Samoan adolescents in American Samoa and Hawaii: Comparison of youth violence and youth development indicators: A study by the Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Violence Prevention Center

Samoan youths are critically under-studied in research on youth violence prevention and adolescent development. When Samoan adolescents are included in research investigations, they are typically obscured into the much larger aggregated categories of “Pacific Islanders” or “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.” The present study is one of the first to examine Samoans exclusively and compare the differences between Samoan youths residing in American Samoa and those residing in Hawaii. In an effort to gauge the acculturative processes of adolescents in American Samoan and Hawaii, the present study compared these two groups' self-reports of violence, substance use, grade-point average, scholastic aspirations, importance of religion, ethnic identity, parenting discipline style, and family support. Overall, the results indicated higher rates among Samoan adolescents in Hawaii as compared to those in American Samoa on one violence item and on substance use indicators (i.e., alcohol and marijuana). Samoan adolescents in American Samoa also reported higher levels of protective factors related to the importance of religion (especially for girls), ethnic identity, and family support. However, Samoan adolescents in Hawaii had higher scholastic aspirations than those in American Samoa, despite having lower grade-point averages. In general, Samoan students who did not self-report engaging in violence had higher rates of protective factors as compared to those who indicated engaging in violence. Statistically significant interactions reflected more complex effects. The implications of these findings in conjunction with the results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) are discussed in the context of Samoan culture, acculturation, and youth development.     

Experiences of peer aggression and parental attachment are correlated in adolescents

Whether levels of parental attachment differentiate how individuals are peer victimised was studied in 13, 14 and 15 year olds (N = 204), who completed a modified version of the Direct and Indirect Aggression Scales (DIAS) and the parent sections of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA). Results showed a moderate negative correlation between Total Victimisation scores and Total Attachment scores (r = −.254, p = .001, CI₉₅ = [−.38, −.12]); the magnitude of correlations was similar for subscale scores and for data on both mother and father considered separately; data did not differ by gender of the respondent. Attachment to mother significantly exceeded attachment to father. The factor structure of the self-report DIAS was explored and a hierarchical solution suggested that it measures general experience of victimisation along with two lower order factors defined by experiences of either direct or indirect aggression.     

Increasing and decreasing motor and cognitive output: a model of general action and inaction goals

General action and inaction goals can influence the amount of motor or cognitive output irrespective of the type of behavior in question, with the same stimuli producing trivial and important motor and cognitive manifestations normally viewed as parts of different systems. A series of experiments examined the effects of instilling general action and inaction goals using word primes, such as "action" and "rest." The first 5 experiments showed that the same stimuli influenced motor output, such as doodling on a piece of paper and eating, as well as cognitive output, such as recall and problem solving. The last 2 experiments supported the prediction that these diverse effects can result from the instigation of general action and inaction goals. Specifically, these last 2 studies confirmed that participants were motivated to achieve active or inactive states and that attaining them decreased the effects of the primes on behavior.     

An Appraisal of Psychological &; Religious Perspectives of Self-control

The boundary between psychology and religion is at its murkiest around topics of interest to both forms of discourse. An attempt to clarify some of the boundary issues specifically present in discussions of self-control or self-regulation, this paper begins by examining self-control in healthy psychological functioning. Research on feedback loops, information processing and ego depletion have highlighted key psychological mechanisms involved in self-control. Next this paper explores common themes in religious perspectives regarding the virtue of self-control and self-restraint. A clear preoccupation of major religious traditions is the management of human passion and desire. In conclusion, three boundary concerns relevant to both psychology and religion are discussed: the meaning of virtue, differences in defining the self in self-control, and relational concerns important to understanding self-control.

Using an Ecological Ethics Framework to Make Decisions about the Relocation of Wildlife

Relocation is an increasingly prominent conservation tool for a variety of wildlife, but the technique also is controversial, even among conservation practitioners. An organized framework for addressing the moral dilemmas often accompanying conservation actions such as relocation has been lacking. Ecological ethics may provide such a framework and appears to be an important step forward in aiding ecological researchers and biodiversity managers to make difficult moral choices. A specific application of this framework can make the reasoning process more transparent and give more emphasis to the strong sentiments about non-human organisms held by many potential users. Providing an example of the application of the framework may also increase the appeal of the reasoning process to ecological researchers and biodiversity managers. Relocation as a conservation action can be accompanied by a variety of moral dilemmas that reflect the interconnection of values, ethical positions, and conservation decisions. A model that is designed to address moral dilemmas arising from relocation of humans provides/demonstrates/illustrates a possible way to apply the ecological ethics framework and to involve practicing conservationists in the overall decision-making process.     

Recycling Identities: A Narrative Inquiry on Consumer Decision Making Among Urban Poor Families in the Philippines

The purpose of this article is to explore consumption-related decisions of urban poor families. Using a combination of in-depth interviews and visual narrative exercise, stories of six urban poor families living in Payatas, Quezon City, were analyzed. Key findings show that consumption-related decisions of participants follow a double cyclic narrative of just right spending. Community shared practices enable participants to survive by managing tensions between making ends meet and sustaining a public ideal of living a simple life. The researchers provide reflections on the socio-economic reproduction of a public ideal and rethinking the role of psychology in poverty reduction policies.     

Innovative Practice,Clinical Research,and the Ethical Advancement of Medicine

Innovative practice occurs when a clinician provides something new, untested, or nonstandard to a patient in the course of clinical care, rather than as part of a research study. Commentators have noted that patients engaged in innovative practice are at significant risk of suffering harm, exploitation, or autonomy violations. By creating a pathway for harmful or nonbeneficial interventions to spread within medical practice without being subjected to rigorous scientific evaluation, innovative practice poses similar risks to the wider community of patients and society as a whole. Given these concerns, how should we control and oversee innovative practice, and in particular, how should we coordinate innovative practice and clinical research? In this article, I argue that an ethical approach overseeing innovative practice must encourage the early transition to rigorous clinical research without delaying or deferring the development of beneficial innovations or violating the autonomy rights of clinicians and their patients.     

Conceptualizing the Influence of Social Agents of Behavior Change: A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of HIV-Prevention Interventionists for Different Groups

A meta-analysis of 166 HIV-prevention interventions tested theoretical predictions about the effects of experts, lay community members, and similar and dissimilar others, as agents of change. In general, expert interventionists produced greater behavior change than lay community members, and the demographic and behavioral similarity between the interventionist and the recipients facilitated behavioral change. Equally importantly, there were differences across groups in the efficacy of various sources, especially among populations of low status and/or power. These findings support the hypothesis that unempowered populations are more sensitive to characteristics of the interventionists who can facilitate access to various resources. In addition, they suggest the need to ensure the availability of health professionals from diverse demographic and behavioral backgrounds.