‘They were brilliant,I don't know what I would've done if they hadn't been here’: the group concept problem revisited

This article concerns the group concept problem in people labelled as having learning disabilities, described in a series of papers by Gibbons and colleagues (Gibbons, 1981 , 1985a , 1985b ; Gibbons & Gibbons, 1980 ; Gibbons & Kassin, 1982 ). We argue that the interpretations of these studies are questionable, and alternative explanations for the patterns of results found are possible. Examples from a study in which people with the label talked about particular others who also have the label are presented. In these examples, the category was not represented as homogeneous, relationships with others were valued, and a desire for distance was only found when participants talked about people who behaved aggressively. The findings are discussed with reference to the social model of disability. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Hill Interaction Matrix

The Hill Interaction Matrix represents a system of classifying group process and group progress, which has been empirically derived and systematically researched. Leadership style, group composition, and group development are simultaneously quantified through the use of this matrix. It represents an attempt to objectify the art of group therapy.     

Improving Intergroup Relations: The Effects of Empathy on Racial Attitudes1

Prior research indicates that information‐based intergroup relations programs are only moderately successful (MGregor, 1993; Stephan & Stephan, 1984). In order to explore a means of increasing the effectiveness of techniques used to change attitudes toward out groups, the current study examined the effects of giving Anglo American students information about everyday incidents of discrimination against African Americans either with or without empathy‐inducing instructions. The results indicate that reading about discrimination against African Americans or inducing empathy reduces in‐group‐out‐group bias in attitudes toward African Americans vs. Anglo Americans. The implications of these findings for models of the effects of empathy on intergroup relations are discussed.     

Spirituality/Religiosity (SpR), Leisure-Time Physical Activity,and Sedentary Behaviour in Students at a Catholic University

Some studies have found an association between spirituality and/or religiosity (SpR) and cardiovascular health, for reasons which remain unclear. This study explores whether SpR is linked to physical activity whilst young, which in turn is linked to long-term cardiovascular health. Students at a Catholic University in Australia completed a survey combining the SpREUK-P SF 17 SpR questionnaire with elements of the long-form 7-day recall International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Respondents who scored highly in the unconventional spiritual practices components of SpREUK-P engaged in moderate intensity physical activity more frequently. This finding may have implications for health promotion.     

A Review of: “Todres,L. (2007). Embodied enquiry: Phenomenological touchstones for research,psychotherapy and spirituality.”

In the brief essays that follow, failing narcissistic defenses are associated with two tragic events: the murder of a young woman by her ex-boyfriend that became a national media event, and the portrayal in a major motion picture of the gradual disintegration of a marriage that ended in the wife's death.     

Recent changes in sex-role ideology among divorced men and women: Some possible causes and implications

Data from two Virginia Slims Surveys of American Women (1974 and 1979) are analyzed to test the hypotheses that sex-role value differences between men and women are greater in the divorced population than among married adults and that those differences have increased in recent years. The hypotheses are generally supported, and implications are drawn for the explanation of remarriage probabilities of divorced men and women. The explanation of the growing gender gap among the divorced is linked to recent changes in the position of women in the general economic structure.Revised version of a paper presented at the 1983 annual meetings of the Southwestern Social Science Association, Houston, Texas.     

The Poggendorff Illusion and estimates of transverse extent.

The underestimation of transverse extent relative to longitudinal extent, in the Poggendorff Illusion, was tested by varying oblique line orientation, interparallel line distance, and presence or absence of obliques. 20 subjects made estimates of the transverse extent on both a longitudinal and transverse extent. The results indicated that, although underestimation was found for some stimulus conditions, overestimation was found for others. It was argued that even though presence of obliques affected judgmental error the longitudinal-transverse illusion could not form a basis for the Poggendorff Illusion.     

Some factors affecting tachistoscopic letter recognition

Summary The paper reports a series of studies that attempt to examine the issue of tachistoscopic identification of letter material. In particular a reductionist approach is used to investigate the influence of retinal locus, cerebral dominance, metacontrast, letter symmetry, and ocular dominance on the task. Retinal locus, metacontrast, and ocular dominance were shown to influence letter reportability under the present conditions with, it is argued, retinal locus and metacontrast affecting the integrity of the icon. Evidence is given for the construct of ocular dominance as the eye (dominant) initiating eye movements with the other passively following.