Benevolently bowing out: the influence of self-construals and leadership performance on the willful relinquishing of power

Sometimes a group's best interest is served when powerful people relinquish power, but little theory or empirical research has investigated when and by whom power is willingly given-up. Using a simulated, online team competition, two studies demonstrated that people who were dispositionally high in interdependent self-construals were more likely to relinquish their position of leadership within a group when they perceived that their leadership performance on the task was unambiguously poor versus good. However, when given the ability to attribute performance to others rather than the self, leader's level of interdependent self-construal did not significantly influence their decisions to relinquish power. Overall, these findings suggest that factors such as perceived leadership performance, interdependent self-construals, and ability to defer blame all converge when making decisions in regards to how much power should be relinquished.     

The Development of Attribute Dominance in the Knowledge Base

Two cuing, free-recall studies were conducted to test Bach and Underwood's (1970) hypothesis that acoustic encoding is dominant among second graders and semantic encoding is dominant among sixth graders. When retrieval cues were presented with to-be-remembered items at both input and output (Experiment 1), and when cues were presented only at output (Experiment 2), semantic cues were more efficient in elevating recall than were acoustic cues for both second and sixth graders. When these and other results generally found using recognition, sorting, incidental learning, and free-recall experimental designs are compared, it seems plausible that item presentation and memory-testing formats interact with age, and that these factors account for the different patterns of attribute dominance found in the literature. The knowledge base cannot be understood by focusing on either subject or task analyses, but only by focusing on interactions between subject and task variables as they change over time. The educational implications for young grade-school children are discussed.     

Task-Dependent Compensatory Responses to Perturbations Applied During Rhythmic Movements in Humans

Modulation of the responses to perturbation applied during different phases of three rhythmic movements in humans—running, cycling, and hopping—was studied. The perturbation was an electrical stimulus. The results showed gating and modulation of the responses in both ipsi-and contralateral limb muscles. The responses during running and cycling were only excitatory in nature, while during hopping an inhibitory response was observed. These responses were not correlated with the normal activity during the movement. The latency of the response in general was not altered for different stimulation phases. The alterations in the step cycle demonstrated overt behavioral changes due to the responses. There were differences between the responses observed during these movements and walking. In running, the major adaptation to perturbations appears to be in the contralateral side as seen in the changes in the step cycle. During cycling (except for one phase) and hopping, the same set of muscles was activated in response to perturbation. This represents a simplifying strategy in response organization. The dependency of the response on the task characteristics, postural stability requirement, and external constraints imposed on the subject is discussed. These studies provide insights into task-dependent strategies adopted by the nervous system to meet unexpected perturbation during rhythmic movement in humans.     

The German Version of the Emotion Awareness Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents: Associations with Emotion Regulation and Psychosocial Adjustment

The psychometric properties of the Beck Inventory (BI), a revised, copyrighted version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), were investigated in 204 university students. Two-week test-retest reliability was .90, coefficient alpha was .87, concurrent validity using the BDI as the criterion was .94, and the correlation between level of depression as measured by the two instrument was .86. The mean score on the DI was significantly but only one-half point lower than that on the BDI. Individual items were all highly and significantly correlated, but items. Depression was not significantly related to demographic variables.     

Influence of delayed muscle reflexes on spinal stability: Model-based predictions allow alternative interpretations of experimental data

Model-based calculations indicate that reflex delay and reflex gain are both important for spinal stability. Experimental results demonstrate that chronic low back pain is associated with delayed muscle reflex responses of trunk muscles. The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of such time-delayed reflexes on the stability using a simple biomechanical model. Additionally, we compared the model-based predictions with experimental data from chronic low back pain patients and healthy controls using surface-electromyography. Linear stability methods were applied to the musculoskeletal model, which was extended with a time-delayed reflex model. Lateral external perturbations were simulated around equilibrium to investigate the effects of reflex delay and gain on the stability of the human lumbar spine. The model simulations predicted that increased reflex delays require a reduction of the reflex gain to avoid spinal instability. The experimental data support this dependence for the investigated abdominal muscles in chronic low back pain patients and healthy control subjects. Reflex time-delay and gain dependence showed that a delayed reflex latency could have relevant influence on spinal stability, if subjects do not adapt their reflex amplitudes. Based on the model and the experimental results, the relationship between muscle reflex response latency and the maximum of the reflex amplitude should be considered for evaluation of (patho) physiological data. We recommend that training procedures should focus on speeding up the delayed reflex response as well as on increasing the amplitude of these reflexes.     

Multiplicity of marital adjustment ratings: A Suggestion

Abstract

Recent discussions of “reality” will be argued as having failed to differentiate clearly between two levels: the level of things, people and events that can, for most purposes, reasonably be taken as existing “out there”; and the level of the meanings that can be applied to them by an observer. An anarchistic approach will be recommended.     

Entrevista con Jean-Paul Bronckart

RESUMEN

Bronckart comienza revisando su trayectoria científica y explicando cuáles son sus dos enfoques básicos: el análisis del contexto o de situaciones y el análisis del lenguaje en función de sus operaciones subyacentes definidas en el marco de las teorías de la enunciación. Seguidamente justifica su renuncia a posiciones estructuralistas porque no tienen en cuenta el problema de las relaciones funcionales ni prestan atención al contexto. El autor relaciona las operaciones psicológicas con universales funcionales diferenciándolos de los estructurales de Chomsky y del enfoque de Searle, defendiendo su interés por la lingüística comparativa. Seguidamente aborda el tema de análisis de textos en ambientes escolares, sugiriendo que hay que sensibilizar a los educadores sobre el hecho de que constantemente estamos en situaciones de comunicación que van cambiando y crear instrumentos para que puedan analizar su propia práctica. Con relación al aspecto cognitivo del lenguaje, enfatiza la proliferación excesiva de los enfoques representativos y seguidamente desarrolla qué entiende por especificidad de la naturaleza del lenguaje y de su carácter comunicativo. Esta entrevista aborda, además, cuestiones tales como el fenómeno presuposicional, las aportaciones de Vygotsky o las experiencias de enseñar lenguaje a chimpancés, y finaliza planteando algunos aspectos de la teoría de Culioli.     

“Drive On”: The Relationship Between Psychological Variables and Effective Squad Leadership

The U.S. Reserve Officer Training Program (ROTC) conducts systematic assessments of cadets’ leadership abilities during field training exercises (FTX) to assess their leadership abilities. While cadets in ROTC programs learn specific tactical operation procedures to augment FTX performances, much less is known about the relationship between psychological variables and squad leadership performance. To this end, 220 cadets completed self-efficacy, psychological flexibility, and grit questionnaires, which were then compared to FTX performance scores. Results underscored that only self-efficacy was significantly related to cadets’ squad leadership ability. Furthermore, prior service in the U.S. Army had no effect on the performance score one attained, highlighting an interesting paradox. Therefore, while self-efficacy can be cultivated through prior experiences, it seems more prudent to educate ROTC cadets on how to apply psychological skills to bolster self-efficacy in preparation for upcoming challenging leadership experiences.     

Improving Classroom Quality with The RULER Approach to Social and Emotional Learning: Proximal and Distal Outcomes

The RULER Approach to Social and Emotional Learning (“RULER”) is designed to improve the quality of classroom interactions through professional development and classroom curricula that infuse emotional literacy instruction into teaching–learning interactions. Its theory of change specifies that RULER first shifts the emotional qualities of classrooms, which are then followed, over time, by improvements in classroom organization and instructional support. A 2-year, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted to test hypotheses derived from this theory. Sixty-two urban schools either integrated RULER into fifth- and sixth-grade English language arts (ELA) classrooms or served as comparison schools, using their standard ELA curriculum only. Results from multilevel modeling with baseline adjustments and structural equation modeling support RULER’s theory of change. Compared to classrooms in comparison schools, classrooms in RULER schools exhibited greater emotional support, better classroom organization, and more instructional support at the end of the second year of program delivery. Improvements in classroom organization and instructional support at the end of Year 2 were partially explained by RULER’s impacts on classroom emotional support at the end of Year 1. These findings highlight the important contribution of emotional literacy training and development in creating engaging, empowering, and productive learning environments.