Friendship and loneliness among bullies and victims: Data from seven countries

Research suggests that the relationship between school bullying and its various risk factors should be clearer among girls than boys, and should become stronger with age, as roles within the peer group stabilise. This paper tests this theory by comparing sex, school type, and bully/victim status differences in friendships and playground social interactions, using data from nine surveys in seven countries: China, England, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, and Spain. A total of approximately 48,000 children completed various translations of the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire. Small but generally consistent main effects were found for sex and school type (boys and primary pupils enjoyed playtimes more and had more friends, but were also more likely to spend playtimes alone). Larger effects were consistently found for bully/victim status (victims were significantly worse off on all the measures in all the samples where a difference was found, while bullies and neutrals did not differ consistently), but the interactions between these factors varied widely between samples and there were few consistent patterns. It is concluded that bullying is a universal phenomenon with many negative correlates for victims and few (if any) for bullies, but that there are cultural variations in the way that bullying is related to sex, age, and social support. Aggr. Behav. 30:71–83, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Ismael on the Paradox of Predictability

Philosophia - In this discussion note we argue, contrary to the thrust of a recent article by Jenann Ismael, that resolving the paradox of predictability does not require denying the possibility of...     

Thermomagnetic study of devitrification in Fe-Si-B-Cu-Nb(-X) alloys

Thermomagnetic measurements have been used to study the magnetic and structural changes occurring at the two steps of the crystallization process of Fe_73.5Si_13.5B₉Cu₁Nb₁X₂ (X = Zr, Nb, Mo and V) alloys. Alloying raises the thermal stability of the amorphous phase against nanocrystallization in the order V < Mo < Nb < Zr and some differences in the final crystalline phases are found. The Curie temperature of the amorphous phase increases (about 15K) during structural relaxation. In the course of nanocrystallization a further increase of about 30K in the Curie temperature of the amorphous intergranular is observed for samples with X = Zr, Nb and Mo, but only of about 15K for samples containing V. The observed increase in the Curie temperature of the Fe-Si phase between the end of the first crystallization process and the end of the second crystallization process is associated with a reduction in the Si content, in agreement with X-ray diffraction results.     

Addressing Cultural Variables in Parent Training Programs With Latino Families

There has recently been increased attention given to understanding how cultural variables may have an impact on the efficacy of treatments with Latino families seeking psychological services. Within parent training programs, understanding the extent to which culture can affect parenting practices is vital to providing quality care. The focus of this article is to discuss how different cultural variables such as respeto, personalismo, machismo, marianismo, and acculturation can impact the efficacy of parent training programs for Latino families. Recommendations for addressing these cultural variables in parent training programs are provided.     

Empathy and risk status for child physical abuse: the effects of an adult victim's pain cues and an adult victim's intent on aggression

It has been proposed that abusive parents and parents at high risk for child physical abuse could be more likely to view children's behavior as being motivated by hostile intent [e.g., Milner, 1993], as compared to nonabusive and low‐risk parents. This kind of misattribution of other's behavior may inhibit empathic emotion, and therefore, could block the inhibiting effect of a victim's pain cues on aggression [Baron, 1979]. An experiment was designed to analyze the moderating effect of an adult victim's intent on aggression in high‐ and low‐risk participants for child physical abuse. A 2 × 2 factorial design based upon two levels of the participant's risk status (high, low) and two levels of victim's intent (positive, ambiguous) was employed. All participants observed an adult victim's pain cues. Ninety‐five (48 high and 47 low risk for child physical abuse) undergraduate females enrolled in courses at the University of the Basque Country participated in the experiment. The main effects of victims' intent and of participants' risk status were statistically significant. Participants in the ambiguous victim's intent condition aggressed significantly more than participants in the positive victim's intent condition. Moreover, high‐risk participants aggressed more than low‐risk participants regardless of the victim's intent. A significant interaction between risk status and victim's intent was expected. High‐risk subjects for child physical abuse were expected to aggress more than low‐risk subjects only in the ambiguous victim's intent condition. However, results did not support this hypothesis. Aggr. Behav. 32:1–12, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Classical conditioning of pupillary constriction

Previous attempts to condition classically the pupillary response have resulted in mixed outcome. Studies using light as the UCS have generally been unsuccessful while those studies using shock as the UCS have been more successful. In the present study six subjects were visually presented 15 CVC trigrams while their pupil sizes were monitored. Five of the CVCs had been previously presented, five had been previously presented while paired with shock, and five had not been previously presented. Analysis indicated that more pupillary constriction occurred to the five CVCs paired with shock than those presented without shock or those not previously presented. The resulting classically conditioned pupillary constriction is discussed in terms of the development of meaning through classical conditioning.     

Tolerance towards dating violence in Spanish adolescents

The study of intimate partner violence among adolescent and young couples in Spain remains unattended, although such abuses are well known and more frequent than in adulthood. The aim of this study is, on the one hand, to provide epidemiological information on dating relationships, and on the other hand, to identify attitudes towards violence. 2205 women enrolled in schools in diverse provinces of Spain, participated in the study. Average age was near 19 years (SD= 2.25). The Dating Violence Questionnaire (DVQ, in Spanish, CUVINO), a questionnaire that assesses both frequency and distress associated with violent behavior, was used. The DVQ allowed differentiating between groups of women self-labeled as abused and not abused on the basis of the frequency of sustained violence, although the levels of distress in the face of violence were statistically similar in both groups. Implications for future research and prevention programs are discussed.