Career adaptability,calling and the professional competence of social work students in China: A career construction perspective

Based on career construction theory, the current research examined individual and contextual predictors for the professional competence of Chinese undergraduates majoring in social work (N = 270). Results showed that career concern and career curiosity predicted social work students' professional competence, with these relations mediated by the calling in social work. It was also found that the positive effect of calling on professional competence was stronger among students who perceived a lower level of career-oriented learning environment. The corresponding moderated mediation model was supported such that the indirect effects of career concern and career curiosity on professional competence were stronger among students who perceived a lower level of career-oriented learning environment. These findings carry implications for research on career construction theory, as well as career education and career counseling practices.     

A Cultural Analysis of China’s Scientific Brain Drain: the Case of Chinese Immigrant Scientists in Canadian Academia

While the booming market and policy incentives of China are reversing the pattern of talent flow across the Pacific, a large proportion of the mainland Chinese immigrant scientists currently in Canadian academia have decided not to return home; meanwhile, their interactions with China in terms of brain circulation are not extensive overall. This study attempts to explore the key factors for the paradox of China’s scientific brain drain through the lens of culture, drawing on data mainly from in-depth interviews with 14 mainland Chinese immigrant scientists in Canadian academia. The theoretical framework derives from the models of cultural negotiation (Sakamoto 2001) and bidimensional acculturation (Berry, Appl Psychol 46: 5–34, 1997). Data analysis reveals that cultural factors override everything else in shaping the leave–stay decision and brain exchange behavior of these Chinese scientists, who have gone through a cultural negotiation and construction process. With a transformed perspective, these academic migrants hold firmly the new culture’s beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors; therefore, the work styles, notions, and ethics of their counterparts in China have cultural limitations and are incongruent with their practice in Canada. Meanwhile, they have been significantly influenced by Chinese cultural values, notably group orientation, hierarchy loving, self-abasement, harmony seeking, face saving, etc. The findings should shed some light on public policies aiming to realize the full value of top talents for the benefits of China, Canada, and beyond.     

Formation of profuse <c+a> dislocations in deformed calcium-containing magnesium alloys

We report that <c+a> pyramidal slipping could be more easily activated in textured Mg–Ca alloys with increasing Ca contents dissolved in α-Mg matrix under tensile deformation, and it is proposed that the decreased stacking fault energy plays the critical rule. In contrast, only twins and <a> basal dislocations are observed in the compressed samples. The results would provide insight into understanding of the deformation mechanism and designing more ductile Mg alloys.     

Parental Corporal Punishment and Girls’ Self-Esteem: The Moderating Effects of Girls’ Agency and Communion in China

The current study aimed to examine the moderating effects of girls’ agency and communion in the links between both fathers’ and mothers’ corporal punishment and girls’ self-esteem in China. Chinese girls (n?=?302) enrolled in grades 4–8 were instructed to independently complete the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale (CTSPC), the Children’s Sex Role Inventory (CSRI), the Global Self-Worth subscale of Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC), and demographic items. Results indicated that both fathers’ and mothers’ corporal punishment were not directly associated with girls’ self-esteem, whereas both agency and communion were positively associated with girls’ self-esteem. In addition, both fathers’ and mothers’ corporal punishment were significantly and negatively associated with self-esteem for girls with lower levels of agency but not for the girls with higher levels of agency. The current results extend the growing evidence against using corporal punishment as a child-rearing practice and highlight that intervention programs need to focus on eliminating, or at least decreasing, both mothers’ and fathers’ corporal punishment. Additionally, parents and educators need to move from the traditional gender-related attributes to encourage the development of both agency and communion in girls.

     

使命感的影响效果

使命感(calling)作为一个前沿主题, 近年来受到理论界和实务界的广泛关注。根据PRISMA申明推荐的文献搜索流程, 保留国内外使命感的影响效果相关文献, 对这些文献进行系统梳理和分析, 总结出使命感影响效果的三种变量类型：职业心理与状态、职业技能与能力以及职业过程与产出。未来研究应进一步探索使命感消极影响, 关注双刃剑效应; 分析使命感文化差异, 探讨跨文化比较效应; 构建使命感团队模型, 延伸研究层次; 追踪使命感变化, 构建动态模型。     

Social attention across borders: A cross-cultural investigation of gaze cueing elicited by same- and other-ethnicity faces

The gaze-cueing effect is a robust phenomenon which illustrates how attention can be shaped by social factors. In four experiments, the present study explored the interaction between the ethnic membership of the participant and that of the face providing the gaze cue. Firstly, we aimed to further investigate the differential impact of White, Black, and Asian faces on the gaze-cueing effect in White individuals. Secondly, we aimed to explore, for the first time, the impact of faces belonging to different ethnicities on gaze cueing in Chinese participants. The results allowed to rule out alternative accounts and showed that White participants exhibit a gaze-cueing effect for White and Asian faces, but not for Black faces, consistent with previous studies. As regards Chinese participants, the overall findings suggested a stronger gaze-cueing effect for White faces than for Asian faces. The results are discussed with reference to differences in the perceived social status of the various groups, pointing to the need of taking into account different cultural contexts.     

Are training and transfer effects of working memory updating training modulated by achievement motivation?

Previous studies examining effects of working memory (WM) updating training revealed mixed results. One factor that might modulate training gains, and possibly also transfer of those gains to non-trained cognitive tasks, is achievement motivation. In the present Studies 1 and 2, students with either a high (HAM) or low (LAM) achievement motivation completed a 14-day visuospatial WM updating training program. In Study 2, the students also performed a set of tasks measuring other executive functions and fluid intelligence prior to and after training. In both studies, the HAM students displayed a larger training gain than the LAM students. Study 2 revealed that after training, both groups showed better performance on the near-transfer but not far-transfer tasks. Importantly, the differential training gain was not associated with better post-training performance for the HAM compared to the LAM students on any of the transfer tasks. These results are taken to support a modulatory role of achievement motivation on WM training benefits, but not on transfer of those benefits to other tasks. Possible reasons for the general improvement on the near-transfer tasks and the absence of a modulatory role of achievement motivation on transfer-task performance are discussed.     

Microstructure and mechanical behavior of nanostructured composite Cu60Fe40 alloy

In this study, bulk nanostructured composite Cu₆₀Fe₄₀ alloy is prepared by a combustion synthesis technique. The prepared Cu₆₀Fe₄₀ alloy consists of Cu(Fe) solid solution and Fe(Cu) solid solution phases. The large-scaled compositional segregation in the Cu-rich and Fe-rich phases is not observed, respectively. A few micron-sized dendrite (Fe(Cu) solid solution) is embedded into the nanostructured matrix (Cu(Fe) solid solution). The grain size of the matrix is in the range 50–300?nm. The yield and fracture strength of the Cu₆₀Fe₄₀ alloy are 540 and 1050?MPa, respectively, and the fracture strain obtained from the compression test is about 20.9%. The Cu₆₀Fe₄₀ alloy displays notable work hardening in the compressive deformation.     

Do objects in working memory compete with objects in perception?

It is generally assumed that “perceptual object” is the basic unit for processing visual information and that only a small number of objects can be either perceptually selected or encoded in working memory (WM) at one time. This raises the question whether the same resource is used when objects are selected and tracked as when they are held in WM. In two experiments, we measured dual-task interference between a memory task and a Multiple Object Tracking task. The WM tasks involve explicit, implicit, or no spatial processing. Our results suggest there is no resource competition between working memory and perceptual selection except when the WM task requires encoding spatial properties.     

Post-migration Growth Scale for Chinese International Students: Development and Validation

There has been a significant paradigm shift in recent acculturation research from a psychopathological perspective to a resilience framework. However, one indicator of positive adaptation outcomes in acculturation—measurement of personal growth in migration—is lacking. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Post-migration Growth Scale (PMGS) for Chinese international students. A 14-item scale was developed through in-depth interviews, item analysis and factor analysis. The scale was initially validated in a sample of 400 mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong. Exploratory factor analysis suggested two factors (interpersonal growth and intrapersonal growth), which were cross-validated in an independent sample of Chinese international students in Australia from mainland China (n = 154) by confirmatory factor analysis. The PMGS showed satisfactory internal consistency reliability and concurrent validity. The PMGS can thus be a reliable and valid instrument to measure Chinese international students’ personal growth from overseas study experiences. Limitations were discussed and implications were suggested.