Effects of Considering Who and Why the Defendant Attacked1

Some people who are accused of a crime admit to the act, but provide an excuse. The effects of an excuse's self‐inflictedness level (high, moderate, or low) and the type of victim attacked (one partially responsible for the defendant's excusing condition, or innocent victim) were investigated. After a pretest (N= 26) to choose stimuli, participants (N= 220) read a scenario in which a male attacks another and then, once on trial, gives an excuse for his act. Those giving highly vs. less self‐inflicted excuses were more likely to receive a guilty verdict, received higher guilt level ratings, and tended to receive longer sentences; those who hurt an innocent vs. a partially responsible victim were more likely to be found guilty. In addition, the defendant's sentence was influenced by both the type of victim and the self‐inflictedness level of the excuse. The influence of perceived responsibility for an act on jurors' decisions is discussed     

Even in Modern Media,the Picture is Still the Same: A Content Analysis of Clipart Images

Both psychological theory and empirical research have consistently indicated that human beings use media images to form cognitive schemas, and that these schemas can then have an effect on perceptions of ability and performance. Gender and ethnic biases are well documented in common media, such as television and picture books. This study examined images of human beings in two popular computer clipart packages, Microsoft Office 97 and Print Shop Ensemble III, to investigate whether this new medium would embody modern, egalitarian goals for gender and racial equality or would depict more traditional and differentiated views. As hypothesized, computer clipart was similar to other media, depicting Caucasian males more frequently and in more active/nonnurturant and desirable roles than any other group. Findings suggest that individuals using these programs to make business and educational materials more interesting and engaging may inadvertently activate maladaptive cognitive schemas.     

Encouragement and Ethnicity in African American College Students

Encouragement and ethnicity were examined in 112 African American college students attending 2 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and a predominantly White institution (PWI). Results indicated a positive relationship between Ethnic Pride and View of Others for the HBCU group and positive relationships between Ethnic Pride and the Encouragement Scale for the PWI group. Ethnic Worry was negatively correlated with the Encouragement Scale for both groups. In addition, Ethnic Discrimination was negatively correlated with Openness to Experience for the PWI group. The usefulness of conceptualizing encouragement and ethnicity together for African American college students and practice implications are discussed.     

Bringing Advocacy Counseling to Life: The History,Issues, and Human Dramas of Social Justice Work in Counseling

This article accentuates the human experiences at the heart of social justice work in counseling. The history, counselor attributes, skills, costs, pitfalls, rewards, and ethical issues associated with advocacy counseling are highlighted. This article concludes with a discussion of the personal moral imperatives that inspire social activism and the challenge of discovering a personal advocacy style.     

Incremental Validity of Perceived Control Dimensions in the Differential Prediction of Interpretive Biases for Threat

This study evaluated whether a diminished perception of control over environmental and interoceptive events differentially predicted interpretive biases for threat for ambiguous scenarios. The sample had 95 participants without a history of psychopathology. Results indicated that the internal dimension of the Anxiety Control Questionnaire (ACQ; R. M. Rapee, M. G. Craske, T. A. Brown, & D. H. Barlow, 1996) was predictive of interpretive biases for internal scenarios above and beyond demographic variables, subclinical panic attack history, and state anxiety; the external control subscale of the ACQ also was predictive of internal rank-ordered responses. The ACQ external dimension was predictive of interpretive responses for external scenarios beyond the effects accounted for by the other predictor variables, including perceived control for internal events. These findings provide initial correlational evidence consistent with cognitive–behavioral accounts of panic disorder that posit a perceived lack of control over aversive events may exacerbate an interpretive bias for threat.     

“I remember/know/guess that I knew it all along!”: Subjective experience versus objective measures of the knew-it-all-along effect

The knew-it-all-along (KIA) effect occurs when individuals report that they previously knew something that they learned only recently. People often err when reporting the level of knowledge they had prior to feedback, but there is no research exploring the subjective experience of this effect. We incorporated a remember/just know/ guess judgment into a traditional (Experiment 1A: rating scale) and a modified-traditional (Experiment 1B: two-alternative forced choice) KIA procedure. Experiments 2A, 2B, and 3 were similar in format to Experiments 1A and 1B, but the trivia stimuli were replaced with word puzzles, which were expected to be better suited to inducing a feeling of having known it all along, because answers to trivia questions typically seem arbitrary, whereas word puzzles often give rise to ah-ha experiences. A KIA effect was observed in all the experiments, but an accompanying subjectivefeeling of having known it all along arose only with word puzzles.     

Political support for self-determination,wealth, and national subjective well-being

The present paper explored the relation of wealth and support for self-determination to national subjective well-being (SWB). Support for self-determination was considered from both a political and cultural values standpoint. The results confirmed associations between wealth, support for self-determination, and well-being in a large sample of countries. Importantly, political and cultural value supports for self-determination remained significantly associated with national well-being (as measured by happiness reports and life expectancy) even after controlling for national differences in wealth.

Sex Differences in the Pathway from Low Birth Weight to Inattention/hyperactivity

Inattention/hyperactivity is a childhood outcome of low birth weight. However, the mechanisms by which low birth weight leads to inattention/hyperactivity are unclear. This study examined arousal, activation, motor speed, and motor coordination as possible mechanisms, attending to sex differences. 823 children (400 males) from Detroit and surrounding suburbs were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist and the Teacher Report Form and completed experimental tasks to assess vigilance and activation (Continuous Performance Test signal detection parameters) and motor output speed and control (Grooved Pegboard) at 6 years of age. The relationship between birth weight and inattention/hyperactivity was slightly, but not significantly, stronger for boys than for girls. Arousal, motor speed, and motor coordination significantly partially mediated the relationship between birth weight and inattention/hyperactivity for boys and girls. Moderated mediation was found for the pathway between motor coordination and inattention/hyperactivity such that this relationship was stronger for boys than for girls. Sex differences in the associated features of attention symptoms may reflect partially distinct etiological pathways.     

Midlife Women’s Physical Activity Goals: Sociocultural Influences and Effects on Behavioral Regulation

A better understanding of midlife women’s exercise goals could offer insight into the psychosocial facilitators and barriers to their participation. A random sample of US working women (40–60 years) was taken, and resulted in 262 participants. Cluster analysis identified participants’ most important physical activity goal. A five goal cluster solution was identified: (1) sense of well-being; (2) weight loss; (3) health benefits; (4) stress reduction; and (5) weight maintenance/toning. The goal cluster solution was validated and suggested relevant sociocultural influences and potential effects on behavioral regulation (p?<?.05). Data showed that weight- and health-related goals have sociocultural influences and are associated with more extrinsic and less intrinsic behavioral regulation compared to stress reduction and sense of well-being goals.     

Birds of a feather don't always fly farthest: similarity in Big Five personality predicts more negative marital satisfaction trajectories in long-term marriages

Decades of research suggest that similarity in demographics, values, activities, and attitudes predicts higher marital satisfaction. The present study examined the relationship between similarity in Big Five personality factors and initial levels and 12-year trajectories of marital satisfaction in long-term couples, who were in their 40s and 60s at the beginning of the study. Across the entire sample, greater overall personality similarity predicted more negative slopes in marital satisfaction trajectories. In addition, spousal similarity on Conscientiousness and Extraversion more strongly predicted negative marital satisfaction outcomes among the midlife sample than among the older sample. Results are discussed in terms of the different life tasks faced by young, midlife, and older adults, and the implications of these tasks for the "ingredients" of marital satisfaction.