Latinx Parents’ Perception of Discrimination and Ethnic/Racial Socialization Predict Their Elementary School Children’s Perceptions of Discrimination

Journal of Child and Family Studies - The present study examined whether Latinx parents’ perceptions of personal discrimination and perception of biases against Latinx people in the United...     

Family-of-Origin Factors and Physical Teen Dating Violence Victimization and Perpetration: A Meta-Analysis

Journal of Child and Family Studies - The purpose of this meta-analysis is to explore the relationship between family-of-origin factors (i.e., attachment, witnessing inter-parental violence,...     

National Valuing of Character Strengths and Indicators of National Development: A Pilot Study

Character strengths are personal qualities that have communal value and have been linked to personal happiness and well-being. Little research has investigated the degree to which strengths are valued across nations. Similarly, while certain strengths have been associated with indicators of well-being on an individual level, it is yet to be explored which strengths are associated with indicators of national development and well-being. The present study examined the relationship between perceived national valuing of character strengths and key national indicators. A sample of 2119 adults from 84 countries were asked to rate the extent to which each of 24 character strengths is valued by their country. Strength ratings were then compared to indices of national functioning: happiness, freedom, corruption, and gross domestic product per capita measured at purchasing power parity (GDP). The strengths the participants perceived as valued by their countries differed from their self-evaluations of their character strengths. Bravery was the most valued strength across all geographic regions and countries, and humility was the least. Valuing of humor was most consistently and strongly related to happiness. GDP was associated with less prudence, kindness, fairness, and honesty, and more bravery, perseverance, and spirituality. Greater honesty was reflective of less corruption. Freedom was inconsistently related to valuations of strengths. This study should be considered a pilot given its limitations, but it suggests the degree to which a society values certain socially important person variables does not appear to affect individual expression of character strengths, but may be related to national functioning.

     

A review of existing measures of attentional biases in body image and eating disorders research

Cognitive theories emphasise the important role of attentional biases in the development and maintenance of body image issues and eating pathology. A wealth of research has been conducted to examine attentional biases toward body‐related information among individuals with eating pathology. However, there is considerable variability in the methods that have been used to measure attention and, importantly, these methods tap into different attentional processes. Given the multifaceted nature of attention, it is important for researchers to select the right tools to test their hypotheses. This review critically evaluates the attentional measures that have been used in previous research, primarily the modified Stroop task, dot probe task, visual search task, and eyetracking. The strengths and limitations of each measure will be discussed in order to provide a guide for researchers to further investigate the attentional mechanisms underlying body image issues and eating disorders. Overall, we recommend that researchers use a combination of eyetracking technology and specific reaction‐time measures that target the specific attentional mechanism of interest.     

Does preference rank predict substitution for the reinforcer for problem behavior? a behavioral economic analysis

Predictions made under low response requirements inherent in most preference assessments (PAs) do not guarantee the utility of stimuli in treatments. We examined whether PA rank would predict how well stimuli supported compliance for children with escape‐maintained problem behavior by examining the relation between PA rank and demand elasticity across five fixed‐ratio values. Three patterns were observed: All stimuli were selected equally across values, higher ranked stimuli were selected more at higher values, and something other than the highest ranked stimulus was selected more at higher values (i.e., mixed correspondence).     

Using Retrieval Cues to Attenuate Return of Fear in Individuals With Public Speaking Anxiety

Even after successful exposure, relapse is not uncommon. Based on the retrieval model of fear extinction (e.g., Vervliet, Craske, & Hermans, 2013), return of fear can occur after exposure due to an elapse of time (spontaneous recovery) or change in context (contextual renewal). The use of external salient stimuli presented throughout extinction (i.e., retrieval cues [RCs]) has been suggested as a potential solution to this problem (Bouton, 2002). The current study examined whether RCs attenuated return of fear in individuals with public speaking anxiety. Sixty-five participants completed a brief exposure while presented with two RC stimuli aimed at a variety of senses (visual, tactile, olfactory, and auditory). Later, half the participants were tested for return of fear in a context different from the exposure context, and the other half in the same context. Half of each context group were presented with the same cues as in exposure, while the other half were not. Return of fear due to an elapse of time, change in context, and effects of RCs were evaluated on subjective, behavioral, and physiological measures of anxiety. Although contextual renewal was not observed, results supported effects of RCs in reducing spontaneous recovery on behavioral and physiological measures of anxiety. There was also evidence that participants who were reminded of feeling anxious during exposure by the RCs benefited more from using them at follow-up, whereas those who perceived the cues as comforting (safety signals) benefited less. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed.     

What’s So Great About Authenticity Anyway? The Therapeutic Function of an Analyst’s Lie

How can we understand moments when the analyst lies to her patient? When it’s not the patient’s lying at issue but the analyst’s? When we suddenly find ourselves being deliberately disingenuous in the analytic hour? When our commitment to authenticity conflicts with the patient's need to create and sustain certain fantasies about us? Psychoanalytic literature typically focuses on the dynamics of the patient’s lie but rarely is the analyst's authenticity questioned. Are there times when the analyst might choose to lie in order to preserve herself, as well as, the relational bond? The complexity of this “choice” is explored and the erosion of an analyst’s authenticity unpacked during the final days of a difficult treatment.     

Age differences in perceptions of memory strategy effectiveness for recent and remote memory

We examined whether young and older adults hold different beliefs about the effectiveness of memory strategies for specific types of memory tasks and whether memory strategies are perceived to be differentially effective for young, middle-aged, and older targets. Participants rated the effectiveness of five memory strategies for 10 memory tasks at three target ages (20, 50, and 80 years old). Older adults did not strongly differentiate strategy effectiveness, viewing most strategies as similarly effective across memory tasks. Young adults held strategy-specific beliefs, endorsing external aids and physical health as more effective than a positive attitude or internal strategies, without substantial differentiation based on task. We also found differences in anticipated strategy effectiveness for targets of different ages. Older adults described cognitive and physical health strategies as more effective for older than middle-aged targets, whereas young adults expected these strategies to be equally effective for middle-aged and older target adults.