Predicting Support for Arabs' Autonomy from Social Dominance: The Role of Identity Complexity and Dehumanization

The present study extends previous research on the influence of social dominance orientation (SDO) in international affairs by investigating the role of sociocognitive processes such as social identity complexity (SIC) and intergroup dehumanization in explaining the relationship between SDO and support for Arabs' autonomy. An Italian heterogeneous sample (N = 123), in terms of gender, age, political orientation, religiosity, and income level, was considered. We expected that those low on SDO would be more likely to support Arabs' autonomy, would have higher SIC, and would be less likely to dehumanize Arabs. We also expected that SIC and dehumanization would sequentially mediate the relationship between SDO and support for Arabs' autonomy. Results revealed that Italians low on SDO have higher SIC (i.e., a more inclusive social identity) which endorses lower dehumanization of Arabs. This in turn explained the influence of SDO on support for Arabs' autonomy. These findings integrate the literature about SDO and SIC and enhance the understanding of the sociocognitive processes underlying people's support for international egalitarian movements.     

A Pilot Evaluation of Portfolios for Quality Attestation of Clinical Ethics Consultants

Although clinical ethics consultation is a high-stakes endeavor with an increasing prominence in health care systems, progress in developing standards for quality is challenging. In this article, we describe the results of a pilot project utilizing portfolios as an evaluation tool. We found that this approach is feasible and resulted in a reasonably wide distribution of scores among the 23 submitted portfolios that we evaluated. We discuss limitations and implications of these results, and suggest that this is a significant step on the pathway to an eventual certification process for clinical ethics consultants.     

Ditching determination and dependence: or,how to wear the crazy trousersa

Synthese - This paper defends Flatland—the view that there exist neither determination nor dependence relations, and that everything is therefore fundamental—from the objection from...     

The factor structure of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) in end-stage renal disease patients

The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of the Revised Illness Perceptions Questionnaire (IPQ-R) in a sample of 374 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. A confirmatory factor analysis of the IPQ-R, including the illness identity subscale, demonstrated adequate model fit for the factor structure as originally defined by (Moss-Morris, R., Weinman, J., Petrie, K. J., Horne, R., Cameron, L. D., & Buick, D. (2002). The revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). Psychology & Health, 17 (1), 1-16.) Modifying the a-priori IPQ-R factor structure by removing two items with low factor loadings and specifying a path between personal control and item 23 had marginally better fit. A separate exploratory factor analysis of the causal items indicated three factors relating to Biological, Psychological and Behavioural causes. These findings provide evidence towards the validity and reliability of the IPQ-R as a suitable measure of illness perceptions in the context of ESRD.     

Supporting Students’ Constructions of the Splitting Operation

Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of particular instructional practices that support students’ constructions of the partitive unit fraction scheme and measurement concepts for fractions. Another body of research has demonstrated the power of a particular mental operation—the splitting operation—in supporting students’ development of advanced fractional knowledge and algebraic reasoning. Steffe (2010) has hypothesized that students construct splitting through the unification of partitioning and iterating operations contained within the partitive unit fraction scheme. We used written assessments of 49 students, across sixth and seventh grades, to test this hypothesis. Our results show that students who have constructed a partitive unit fraction scheme go on to construct splitting within a relatively short period of time. Conversely, students who have not constructed a partitive unit fraction scheme generally do not construct splitting. We discuss these results and their implications for designing instruction and curricula that support students’ development of algebraic reasoning.     

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire

Objective: This paper aims to systematically review the use and performance of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ).

Design: Electronic databases were searched for papers administering the Brief IPQ published in peer-reviewed journals. Data were extracted from the results for meta-analysis.

Main outcome measures: Use by illness population, country, language and study design. The questionnaire’s concurrent validity, predictive validity, sensitivity to change, discriminant validity and mean scores for different populations were summarised.

Results: The review included 188 papers. The Brief IPQ has been administered to patients from age 8 to over 80, with a wide range of illnesses, in 26 languages from 36 countries. Pooled correlations between illness perceptions and depression, anxiety, blood glucose levels and quality of life were consistent with previous research and theory (range .25–.49 for consequences, identity and emotional representations; ?.12 to ?.27 for personal control). All items were able to predict some outcomes up to one-year follow-up. Each subscale demonstrated sensitivity to change after intervention in randomised controlled trials with the personal control and causal items showing most frequent change.

Conclusions: The Brief IPQ is widely used and has good psychometric properties. More studies should include and analyse the causal item.     

The Development of New Tests of Source Memory and a New Approach to the Testing of Equivalence of Parallel Versions

The principal aim of this study was to develop tests of source memory in both the verbal and visuo-spatial domains, which would be brief and easy to use in clinical and population settings. Source memory, that is, memory for context or attributes, is very vulnerable to the effects of ageing and to the early stages of dementia. Because longitudinal studies of cognitive function, including clinical trials, involve repeat testing, practice effects may hamper interpretation when identical tests are administered on each occasion. Accordingly, we developed parallel versions of each of the source memory tests. Rather than assuming equivalence by design, we tested the parallel versions to determine whether they were in fact equivalent in difficulty. We also explored the use of different analytic approaches to establishing equivalence. We report the results of a study in which we compared within- and between-subject performance on three parallel versions of visuo-spatial and verbal source memory tests, as well as three parallel versions of standard tests of episodic memory (word list recall) and executive function (letter fluency, category fluency, ideational fluency) in a sample of healthy elderly volunteers. Participants were tested on three occasions separated by 1 week, and test versions were counterbalanced across test sessions. We also examined performance in a group of participants tested on one occasion only, with test versions being allocated at random. We found that for a number of tests, versions which were designed to be parallel, failed to produce equivalent performance in our sample. We show how the results of this study may be of general use to researchers wishing to select particular versions of the tests in our battery. We also urge researchers to be cautious when using parallel versions of other tests. The careful matching or random allocation of items to parallel versions of a test is no guarantee that performance on the different versions will be equivalent.     

Social dominance theory and the dynamics of intergroup relations: Taking stock and looking forward

This chapter reviews the last 15 years of research inspired by social dominance theory, a general theory of societal group-based inequality. In doing so, we sketch the broad outlines of the theory and discuss some of the controversies surrounding it, such as the “invariance hypothesis” regarding gender differences in social dominance orientation (SDO) and the effect of social context on the expression of SDO. We also discuss the central role of gender in the construction and maintenance of group-based inequality, and review some of the new research inspired by the social dominance perspective. Finally, we identify and discuss some of the most important theoretical questions posed by social dominance theory that are yet to be researched.     

Return of Genetic Results in the Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy Research Project

The goal of the Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy (FDC) Research Project, initiated in 1993, has been to identify and characterize FDC genetic cause. All participating individuals have been consented for the return of genetic results, an important but challenging undertaking. Since the inception of the Project we have enrolled 606 probands, and 269 of these had 1670 family members also enrolled. Each subject was evaluated for idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) and pedigrees were categorized as familial or sporadic. The coding regions of 14 genes were resequenced in 311 to 324 probands in five studies. Ninety-two probands were found to carry nonsynonymous rare variants absent in controls, and with Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment of 1988 (CLIA) compliant protocols, relevant genetic results were returned to these probands and their consented relatives by study genetic counselors and physicians in 353 letters. In 10 of the 51 families that received results >1 year ago, at least 23 individuals underwent CLIA confirmation testing for their family’s rare variant. Return of genetic results has been successfully undertaken in the FDC Research Project. This report describes the methods utilized in the process of returning research results. We use this information as a springboard for providing guidance to other genetic research groups and proposing future directions in this arena.     

权力基础理论:对应生存需要的权力

权力是社会关系和社会活动的核心,对应于生存需要,与人们的生活品质息息相关。采用心理–生态途径,权力基础理论将其界定为个体依据环境限制与供给满足自身需要的能力,并识别出6种基本权力类型,同时阐述了权力动态性如何通过增生性交易导致或加剧社会不平等。该理论试图从人际和群际心理层面探讨权力的起源问题,并将其与一般社会不平等现象建立联系,为权力的社会心理学研究提供了一个崭新的视角。