U.S. ethnic minorities' attitudes towards Whites: The role of shared reality theory in intergroup relations

In the current research, we suggest that shared reality, the belief that one perceives the world the same way as another group, can predict attitudes towards that group. We tested shared reality theory in the context of American ethnic minority groups' (i.e., African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinas/os) attitudes towards White Americans. In surveys of two samples recruited from different geographical locations in the USA, we tested predictions derived from different theories of intergroup relations. Using mediational analysis, we defined models to assess the extent to which shared reality theory predicted—directly and indirectly—prejudicial attitudes towards Whites. We tested the model derived from shared reality theory against other theoretical alternatives. Taken together, the results of the research indicated that shared reality predicts attitudes towards White Americans among these three ethnic groups. Thus, shared reality is a relevant, though largely overlooked, factor in intergroup dynamics.     

Joking for Gender Equality: Subversive Humor Against Sexism Motivates Collective Action in Men and Women with Weaker Feminist Identity

Sex Roles - Subversive humor has historically been considered a way of protesting, raising awareness, and seeking change. However, to date, no known empirical research has explored the consequences...     

Incidence of anovulatory menstrual cycles among dysmenorrheic and non-non-dysmenorrheic [corrected] women: effects on symptomatology and mood

The incidence of spontaneous anovulatory (SA) menstrual cycles among dysmenorrheic and non-dysmenorrheic women and their effects on symptomatology and mood were examined in 52 university students distributed into two groups (18 dysmenorrheic women and 34 non-dysmenorrheic women) according to the presence or absence of symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea. Women were tested in menstrual, ovulatory and premenstrual phases. In order to estimate the proportion of ovulatory and SA cycles the basal body temperature (BBT) method was used. Results indicated that the percentage of SA cycles found in dysmenorrheic women does not confirm that primary dysmenorrhea only occurs in ovulatory cycles. In addition, the ovulatory cycles did not present greater symptomatology than the anovulatory cycles in self-rating of negative affect. In fact, menstrual symptomatology was not associated with ovulatory cycles. These data confirm that primary dysmenorrhea does not only depend on the endocrine factors which regulate the menstrual cycle but also on other factors such as social or psychological ones.     

An exploratory study on the development of beliefs about symptoms as signals of arterial hypertension

An exploratory study on the development of beliefs about symptoms as signals of arterial hypertension. In spite of hypertension is known as an asymptomatic health problem, most of the people with such a diagnosis are convinced of experiencing very specific symptoms associated to specific changes in blood pressure (BP). In addition, such beliefs may affect treatment adherence. Previous studies have shown that hypertensive patients use the information they considered right about BP symptoms to regulate the type of decisions they follow in adhering to treatment. The aim of this study is to explore specific variables related with the formation of beliefs about symptoms in a sample of 171 hypertensive patients. Results show that 81,3% of the patients perceived specific symptoms related to changes in hypertension as well as that variables related with the development of these beliefs were mostly: (1) the presence of symptoms during the diagnosis process, (2) the occurrence of hypertensive crisis, and (3) the information provided by others concerning the relationships between symptoms and BP changes. The importance of paying attention to the beliefs of specific symptoms as well as to the circumstances related with the formation process of such beliefs is discussed.     

Scientific productivity and Hirsch's h index of Spanish social psychology: convergence between productivity indexes and comparison with other areas

This article describes Hirsch's h index as a measure of researchers' scientific productivity and quality, examining its convergent validity with other productivity and quality measures (total citations, maximum citation, sexennials, years since earning Ph.D., and years as a full professor). It shows the distribution of the index among Spanish Social Psychology professors, and a comparison is made among the ten professors with highest h index of the six knowledge areas into which academic Psychology is divided in Spain. The results show that the index largely correlates with the citations but only very modestly with the number of sexennial investigations. The distributions by areas show that Psychobiology and Basic Psychology, as a whole, have a higher h index than the other areas, with Social Psychology in fourth place. Lastly, we discuss the implications of these results and we offer some recommendations for using the index in academic and research decision making.