The Effect of Image Features on Judgments of Homophily,Credibility, and Intention to Use as Avatars in Future Interactions

Avatar characteristics influence the perception of the people they represent in a process that is remarkably similar to the way physical bodies influence person perception offline. This is consistent with the Social Responses to Computer Technologies model, which argues that people respond similarly to computers and people as long as sources are perceived to be intelligent. Similarly, Information Processing Theory suggests that the viewers apply the same evaluation sequences to nearly all sources and that more processing resources are allocated to perceiving an entity with social potential. To address the extent to which static avatars are perceived to be intelligent and human like, or have social potential, participants (N = 261) each evaluated a random set of 10 images as potential avatars. The avatars varied with respect to level of computer manipulation, visible indicators of masculinity, and anthropomorphism (having human characteristics). Results confirm that even static avatars are anthropomorphized and that visual characteristics influence perceptions of the avatars. Level of computer manipulation, masculinity, and anthropomorphism all influence perceived levels of realism, competence, and the sense of homophily with the avatar. The implications of these results for theory, future research, and for users and designers of communication systems are discussed.     

The mediating and moderating role of planning on mothers’ decisions for early childhood dietary behaviours

Objective: Examine the roles of action and coping planning on the intention–behaviour relationship for mothers’ decisions for their young children’s dietary behaviours.

Design: Prospective design with two waves of data collection, one week apart.

Main outcome measures: Mothers (N = 197, M_age = 34.39, SD = 5.65) of children aged 2–3 years completed a main questionnaire assessing planning constructs and intentions, and a one-week follow-up of the target behaviours – ‘healthy eating’ and ‘discretionary choices’.

Results: Intention was the strongest predictor of behaviour for both dietary behaviours. For healthy eating, intention moderated the indirect relationship between intention–behaviour via planning; coping planning was less important when intention was strong. Further, intention was not a direct predictor of behaviour when intention was relatively low. Action planning was not a direct predictor of either behaviour after accounting for intention and coping planning; action planning on behaviour was mediated by coping planning (only for healthy eating). Intention was not a direct predictor of coping planning; intention on coping planning was mediated by action planning. Neither type of planning predicted discretionary choices.

Conclusion: Current findings contribute novel information on the mechanisms underpinning the effect of action and coping planning on the intention–behaviour relationship.     

Association of social-environmental factors with cognitive function in children with sickle cell disease

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between cognitive function in pediatric sickle cell disease (SCD) patients and mothers’ reports of social-environmental stress, depressive symptoms, and parenting. A total of 65 children with SCD completed comprehensive neuropsychological testing to assess several domains of cognitive functioning, including general intellectual ability, academic achievement, and executive function. Mothers reported on demographics, social-environmental stress, depressive symptoms, and parenting. As predicted, children with SCD significantly underperformed relative to normative data on measures of cognitive function. Associations between maternal social-environmental stress, maternal depressive symptoms, and parenting were mixed. The results show partial support for the hypothesis that greater stress and depressive symptoms and less positive parenting are associated with poorer cognitive function in children with SCD. Linear regression analyses showed that maternal financial stress was the strongest predictor across all domains of cognitive function. The findings replicate and extend past research, reaffirming that children with SCD are at risk for cognitive impairment across multiple domains. Additionally, social-environmental stress, particularly financial strain, is linked to mothers’ depressive symptoms and parenting behaviors as well as children’s cognitive function. Future studies using direct observations of parenting behaviors are needed. These findings, along with recent research on parenting interventions, may inform the development of concrete, teachable parenting and coping skills to improve cognitive functioning in children with SCD.     

Maladaptive Parenting,Temperament, Early Maladaptive Schemas,and Depression: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

According to the Schema Therapy Model, maladaptive parenting styles interact with a child’s unique temperament in the development of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs), which in turn increase one’s risk for developing pathology. However, few authors have examined the comprehensive model. The purpose of this study was to assess the indirect effect of perceived parenting styles on depressive symptoms through EMSs. Furthermore, a series of moderated mediation analyses were conducted to examine whether the indirect effect varies as a function of temperament. A total of 403 undergraduate students completed measures of perceived parenting experiences, temperament, EMSs, and depressive symptoms. Results indicated that the schema domains of disconnection/rejection and impaired autonomy mediated the relationship between perceived parenting styles and depressive symptoms. Moderation of the indirect effect was only found in two of the twelve tested models. This study lends partial support to the Schema Therapy model and also offers a new way of looking at the interactive nature of the constructs.     

Increasing Class Participation in College Classrooms with the Good Behavior Game

Participation in college classrooms remains low, despite evidence that increased participation contributes to better grades. Incorporating active student educational strategies may help combat poor participation. The Good Behavior Game is a tool for improving various behaviors of children and adolescents in schools. However, strategies similar to the Good Behavior Game have not yet been assessed with young adults in college classrooms. We used an alternating treatments design to evaluate effects of a modified version of the Good Behavior Game on participation across three introductory psychology courses at a public university. We collected baseline data on class participation and then compared two variations of the Good Behavior Game—one included delivering a preferred reward to individuals on the winning team and one did not include a reward. Incorporating components of the Good Behavior Game increased class participation with and without a preferred reward, relative to baseline. Students reported preferring the game with a reward relative to the game with no reward and not playing the game. Because class participation has been correlated with better course grades, incorporating features of the Good Behavior Game may be a feasible approach for improving college students’ education.     

A New Measure of the Expression of Shame: The Shame Code

While shame is essential for adaptive functioning, experiencing shame more often or intensely than others is strongly associated with psychopathology. To date, no measure of the behavioral expression of shame exists, despite the great potential for use in research and clinical settings. The present study aimed to assess the Shame Code, a new behavioral coding system of the expression of shame. Participants included 149 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 (50?% female, M?=?14.5). Shame was elicited with a spontaneous speech task. Participants’ overall Shame Code scores were correlated only with a state measure of shame, however, structural equation modeling results showed that Shame Code variables combined differentially to assess state and trait shame scores. A two-factor model was the best fit to the data. The first factor, Fidget, consisted of Hiding, Fidget (positively loaded), Nervous Positive, and Stillness (negatively loaded). The second factor, Freeze, was comprised of Stillness, Facial Tension, and Silence (positively loaded). The Fidget factor was associated with higher Trait Shame and the Freeze factor was associated with higher State Shame but lower Trait Shame. Therefore, the Shame Code not only effectively captured the behavioral manifestations of shame, but Shame Code variables also differentially predicted state and trait shame.     

Relationship between language switching experience and executive functions in bilinguals: an Internet-based study*

We examined the relationship between self-reported everyday language switching experience and the performance of early bilinguals in tasks measuring different executive functions. Our participants were Finnish–Swedish early bilinguals, aged 16–41 years (N?=?66, Experiment 1) and 18–69 years (N?=?111, Experiment 2). An earlier study using a sample from a similar population discovered a negative relationship between self-reported language switching and a mixing cost in error rates in a number–letter task. This finding was not replicated. Instead, we found that a higher rate of reported contextual language switching predicted larger switching cost reaction times in the number–letter task, and that a higher rate of reported unintended language switches predicted larger error rates in a spatial n-back task. We conclude that these results likely reflect individual differences in executive skills, and do not provide evidence for the hypothesis that language switching trains executive functions.     

Job attitudes of workers with two jobs

This article examines the job attitudes of people who hold more than one job. Satisfaction, stress, and organizational (continuance and affective) commitment were assessed for both primary and secondary jobs for 83 full-time workers who held two jobs concurrently. Consistency between job constructs across jobs was negligible, except for continuance organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Similarity between jobs was a significant moderator of convergence (though not consistency), whereas affective disposition did not appear to affect consistency or convergence. Holders of multiple jobs had higher satisfaction, higher stress, and higher affective organizational commitment with their primary jobs compared to their secondary jobs. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that job constructs associated with the primary job were useful for explaining life outcomes, even after controlling for affective disposition. Job constructs associated with secondary jobs, however, were not useful in explaining life outcomes. Limitations of the current study as well as suggestions for future research are given.