Determinants of religious expression in the workplace

With the importance of religion to many individuals and the legal protections present in various countries, religious expression in the workplace is a phenomenon worthy of greater research and understanding. This study examined several potential antecedents of religious expression in the workplace. Results from a sample of employed individuals suggest that both individual and organisational factors, including individual religiosity, company culture and value congruence, influence the level of workplace religious expression.     

Do Girls Change More Than Boys? Gender Differences and Similarities in the Impact of New Relationships on Identities and Behaviors

Prompted by research suggesting females' self-concepts are more interpersonally rooted than males', I compare girls' identity changes in reaction to relationships in new social contexts with boys', testing whether identity change processes are the same for each sex. I use survey responses from 320 summer program students about five activity areas: (1) science & technology; (2) computers; (3) athletics & recreation; (4) beliefs & interests; and (5) arts & literature. While girls become more attached to and involved with others, their identity processes are equivalent to those of boys. Girls change more, but their change is rooted in greater sociability, not higher reactivity to new relationships. Findings vary by relationship and activity types, indicating sex differences may reflect gender role expectations.     

MENTAL HEALTH OF TRAUMA-EXPOSED FIREFIGHTERS AND CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS DEBRIEFING

Interest in critical incident stress debriefings for firefighters has grown over the last decade. Some researchers report that debriefings protect firefighters from stress-related disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Proponents of the interventions claim extraordinary need and success. Controlled and correlational studies have largely failed to demonstrate therapeutic effects, and some report iatrogenic effects. This study examined the relationships between debriefings and several mental health variables in a large sample of firefighters. Debriefing had a weak inverse correlation with negative affectivity and a weak positive correlation with positive world assumptions. No relationship was found between debriefing and PTSD.     

Arousal interventions for athletic performance: Influence of mental preparation and competitive experience

Abstract

Mental preparation, or “psych-up” strategies have been assumed to promote physical arousal which subsequently improves certain athletic performances. The present experiment examined the role of arousal changes in the use of psych-up strategies on a physical strength task and a reaction time-decision task for subjects varying in competitive experience. Eighty-four subjects were reliably divided into high, moderate, or low competitive experience groups and randomly assigned to one of three mental preparation strategies. These strageies, which the subjects employed during a mental preparation period for both tasks, were either: (a) a self-generated arousal strategy, (b) a prescribed arousal strategy, or (c) a placebo-control strategy. While heart rate was being monitored, each subject completed a baseline trial, then one trial following a 45 sec mental preparation period and one trial following a 45 sec distraction interval. Order of presentation of tasks and order of presentation of distraction and mental preparation trials were counterbalanced and statistically analyzed. The results support the utility of different mental preparation strategies for increasing strength performance, but not reaction time-decision performance, for subjects with moderate and high levels of previous competitive experience. Self-generated arousal strategies enhanced performance of moderate experienced subjects. Analyses of the heart rate data failed to support the assumption that physiological arousal mediates the influence of psych-up strategies. Mental preparation strategies improved athletes' performance on certain tasks, however these strategies do not necessarily achieve their effects through increased autonomic arousal.     

Directions for judgment and decision making research based on comparison selection: Reply to Arkes,Johnson, and Kardes

Our target article proposed an alternative perspective for studying consumer judgment and decision making, focusing on the types and weights of comparisons consumers select. In this response we consider the major points made by each of the commentators and examine their implications for future work addressing our comparison-focused approach.     

My Disaster Recovery: a pilot randomized controlled trial of an Internet intervention

Abstract

This pilot study tested the efficacy of the My Disaster Recovery (MDR) website to decrease negative affect and increase coping self-efficacy. Fifty-six survivors of Hurricane Ike were recruited from a larger study being conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch at the first anniversary of the storm. Restricted randomization was used to assign participants to the MDR website, an information-only website, or a usual care condition. Group×time interactions indicated that MDR reduced participant worry more than the other conditions. A similar trend was also identified for depression. Both websites were accessed a small to moderate amount and participants reported mixed satisfaction for both websites. Although the effect sizes for worry and depression were in the moderate to large range, small sample size and timing of the intervention qualify the findings. These preliminary findings encourage further evaluation of MDR with a larger, demographically diverse sample and indicate that the MDR website might be helpful in reducing worry and depression.     

Uncovering Visitor Conceptions of Fossils and the Fossil Record

ABSTRACT

One of the common features of any natural history museum is its fossil collection. A visitor's prior knowledge of and experience with these prehistoric objects is expected to greatly influence how visitors make sense of these iconic displays. For this study, over 150 visitors to two natural history museums in Southern California were interviewed to find out what they knew about fossils and the fossil record. Findings showed that visitors referenced a wide range or breadth of salient characteristics when defining fossils and that almost two-thirds mentioned some sort of process for the formation of fossils. When asked to interpret a diagram of geological strata and fossil placement within the strata, most visitors recognized that older fossils were found in lower layers (suggesting an understanding of the principle of superposition), although this was age-dependent. Also, many visitors explained fossil distribution in terms of some sort of change process—either related to the organism or the environment. In addition, several potential misconceptions related to fossils and superposition also emerged from the analysis. Implications for supporting visitor understanding are discussed.     

First Impressions: Exploring the Structure of Titles for Nonformal Public Interpretive Programs

ABSTRACT

Visitors considering attending an interpretive program open to the public at a zoo, historic site, park, or museum may have no more information available to them than the title of the program and its location and date. This research investigated how the structure of a program title helped or hindered people from inferring the topic of the program, whether it is for adults or children, level of formality, and interestingness. Ninety-six college students at 2 universities rated 18 titles for interpretive programs on 4 dimensions. Interestingness of the program topic was related to reported intention to attend the program. Being able to infer whether the program was for adults or children and whether it was formal or informal was related to interestingness. Program titles should be strategically constructed as potential program participants make inferences about the program from the title.