Harm that does not hurt: Humour in coping with self-threat

We examined the affective and cognitive impact of humour on coping with self-threat. Research was based on an incongruity concept of humour that specifies humour as a state resulting from appraising an aversive incident as both harmful and as acceptable. An appraisal related procedural priming paradigm was used to induce humour. In Study 1 (N = 41 female students) the impact of humour on positive and negative affect following self-threat was examined. In Study 2 (N = 52 students; 94% women) we investigated the consequences of humour for a self-serving interpretation of failure, the awareness of harm, and subsequent performance. Relative to the control condition, humour increased positive affect, while not exclusively affecting negative affect, and increased the tendency for an external attribution of failure, while harm was clearly recognized. However, humour led to poorer subsequent performance, suggesting that humour may also have its costs.     

Sex differences in anger-related behaviour: Comparing expectancies to actual behaviour

Expectancies about and the reactions of men and women to a provocation were compared to self- and observer ratings of the actual behaviour in response to the provocation. In Study 1, men and women were provoked by the experimenter during a laboratory task. In Study 2, participants were presented with video clips of the provocation and estimated how a man or a woman would likely react to it. The man was expected to react more aggressively than the woman. In their actual behaviour, however, men were more likely to react with humour or by distancing than were women. The woman was expected to react more submissively than the man, which was inaccurate with respect to both the observer ratings and the self-ratings.     

Person-centred coping research

In this concluding article we discuss the three approaches to biographical stress and coping research presented in this issue, under four main headings. The first topic comprises the comparison of the three approaches with regard to their biographical features. In a second part we turn to the issue of coping and examine differences as well as similarities between the coping concept of Hans Thomae, on the one hand and that of Lazarus and Folkman on the other hand. The third and fourth of our discussion points deal with two central topics, that are accentuated in present personality psychology: the person-situation issue and the idiographic-nomothetic debate. With regard to both topics, we discuss the ideas and research findings which Lazarus and Folkman, as well as Thomae are contributing to these issues. We conclude our discussion of biographical approaches to stress and coping by proposing a person-centred approach, that can be regarded as a further development of theoretical conceptualizations contained in the approaches of Lazarus and Thomae.     

The speech naturalness of people who stutter speaking under delayed auditory feedback as perceived by different groups of listeners

This study investigated listeners' perception of the speech naturalness of people who stutter (PWS) speaking under delayed auditory feedback (DAF) with particular attention for possible listener differences. Three panels of judges consisting of 14 stuttering individuals, 14 speech language pathologists, and 14 naive listeners rated the naturalness of speech samples of stuttering and non-stuttering individuals using a 9-point interval scale. Results clearly indicate that these three groups evaluate naturalness differently. Naive listeners appear to be more severe in their judgements than speech language pathologists and stuttering listeners, and speech language pathologists are apparently more severe than PWS. The three listener groups showed similar trends with respect to the relationship between speech naturalness and speech rate. Results of all three indicated that for PWS, the slower a speaker's rate was, the less natural speech was judged to sound. The three listener groups also showed similar trends with regard to naturalness of the stuttering versus the non-stuttering individuals. All three panels considered the speech of the non-stuttering participants more natural. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: The reader will be able to: (1) discuss the speech naturalness of people who stutter speaking under delayed auditory feedback, (2) discuss listener differences about the naturalness of people who stutter speaking under delayed auditory feedback, and (3) discuss the importance of speech rate for the naturalness of speech.     

Recommendations for Increasing Replicability in Psychology

Replicability of findings is at the heart of any empirical science. The aim of this article is to move the current replicability debate in psychology towards concrete recommendations for improvement. We focus on research practices but also offer guidelines for reviewers, editors, journal management, teachers, granting institutions, and university promotion committees, highlighting some of the emerging and existing practical solutions that can facilitate implementation of these recommendations. The challenges for improving replicability in psychological science are systemic. Improvement can occur only if changes are made at many levels of practice, evaluation, and reward. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Process of Growth in Krishna Consciousness and Sacredness in Belgium

The article focuses on the Hare Krishna members in Belgium. The movement owns a temple on the outskirts of a provincial city in the south of the country. Fieldwork was carried out among the ‘temple residents’ (at Radhadesh, the ‘Petite Somme’), those who live in its vicinity, the ‘congregationalists’ in the local centres, and those who are on the way of being initiated. The article focuses on the development members undergo from ‘adepts’ to ‘devotees’, that is from ‘congregationalists’ to becoming full-time ‘temple residents’ in Radhadesh. The question we address concerns the process of members’ growth in Krishna consciousness and sacredness.     

Adaptive modes of rumination: the role of subjective anger

Rumination has been demonstrated to have negative consequences on affect, behaviour, and physiological markers. Recent studies, however, suggest that distinct “modes” of anger-associated rumination may lead to several positive consequences. Previous research primarily used recall procedures of anger episodes to elicit anger. By contrast, the present study focused on the effect of subjective anger on the process of rumination and tested its effects in a “staged” social interaction where a confederate provoked participants. Subsequently, participants engaged in rumination about the anger-eliciting event either in an abstract-distanced or a concrete-immersed rumination mode. Results showed an adaptive effect of abstract-distanced rumination on subjective anger primarily if anger is high prior to rumination. The findings also suggest different self-reported anger-related coping strategies in response to subjective anger intensity. These findings highlight that an abstract-distanced rumination may have differential effects on affective outcomes and anger-related coping strategies.     

Explorations in the Social Construction of Anger

On the basis of the social-constructionist theory of anger, 2 studies were conducted to explore the social rules relating to anger appraisals and anger-related responses. In Study 1, 400 adults were asked about appropriate causes of anger and appropriate anger-related actions. Attribution of blame, impact or severity of harm, and perceived usefulness of becoming angry emerged as the major determinants of appropriate anger. Talking things over with the offender was judged as the most appropriate behavior when angry at someone. In Study 2, 112 adults were presented with vignettes depicting anger-provoking incidents that varied in regard to the nature of the provocation and the nature of the relationship between offender and target. Both factors significantly influenced the perceived appropriateness of anger-intensity and anger-related behavior. Taken together, the results provide evidence for high social consensus regarding the appropriate causes of anger and anger-related actions. However, there were also noteworthy interindividual differences and cross-situational variations in everyday constructions of anger. The implications of the findings for the social-constructionist view of anger are discussed.