Hemispheric competence and perceptual confusability

Hemispheric competence in performing easy and difficult letter classification was examined in an exact replication of a previous experiment by Jonides (1979). The present experiment failed to confirm Jonides's finding of right visual field advantage in conditions of perceptual confusability and left visual field superiority when the stimuli were easily discriminable. The results showed a trend in the opposite direction, but no significant interaction. This divergence is discussed with respect to existing evidence and methodological procedures.     

Examining the Role of Carbon Capture and Storage Through an Ethical Lens

The risk posed by anthropogenic climate change is generally accepted, and the challenge we face to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a tolerable limit cannot be underestimated. Reducing GHG emissions can be achieved either by producing less GHG to begin with or by emitting less GHG into the atmosphere. One carbon mitigation technology with large potential for capturing carbon dioxide at the point source of emissions is carbon capture and storage (CCS). However, the merits of CCS have been questioned, both on practical and ethical grounds. While the practical concerns have already received substantial attention, the ethical concerns still demand further consideration. This article aims to respond to this deficit by reviewing the critical ethical challenges raised by CCS as a possible tool in a climate mitigation strategy and argues that the urgency stemming from climate change underpins many of the concerns raised by CCS.     

Dyadic Anxiety in Youth Sport: The Relationship of Achievement Goals With Anxiety in Young Athletes and Their Parents

The role of achievement motivation on precompetitive anxiety was examined in 73 dyads comprising youth athletes and a parent of each athlete. Participants completed questionnaires assessing achievement goals and anxiety. Actor–partner interdependence models were estimated using Mplus 7.11. Parents’ adoption of performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals predicted athletes’ worry (β_{performance-approach} =.30, p <.01; β_{performance-avoidance} =.25, p <.05). Athletes’ adoption of any goal predicted parents’ concentration disruption (β_{mastery-approach} =.41; β_{mastery-avoidance} =.30, p <.01; β_{performance-approach} =.27; β_{performance-avoidance} =.22, p <.05). Thus, parental definitions of competence held for the child was related to their young athlete's emotional state and vice versa.     

I’ll Never Forgive You: High Conflict Divorce,Social Network,and Co-Parenting Conflicts

The relation between divorce, co-parenting conflicts, and children’s adjustment problems has been well established. An unresolved question for research and clinical interventions, however, is how conflicts between parents are maintained and/or escalate. This cross-sectional research tested the hypothesis that co-parenting conflicts in divorced couples are associated with perceived social network disapproval and that this relation is mediated by parents’ tendency to forgive each other. In Study 1, a convenience sample of 136 divorced parents recruited via online forums, we showed that perceived social network disapproval was indeed positively related to co-parenting conflicts and that parents’ tendency to forgive the other parent—albeit partly—explained this relationship. Strength of our research is that in Study 2, 110 parents referred to children’s mental health care because the wellbeing of the children was severely compromised by the severity of the conflicts between parents, we replicated these results. In both studies perceived social network disapproval and co-parenting conflicts were positively related and this link was mediated by forgiveness: perceived social network disapproval was negatively related to forgiveness, which in turn was negatively related to more parental conflicts.     

Implementing a Primary Mental Health Service for Children: Administrator and Provider Perspectives

The Child Mental Health Service (CMHS) is an Australian primary care program introduced in July 2010 to provide mental healthcare to children who have, or are at risk of, developing psychological disorders. The Australian Government provided supports (e.g., training for mental health professionals), resources (e.g., funding for positions devoted to fostering inter-agency linkages or partnerships) and various flexibilities in service delivery. This study aimed to explore the processes used in the implementation of the CMHS in order to achieve its objectives of delivering a high quality standard of service, and forging linkages and support networks with other relevant health and non-health agencies. Structured interviews were conducted with 20 program administrators, six referring professionals and eight mental health professionals. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed for themes using NVivo. The CMHS appears to have made good progress towards achieving its objectives by implementing processes that facilitated the delivery of a high quality service (e.g., engaging appropriately qualified, and encouraging additional training and clinical support for, mental health professionals; employing quality assurance mechanisms and clinical governance arrangements) and establishment of inter-agency linkages (e.g., devoting a professional role—Coordination and Liaison—to this purpose). Provider perspectives suggest that the CMHS has had a positive impact on children and their families. Comparable countries implementing primary mental health programs for children may benefit from considering similar additional supports (e.g., training for mental health professionals), resources (e.g., funding positions devoted to fostering service inter-agency linkages) and service delivery flexibilities as those available in the CMHS.     

Cognitive, Dispositional, and Psychophysiological Correlates of Dependent Slot Machine Gambling in Young People

In Study 1, young dependent and nondependent slot machine gamblers were interviewed, assessed for locus of control and administered the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Dependent gamblers were revealed as reliably more internal in terms of locus of control than their nondependent counterparts, and, in the interview, were much more likely to affirm that they could exercise control over the slot machines they played. Dependent gamblers registered higher psychoticism scores than both the nondependent gamblers and appropriate age-group norms. Their high psychoticism scores resonated well with interview revelations that boredom mitigation frequent underlay dependent gambling.
In Study 2, blood pressure was monitored in dependent and nondependent gamblers at rest and before, during and after slot machine play. Subjects were given £5 for this purpose and the time it took them to use up this money was recorded, as was the extent of any returns they received. They were also asked how much they expected to recoup. The £5 lasted a similar amount of time for the two groups, and they managed similar rates of return on their stake. However, the dependent gamblers expected to win more than the nondependent gamblers and their estimates of returns exceeded what they actually recouped. Slot machine play was associated with an increase in blood pressure, and while groups did not differ in terms of the magnitude of the rise provoked, there was a general trend for dependent gamblers to show lower basal levels of cardiovascular activity, although this was statistically reliable only in the case of diastolic blood pressure.     

Exploring the Social Origins of Dutch Mothers’ Ideal Family Lives

This paper examines how Dutch mothers’ ideal family lives (traditional, adaptive or egalitarian) have been formed in interaction with other people, an assumption that is central to socialization theories. With nominal regression analysis of data from a representative survey in 2010 among 935 Dutch mothers, we analyse various social influences on a mother’s current ideal family life. As hypothesized, the results show that a mother endorses a more egalitarian ideal family life if she recalls the gender role specific parental message ‘you should work in order to be financially independent of others’. Additionally, if the respondent recalls a positively work orientated mother at the age of 12 years, she has now as an adult more egalitarian ideals compared to daughters who recall a more home orientated mother or who have no memories of their mothers in that respect. We also show that as expected in the hypotheses 3 and 4, that Dutch mothers who have perceived career support by her partner and from people at work have now more egalitarian ideal family lives. Mothers’ current ideals are thus formed and further developed within prior social bonds. Moreover, mothers’ ideal family lives seem not only dependent on their current labour market behaviour, but to some degree resistant to change. However, the results must be interpreted with care because of the cross-sectional research design and the use of retrospective questions.