses to Capitalization Attempts and Happiness

Emerging adults share the positive events in their lives with their friends, a process that is related to higher levels of happiness when they perceive their friends’ responses as more positive and less negative. What might explain this association? The four studies (N = 2997) in this research tested the proposal that positive friendship experiences mediate the relationship between perceived responses to capitalization attempts (PRCA) and happiness. Study 1 showed that same-sex friendship quality mediated the relationship between PRCA and happiness. Study 2 supported the model for cross-sex friendships. Study 3 tested the generalizability of the model for the immediate social network of emerging adults and showed that the model was only applicable to best friendships. Study 4 documented that satisfaction of basic psychological needs in a same-sex friendship was another mediator of the PRCA-happiness link. Although the friendship experiences and PRCA scores of women were higher compared to men in every study, the associations of PRCA with friendship experiences and happiness were generally similar and the model was supported for both men and women. The implications of the findings were discussed and suggestions for future research were provided.     

Experimental setting affects the performance of guppies in a numerical discrimination task

A recent study found that guppies (Poecilia reticulata) can be trained to discriminate 4 versus 5 objects, a numerical discrimination typically achieved only by some mammals and birds. In that study, guppies were required to discriminate between two patches of small objects on the bottom of the tank that they could remove to find a food reward. It is not clear whether this species possesses exceptional numerical accuracy compared with the other ectothermic vertebrates or whether its remarkable performance was due to a specific predisposition to discriminate between differences in the quality of patches while foraging. To disentangle these possibilities, we trained guppies to the same numerical discriminations with a more conventional two-choice discrimination task. Stimuli were sets of dots presented on a computer screen, and the subjects received a food reward upon approaching the set with the larger numerosity. Though the cognitive problem was identical in the two experiments, the change in the experimental setting led to a much poorer performance as most fish failed even the 2 versus 3 discrimination. In four additional experiments, we varied the duration of the decision time, the type of stimuli, the length of training, and whether correction was allowed in order to identify the factors responsible for the difference. None of these parameters succeeded in increasing the performance to the level of the previous study, although the group trained with three-dimensional stimuli learned the easiest numerical task. We suggest that the different results with the two experimental settings might be due to constraints on learning and that guppies might be prepared to accurately estimate patch quality during foraging but not to learn an abstract stimulus–reward association.     

识别电位认知功能探析

识别电位(Recognition Potential, RP)是被试看到可识别视觉刺激时, 在200~250ms内达到峰值的脑电反应。识别电位的研究正处于理论探讨阶段, 有两种主要观点用于解释RP。一种观点强调RP反映了视知觉分析成分; 另一种观点强调RP反映了语义或概念加工成分。两种观点至今未达成一致。最近, 针对两种观点质疑, 研究者们提出了类别特征加工的观点, 这一新观点在理论上符合大脑经济性的原则, 具有一定的优越性, 但尚需要更多的实证研究的支持。未来的RP研究应从实验材料的多样化、多研究方法结合、类别特征加工能力的习得机制等方面展开。     

Relationship of seat belt use to health and driver behaviors

Seat belts are effective safety devices for protecting car occupants from injuries and fatalities in road vehicle accidents. Seat belt use has been reported to be related to some health and driving-related behaviors. The aim of the present study was to investigate to what degree seat belt use can be seen as health behavior or driver behavior. Participants were 252 licensed Turkish drivers (180 males, 72 females) with the mean age of 30.8 (SD = 12.15). A questionnaire including questions related to health-related behaviors, driver behaviors and seat belt use was used. Results of factor analysis showed that seat belt use in front seat grouped with driver behaviors (e.g., driving errors and violations) but not with health-related behaviors (e.g., healthy diet and sports participation). Regression analyses showed that seat belt use in back seat; and, regular walking and adequate sleep were positively related to seat belt use in front seat, whereas being male, driving errors and smoking frequency were negatively related to seat belt use in front seat. The present findings suggest that seat belt use can be considered in the context of driver behaviors such as driving errors and violations.     

大学生论文自然阅读的策略研究

本文探讨大学生论文自然阅读所采用的策略。包括两个实验,实验1对大学生在自然阅读,采用信息阅读策略与采用结构阅读策略等三种情况下把握文章信息的情况进行比较,探讨大学生自然阅读的策略特点;实验2对大学生在上述三种策略情况下把握文章重点信息的情况进行比较,进一步探讨大学生自然阅读的策略特点。研究结果表明,大学生自然阅读与采用信息阅读策略进行阅读两种情况下,无论是对文章一般信息还是文章重要信息的把握,都表现出基本相同的模式,而与采用结构阅读策略的结果不同,初步说明大学生论文自然阅读采用的策略是信息阅读策略而非结构阅读策略。     

大力促进心理学的理论研究

虽然心理学作为一门独立的学科已有100多年的历史,但是心理学一直缺乏带有“范式”特点的心理学理论。这导致了心理学的破碎和分裂。探讨心理学的“元”理论,大力促进心理学的理论研究,是心理学发展的当务之急。     

质化研究：心理学研究方法的范式革命

主流心理学一直坚持量化研究的传统.但是近些年来,质化研究开始复兴.成为心理学研究方法的一个新"范式".实证主义的衰落和社会科学家对现象学、释义学科学观的重视是质化研究复兴的理论基础.量化方法的困境与多元方法论的思潮、应用实践的需要都促进了心理学家重新接纳质化方法.质化方法的特征是:(1)追寻意义;(2)情境敏感性;(3)主位研究策略;(4)整体描述策略.在怎样看待质化研究方面,心理学内部存在着广泛的争论.     

The importance of values in predicting Turkish youth's opinions about the European Union in light of the Copenhagen Political Criteria

The enlargement process of the European Union may be regarded as one of the most important social projects of human history in that it is trying to unite several nation-states under a "European identity." As a historically and culturally "distant" candidate, Turkey has been asked to meet a set of expectations referred to as the "Copenhagen Criteria," requiring a series of large-scale reforms to the infrastructure and superstructure of the country. Taking advantage of the unique opportunity to relate Turkish people's opinions on the criteria to their values, hypotheses based on Schwartz's model of values were tested. Schwartz's Personal Values Questionnaire and a questionnaire measuring opinions on the criteria and the Union were completed by 368 Turkish university students. Factor analysis of the opinion items yielded five factors: reduction of military influence in civil life, scepticism towards Europe and the European Union, improvement of human rights and liberties, improvement of minority rights, and lack of transparency in public institutions. Regression analyses showed that values and nationalism were powerful predictors of opinions whereas the effect of religiosity was limited only to the prediction of a preference for the reduction of military influence in civil life. Preference for openness to change values were successful in predicting variance in three of the five criteria: The more the participants favoured these values, the more they supported the improvement of human rights and liberties, the improvement of minority rights, and regretted the lack of transparency. Self-transcendence values were also positively related to support for the same three criteria together with a preference for reduction of military influence. As for nationalism, the results showed that this variable was related negatively to reduction of the military influence, improvement of human rights and liberties, improvement of minority rights; and positively to scepticism.