An exploratory study of differences in emotional intelligence in U.S. and Norwegian undergraduate students

The present study explored sex and cultural differences in Emotional Intelligence scores in samples from Norway (n = 297) and the United States (n = 234). Significant main effects for sex were found in overall Emotional Intelligence scores and the Empathy factor. In addition, results revealed a small but significant effect for culture in the Self-control factor, as well as support for an interaction between sex and culture in the Handling Relationships factor. The results are discussed in light of cultural differences between U.S. and Norwegian societies.     

Children's Production of Unfamiliar Word Sequences Is Predicted by Positional Variability and Latent Classes in a Large Sample of Child-Directed Speech

We explore whether children's willingness to produce unfamiliar sequences of words reflects their experience with similar lexical patterns. We asked children to repeat unfamiliar sequences that were identical to familiar phrases (e.g., A piece of toast) but for one word (e.g., a novel instantiation of A piece of X, like A piece of brick). We explore two predictions-motivated by findings in the statistical learning literature-that children are likely to have detected an opportunity to substitute alternative words into the final position of a four-word sequence if (a) it is difficult to predict the fourth word given the first three words and (b) the words observed in the final position are distributionally similar. Twenty-eight 2-year-olds and thirty-one 3-year-olds were significantly more likely to correctly repeat unfamiliar variants of patterns for which these properties held. The results illustrate how children's developing language is shaped by linguistic experience.     

Prediction of work functioning following accidental injury: The contribution of PTSD symptom severity and other established risk factors

Responses to a mail survey were used to investigate the contribution of PTSD symptom severity to work functioning in 69 previously employed adult survivors of accidental injury approximately 8 months post‐hospitalization. Associations of PTSD symptom severity with other established risk factors for poor work functioning were also examined. Participants were initially divided into three groups based on PTSD symptom severity and analysis of variance undertaken to determine the differences in work functioning between survivors with PTSD, subclinical PTSD, and no PTSD. As anticipated, survivors with PTSD reported significantly poorer work functioning than those with subclinical PTSD and no PTSD. Those with subclinical PTSD, however, reported significantly lower levels of work functioning than survivors with no PTSD, suggesting that this population may also be at risk of poor outcomes and in need of vocational interventions post‐accident. To determine the influence of PTSD symptom severity on work functioning over and above other established risk factors, a two‐model hierarchical regression that included the established risk factors in the first model and PTSD in the final model was undertaken. Results revealed that PTSD symptom severity uniquely predicted work functioning after controlling for the influence of other contributing risk factors. A composite of seven risk factors, including PTSD symptom severity, was shown to predict 62% (57% adjusted) of the variance in work functioning but only pre‐accident occupation, physical functioning, and PTSD severity significantly contributed to the prediction. Findings suggest that the rehabilitation management of people with PTSD or subclinical PTSD following accidental injury would benefit from early identification by the established predictors together with an integrated approach to physical, psychological, and vocational interventions.     

How Do African American and Caucasian Women View Themselves at Midlife?1,2

This report examines midlife perceptions of African American and Caucasian women. African American and Caucasian women (aged 42 to 52) completed self‐report measures of midlife perceptions, health status, and personality factors. Women had positive perceptions of themselves at midlife; few women reported interpersonal isolation or hopelessness. More optimistic women reported a more positive perception of their current identity and security at midlife. African American women reported more positive perceptions than did Caucasian women. Among those who reported more stressful life events and financial difficulty, African Americans had more positive perceptions, whereas Caucasians had more negative perceptions. Although women tend to view themselves positively at midlife, race is an important moderator of psychosocial factors that may be associated with midlife perceptions.     

Family characteristics and school achievements of type A children

We examined the familial characteristics of Type A children and the consequences of Type A behaviors for children's classroom achievements. A maximum of 156 boys and 190 girls enrolled in elementary and middle schools and their parents participated in various aspects of the data collection procedures and analyses reported in this article. Results showed that Type A children were not more likely to have families with a history of cardiovascular-related diseases or families of upper socioeconomic status. Young Type A boys, but not girls, had Type A mothers and fathers, suggesting an early modeling of Type A behaviors by boys. Competitive boys and girls and Type A girls had higher achievement test scores and classroom grades, independent of IQ test scores, than did relatively noncompetitive children and Type B girls, respectively. Thus, the competitive aspect of Type A leads to important early achievements, independent of ability, perhaps because care givers and teachers respond to Type A behaviors of children by encouraging them to continue to strive to achieve. Gender differences in the findings were also discussed and related to the adult literature.     

How Does the Neighborhood “Come through the Door?” Concentrated Disadvantage,Residential Instability,and the Home Environment for Preschoolers

Living in a disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with heightened risk for poor school readiness and health outcomes in early childhood, and the home environment is thought to be a primary mechanism by which neighborhood context impacts preschoolers. This study examined the effects of neighborhood concentrated disadvantage and neighborhood residential instability on the home physical environment and home learning environment for preschoolers in economically disadvantaged families (N = 187). Using structural equation modeling, mothers' perceived neighborhood disorder and depressive symptoms were examined as mechanisms by which neighborhood context “comes through the door.” Mothers' neighborhood social embeddedness was also explored as a protective factor. Results showed that concentrated disadvantage was negatively associated with the quality of the home physical environment, and residential instability was negatively associated with the quality of the home learning environment. Concentrated disadvantage had an indirect effect on the home learning environment through mothers' perceived neighborhood disorder and depressive symptoms. The effects of concentrated disadvantage on the home environment were buffered by mothers' neighborhood social embeddedness. Study findings advance understanding of socioeconomic‐ and place‐based disparities in developmental outcomes and identify potential targets for interventions aimed at lessening effects of neighborhood disadvantage on families with young children.     

Normalizing the Use of Single-Item Measures: Validation of the Single-Item Compendium for Organizational Psychology

Journal of Business and Psychology - The application of single-item measures has the potential to help applied researchers address conceptual, methodological, and empirical challenges. Based on a...