Trustworthiness and Moral Character

Why are people trustworthy? I argue for two theses. First, we cannot explain many socially important forms of trustworthiness solely in terms of the instrumentally rational seeking of one’s interests, in response to external sanctions or rewards. A richer psychology is required. So, second, possession of moral character is a plausible explanation of some socially important instances when people are trustworthy. I defend this conclusion against the influential account of trust as ‘encapsulated interest’, given by Russell Hardin, on which most trustworthiness is explained by the interest of continuing relationship.     

Attachment orientations, marriage, and the transition to parenthood

This study examined how a major life stressor—the transition to parenthood—impacts marital satisfaction and functioning in persons with different romantic attachment orientations. As hypothesized, if highly ambivalent women entered the transition perceiving low levels of spousal support, they experienced significant declines (pre-to-postnatal changes) in perceptions of spousal support and marital satisfaction, and their husbands reported significant declines in support giving and marital satisfaction. Changes in both spouses’ satisfaction were mediated by pre-to-postnatal changes in wives’ perceptions of spousal support. That is, highly ambivalent women who perceived less prenatal support reported significant declines in perceived support over time, which in turn predicted significant declines in their marital satisfaction. These results highlight the critical role that perceptions of support assume when highly ambivalent women encounter a major life stressor.     

Selectivity and immigration in Canada

One perennial policy question in Canada concerns the kind of immigrants Canada should admit. Should it be those with the best prospects of fast economic assimilation in the labour market?. This research note sketches the earnings outcomes of immigrants associated with different admission categories. Specifically, we examine two databases. The Immigration Data Base (IMDB) provides information on admission categories by linking immigration, administrative records with income tax files. The Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) is a longitudinal sample that provides a comprehensive profile of immigrants and native-born Canadians. The IMDB and SLID datasets provide valuable information on the economic outcomes of immigrants in quite different ways.     

Examining the Relationship Between Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematics Performance: An Instructional Hierarchy Perspective

This study investigated the relationship between mathematics anxiety, fluency, and error rates in basic mathematical operations among college students. College students were assigned to one of two groups (high anxiety or low anxiety) based on results from the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Anxiety Scale (FSMAS). Both groups were then presented with timed tests in basic mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and linear equations). Results suggested that the higher mathematics anxiety group had significantly lower fluency levels across all mathematical operations tests. However, there were no significant differences in error rates between the two groups across any of the probes suggesting that mathematics anxiety is more related to higher levels of learning than to the initial acquisition stage of learning. Discussion focuses on a) stages of learning and their potential relationship to mathematics anxiety, b) the relationship between mathematics anxiety and mathematics performance, and c) directions for future research.     

How Do U.S. Christians and Atheists Stereotype One Another’s Moral Values?

Moral conflict between Christians and atheists is becoming increasingly heated amidst the U.S. “culture wars,” yet research has been mostly silent regarding how these groups stereotype one another’s moral values and beliefs. We used moral foundations theory to better understand the nature of such stereotypes. In Study 1, U.S. Christian and atheist participants completed measures of moral values from their own perspective as well as the perspectives of typical atheists and typical Christians. Whereas atheists believed their ingroup endorsed fairness/justice values more than Christians, Christians believed their ingroup endorsed all moral values more than atheists. Moreover, both groups held (often extremely) inaccurate stereotypes about the outgroup’s values. In Study 2, participants wrote explicitly about outgroup morality. Atheists typically described Christians more negatively than Christians described atheists, regardless of the moral foundation of concern. Also, Christians’ negative impressions drew primarily from the Authority foundation, and both groups drew heavily from the Care foundation in both their positive and negative depictions. Implications for addressing the growing conflict between Christians and atheists in the United States are discussed.     

Sexual Debut Ages in Heterosexual,Lesbian, Gay,and Bisexual Young Adults in Norway

This study estimates sexual debut ages in young heterosexual, lesbian, gay, and bisexual men and women in Norway. A questionnaire survey was completed online by 27.2 % of a representative national web sample of 2090 persons aged 18–29 years. Three self-selected samples of 924 respondents completed an extended version of the survey online. Lesbian and bisexual women reported earlier experience of orgasm through masturbation than heterosexual women (median 13.1 vs. 15.2 years), and heterosexual men (median 13.5) reported earlier debut than heterosexual women. There was a statistically significant difference between heterosexual and lesbian and bisexual women’s age at the first experience of receptive vaginal sex (median 16.8 vs. 15.4 years). As regards experience of insertive vaginal sex, a significantly higher percentage of heterosexual men than women, and of heterosexual and lesbian and bisexual women, reported experience. It was more common among lesbian and bisexual women than heterosexual women to have had oral sex with another woman, but in neither group did the cumulative percent reach 50 % by the age of 29 years and the median could not be estimated. Gay and bisexual men reported earlier receptive anal sex debut than heterosexual men. With regard to insertive anal sex, gay and bisexual men accumulated experience earlier than heterosexual men, and lesbian and bisexual women acquired this experience earlier than heterosexual women. Compared to heterosexuals, LGB persons of both genders engage in more varied sexual activities. Lesbian and gay persons have same-sex experiences at an earlier age than bisexuals.