When inclusion hurts: The role of valence in moderating the effects of being in the loop

We explored conditions under which being in the loop may be an undesirable experience. We tested whether information valence moderates the effects of being in versus out of the loop in four studies. In a pilot study, participants imagined positive and negative events and indicated the degree to which they would like to know this information. In Study 1, participants imagined being in or out of the loop on positive or negative information and indicated how they would feel. In Study 2, participants relived an actual experience when they were in or out of the loop on positive or negative information. In Study 3, participants were in or out of the loop on positive or negative information needed for an upcoming task. These studies provide evidence that being in the loop on negative information can be an unenjoyable experience, threatening fundamental needs and increasing negative affect.     

Connecting in the Twitterverse: Using Twitter to satisfy unmet belonging needs

The current study explored how social media can satisfy unmet needs for belonging. We predicted that, of those who experience chronic ostracism (feeling excluded and ignored frequently), people high in need to belong would utilize Twitter to satisfy their unmet belonging needs more than those low in need to belong. Specifically, individuals high in need to belong and chronic ostracism should use Twitter to form and maintain parasocial relationships (one-sided relationships with media figures). Participants (n = 315) completed a survey assessing their chronic ostracism experiences, dispositional need to belong, and Twitter behavior, particularly regarding potential parasocial relationship targets (n = 229). As expected, when participants reported experiencing high rates of chronic ostracism, participants high in need to belong used Twitter more than those low in need to belong, particularly following more parasocial relationship targets. Thus, maintaining parasocial relationships on Twitter may be an effective way to satisfy unmet belonging needs.     

What Good is a Feminist Identity?: Women’s Feminist Identification and Role Expectations for Intimate and Sexual Relationships

Women’s feminist identification is associated with a growing list of favorable outcomes, predicting that these correlations will extend to egalitarian and assertive role expectations for committed and sexual partnerships, respectively. Surveying 165 undergraduate US women, nonfeminist passive acceptance was linked to low egalitarian expectations overall and across all seven subscales of the marriage role expectation inventory. It also was related to depressed sexual assertiveness overall and specifically in initiating sexual encounters and engaging in safe sexual practices. These negative associations were nonsignificant or positive for women with stronger feminist identification. When endorsement of passive acceptance was controlled for, the positive correlation between egalitarian and assertive expectations fell to nonsignificance, consistent with regarding nonfeminist attitudes as a confounded third common factor.     

Does maintenance of colour categories rely on language? Evidence to the contrary from a case of semantic dementia

Recent neuropsychological evidence, supporting a strong version of Whorfian principles of linguistic relativity, has reinvigorated debate about the role of language in colour categorisation. This paper questions the methodology used in this research and uses a novel approach to examine the unique contribution of language to categorisation behaviour. Results of three investigations are reported. The first required development of objective measures of category coherence and consistency to clarify questions about healthy control performance on the freesorting colour categorisation task used in previous studies. Between-participant consistency was found to be only moderate and the number of colour categories generated was found to vary markedly between individuals. The second study involved longitudinal neuropsychological examination of a patient whose colour categorisation strategy was monitored in the context of a progressive decline in language due to semantic dementia. Performance on measures of category coherence and consistency was found to be relatively stable over time despite a profound decline in the patient's colour language. In a final investigation we demonstrated that, for both the patient and controls, between- and within-participant consistency were higher than expected by (a) random sorting and (b) sorting perceptually similar chips together. These findings indicate that the maintenance of colour categorisation need not depend on language.     

Risk Assessment and Genetic Counseling for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer: Recommendations of the National Society of Genetic Counselors

These cancer genetic counseling recommendations describe the medical, psychosocial and ethical implications of identifying at-risk individuals for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) through cancer risk assessment, with or without genetic susceptibility testing. They were developed by members of the Practice Issues Subcommittee of the National Society of Genetic Counselors’ Familial Cancer Risk Counseling Special Interest Group. The information contained in this document is derived from extensive review of the current literature on cancer genetic risk assessment as well as the professional expertise of genetic counselors with significant experience in education and counseling regarding hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Critical components of the process include the ascertainment of medical and family histories, determination and communication of cancer risk, assessment of risk perception, education regarding the genetics of HBOC, discussion of molecular testing for HBOC if appropriate (including benefits, risks and limitations) and any necessary follow-up. These recommendations do not dictate an exclusive course of management or guarantee a specific outcome. Moreover, they do not replace the professional judgment of a health care provider based on the clinical situation of a client.     

Inhibition of return: Unraveling a paradox

Although inhibition of return (IOR) is widely believed to aid search by discouraging reexamination of previously inspected locations, its impact actually appears to decline as the number of target locations increases. We test three possible reasons for this paradoxical result: (1) IOR is capacity-limited, (2) IOR is sensitive to subtle changes in target location probability, and (3) IOR decays with distance from a previously attended location. The present investigation provides strong support for the third explanation, indicating that a gradient of inhibition is centered on previously attended locations. We note that this inhibitory gradient resolves a paradox in the literature. Moreover, we speculate that the inhibitory gradient may reflect a “similarity space” within which target locations near to the cue are tagged with inhibition due to their similarity to the cued location. The farther the target location is away, the less similar it is to the cued location, and thus the less inhibition it receives.     

Education,Ethnic Identity,and Acculturation as Predictors of Self‐Esteem in Latino Adolescents

This study examines the self‐esteem, acculturation, and ethnic identity of 150 Latino adolescents enrolled in either a bilingual or traditional education program. Bilingual education programs were established to ensure that academic failure was not the product of limited English proficiency. Grade point average (GPA), acculturation, and ethnic identity significantly predicted self‐esteem for students in bilingual programs, whereas only GPA and acculturation significantly predicted self‐esteem for students in traditional educational programs.     

Internalized transphobia and mental health among transgender adults: A nationwide cross-sectional survey in South Korea

Abstract

Introduction: Transgender people are stigmatized in South Korea (hereafter Korea), where cultural expectations of a biologically-based, binary sex and gender system present fundamental challenges to those whose gender identity does not align with their birth-assigned sex. A growing international body of literature implicates gender minority stress as a key contributor to transgender mental health disparities, but little research has been conducted on this topic in Korea. As in other cultural settings, depression and suicidality are urgent public health concerns for transgender people in Korea, primarily for those who have not initiated gender affirming medical treatment (GAMT), such as cross-sex hormone therapy. In the current study, an international and interdisciplinary team of authors apply the lens of gender minority stress to elucidate the relationships between a key facet of gender minority stress, internalized transphobia (ITP), and outcomes of depressive symptoms and suicidality.

Methods: Based on a cross-sectional survey of 207 Korean transgender adults, the current study evaluates the relationships between ITP and depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. ITP was measured with an eight-item, Korean-language questionnaire adapted from the Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Measure through a translation and back-translation process.

Results: Korean trans women and trans men mean (mean age?=?26.4) were included in the analysis, most of whom had at least one experience of any GAMT. The findings of this study show that Korean transgender adults face similar public health concerns such as high prevalence of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. As predicted, ITP was significantly related to depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts.

Conclusion: The authors suggest potential clinical, policy, and research applications, including institutional interventions, to address structural and cultural barriers to optimal mental health and GAMT as well as mental health interventions to reduce Korean transgender people’s internalized negative beliefs about their gender identity.     

A case of blurred vision: Stereotyping in career information illustrations

In this paper two studies are described which examine racial and sex role stereotyping in career information illustrations. In Study 1 over 2000 illustrations, from sources including the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) and The Encyclopedia of Careers, were analyzed according to seven dimensions. In Study 2 a follow-up analysis was done comparing illustrations in the original OOH with a revised edition. Findings are discussed from the perspective of practical implications for vocational counselors.