Measuring forgiveness: psychometric properties of a new culturally sensitive questionnaire: the Bolton Forgiveness Scale (BFS)

ABSTRACT

Forgiveness is a universal construct. A forgiveness measure should ensure good and diverse cultural representation and inclusivity in its development, validation and usage. The 15-item Bolton Forgiveness Scale (BFS) assesses dispositional forgiveness. Items came from interviews with 53 Nigerian and British people, existing scales and the research literature. Exploratory factor analysis with a student sample (n = 733) was followed by confirmatory factor analysis with a general sample (n = 2,017). This indicated a robust three-factor structure. Factors were, coming to terms and letting go (CLTG), developing positive feelings (DPF) and giving benefit of the doubt (GBD). Scale Validity was established and a new forgiveness definition emerged as a process that involves developing and strengthening the capacity to give benefit of the doubt that enables the offended come to terms with and let go of hurt with its negative affect thereby giving way gradually to positive feelings towards the transgressor.     

Hippocampal lesion syndrome: Switching to and from a place hypothesis

Spatial discrimination learning (Experiment I) and strategy shifts (Experiment II) were examined in experimentally lesioned rats. Sixty adult male rats were in one of five lesion groups (N = 12/group): operated controls, fornical, entorhinal, fornicoentorhinal and dorsal-ventral hippocampal. All animals reached criterion on the discrimination learning test. In the strategy shift experiment, however, animals with hippocampal lesions had more difficulty than animals without hippocampal lesions. The findings suggest that the hippocampus may not be involved in learning strategies, but in switching a strategy.     

Family Smoking Patterns and Smoking among Eighth and Tenth Grade Students

Les families de fumeurs ont étéétudiées à partir du comportement tabagique d'un grand échantillon représentatif des lycéens des 8* et 10* niveaux du centre de la Floride ( n = 1416). Des analyses multivariées ont révélé que le tabagisme de la mère, du père, de la soeur ou du frère aînés rendait compte de 12% de la variance de la décision de se mettre à fumer. Des analyses de régression multiple ont montré qu'une grande soeur fumeuse expliquait la plus grande part de la variance des fumeurs, suivie par la mère et par le père. L'influence du frère aîné n'est pas significative. La famille n'est pas significativement liée au maintien du tabagisme chez les lycéens.
Family smoking habits were examined as they related to the behaviour of a broad, representative sample of eighth and tenth grade students from central and south-central Florida ( n =1416). Multivariate analyses of variance revealed that 12% of the variance for smoking initiation (smoker) was accounted for by the smoking habits of mother, father, older sister, and older brother. Multiple regression analyses showed that older sister's smoking accounted for the greatest independent proportion of smoker variance, followed by mother's and father's smoking. Older brother's smoking habits did not contribute significant unique variance. Family smoking habits were not significantly related to the maintenance of students' smoking behaviour.