Modes of information integration and Piagetian measures of concrete operational thought

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between modes of information integration and performance on a variety of Piagetian concrete operational tasks. The sample consisted of 180 6- to 8-year-olds. Factor analysis of the Piaget tests revealed five interpretable factors: conversation of substance—equality, conservation of substance— inequality, conservation of number, class inclusion, and matrices. Factor analysis of the marker tests for information integration revealed two factors: simultaneous and successive. All the Piaget measures, with the exception of class inclusion, were related to the simultaneous factor. Class inclusion was weakly related to the successive factor.     

Achieving incremental semantic interpretation through contextual representation.

While much work has been done investigating the role of context in the incremental processing of syntactic indeterminacies, relatively little is known about online semantic interpretation. The experiments in this article made use of the eye-tracking paradigm with spoken language and visual contexts in order to examine how, and when listeners make use of contextually-defined contrast in interpreting simple prenominal adjectives. Experiment 1 focused on intersective adjectives. Experiment 1A provided further evidence that intersective adjectives are processed incrementally. Experiment 1B compared response times to follow instructions such as 'Pick up the blue comb' under conditions where there were two blue objects (e.g. a blue pen and a blue comb), but only one of these objects had a contrasting member in the display. Responses were faster to objects with a contrasting member, establishing that the listeners initially assume a contrastive interpretation for intersective adjectives. Experiments 2 and 3 focused on vague scalar adjectives examining the time course with which listeners establish contrast for scalar adjectives such as tall using information provided by the head noun (e.g. glass) and information provided by the visual context. Use of head-based information was examined by manipulating the typicality of the target object (e.g. whether it was a good or poor example of a tall glass. Use of context-dependent contrast was examined by either having only a single glass in the display (the no contrast condition) or a contrasting object (e.g. a smaller glass). The pattern of results indicated that listeners interpreted the scalar adjective incrementally taking into account context-specific contrast prior to encountering the head. Moreover, the presence of a contrasting object, sharply reduced, and in some conditions completely eliminated, typicality effects. The results suggest a language processing system in which semantic interpretation, as well as syntactic processing, is conducted incrementally, with early integration of contextual information.     

A Within-Person Analysis of the Association between Borderline Personality Disorder and Alcohol Use in Adolescents

Many studies examining the association between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and alcohol use during adolescence have focused on between-individual differences (rank order stability), comparing whether adolescents with elevated rates of alcohol use have higher BPD symptoms than those with lower rates of alcohol use. As such, the extent to which an individual’s alcohol use is associated with concurrent and future BPD symptoms has been relatively unstudied. The current study assessed year-to-year fluctuations in alcohol use and BPD symptoms in a large urban sample of girls from age 14 to age 17 (N = 2450). The primary aim was to examine whether increases in alcohol use were associated with increases in adolescent girls’ BPD symptoms in the same year and in the following year. Results of fixed-effects (within-individual) models revealed that even while controlling for the time-varying impact of symptoms of both internalizing and externalizing disorders, prior and concurrent other substance use, and all time invariant, pre-existing differences between individuals, higher past-year alcohol use was associated with higher levels of BPD symptoms. Furthermore, this association did not vary by age, or by sociodemographic factors, including child race and socioeconomic status of the family. The results of this study indicate heightened risk for the exacerbation of BPD symptoms following increases in alcohol use frequency and highlight the potential utility of interventions targeting drinking behavior for preventing escalations in BPD symptoms.     

Mediational effects of sensation seeking on the age and financial risk-taking relationship

The current study examined the potential mediating role of sensation seeking in the well-established negative relationship between age and financial risk-taking. A total of 299 participants, aged 17–90 years, allocated hypothetical money into mutual funds that varied in risk and completed a sensation seeking measure. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that the amount of variability age accounted for in risk-taking (4.1%; β = −.22) was significantly reduced when sensation seeking was controlled for (0.8%; β = −.12). A Sobel test revealed that sensation seeking fully mediated the aforementioned relationship. Results suggest sensation seeking’s role as a mediator in more physiologically arousing risk-taking contexts (e.g., surfing). Discussion recommends investigating potential biologically and cognitively-rooted mediators and moderators of the age and risk-taking relationship.     

Understanding the Relationship Between Religiousness, Spirituality, and Underage Drinking: The Role of Positive Alcohol Expectancies

Research has consistently found that religiousness and spirituality are negatively associated with underage drinking. However, there is a paucity of research exploring the mechanisms by which these variables influence this important outcome. With 344 underage young adults (ages 18–20; 61 % women), we investigated positive alcohol expectancies as a mediator between religiousness and spirituality (measured separately) and underage alcohol use. Participants completed the Religious Commitment Inventory-10, Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale, Alcohol Expectancies Questionnaire, and Drinking Styles Questionnaire. Results indicate less positive alcohol expectancies partially mediate the relationship between both religiousness and spirituality and underage alcohol use. This suggests religiousness and spirituality’s protective influence on underage drinking is partly due to their influence on expectations about alcohol’s positive effects. Since underage drinking predicts problem drinking later in life and places one at risk for serious physical and mental health problems, it is important to identify specific points of intervention, including expectations about alcohol that rise from religious and spiritual factors.     

Inhibition of attended processing during saccadic eye movements

People are unable to perform some, but not all, cognitive tasks while moving their eyes. A possible common denominator among disrupted processes is the use of attention. The present research proposes and tests an attentional suppression hypothesis to evaluate this claim. This hypothesis states that because attention is obligatorily allocated to a to-be-fixated location prior to the onset of a saccade, during saccadic events attentional resources are unavailable to direct processing associated with higher order cognitive tasks. Subjects were engaged in a task that combined saccades and shifts of attention across global and local levels of hierarchical figures. When the eyes did not move, this shift took place between stimulus presentations. When saccades intervened between the stimuli, the global-local shifts of attention were interrupted, suggesting that saccades suppress cognitive processes requiring attention.     

Motivation by positive or negative role models: regulatory focus determines who will best inspire us

In 3 studies, the authors demonstrated that individuals are motivated by role models who encourage strategies that fit their regulatory concerns: Promotion-focused individuals, who favor a strategy of pursuing desirable outcomes, are most inspired by positive role models, who highlight strategies for achieving success; prevention-focused individuals, who favor a strategy of avoiding undesirable outcomes, are most motivated by negative role models, who highlight strategies for avoiding failure. In Studies 1 and 2, the authors primed promotion and prevention goals and then examined the impact of role models on motivation. Participants' academic motivation was increased by goal-congruent role models but decreased by goal-incongruent role models. In Study 3, participants were more likely to generate real-life role models that matched their chronic goals.     

Examining Walkability and Social Capital as Indicators of Quality of Life at the Municipal and Neighborhood Scales

Walkability has been linked to quality of life in many ways. Health related benefits of physical exercise, the accessibility and access benefits of being able to walk to obtain some of your daily needs, or the mental health and social benefits of reduced isolation are a few of the many positive impacts on quality of life that can result from a walkable neighborhood. In the age of increasing energy costs and climate considerations, the ability to walk to important locations is a key component of sustainable communities. While the health and environmental implications of walkable communities are being extensively studied, the social benefits have not been investigated as broadly. Social capital is a measure of an individual’s or group’s networks, personal connections, and involvement. Like economic and human capital, social capital is considered to have important values to both individuals and communities. Through a case study approach this article argues that the generation and maintenance of social capital is another important component of quality of life that may be facilitated by living in a walkable community. Residents living in neighborhoods of varying built form and thus varying levels of walkability in three communities in New Hampshire were surveyed about their levels of social capital and travel behaviors. Comparisons between the more walkable and less walkable neighborhoods show that levels of social capital are higher in more walkable neighborhoods.     

A two-study examination of work–family conflict,production deviance and gender

Building on the spillover and crossover literatures of work–family conflict and the theoretical framework of Conservation of Resources Theory (Hobfoll, 1989) we examine the effects of conflict on production deviance. Using a two-study constructive replication and extension design, we examine how partner work-to-family conflict contributes to job incumbent family-to-work conflict and subsequent engagement in production deviance. In addition, we examine the moderating role of gender on the incumbent family-to-work conflict to production deviance relationship. Study 1 of 344 job incumbents supported the positive relationship between incumbent family-to-work conflict and deviance. In addition, this was moderated by gender such that men engaged in more deviant behaviors in response to family-to-work conflict. Study 2 consisted of 190 matched job incumbents and their partners. These findings supported the mediation of partner work-to-family conflict to production deviance through incumbent family-to-work conflict. Again gender was supported using moderated mediation analysis such that men engaged in more deviant behaviors in response to family-to-work conflict. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.