Political mindset: Effects of schema priming on liberal-conservative political positions

Although stable factors play an important role in determining people’s political positions, most Americans also hold a mix of values and beliefs some congruent with political conservatism and some congruent with political liberalism. To investigate this more dynamic component of political thinking, two studies manipulated the relative salience of schemas about personal merit vs. good fortune as explanations for success in life. In Study 1, students at a highly selective university were asked to explain their academic success focusing either on the role of hard work, self-discipline and wise decision-making (Personal Merit condition) or that of chance, opportunity, and help from others (Good Fortune condition). In Study 2, personal merit vs. good fortune was primed through prior exposure to relevant questionnaire items. In both studies, participants in the Good Fortune condition subsequently indicated more support for liberal policies than did those in the Personal Merit condition.     

Working With Immigrant Students in Schools: The Role of School Counselors in Building Cross‐Cultural Bridges

School counselors are poised to play a significant role within comprehensive school counseling programs in addressing the needs of immigrant children in schools. The authors describe how school counselors can have a positive impact on the adjustment of immigrant students by building cross‐cultural bridges through the use of cross‐cultural simulations and activities. Los consejeros escolares se encuentran en una buena posición para jugar un papel significativo dentro de los programas exhaustivos de consejería escolar que tratan las necesidades de los niños inmigrantes en las escuelas. Los autores describen cómo los consejeros escolares pueden tener un impacto positivo en la adaptación de los alumnos inmigrantes por medio de la construcción de puentes interculturales a través del uso de simulaciones y actividades interculturales.     

The Personality Characteristics of Methodist Ministers: Feminine Men and Masculine Women?

A detailed questionnaire was mailed to every Methodist minister engaged in circuit ministry in Great Britain. Each of the 1,339 respondents completed the Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQR-S). The male ministers recorded lower psychoticism scores than the male population norms. The female ministers recorded lower neuroticism scores than the female population norms. These findings support the view that ministry may appeal particularly to men who value and display the tender-minded personality characteristics associated with femininity and to women who value and display the stable personality characteristics associated with masculinity. Implications of these findings for ministry are discussed.     

Linking vitamin D status,executive functioning and self‐perceived mental health in adolescents through multivariate analysis: A randomized double‐blind placebo control trial

The aim of the present randomized double‐blind placebo control trial was to investigate if vitamin D supplementation had an effect on vitamin D status, executive functioning and self‐perceived mental health in a group of Norwegian adolescents during winter time. Fifty adolescents were randomly assigned into an intervention group (vitamin D pearls) or a control group (placebo pearls). Before (pre‐test in December/January) and after (post‐test in April/May) the intervention period the participants were exposed to a test procedure, consisting of blood draw, completion of cognitive tests (Tower of Hanoi and Tower of London), and the Youth Self‐report version of the Child Behavior Checklist. Multivariate data analysis showed that participants with low vitamin D status scored worse on the Tower of London tests and the more difficult sub‐tasks on the Tower of Hanoi tests. They also had a tendency to report higher frequency of externalizing behavior problems and attention deficit. At pre‐test, the overall mean vitamin D status measured as 25‐hydroxy vitamin D was 42 nmol/L, defining deficiency (Intervention group = 44 nmol/L, Control group = 39 nmol/L). However, vitamin D supplementation caused a significant increase in vitamin D status resulting in a sufficient level in the Intervention group at post‐test (mean 62 nmol/L). The results also revealed that the intervention group improved their performance on the most demanding sub‐tasks on the ToH. Overall, the study indicates that vitamin D status in adolescents may be important for both executive functioning and mental health.     

When feeling poorly at work does not mean acting poorly at work: The moderating role of work-related emotional intelligence

It is important, both theoretically and for applied reasons, to understand who is likely to engage in counterproductive work behaviors. It is known that such behaviors are more likely to be exhibited by unhappy employees (i.e., those high in job negative affect), but this should be particularly true for individuals low in work-related emotional intelligence. The current study (N = 91) examined moderation-related hypotheses of this type in relation to five counterproductive work behaviors—abuse, sabotage, theft, withdrawal, and production deviance—among a sample of employees working at least 20 h per week. These behaviors varied positively by job negative affect and negatively by work-related emotional intelligence. In addition, the two predictors interacted for all five outcomes such that the highest levels of counterproductive work behavior were observed among employees who were high in job negative affect and low in emotional intelligence. The discussion focuses on implications for understanding counterproductive work behaviors and on the value of assessing work-related emotional intelligence as an ability that differs by employees.     

Remembering Janet Taylor Spence (1923–2015)

Janet Taylor Spence was a history-making figure in professional psychology and in the study of gender. In the period between her birth in 1923 and her death in 2015, vast changes took place in both domains, and Janet Spence was at the center of both. This issue of Sex Roles is dedicated to her life and work, providing a perspective and an accounting of the contributions that she made to our field. The set of papers included here chronicle Janet’s career path, evaluate the impact of her work in the areas of anxiety and of gender, recount memories from her colleagues and students, and in a closing article, analyze her place in the larger historical domain of women in psychology.     

At the Heart of the Pregnancy: What Prenatal and Cardiovascular Genetic Counselors Need to Know about Maternal Heart Disease

In the last decade, an increasing number of cardiac conditions have been shown to have a genetic basis. Cardiovascular genetic counseling has emerged as a subspecialty aiming to identify unaffected at-risk individuals. An important sector of this at-risk population also includes expectant mothers, in whom unique clinical challenges may arise. Genetic counselors, especially those in cardiovascular and prenatal settings, have an opportunity to identify and assist women who may benefit from cardiovascular care during pregnancy. This paper provides basic management and genetic evaluation principles for affected women, as well as guidance on identifying those who are at risk. We provide considerations for cardiac surveillance in pregnancy and the post-partum period. Finally, key psychosocial issues that appraise how to best provide support to at risk women as they make informed decisions are discussed. We propose that a team approach including cardiology, maternal fetal medicine, and genetic counseling best serves this patient population. Ongoing questions addressing an evidence based approach to cardiovascular genetic conditions in pregnancy still remain. Thus, well-designed research protocols are essential to mark progress in this area.     

Perceptions of the social and personal characteristics of hypermuscular women and of the men who love them

A predominately European American sample of middle class college students rated hypermuscular female bodybuilders and the men who were romantically involved with them on measures of perceived gender traits, personality traits, social behaviors, and heterosexual behaviors. Participants perceived hypermuscular women, as compared to the average woman, as having more masculine and fewer feminine interests, less likely to be good mothers, and less intelligent, socially popular, and attractive. However, participants also perceived them as being less likely to engage in socially deviant behaviors or to be sexually manipulative and more likely to be extraverted, conscientious, and open to new experiences than the average woman. Participants perceived men who are romantically involved with hypermuscular women as having stronger masculine traits, interests, and identities than the average man. The authors found no relationships between the perceiver's gender type and his or her perceptions of hypermuscular women or the men who were romantically involved with them.