Social Cognition: Exchanging and Sharing Information on the Run

In this essay I consider various aspects of the rapidly growing field of cognitive ethology, concentrating mainly on evolutionary and comparative discussion of the notion of intentionality. I am not concerned with consciousness, per se, for a concentration on consciousness deflects attention from other, and in many cases more interesting, problems in the study of animal cognition. I consider how, when, where, and (attempt to discuss) why individuals from different taxa exchange social information concerning their beliefs, desires, and goals. My main examples come from studies of social play in mammals and antipredator behavior in birds. Basically, I argue that although not all individuals always display behavior patterns that are best explained by appeals to intentionality, it is misleading to argue that such explanations have no place in the study of animal cognition. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Photographic Individuality, Breadth of Perspective, and Creativity

Individuality is valued in most conceptions of personality, but is seldom operationalized. The present research used photo essays about the self as the medium for operationalizing self-construals that are unlike others (i.e., are uniquely creative, abstract, self-reflective, and multidimensional). Ratings of these photo essays from two samples ( N = 183 university students) served as the measure of individuality. This measure was predicted and found to correlate in both samples with Breadth of Interest from the Jackson Personality Inventory (JPI; Jackson, 1994). In Study 1, individuality also correlated with the JPI Complexity scale and with two measures of divergent thinking (unique word associations, and fluency on Wallach & Kogan's [1965] creativity tasks). In Study 2, individuality correlated with having more permeable boundaries, a nonprejudicial universal orientation, and imagining greater cultural diversity in one's future. Results suggest that individualistic persons take a broader, more complex and more creative perspective to their lives.     

Consumer Responses to the Timing of Product Breakdowns in the Presence of Manufacturers' Warranties

Two experiments explored how timing of product failure in relation to warranty coverage influences consumers' affective reactions to product breakdowns. Subjects read scenarios describing a product needing repairs and the warranty coverage on the product. The timing of product failure and the presence and/or absence of warranty coverage influenced consumers' affective reactions to product breakdown. Affective reactions were much more negative when the consumer just missed the warranty as compared to conditions where the product breakdown was within warranty coverage or some time after warranty expiration. Timing also influenced expectancies, such that just missing warranty coverage led to more pessimistic predictions for future product performance. Purchase intentions are also reduced by just missing the warranty. The results also support our hypothesis that consumers' affective reactions mediate the effect of product failure timing on their repeat purchase intentions.     

Charpentier (1891) on the size—weight illusion

This paper offers background for an English translation of an article originally published in 1891 by Augustin Charpentier (1852–1916), as well as a summary of it. The article is frequently described as providing the first experimental evidence for the size—weight illusion. A comparison of experiments on the judged heaviness of lifted weights carried out by Weber (1834) and by Charpentier (1891) supports the view that Charpentiers work deserves priority; review of other experimental studies on the size-weight illusion in the 1890s suggests that the idea that the illusion depended on “disappointed expectations,” especially with respect to speed of lift, became dominant almost immediately following the publication of Charpentiers paper. The fate of this and other ideas, including “motor energy,” in 20th-century research on the illusion is briefly described.     

Anxiety sensitivity and the five-factor model of personality.

Relations between anxiety sensitivity (AS) and the higher-order and lower-order dimensions of the 'Big Five' model of personality were examined in 317 university students. AS was significantly associated with a number of personality domains and facets of the NEO-PI-R. Regression analyses indicated that only the higher-order domains of neuroticism and extraversion (negatively) and the lower-order N facets of anxiety and self-consciousness, significantly predicted AS. Three lower-order factors within AS were identified and were also compared to NEO-PI-R domains and facets. In a hierarchical regression, the three AS factors significantly predicted variance in a measure of panic-related anxiety after the effects of the six N facets were statistically controlled. Results are discussed in the context of previous work with a Big Three taxonomy of personality and implications for understanding the nature and possible origins of AS are outlined.     

Empowerment theory,research, and application

This introduction to the special issue briefly reviews the meaning and significance of the empowerment concept and problems associated with the proliferation of interest in empowerment. We identify some of the topics not included in this issue and relate those to the many broad and diverse areas of psychological empowerment theory and community-based research and intervention that are covered. We present synopses of each article along with some of the themes and lessons cutting across the frameworks, studies, and applications. These include a wide diversity of settings, fairly representative of empowerment interventions, and, at the same time, improved clarity (if not unanimity) of definitions and measurement, which has been a problem in much empowerment research and intervention.     

Validation française d'un inventaire de micro-stresseurs de la vie quotidienne: combinaison du “Daily Hassles Scale” et du “Uplifts Scale”

Ce travail présente les résultats d'une étude de validité de la version française d'un instrument d'auto-évaluation des micro-stresseurs de la vie quotidienne (“Daily Hassles Scale”; “Uplifts Scale”; Lazarus & Folkman, 1989). Les informations de validité reposent sur des structures factorielles ainsi que des analyses de cohérence interne et de convergence avec une mesure de stress psychologique (MSP: Lemyre, Tessier, & Fillion, 1990). Auprès d'une communauté universitaire (N = 265), six facteurs d'embětements quotidiens et cinq facteurs d'encouragements journaliers ont été isolés. Comme prévu, le score d'intensité aux différents facteurs d'embětements corrèle positivement et significativement avec l'état d'ětre stressé ce qui n'est pas le cas des encouragements quotidiens. La discussion soulève la nécessité d'utiliser différents groupes de micro-stresseurs plutôt qu'un facteur général. Elle évalue également le rôle ambigu des encouragements quotidiens comme facteur de protection dans l'expérience du stress.     

Methodological Trends in Journal of Personality 1970–1995

One hundred fifty randomly selected articles published in Journal of Personality from 1970 to 1995 were evaluated with regard to subject population, sampling, research design, dependent measures, statistical methods, methodological difficulty, sample size, manipulation of independent variables (for experimental studies), use of manipulation checks, and gender representation of authors and participants. Our findings support Endler and Speer's (this issue) conclusion that the typical study in personality research continues to use a cross-sectional design, questionnaire measures, and undergraduate participants. Echoing West et al.'s (1992) findings for Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, we found that whereas subject recruitment and design implementation appear to be less difficult than they were two decades ago, statistical analyses have become somewhat more complex.     

Expert Testimony and Sexual Predator Statutes after Hendricks

The recent decision of the United States Supreme Court in Kansas v. Hendricks (1997) upheld a sexual predator statute that authorizes civil commitment of certain sex offenders who have been convicted of sexual offenses and have served criminal sentences for those offenses. This case raises a variety of Constitutional questions in the United States, but it also raises a series of interesting questions about the appropriate scope of expert testimony by psychologists regarding commitments under these statutes. These issues regarding expert testimony are significant both in their own right and because addressing them confronts one with serious difficulties regarding the normative foundations of the statutes. This paper examines the significance of the Court's brief substantive due process analysis for the role of psychological expert testimony regarding commitment under these statutes, and it identifies but does not attempt to resolve the associated normative concerns regarding the justification for commitment under these statutes.