Whose idea is it anyway? The importance of reputation in acknowledgement

Six‐year‐old children negatively evaluate plagiarizers just as adults do (Olson & Shaw, 2011), but why do they dislike plagiarizers? Children may think plagiarism is wrong because plagiarizing negatively impacts other people's reputations. We investigated this possibility by having 6‐ to 9‐year‐old children evaluate people who shared their own or other people's ideas (stories). In Experiment 1, we found that children consider it acceptable to retell someone else's story if the source is given credit for their story (improving the source's reputation), but not if the reteller claims credit for the story (steals credit away from someone else). Experiments 2 and 3 showed that children do not consider it bad to lie by giving someone else credit for one's own good story (improving someone else's reputation), but do consider it bad to give someone else credit for one's own bad story (improving one's own reputation at the expense of someone else's). Experiment 4 demonstrated that children think it is equally bad to take credit for someone else's idea for oneself as it is to take someone else's idea and give credit to someone else, suggesting that children dislike when others take credit away from someone else, regardless of whether or not it improves the plagiarizer's reputation. Our results suggest that children dislike plagiarism because it negatively affects others' reputations by taking credit away from them.     

Teen Dating Abuse: A Paradigm for Mental Health Counselors

Teen dating abuse (TDA) is a serious public health problem affecting almost half of all adolescents in the United States. Because of the developmental characteristics of adolescence such as identity confusion and rejection of adult authority figures, counseling adolescents who are experiencing TDA can be particularly challenging. This article describes the types of abuse, the early warning signs of abuse, and effective strategies that mental health counselors can use to counsel and educate teen victims of TDA and others.     

Co-Occurring Traumatic Brain Injury,PTSD Symptoms,and Alcohol Use in Veterans

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been identified as a significant health problem among veterans. Recent research demonstrates the potential interaction and magnification of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUD) in veterans with a history of TBI; however, there is very limited research on the co-occurrence of the three conditions. Veterans (N = 115) with comorbid PTSD and SUD completed a baseline assessment for enrollment into a larger treatment study. As part of that assessment, participants completed a TBI screener as well as self-report measures for pain and physical health, affective symptoms, and substance use. Almost half of the sample (48 %) endorsed a history of a previous head trauma with loss of consciousness (LOC). Participants with and without head trauma with LOC were compared across various measures of functioning. Increased severity of physical health complaints and affective symptoms were reported by the TBI group compared to controls. However, the increases in affective symptoms were relatively small. No group differences were observed for alcohol use. Together, the findings suggest that treatment-seeking veterans with a history of head trauma with LOC may present with roughly equivalent symptoms of PTSD and SUD to those without said history.     

Applicant Reactions to Selection Methods in China

This study examines applicant reactions to ten popular selection methods in China. Using a sample of 294 graduates we found that Chinese applicants’ reactions were highly favorable for work sample tests, interviews, and written ability tests, whereas Guanxi (i.e., relying on personal contacts when applying for a job) and graphology were perceived as the least favorable selection methods. Guanxi was also perceived as significantly less fair method compared with all others on all seven procedural dimensions studied. These findings suggest that Guanxi as an informal selection channel might threaten the fairness of personnel selection in China. Implications for the design of selection systems in Chinese companies are discussed, and ramifications for future research into applicant reactions are considered.     

Current dysphoria,past major depression,and memory for affective facial expressions

Current Psychology - Memory for others’ sad affective facial expressions may be relevant to depression risk, given that biases have been linked to major depression and transient sad mood...     

Brief cognitive behavioral intervention for children and adolescents with persistent post-concussive symptoms: A pilot study

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a brief cognitive behavioral intervention program for children and adolescents experiencing persistent post-concussion symptoms. A total of 31 patients aged 10 to 18 years participated in the intervention. The median time since injury at treatment onset was 95 days though the range was large (23–720 days). Treatment was on average four sessions in duration. Sessions included concussion education, activity scheduling, sleep hygiene relaxation training, and cognitive restructuring. Outcomes were measured using symptom reports on the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool – Third Edition (SCAT-3) and parent-reported quality of life on the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Mixed-effects models revealed that symptom reports did not decrease prior to the initiation of this treatment, though significant symptom improvement occurred following treatment. Quality of life scores significantly improved across domains, with the largest gains made in the emotional and school domains. Participant characteristics including age, sex, maternal education, and previous mental health problems were not found to be significantly related to treatment outcomes. Contrary to predictions, length of time since injury was not related to symptom changes. The primary limitation of this study is that it lacks randomization and an experimental control group. The results suggest that brief cognitive behavioral intervention may be a promising treatment for children and adolescents experiencing persistent post-concussive symptoms and warrants further investigation.     

Irritability and Emotional Impulsivity as Core Feature of ADHD and ODD in Children

The categorical approach of diagnosing mental disorders entails the problem of frequently occurring comorbidities, suggesting a more parsimonious structure of psychopathology. In this study, we therefore aim to assess how affective dysregulation (AD) is associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in children. To assess AD in children aged 8–12 years (n?=?391), we employed the parent version of a newly constructed parent rating scale. Following item reduction, we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to establish a factorial structure of AD. One core dimension was identified, comprising irritability and emotional impulsivity, and two smaller dimensions, comprising positive emotionality and exuberance. Subsequently, we examined five different latent factor models – a unidimensional model, a first-order correlated factor model, a second-order correlated factor model, a traditional bifactor model, and a bifactor S-1 model, in which the first-order factor AD-Irritability/Emotional Impulsivity (II) was modeled as the general reference factor. A bifactor S-1 model with the a priori defined general reference domain AD-II provided the best fit to our data and was straightforward to interpret. This model showed excellent model fit and no anomalous factor loadings. This still held true, when comparing it to bifactor S-1 models with ADHD/ODD-related reference factors. Differential correlations with emotion regulation skills and the established Parent Proxy Anger Scale validate the interpretation of the different dimensions. Our results suggest that irritability/emotional impulsivity might be a common core feature of ADHD and ODD.

     

Correction to: Irritability and Emotional Impulsivity as Core Feature of ADHD and ODD in Children

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment -     

Sunk cost: pigeons (Columba livia), too, show bias to complete a task rather than shift to another

The sunk cost effect involves the bias to stay with an alternative because one has already invested resources, even when there is a better alternative available. In a series of experiments, at various points during a 30-peck requirement, pigeons (Columba livia) could choose between completing the response requirement (at a different location in Experiment 1 or the same location in Experiments 3 and 4) and switching to a constant number of pecks. In three experiments, the pigeons showed a bias to complete the pecks already started, even when that required more pecking. We also demonstrated that the bias depended on the initial investment and was not produced merely because the pigeons preferred a variable alternative over a fixed alternative. The deviation from optimal choice suggests that pigeons show a bias similar to the sunk cost effect in humans.     

Ovulation leads women to perceive sexy cads as good dads

Why do some women pursue relationships with men who are attractive, dominant, and charming but who do not want to be in relationships--the prototypical sexy cad? Previous research shows that women have an increased desire for such men when they are ovulating, but it is unclear why ovulating women would think it is wise to pursue men who may be unfaithful and could desert them. Using both college-age and community-based samples, in 3 studies we show that ovulating women perceive charismatic and physically attractive men, but not reliable and nice men, as more committed partners and more devoted future fathers. Ovulating women perceive that sexy cads would be good fathers to their own children but not to the children of other women. This ovulatory-induced perceptual shift is driven by women who experienced early onset of puberty. Taken together, the current research identifies a novel proximate reason why ovulating women pursue relationships with sexy cads, complementing existing research that identifies the ultimate, evolutionary reasons for this behavior.