Ambivalent Sexism and the Dumb Blonde: Men's and Women's Reactions to Sexist Jokes

This article examines the relationship between gender, hostile sexism, benevolent sexism and reactions to a seemingly innocuous genre of sexist humor, the dumb blonde joke. After hearing an audiotaped conversation in which two students swapped dumb blonde jokes, participants high in hostile sexism rated the jokes as more amusing and less offensive than those low in hostile sexism. Among individuals low in hostile sexism, however, benevolent sexism interacted with gender. Specifically, men high in benevolent sexism found the jokes significantly more amusing and less offensive than either women in the same group or men low in both hostile and benevolent sexism. This study replicates and extends previous research examining the relationship between hostile sexism and the enjoyment of sexist humor, and underscores the possibility that benevolent sexism may represent qualitatively distinct attitudes for men and women.     

Psychological Adjustment to Breast Cancer

Breast cancer remains a highly prevalent and extraordinarily stressful experience for hundreds of thousands of women each year in the United States and around the world. Psychological research has provided a picture of the emotional and social impact of breast cancer on patients' lives, and of factors associated with better versus worse adjustment. Psychosocial interventions have been beneficial in decreasing patients' distress and enhancing their quality of life. Recent research also suggests that psychological factors may be related to potentially important biological disease-related processes. In addition to providing an understanding of the psychological factors in breast cancer, research in this area has provided a framework for research on adaptation to health-related stress in general.     

High Tech or High Touch: Will Technology Help or Hurt Our Teaching?

Books reviewed in this article: David G. Brown, Interactive Learning: Vignettes from America's Most Wired Campuses Marc Eisenstadt and Tom Vincent, The Knowledge Web: Learning and Collaborating on the Net Pat Maier, Liz Bamett, Adam Warren, and David Brunner, Using Technology in Teaching and Learning Adam Warren, David Brunner, Pat Maier, and Liz Barnett, Using Technology in Teaching and Learning: An Introductory Guide Steve Ryan, Bernard Scott, Howard Freeman, and Daxa Patel, The Virtual University: The Internet and Resource‐Based Learning     

The effects of three stimulus‐equivalence testing conditions on emergent US geography relations of children diagnosed with autism

Two children with autism were trained in US geography using a match to sample procedure. Different testing procedures commonly used in stimulus equivalence research were compared, including some conditions with reinforcement for responding to enhance motivation. Both children were able to master the trained geography relations and emergent stimulus relations were also noted. All three testing procedures produced similar effects, suggesting that incorporation of procedures to enhance motivation to respond does not invalidate testing in a stimulus equivalence preparation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Search for the Source of Epistemic Good

Knowledge has almost always been treated as good, better than mere true belief, but it is remarkably difficult to explain what it is about knowledge that makes it better. I call this "the value problem." I have previously argued that most forms of reliabilism cannot handle the value problem. In this article I argue that the value problem is more general than a problem for reliabilism, infecting a host of different theories, including some that are internalist. An additional problem is that not all instances of true belief seem to be good on balance, so even if a given instance of knowing p is better than merely truly believing p , not all instances of knowing will be good enough to explain why knowledge has received so much attention in the history of philosophy. The article aims to answer two questions: (1) What makes knowing p better than merely truly believing p ? The answer involves an exploration of the connection between believing and the agency of the knower. Knowing is an act in which the knower gets credit for achieving truth. (2) What makes some instances of knowing good enough to make the investigation of knowledge worthy of so much attention? The answer involves the connection between the good of believing truths of certain kinds and a good life. In the best kinds of knowing, the knower not only gets credit for getting the truth but also gets credit for getting a desirable truth. The kind of value that makes knowledge a fitting object of extensive philosophical inquiry is not independent of moral value and the wider values of a good life.     

Self-efficacy and successful school-to-work transition: A longitudinal study

A successful school-to-work transition is a precursor of promising career development. In the present longitudinal study we investigated whether academic self-efficacy beliefs and grades in school at the ages of 12-15 would be associated with unemployment and job satisfaction at the age of 21. We found that individuals with high self-efficacy beliefs and better grades were less likely to become unemployed and more likely to be satisfied with their jobs. The relationship between high self-efficacy and unemployment was mediated by higher career-related motivation and by less perceived application stress, measured at the time of vocational training at the age of 18. The relationship between self-efficacy and job satisfaction was primarily mediated by higher vocational congruence and less application stress. We conclude that school-based interventions targeted at increasing academic capabilities and self-efficacy would help prepare adolescents for a successful school-to-work transition.     

Rumination, fear, and cortisol: an in vivo study of interpersonal transgressions.

The authors sought to examine whether rumination about psychologically painful, though nontraumatic, interpersonal transgressions is associated with increased salivary cortisol. They measured salivary cortisol, rumination about a transgression, fear and anger regarding the transgressor, perceived painfulness of the transgression, and positive and negative mood in 115 undergraduates who had experienced an interpersonal transgression during the previous 7 days. They obtained measurements on as many as 5 occasions separated by approximately 14 days each. On occasions when participants reported that they had been ruminating to a degree that was greater than was typical for them, they had higher levels of salivary cortisol than was typical for them. The rumination- cortisol association appeared to be mediated by fear of the transgressor. Rumination about even moderately painful but nontraumatic life events and associated emotions are related to biological changes that may subserve social goals such as avoiding social threats. Items from the rumination scale are appended.     

Social networks and partner stress as predictors of adherence to medication, rehabilitation attendance, and quality of life following acute coronary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether social network size and partner stress predicted medication adherence, cardiac rehabilitation attendance, and quality of life 12 months following hospitalization for an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). DESIGN: ACS patients (N = 193, M age = 60.6 years, SD = 11.4 years, 23% female) were recruited shortly following admission to 4 local hospitals. A prospective design was employed with follow-up data collected 12 months following hospital admission. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data were gathered on social network size and partner stress. The main outcomes assessed at 12 months were medication adherence, cardiac rehabilitation attendance, and quality of life (Short Form 36). RESULTS: Partner stress predicted medication nonadherence, odds ratio: 2.89, (95% CI = 1.21, 6.95). ACS patients with large social networks were more likely to attend rehabilitation, odds ratio: 3.42, (95% CI = 1.42, 8.25). Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, clinical risk scores, readmission/recurrence, and negative affectivity. Both partner stress and smaller social network size were associated with poorer quality of life. CONCLUSION: Social network size and partner stress may partly exert their influence on coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality through recovery behaviors and maintenance of quality of life.