Cognitive deficits, schizophrenia, and the anterior cingulate cortex

Cognitive deficits are thought to be responsible for some of the symptoms and dysfunction in schizophrenia. Recent research on the anterior cingulate cortex supports this assumption. More detailed and definitive evidence for this association will require identification of specific neural networks whose abnormal structure, connections or activity create the cognitive deficits in question.     

Aligning Expatriate Managers’ Expectations with Complex Global Assignments

The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical, yet practical framework for managing unrealistic expectations of expatriate marketing managers relative to their role in complex global marketing assignments. The formation of these unrealistic expatriate marketing managers’ expectations is examined using relational contracting theory. We explore alternative HRM evaluation/support designs that can suppress the development of expatriate marketing managers’ entitlement process and thus enhance the reality of expatriate marketing managers’ expectations relative to the role in a subsidiary of the multinational enterprise.     

Reconsidering the lessons of the lottery for knowledge and belief

In this paper, I propose that one can have reason to choose a few tickets in a very large lottery and arbitrarily believe of them that they will lose. Such a view fits nicely within portions of Lehrer??s theory of rational acceptance. Nonetheless, the reasonability of believing a lottery ticket will lose should not be taken to constitute the kind of justification required in an analysis of knowledge. Moreover, one should not accept what one takes to have a low chance of being true. Accordingly, one should take care not to believe of too many tickets that they are to lose. Finally, while arbitrariness is no absolute barrier to epistemic reasonability, one may not be able to believe that one??s lottery ticket will lose if one cannot regard oneself as knowing it will lose.     

The General Belongingness Scale (GBS): Assessing achieved belongingness

Belongingness has emerged as a central construct of theoretical importance in the last two decades; however, little attention has been given to develop a brief, psychometrically sound measure of general belongingness. Three studies were conducted to develop a 12-item measure to assess a sense of general belongingness. Students were recruited to participate in online computer-administered surveys (N = 81, 875, and 213, respectively). High reliability and strong patterns of validity estimates are established. EFA and CFA results indicate a 2-factor structure (Acceptance/Inclusion and lack of Rejection/Exclusion), with a high inter-factor correlation. The current investigation is the first to document that achieved belongingness is distinct from the need to belong, and to show strong associations between belongingness and the Big Five personality traits of Neuroticism (r = −.51) and Extraversion (r = .46).     

The Latent Structure of the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale

Taxometric analyses were used to assess the latent structure of depressive symptoms as measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. Participants were 3,395 college students enrolled in Introductory Psychology classes at a mid-size university. Analyses included data simulation strategies to assure that the data was appropriate for interpreting skewed indicators and small putative taxa. Four indicators (depressed mood, positive affect, somatic, and interpersonal symptoms) were derived from principal components analysis. Taxometric analyses indicated that distributions of the four CES-D factor based indicators were dimensional. Results are consistent with a continuity model of the latent structure of questionnaire measures of depressive symptoms in this young adult population, of which approximately 15% scored above the clinical cut-point for the CES-D scale.     

In-Group Favoritism in International Justice Concerns: Power,Involvement, and Attitudes toward the Iraq War and the Cross Straits Relationship in Five Societies

Surveys in the USA, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, and China examined attitudes toward the Iraq War and the Cross-Straits Relationship between China and Taiwan. Factor analyses revealed a four-factor solution of justice concerns: (a) national mandate for military intervention, (b) international mandate against military action, (c) procedural justice, and (d) distributive justice issues. Americans and mainland Chinese were significantly different in an in-group favoring direction compared to other societies regarding justice concerns involving their nation. Taiwan, the low-powered society in the Cross-Straits Relationship, was like the uninvolved societies. Justice in international relations is filtered through in-group favoritism for powerful states.     

An Intersectional Analysis of Television Narratives of African American Women with African American Men on “the Down Low”

The controversial phenomenon of “the down low” has created fear and suspicion of male sexual partners among many African American women. Being on the down low refers to men that lead seemingly heterosexual lives, yet secretly have sex with other men. Popular media have portrayed this topic more widely in more recent years and generally focus on African Americans. Two popular television shows, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Girlfriends, have dedicated episodes centering heterosexual African American women partnered with African American men on the down low. The popular television film, Cover, features an African American woman who learns her husband secretly has affairs with other men. Black feminist thought provides an intersectional frame for analyzing the content of these portrayals of Black women in relationships with men on the down low. The analysis demonstrates that the down low associates more affluent African Americans with socially deviant behavior and issues, such as hyper-sexuality and HIV/AIDS. Further, they show newer interpretations of African American women “in love and in trouble” and that African American men often have to disguise and remain silent about their sexuality to garner acceptance into their communities.     

Spiritually based parenting workshop: An outcome study

The present study observed the effects of one spiritually based parenting workshop: Parent and Family Healing. A repeated-measures design using before, after, and 3-week follow-up revealed that in the sample of 65 parents, Parent and Family Healing significantly lowered parents’ stress and negative affect, and increased their parental efficacy and parental satisfaction. These effects were all maintained at the 3-week follow-up. The workshop also significantly increased parents’ positive affect, but this change was not maintained 3 weeks following the workshop. Spirituality level did not change significantly over the course of the workshop or at follow-up, despite the workshop being spiritually based. Participants rated all the spiritual components of the workshop as between somewhat and very helpful. Finally, parents’ free-response answers revealed very positive opinions about the workshop, its effects, and the spiritual approach taken.     

Father Postdivorce Well-Being: An Exploratory Model

The purpose of this study was to test a theoretical model of the psychological well-being of fathers following divorce. The theory postulated that father postdivorce well-being was related to father role clarity, role satisfaction, age, income, education level, custody arrangement, encouragement from others, time since divorce, and involvement in an intimate relationship following divorce. Participants were 94 fathers from a midwestern city who completed self-administered questionnaires. Data were assessed using path analytic techniques. Involvement in an intimate relationship was found to have the greatest influence on father postdivorce well-being. Role satisfaction had direct effects on father postdivorce well-being and was important as a mediating variable for 4 constructs within the model. The findings suggest that father well-being following divorce is a complex phenomenon, influenced by all of the model variables except income, education level, and time since divorce. Implications for preventive intervention strategies, based on risk factors identified in this study, and suggestions for further research are discussed.