Pretty pleases: The effects of physical attractiveness,race, and sex on receiving help

The major purpose of this study was to investigate whether favoritism for the physically attractive, a phenomenom demonstrated amost exclusively on the basis of rating scales, generalizes to nonreactive, behavioral helping responses. Four hundred and forty-two males and 162 female white adult callers in public phone booths in a large metropolitan airport found a completed graduate school application form, a photograph of the applicant, and an addressed, stamped envelope. The picture was used to convey information as to the physical attractiveness (attractive vs. unattractive), race (black vs. white), and sex of the applicant. As predicted, delivery of the application was facilitated more for attractive than unattractive persons. There was also a significant race effect, with whites receiving more help than blacks. Implications of these findings for the physical attractiveness literature are discussed.     

Cross-lateralisation in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and motor skill performance

Cross-lateralisation and increased motor difficulties have been reported in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Nevertheless, the question of how crossed (i.e. mixed preference) or uncrossed (i.e. same side preference) lateralisation impacts motor performance in children with ADHD has yet to be examined. In this study, previously validated observational measures of hand and foot preference were used to identify right-handed children with ADHD who display cross- (n = 29) and uncross-lateralisation (n = 31). An uncross-lateralised typically developing (TD) group (n = 32) was also identified, and included as a control. Motor performance was assessed with seven valid and reliable fine and gross motor tasks performed with both preferred and non-preferred limbs. Group, task and sex-related effects were examined. Findings revealed that male (but not female) cross-lateralised children with ADHD performed significantly worse, respectively, in two of the fine motor tasks (spiral tracing [p < .01], and dot filling [p < .05]). Results suggest that cross-lateralised hand and foot preference may affect complex motor skills in male children with ADHD. Furthermore, characteristics of ADHD may manifest differently in male and female children. Findings highlight the importance of considering both hand and foot preference when targeting motor interventions for children with ADHD.     

Physical aggression as a function of perceived fighting ability and provocation: an experimental investigation

In three studies, Resource Holding Power (RHP) and provocation were manipulated in scenarios involving a young person in a bar with friends. In Study 1, teenage men reported lower likelihood of responding with physical aggression when insulted as levels of three RHP cues (size, allies and reputation) increased, effects that were accentuated by combinations of high-RHP cues; in the second part of this study, they consistently rated an insult to their girlfriend as the most provoking from a range of possible provocations, chosen on theoretical and empirical grounds. Study 2 replicated the results of the first part of Study 1 in samples of men and women in their twenties, although the effects were weaker at low levels of RHP. Study 3 combined a high- or low-provoking event, with low, medium or high RHP, and a wider range of response choices. As expected, direct aggression increased as provocation increased and RHP decreased. Delayed aggressive responses, including revenge fantasies, were highest in response to high provocation and high RHP. Findings are discussed in relation to theoretical models of aggressive motivation.     

Description of Exemplar Cases in the Intensive Mental Health Program: Illustrations of Application of the Therapeutic Model

We describe cases from the clinical records in the Intensive Mental Health Program to illustrate the diverse presenting problems, intervention strategies, therapeutic process, and outcomes for children receiving services in this school-based, community-oriented treatment model. Cases reflect varying degrees of treatment response and potential factors that influence the fluctuating levels of emotional disturbance and impaired functioning in the home, school, and community.     

The “New Cognitive Science of Religion” and Religious Pluralism

Abstract : The “new cognitive science of religion” (Lawson, McCauley, Boyer, Sperber, Tremlin, Pysiäinen, Hinde) finds that certain of the brian's “inference systems” press us to postulate gods or other supernatural agents where knowledge and control are lacking. In this article we explore the implications of this new “explanatory” appraoch for Christian theology, pluralism, and worship life.     

The influence of eye-gaze and arrow pointing distractor cues on voluntary eye movements

We investigated Ricciardelli et al.'s (2002) claim, that the tendency for gaze direction to elicit automatic attentional following is unique to biologically significant information. Participants made voluntary saccades to targets on the left or the right of a display, which were either congruent or incongruent with a centrally presented distractor (eye-gaze or arrow). Contrary to Ricciardelli et al., for both distractor types, saccade latencies were slower, and participants made more directional errors, on incongruent than on congruent trials. Moreover, a cost-benefit analysis showed no difference between the two distractor types. However, latencies for erroneous saccades were faster than correctly directed saccades for the eye-gaze distractors, but not for the arrow distractors.     

Racial Socialization Experiences and Symptoms of Depression among Black Youth

Ecological barriers like racism and discrimination can weigh heavily on the shifting emotions of adolescents. We investigated the relationship of racial socialization experiences to the depression symptoms of 160 Black adolescents, including lethargy, low self-esteem, cognitive difficulties, social introversion, irritability, guilt, pessimism, sad mood, instrumental helplessness, and overall depression. Cultural pride socialization was inversely related to adolescent reports of lethargy and low self-esteem while alertness to discrimination socialization was positively related to instrumental helplessness and gender differences were found. Multiple regression findings showed that racial socialization experiences add significantly more predictability of depression symptoms over and above gender, neighborhood risk and resources. Recommendations for the family, mental health professionals and for the development of culturally relevant social interventions are provided.     

The relationship between parental involvement,self-regulated learning,and reading achievement of fifth graders: a path analysis using the ECLS-K database

This study examined the relationship between parental involvement, self-regulated learning (SRL), and reading achievement through analyzing the fifth grade data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–1999 (ECLS-K). The results identified six dimensions of parental involvement that are likely to foster SRL of fifth graders: School Involvement, TV Rules, Homework Help, Homework Frequency, Parental Education Expectations, and Extracurricular Activities. Of these three dimensions, Parental Education Expectations, School Involvement, and Homework Help, were found to have stronger effects on SRL; Parental Education Expectations was found to have the strongest beneficial effect on SRL. The results also suggest that SRL mediates the relationship between parental involvement and reading achievement. These results provide a framework for parents to help their children develop SRL skills and guide educators and school administrators as they intend to increase parental involvement and its effectiveness.     

Contrast Effects in Performance Ratings: Another Look Across Time

Récemment, Murphy, Balzer, Lockart et Eisenman (1985) rapportèrent que les effets de contraste dans une comparaison intra-personnelle disparaissent subséquemment à un court délai d'évaluation d'un stimulus-cible. Les deux expérimentations que nous décrivons indiquent que les effets de contraste dans une comparaison inter-personnelle résistérent même après un délai de trois semaines entre l'évaluation d'un stimulus de référence et d'un stimulus-cible. Dans l'expérience 1, 270 étudiants furent répartis en neuf groupes expérimentaux ( n = 30) qui représentent toutes les combinaisons possibles de trois indices de performance (élevé, bas, moyen) en deux temps différents. Un effet de contraste significatif fut observé chez ceux des participants qui visèrent et obtinrent une performance moyenne au Temps 2 (omega au carré= 0.16). Dans l'expérimentation 2, 270 étudiants MBA (avec un minimum d'expérience de deux années d'assistanat) répétèrent les résultats de l'expérimentation 1 (omega au carré= 0.18). Ces résultats groupés indiquent que les effets de contraste résistent au temps et valorisent les projets de recherche dans ce domaine.