Causal attribution and hindsight bias for economic developments

Hindsight bias for economic developments was studied, with particular focus on the moderating effects of attitudes and causal attributions. Participants (N = 263) rated the likelihood of several economic developments 6 months before and 6 months after the euro introduction in 2002. Hindsight bias occurred selectively for attitude-consistent economic developments: Euro supporters showed stronger hindsight bias for positive developments than for negative ones; euro opponents showed the opposite pattern. Causal attribution further moderated the hindsight bias: participants who perceived a strong connection between the euro introduction and specific economic developments showed higher attitude-consistent hindsight bias than participants who perceived those developments as unrelated to the euro. It is argued that hindsight bias serves to stabilize subjective representations of the economy.     

The impact of justice climate and justice orientation on work outcomes: a cross-level multifoci framework

In this article, which takes a person-situation approach, the authors propose and test a cross-level multifoci model of workplace justice. They crossed 3 types of justice (procedural, informational, and interpersonal) with 2 foci (organization and supervisor) and aggregated to the group level to create 6 distinct justice climate variables. They then tested for the effects of these variables on either organization-directed or supervisor-directed commitment, satisfaction, and citizenship behavior. The authors also tested justice orientation as a moderator of these relationships. The results, based on 231 employees constituting 44 work groups representing multiple organizations and occupations, revealed that 4 forms of justice climate (organization-focused procedural and informational justice climate and supervisor-focused procedural and interpersonal justice climate) were significantly related to various work outcomes after controlling for corresponding individual-level justice perceptions. In addition, some moderation effects were found. Implications for organizations and future research are discussed.     

Postural stability and hand preference as constraints on one-handed catching performance in children

Effects of postural state and hand preference as constraints on 1-handed catching performance were investigated in different ability groups of children aged 9-10 years. On the basis of pretest data, the authors classified 48 participants into groups of good, intermediate, and poor catchers (n = 16 in each) and asked them to perform 1-handed catches with their preferred and nonpreferred hands while standing and sitting. The good catchers' performance was not affected by the imposed postural constraints but did improve when they used the preferred hand. A similar effect of hand preference was evident in the intermediate and poor catchers, but there was also an effect of postural constraint. Independent of hand preference, intermediate catchers' performance while seated improved significantly compared with that during standing. For poor catchers, there was an interaction between hand preference and posture; significant improvement was evident only when they used the preferred hand in the sitting condition. The finding that manipulation of posture and hand preference affected performance outcomes indicates that perceptual skill is not the only influence on catching performance in children. Manipulation of those key constraints may facilitate the acquisition of catching skill, but more research is needed to determine the permanence of those effects.     

Positive affect as implicit motivator: on the nonconscious operation of behavioral goals

Recent research has revealed that nonconscious activation of desired behavioral states--or behavioral goals--promotes motivational activity to accomplish these states. Six studies demonstrate that this nonconscious operation of behavioral goals emerges if mental representations of specific behavioral states are associated with positive affect. In an evaluative-conditioning paradigm, unobtrusive linking of behavioral states to positive, as compared with neutral or negative, affect increased participants' wanting to accomplish these states. Furthermore, participants worked harder on tasks that were instrumental in attaining behavioral states when these states were implicitly linked to positive affect, thereby mimicking the effects on motivational behavior of preexisting individual wanting and explicit goal instructions to attain the states. Together, these results suggest that positive affect plays a key role in nonconscious goal pursuit. Implications for behavior-priming research are discussed.     

Bridging the gap between brain and behavior: cognitive and neural mechanisms of episodic memory

The notion that non-human animals are capable of episodic memory is highly controversial. Here, we review recent behavioral work from our laboratory showing that the fundamental features of episodic memory can be observed in rats and that, as in humans, this capacity relies on the hippocampus. We also discuss electrophysiological evidence, from our laboratory and that of others, pointing to associative and sequential coding in hippocampal cells as potential neural mechanisms underlying episodic memory.     

Socialization and behavioral problems of elementary school pupils with developmental coordination disorder

The present study examined the role of the developmental coordination disorder in 154 children's socialization and the expression of deviant behaviors in the context of Greek primary education. For assessment of their motor coordination, the Movement Assessment Battery for Children of Henderson and Sugden was used. The peer nomination method (sociogram) was used for the estimation of children's social status, and the expression of deviant behaviors was assessed via Conners' Teacher Questionnaire. Analyses showed that developmental coordination disorder was associated with poor socialization and the expression of deviant behaviors. These findings support the development of educational programs to include children with poor motor coordination.     

Expectation and repetition effects in searching for featural singletons in very brief displays

We studied the effects of expectation and repetition on searching for singletons in very brief displays. In Experiment 1, we found that when a given feature defined the singleton for a whole block--so that in every trial the subject could expect a particular target feature--search accuracy was significantly higher than when the feature setting was randomly redetermined from trial to trial. However, an unexpected repetition triggered almost no advantage. In Experiment 2, we found no advantage for expected alternation. Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrated that there is little or no advantage for perception in conditions allowing only for target-feature facilitation or distractor-feature inhibition. We propose that in singleton search a division of feature space facilitates detection, and that this division works best under conditions of expected repetition. Experiment 5 replicated Experiment 1, but in Experiment 5 we examined response times and long display exposures. Results suggested that previous findings of singleton priming reflect mainly postperceptual factors.     

Altered states of consciousness, dissociation, and dream recall

In a sample of 71 medical students, dream recall frequency was positively correlated with proneness to altered states of consciousness (r = .26) measured by the State of Mind and Consciousness Questionnaire and dissociation (r = .29) measured by the Dissociative Experiences Scale II. A regression analysis, however, yielded neither altered states of consciousness nor dissociation, sex, or age to be significant predictors of dream recall frequency. Among women dream recall frequency was associated with proneness to dissociation; among men it was correlated with proneness to altered states of consciousness.     

Evaluation of a school-based intervention programme to promote physical activity: an application of the theory of planned behavior

The Theory of Planned Behavior provides a useful framework to study attitudes toward participation in physical activity. The objective of the study was to test the effectiveness of an intervention in manipulating the variables of the Theory of Planned Behavior and exercise habits with 366 high school students (M = 14.2 yr., SD = .7; 201 boys and 165 girls). The students were divided into intervention and control groups. A questionnaire to measure components of the theory, and the Baecke Questionnaire of Habitual Activity measuring exercise habits, were administered. The intervention lasted 12 wk. and included posters and lectures promoting participation in physical activity. Analyses showed the intervention was effective in improving attitudes towards physical activity, perceived behavioral control, intention, and self-reported actual behavior, but it was ineffective for improving attitude strength, subjective norms, and role identity. The results provide useful information for physical education teachers interested in promoting students' positive attitudes towards physical activity.     

A field study of step-up exercises with touch for elderly people

This study assessed step-up exercises appropriate for elderly persons (M age=70.7 yr., SD=7.0). The group did several exercises in 7 sessions per month (average participants per session was 14, SD=3). A 30-sec. chair-stand test (sit-to-stand), questionnaires on activities of daily living, and impressions of the exercises were examined. Activities of daily living were expected to differ on cluster analysis before and after exercise sessions. Each cluster was classified by basic and instrumental activities. The 30-sec. chair-stand test did not significantly improve. Subjects enjoyed doing exercises with touch. Appropriate exercises for elderly persons should promote activities of daily living. Functional movements with touch seem appropriate for maintaining physical fitness and social interaction.