COVID-19, Virtual Engagement and the Psychoid Imagination1

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on analytic training and the delivery of educational content is explored here. The proliferation of Zoom therapy and teaching is creating a post-human platform to which nearly everyone in contemporary society has had to adapt. Looking at the possible meanings of the pandemic, a psychoid factor (the virus) engaging the imagination has come to the fore as a response to climate change. The striking similarity to the H1N1 viral pandemic (“Spanish flu”) is noted, especially in the context of C. G. Jung having had a case in 1919 during which he experienced a number of visions and dreams. The imagery produced can be seen as an implicit attempt at “re-enchanting the world” found in The red book. Finally, a reconsideration of pedagogy in response to the pandemic is discussed with an eye to the archetypal aspects of internet communications.     

Order‐constrained linear optimization

Despite the fact that data and theories in the social, behavioural, and health sciences are often represented on an ordinal scale, there has been relatively little emphasis on modelling ordinal properties. The most common analytic framework used in psychological science is the general linear model, whose variants include ANOVA, MANOVA, and ordinary linear regression. While these methods are designed to provide the best fit to the metric properties of the data, they are not designed to maximally model ordinal properties. In this paper, we develop an order‐constrained linear least‐squares (OCLO) optimization algorithm that maximizes the linear least‐squares fit to the data conditional on maximizing the ordinal fit based on Kendall's τ. The algorithm builds on the maximum rank correlation estimator (Han, 1987, Journal of Econometrics, 35, 303) and the general monotone model (Dougherty & Thomas, 2012, Psychological Review, 119, 321). Analyses of simulated data indicate that when modelling data that adhere to the assumptions of ordinary least squares, OCLO shows minimal bias, little increase in variance, and almost no loss in out‐of‐sample predictive accuracy. In contrast, under conditions in which data include a small number of extreme scores (fat‐tailed distributions), OCLO shows less bias and variance, and substantially better out‐of‐sample predictive accuracy, even when the outliers are removed. We show that the advantages of OCLO over ordinary least squares in predicting new observations hold across a variety of scenarios in which researchers must decide to retain or eliminate extreme scores when fitting data.     

TACIT: An open-source text analysis,crawling, and interpretation tool

As human activity and interaction increasingly take place online, the digital residues of these activities provide a valuable window into a range of psychological and social processes. A great deal of progress has been made toward utilizing these opportunities; however, the complexity of managing and analyzing the quantities of data currently available has limited both the types of analysis used and the number of researchers able to make use of these data. Although fields such as computer science have developed a range of techniques and methods for handling these difficulties, making use of those tools has often required specialized knowledge and programming experience. The Text Analysis, Crawling, and Interpretation Tool (TACIT) is designed to bridge this gap by providing an intuitive tool and interface for making use of state-of-the-art methods in text analysis and large-scale data management. Furthermore, TACIT is implemented as an open, extensible, plugin-driven architecture, which will allow other researchers to extend and expand these capabilities as new methods become available.     

How personalized and socialized power motivation facilitate antisocial and prosocial decision-making

In two studies, we investigate the effects of individuals’ power motivation on decision-making. We distinguish between two types of power motivation [McClelland, D. C. (1970). The two faces of power. Journal of International Affairs, 24, 29–47; Winter, D. G. (1973). The power motive. New York: The Free Press] and demonstrate that both types of power motivation facilitate influential decision-making but that each type plays a different role in different contexts. In a conflict context (Study 1), individuals’ personalized (self-serving) power motivation was associated with antisocial decisions, and in a healthcare context (Study 2), individuals socialized (other-serving) power motivation was associated with prosocial decisions. Furthermore, the type of power motivation elicited in each context was associated with less perceived need to deliberate over the relevant policy decision. In separating out the independent effects of each type of power motivation, we are able to explain more variance in decision-making behavior across various contexts than in models using aggregate power motivation (personalized plus socialized).     

Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory-II in low-income, African American suicide attempters

Cross-cultural examinations of the validity and reliability of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck, Steer, Ball, & Ranieri, 1996) is essential for its use in assessment and monitoring of the effectiveness of suicide interventions across racial groups. We tested the fit of a second-order, two-factor model and the internal reliability of the BDI-II in a sample of 133 African Americans with a recent history of suicide attempts. Additionally, we examined the convergent validity with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (Reynolds & Koback, 1995). The results indicate that the BDI-II is a reliable and valid measure of depressive symptoms for African American suicide attempters.     

Autonomy or Dependence – or Both?: Perspectives from Bangladesh

The idea of personal autonomy is central to many accounts of eudaimonic well-being. Yet it is often criticized as a Western concept celebrating individualism and independence over group obligations and interdependence or dependence. This paper rejects this view and argues that coherent accounts of autonomy must always recognize the interdependence of people in groups, and that autonomy can coexist with substantial relationships of dependence. It illustrates this drawing on evidence from Bangladesh, a poor country usually absent from cross-cultural studies and one where personal relationships of hierarchy and dependence are endemic. Argument and evidence are presented showing the coexistence of personal autonomy and dependence, and the relationship between collective action and autonomy. We also address some of the specific problems encountered in researching autonomy in a social context where it is mainly expressed in relational forms. We conclude that autonomy can be directed toward both personal and social goals, and can be enacted individually, or by participation in groups. Autonomy is a universal psychological need but its expression is always contextual. ESRC Research Group on Wellbeing in Developing Countries     

A taxonomy for financial services selling

The financial services industry accounts for almost half of the country’s nonfarm, commercial profit, making the industry a major driver of the economy. Prior to this study, limited information was available to evaluate financial services sales activities, and a taxonomy of sales activities for individuals in the financial services industry had not previously been conducted. Prior empirically developed sales taxonomies did not include service firms and specifically financial services, while focusing on manufacturing and other product sales. Given that taxonomies are a critical step in scientific inquiry, this is a major limitation in the literature hindering the development of a better understanding of this important industry. Using an established methodology and a seminal sales taxonomy, a financial services sales taxonomy was conducted. Results reflect that financial services sales positions differ from those in other industries. Six sets of sales activities (factors) along with six job positions (clusters) were identified.     

Predictors of quantitative and qualitative Halstead finger-tapping scores in low socioeconomic status school-age children.

Two hundred and thirteen low socioeconomic school-age children in grades 1 through 8 were administered the Halstead Finger Oscillation (or Tapping) Test (HFTT). All children were age appropriate for their grade in school and were not requiring special education services. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that a composite age/grade classification score, gender, and estimated level of intelligence accounted for approximately 40% of the variability in dominant and nondominant hand scores for these children (multiple R = .627, R(2) = +.393 for the dominant and multiple R = +.607, R(2) = +.368 for the nondominant hand). Only the age/grade level of the child (R(2) = .168) predicted the ability to inhibit adjacent finger movements when performing the HFTT task. Regional normative data for low socioeconomic school-age children are presented. Neurodevelopmental changes in the cortical and subcortical systems underlying finger movement may account for some of the variability observed in children when performing the HFTT.