The politics of color: Preferences for Republican red versus Democratic blue

The present study reveals that Election Day differentially affects the color preferences of US Republicans and Democrats. Voters’ preferences for Republican red and Democratic blue were assessed, along with several distractor colors, on and around the 2010 interim and 2012 presidential elections. On non-Election Days, Republicans and Democrats preferred Republican red equally, and Republicans actually preferred Democratic blue more than Democrats did. On Election Day, however, Republicans’ and Democrats’ color preferences changed to become more closely aligned with their own party’s colors. Republicans liked Republican red more than Democrats did, and no longer preferred Democratic blue more than Democrats did. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that color preferences are determined by people’s preferences for correspondingly colored objects/entities (Palmer & Schloss in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107:8877–8882, 2010). They further suggest that color preferences are calculated at a given moment, depending on which color–object associations are currently most activated or salient. Color preferences are thus far more dynamic and context-dependent than has previously been believed.     

An intergenerational analysis of expectations for women's career and family roles

This study examined the career and family role expectations and attitudes of women university students and both of their parents. Data collected from 292 families revealed that most daughters and their parents were traditional in their attitudes toward mothering, held somewhat egalitarian attitudes toward marital roles, and generally expected daughters to experience little frustration regarding future career and family roles. Differences and similarities among daughters, mothers, and fathers as well as between intact and dissolved families of various SES were examined. Implications of findings and suggestions for future research were discussed.This research was supported by grants from the University of Rhode Island Council on Research and from the College of Human Science and Services. Portions of this paper were presented at the National Council on Family Relations annual meeting, New Orleans, Lousiana, November, 1989 and at the Eastern Sociological Society annual meeting, Providence, Rhode Island, April, 1991. The authors thank Mary Ellen Reilly for her encouragement and assistance.     

Stories and tales in logotherapy with Urban-Appalachian families

In this article the authors describe and illustrate the use of stories and tales for metaphorical communication in family logotherapy with the Urban-Appalachian family. In this logotherapy approach, stories and tales are used to help the Urban-Appalachian family bring repressed meanings and meaning potentials to the conscious level of family awareness.James Lantz, Ph.D, and Karen Harper, Ph.D, are staff members at the Urban-Appalachian psychotherapy project and associate professors at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.     

Testing the feasibility of developmental asset measures on college students to guide health promotion efforts

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the reliability and validity of eight developmental asset measures among a stratified, random sample (N = 540) of college students to guide health promotion efforts. The sample was randomly split to produce exploratory and confirmatory samples for factor analysis using principal axis factoring and varimax rotation and structural equation modeling techniques. Items were retained on factors if they had high loadings greater than .40 and were not complex. Concurrent validity was examined among substance use (including alcohol and tobacco) and sexual risk-taking variables. Exploratory and confirmatory samples did not differ on demographics. Parallel analysis confirmed the eight theorized constructs. Exploratory factor loadings were greater than .40. Concurrently, validity analyses were in the predicted direction. Cronbach alphas were .70 or greater with the exception of the Future Aspirations asset. Preliminary analyses support the reliability and validity of measuring developmental assets among emerging adults. Implications and potential uses are discussed.     

Evaluation of Group Genetic Counseling for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer

As demand for genetic counseling regarding hereditary cancer continues to grow, more efficient methods of providing this service must be explored. In this pilot study, group genetic counseling was offered to two different cohorts of women seeking genetic counseling for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer. Seven group sessions, designed to cover all aspects of an individual genetic counseling appointment, were conducted. Although patients were receptive to group genetic counseling, a significant proportion chose individual counseling when given the option. Advantages of group genetic counseling include shared experience and increased efficiency. Disadvantages include increased frustration at not being eligible for genetic testing, group influence on decision-making, privacy concerns, increased need for follow-up, and difficulty booking group appointments. Overall, the level of patient satisfaction with group genetic counseling was similar to that of individual counseling. The results of this pilot study suggest that further research is needed to determine whether group genetic counseling is an acceptable alternative to individual counseling.     

Object identification without foveal vision: Evidence from an artificial scotoma paradigm

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the degree to which foveal information is necessary for object identification. To explore this question, we used an artificial moving scotoma paradigm to eliminate a region of a currently viewed display in real time as a function of eye position. Subjects examined linear arrays of four line drawings of objects while their eye movements were recorded. Immediately following each array, a test probe was presented to test the degree to which the subject had identified those objects. Three conditions were compared, one in which a central foveal scotoma was created, one in which an extrafoveal scotoma was created, and a control condition in which the scotoma was absent. The main result was that identification accuracy was very good, but eye-movement behavior was disrupted when a foveal scotoma was present. These results suggest that foveal information is not necessary but is beneficial for perceptual encoding during object identification; the loss of foveal information can be overcome as long as compensatory extrafoveal processing is possible.     

The growth and development of an infant mental health program: An integrated perspective

This article details the development of the Infant Mental Health Clinical and Training Program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine from 1976 to the present. The article discusses the clinical sites where the program takes place, which include the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, outpatient child psychiatry clinic, and day treatment programs. Trainees from several mental health disciplines participate in the program, including predoctoral psychology externs, interns from the Clinical Psychology Internship, residents from the Child Psychiatry Training Program, and postdoctoral research fellows in developmental psychopathology. Recently, the Infant Mental Health Program has also been able to offer its own training positions. The philosophical models of clinical service and training are outlined. The article concludes by looking at future directions and challenges for the Infant Mental Health Program. © 1997 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health     

The Dopamine Receptor D4 Gene (<Emphasis Type="Italic">DRD4</Emphasis>) Moderates Family Environmental Effects on ADHD

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prime candidate for exploration of gene-by-environment interaction (i.e., G x E), particularly in relation to dopamine system genes, due to strong evidence that dopamine systems are dysregulated in the disorder. Using a G x E design, we examined whether the DRD4 promoter 120-bp tandem repeat polymorphism, previously associated with ADHD, moderated the effects of inconsistent parenting and marital conflict on ADHD or Oppositional-Defiant Disorder (ODD). Participants were 548 children with ADHD and non-ADHD comparison children and their parents. Homozygosity for the DRD4 promoter 120-bp tandem repeat insertion allele increased vulnerability for ADHD and ODD only in the presence of inconsistent parenting and appeared to increase susceptibility to the influence of increased child self-blame for marital conflict on ADHD inattention. DRD4 genotypes may interact with these proximal family environmental risk factors by increasing the individual’s responsivity to environmental contingencies.