The effects of situational goal orientation and cultural learning values on team performance and adaptation to change

In this paper, we examine the unique effects of situational goal orientation and cultural learning values on team adaptation to change and the moderating role of cultural learning values in the relationship between goal orientation and team performance and adaptation. To do this, we conducted an experiment using a 2 × 2 × 2 repeated-measures factorial design, consisting of high and low levels of learning values, situational goal orientation (i.e., learning goals and performance goals). The experimental task involved two phases: we looked at team performance in Phase 1 and team adaptation to change in Phase 2. Forty 3-person teams were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions and all teams engaged in a complex bridge-planning task. Performance was measured in terms of the quality of the planned bridge. Results showed independent effects of situational goal orientation and cultural learning values on team performance and adaptation to change. Cultural learning values also moderated the relationship between goal orientation and performance and adaptation to change. Finally, the combination of learning goals and high learning values resulted in the highest levels of initial team performance (Phase 1) and adaptation to change and improved performance (Phase 2), as compared to all other examined conditions.     

A direct replication: Unconscious arithmetic processing

Across two experiments involving four presentation times in total, Sklar et al. (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109, 2012, 19614) found that complex subtraction equations can be solved without awareness of the equations. These findings challenge the current position that consciousness is necessary for performing abstract, rule-following tasks. Given the important implications of their work, we aimed to directly replicate Sklar's findings using a larger sample (n = 94) from a different population. Using continuous flash suppression, we investigated if people were able to solve an equation after subliminal (1,300 ms) exposure to it. We found evidence of unconscious subtraction consistent with Sklar et al., albeit the effect is weak. Critical review of our results and implications for further research are discussed.     

Trainee psychotherapy effectiveness at a psychodynamic training clinic: a practice-based study

The degree to which clinical experience is a significant factor in predicting positive psychotherapeutic outcomes is an open question. Empirical studies comparing experienced and beginning practitioners on differences in client outcomes have yielded mixed results. While multiple sources have indicated that trainees are generally effective therapists, few of these studies have examined the effectiveness of graduate-level therapists in a psychodynamic training program. In this study, conducted in the United States, we use a practice-based research approach to examine the outcomes of clients working with trainees at a community mental health clinic in the northeast United States. The theoretical orientation identified by the clinic and training program is psychodynamic with an interpersonal and/or relational emphasis. Results indicated that clients working with trainees at this clinic demonstrated improvement across several indicators of symptoms and psychosocial functioning over the time they received treatment. Implications for training and service reimbursement are discussed.     

Depictions of acne and psoriasis influence interpersonal aversion

The presence of a dermatological condition may deter contact with the affected person because it falsely signals the threat of infection. The current study investigated interpersonal aversion towards individuals with the appearance of acne and psoriasis. Participants (N = 196) either viewed a female face with the appearance of acne, psoriasis, or no visible dermatological condition. Participants rated the attractiveness of the person, and indicated their willingness for social and indirect contact with them. The person depicted with acne was rated significantly less attractive than the person with psoriasis or no dermatological condition. Participants reported significantly less willingness for indirect contact with the person depicted with acne or psoriasis compared to the person with no visible dermatological condition. In contrast, participants expressed more willingness for social contact with a person with acne than with the person with psoriasis or no dermatological condition. Group differences were significant when controlling for attractiveness ratings. Unwarranted fear of infection might underpin avoidance and discriminatory behaviour towards those with skin conditions. Further research is required to understand factors that influence avoidance of contact.     

Self-Perceived Health among School-Aged Adolescents: a School-Based Study in Southern Brazil

This study identified which aspects regarding the dimensions of quality of life, in terms of body image, relationships with family and friends, rest and free time, school, well-being and lifestyles function as predictors of self-perceived health among school adolescents in the southern Brazil. The sample was composed of 3360 students, ninth graders in public schools in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre/RS (Brazil). The instruments used were: a) Health Behaviour in School Children, b) Happiness Overall Life, c) Positive and Negative Affect Scale, d) General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), e) Brief Multidimensional Scale of Life Satisfaction in Students (BMSLSS), and f) Subscale of Cohesion of the Family Environment Scale (FES). Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify the predictors of perceived health. The results revealed a model with nine predictor variables in the sense that being more satisfied with one’s own body, perceiving one’s eating habits as healthier compared to others of the same age, having a greater sense of happiness in their current life, being able to talk to one’s brothers/sisters about issues of concern, a perception of being thinner compared to other people of the same age, greater consumption of healthy food, greater presence of positive affects and being male contribute to a greater perception of health. The results show that, for this population, the health issues are beyond the concern over physical health or the presence or absence of symptoms, but also encompass behavioral, relational and psychological aspects, as well.

     

The Accuracy and Rationality of Imprecise Credences

It has been claimed that, in response to certain kinds of evidence (“incomplete” or “non‐specific” evidence), agents ought to adopt imprecise credences: doxastic states that are represented by sets of credence functions rather than single ones. In this paper I argue that, given some plausible constraints on accuracy measures, accuracy‐centered epistemologists must reject the requirement to adopt imprecise credences. I then show that even the claim that imprecise credences are permitted is problematic for accuracy‐centered epistemology. It follows that if imprecise credal states are permitted or required in the cases that their defenders appeal to, then the requirements of rationality can outstrip what would be warranted by an interest in accuracy.     

Social and Psychological Factors of Rural Youth Sexting: An Examination of Gender-Specific Models

To date, few studies have examined the social and psychological effects of sexting behaviors. The current study examined how delinquency, social, and psychological factors were associated with sexting behavior in a sample of rural, high school students (n = 548). The results demonstrated that property delinquency, bully-victimization, alcohol, marijuana use, and bullying increased odds of sending and receiving nude photos. Gender specific models indicated that females who had participated in sexting behavior were more likely to report using alcohol and being a victim of bullying, while males were more likely to report using marijuana and being a perpetrator of bullying. Implications are discussed.     

Feminism,Therapy, and Changing the World

ABSTRACT

In this essay, Miriam Greenspan reviews her life’s work as an early pioneer of Feminist Therapy, the influence of her birth in a displaced person’s camp to parents who were Holocaust survivors, and her development as a feminist, social activist, and psychotherapist. She discusses her most influential works, including A New Approach to Women & Therapy (1983 Greenspan, M. (1983). A new approach to women & therapy. New York: McGraw Hill. [Google Scholar], 1993 Greenspan, M. (1993). A new approach to women & therapy (10th anniversary ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. [Google Scholar]) and Healing Through the Dark Emotions: The Wisdom of Grief, Fear, and Despair (2003 Greenspan, M. (2003). Healing through the dark emotions: The wisdom of grief, fear, and despair. Boston: Shambhala. [Google Scholar]). She concludes with a look back at her own spiritual evolution, her assessment of the ultimate contribution of Feminist Therapy to society, the need for a wide model of therapy that incorporates the political and spiritual dimensions of experience, and the challenges that psychology and psychotherapy face in an age of global threat.     

Electrophysiological correlates of emotional face processing after mild traumatic brain injury in preschool children

Evidence suggests that social skills are affected by childhood mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but the neural and affective substrates of these difficulties are still underexplored. In particular, nothing is known about consequences on the perception of emotional facial expressions, despite its critical role in social interactions and the importance of the preschool period in the development of this ability. This study thus aimed to investigate the electrophysiological correlates of emotional facial expressions processing after early mTBI. To this end, 18 preschool children (mean age 53 ± 8 months) who sustained mTBI and 15 matched healthy controls (mean age 55 ± 11 months) were presented with pictures of faces expressing anger, happiness, or no emotion (neutral) while event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded. The main results revealed that P1 amplitude was higher for happy faces than for angry faces, and that N170 latency was shorter for emotional faces than for neutral faces in the control group only. These findings suggest that preschool children who sustain mTBI do not present the early emotional effects that are observed in healthy preschool children at visuospatial and visual expertise stages. This study provides new evidence regarding the consequences of childhood mTBI on socioemotional processing, by showing alterations of emotional facial expressions processing, an ability known to underlie social competence and appropriate social interactions.