Sleep Habits May Undermine Well-Being Through the Stressor Appraisal Process

The current study examined poor sleep hygiene as a behavioral factor that may undermine psychological and social well-being. Though the connection between sleep and well-being is well documented, the mechanism by which sleep hygiene may affect well-being is currently unknown. Using the transactional model of stress as a framework, we tested a multiple mediation model (N = 307) in which sleep hygiene predicts greater psychological and social well-being through one’s perceptions of primary and secondary appraisals. Results indicated mediation effects for both models; hassle appraisals and psychological strain fully mediated the relationship between sleep hygiene and well-being. These results suggest that well-being may be affected by sleep through the cognitive appraisal process.     

Excluded emotions: The role of anger in antisocial responses to ostracism

In this article, we examined the role of anger in the link between social exclusion and antisocial behavior. We compared the effects of anger to another negative emotion, sadness. In Study 1, social exclusion was associated with feelings of anger, and anger was associated with antisocial behavior. In contrast, sadness was not associated with antisocial behavior. In Study 2, feelings of anger were manipulated by excluding participants for either a fair or unfair reason. Unfairly excluded participants were more angry and were more likely to engage in antisocial behavior than fairly excluded participants. Implications for the study of emotions in the context of social exclusion are discussed.     

Prospective Evaluation of Predictive DNA Testing for Huntington’s Disease in a Large German Center

We present a prospective study of counselees seeking predictive testing for Huntington’s disease at the Huntington Center North Rhine-Westphalia (Bochum, Germany) between 2010 and 2012. The aim was to observe the decision-making process of at-risk individuals and explore their experiences following the decision as well as the impacts of positive and negative mutation results. Data were collected using two standardized questionnaires as well as via a semi-standardized telephone interview one year after the initial counseling session. Seventy-two  individuals participated in at least one of the three phases of the survey, including 31 individuals in the telephone interview. Sociodemographic data were in accordance with previous reports. The process of predictive testing was generally perceived in a positive manner, with almost all interviewees reporting a balanced emotional state one year after initial counseling, regardless of the decision for or against the test. The most important reasons named in favor of or against testing were assembled as well as different aspects regarding the satisfaction with the reached decision. In line with and expanding previous observations on gender-related differences in decision-making, our results suggest that gender-related aspects should be more strongly taken into account in genetic counseling during the predictive testing and counseling processes.     

The construction and validation of a measure of Ethno-cultural Identity Conflict

The research describes the construction and validation of the Ethno-cultural Identity Conflict Scale (EICS) based on 3 independent samples totaling 975 immigrants, international students, and members of ethnic minority groups. The convergent validity of the 20-item scale was supported by its correlations with Self-Concept Clarity (r = -.65), Sense of Coherence (r = -.58), Identity Distress (r = .48), and the Cultural Conflict (r = .62) and Cultural Distance (r = .21) components of the Bicultural Identity Integration Scale. EICS was also linked to contemporary acculturation research with integrated migrants experiencing less conflict than those who were separated, assimilated, or marginalized.     

Learning words in space and time: probing the mechanisms behind the suspicious-coincidence effect

A major debate in the study of word learning centers on the extension of categories to new items. The rational approach assumes that learners make structured inferences about category membership, whereas the mechanistic approach emphasizes the attentional and memory processes that form the basis of generalization behaviors. Recent support for the rational view comes from observations of the suspicious-coincidence effect: People generalize category membership narrowly when presented with three subordinate-level exemplars that share the same label and generalize category membership broadly when presented with one exemplar. Across three experiments, we examined the mechanistic basis of this effect. Results showed that the presentation of multiple subordinate-level exemplars led to narrow generalization only when the exemplars were presented simultaneously, even when the number of exemplars was increased from three to six. These data demonstrate that the suspicious-coincidence effect is firmly grounded in the general cognitive processes of attention, memory, and visual comparison.     

Power becomes you: The effects of implicit and explicit power on the self

Some power cues are explicit, obvious and salient, while others are implicit, subtle and harder to detect. Drawing from research demonstrating that people assimilate to implicit cues and contrast from explicit ones, we suggest that implicit and explicit power cues have different effects on people. Two laboratory experiments found that when power cues were implicit, people in high power conditions assimilated to stereotypes of power; they had relatively higher independent self construals, and they were more likely to see themselves as autonomous from, rather than connected to, others. The opposite effect emerged when power cues were explicit. These effects were replicated in a third study, where working adults rated their own power at work and the explicitness of power cues in their workplaces. We also found that power and cue explicitness predicted co-worker support, and that this effect was mediated by self construals. These results suggest that the way power is conveyed and expressed can influence important outcomes in organizations.     

Predictive factors of manual dexterity and cognitive performance at 17 years: a 10-year longitudinal study in a rural area of France

Studies of predictive factors of manual dexterity in adolescents and young adults are lacking. The present longitudinal study reports the relationship between cognitive and behavioural assessments at age 7 years and the schooling, cognitive performance, and manual dexterity at age 17 years. The participants were 65 schoolchildren, 30 boys and 35 girls, from a rural area in France. Assessment at age 7 years included the McCarthy scales and questionnaires measuring the behavior of the child, completed by the mother, the teacher, and the assessing psychologist. Assessment at age 17 years included schooling situation (whether they were in high school or not), cognitive testing (WAIS-R, Trail Making, Verbal Fluency, Cancel H, Stroop, Memory Assessment Scales), and manual dexterity testing (dynamometer, Finger Tapping, Santa Ana Test, Purdue Pegboard). After controlling for effects of parental education and IQ, a negative teachers' rating of children's behaviour and abilities in first-grade (7 years) was correlated with early cessation of schooling, but also, unexpectedly, with higher scores for manual dexterity at 17 years. Manual dexterity was not related to cognitive performance at 17 years. It is suggested that the relationship between manual and cognitive performance varies during development. Although manual exploratory behaviour is an important correlate of early cognitive development, manual dexterity is probably not related to later academic performance.     

Frames of Reference in Self-Reports of Health,Well-Being,Fatigue, and Pain: a Qualitative Examination

Self-reports in survey research can be affected by internal comparison standards, or Frames of Reference (FoRs), that people apply when making their ratings. The goal of this study was to determine which FoRs people naturally use when rating their health, subjective well-being, fatigue, and pain. We further examined whether FoRs varied by content domain and age group. One hundred adults from a community sample of the US general population participated in individual semi-structured qualitative interviews. Participants provided self-report ratings on two of the four content domains and were then systematically queried about FoRs. Interview responses were summarized and coded into broad FoR categories. Four broad FoR categories emerged: References to (1) Other People, (2) an Earlier Time in Life, (3) an Important Event in the Past, and (4) a Hypothetical Situation. FoRs were reported in the majority (80.5%) of responses and multiple FoRs were reported in 34% of responses. The reporting of FoRs was evident for all domains, but was more prevalent for well-being compared to pain. References to a Hypothetical Situation were only mentioned in the well-being and health domains. For health, references to Other People were more frequently reported at older compared to younger ages. Our results extend prior work by demonstrating that participants’ reporting of FoRs is evident in ratings of various content domains. They further suggest that a limited number of FoRs are used and that their identification holds promise for understanding and controlling systematic group differences in FoRs.