Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action as a Function of Racial Identity Among African American College Students

Variations in support for affirmative action were assessed in a sample of 181 African American college students in Massachusetts. These students generally endorsed affirmative action, and endorsement varied positively as a function of the belief that one had personally benefited from affirmative action. Aspects of racial identity, indexed by the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, also predicted variations in attitudes toward affirmative action, over and above background factors and personal benefit. Consistent with realistic group conflict theory, the most influential aspects of identity were centrality (i.e., the degree to which group identity is central to personal identity), private regard (i.e., pride in the group), and an oppressed minority ideology (i.e., a viewpoint that emphasizes the similarities between African Americans and other oppressed groups).     

Closeness between female college students and their professors: A novel assessment technique

An empirical investigation was conducted using a technique developed by Adler to assess how close female college students felt toward their professors. The sample included mostly white college women enrolled in a psychology of women course. The women felt closer to their female professors than to their male professors. The findings have pedagogical implications.We would like to thank Susan Eckstein, Maria Narvaez, Kathleen Peets, Ann Pufall, Sue Rosenberg Zalk, and two anonymous reviewers for their help.     

Effect upon Desire for Social Interaction with a Physically Disabled Person of Mentioning the Disability in Different Contexts

An experiment investigated the effectiveness of strategies that could be used by a physically disabled person to reduce the social handicap of being avoided in first encounters. Female college students indicated their preference for social interaction before and after learning the other person was a male in a wheelchair or nondisabled. When the disabled person made a general comment mentioning his disability after a request for help or after a miscue, change in preference for social interaction was more positive than when he did not mention his disability, providing evidence for the effectiveness of mentioning the disability following an incident involving the disability. Mention of the disability in the absence of an incident involving the disability was not found to be effective. The different ways of mentioning the disability did not affect the favorability of impressions of the disabled person, as measured by ratings of his characteristics. Impressions were generally more favorable for the disabled person than the person not in a wheelchair.     

The antecedents and outcomes of dyadic coping in close personal relationships: a systematic review and narrative synthesis

Background and objectives: Theories of dyadic coping and empirical literature have intermittently and inconsistently highlighted antecedents and outcomes of dyadic coping. The purpose of this review was to systematically identify the antecedents and outcomes of dyadic coping in close personal relationships.

Design: A PRISMA-guided systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Methods: Literature searches were conducted using CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, and citation pearl growing to identify studies that were relevant to the aim of the review. The search strategy and exclusion criteria led to a final sample of 46 studies that each highlighted antecedents and outcomes of dyadic coping among married couples. Each study was critically appraised and analyzed using narrative synthesis.

Results: The narrative synthesis highlighted five antecedents (learning, gender, relationship characteristics, relationship role, and cultural influences) and two outcomes (relationship functioning and personal health) of dyadic coping.

Conclusion: The review exposes inconsistencies in the conceptualization of dyadic coping, highlights a range of antecedents that influence dyadic coping, and suggests that dyadic coping can have positive benefits for relationship functioning and personal health. The findings have implications for future research and practice (e.g. when working with couples to improve relationship functioning).     

THE PERCEIVED IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS ON WOMEN UNDERGRADUATES' PURSUIT OF SCIENCE

Using a survey of women science majors, we tested the assumption that women mentors and other women guides help women students pursue the sciences. The survey explicitly distinguished among three types of guides: mentors (who provide psychosocial support), sponsors (who provide instrumental support), and role models (who act as examples) encountered before and during college. We found that over 90% of the women had a guide of one type or another, that mentors were most influential to women's pursuit of science, and that guides during college were more influential than guides prior to college. Participants reported having more female than male guides overall, but that some of the most influential guides were men.     

Food for thought: the use of food in group therapy with children and adolescents.

This article highlights the significance food may have in group therapy with children and adolescents and its meanings for particular group members. It focuses on the interactions between the group members and leaders in response to food. Along with providing actual nutrition, food represents emotional and symbolic nurturing, and may trigger salient conflicts and issues with which group members are struggling. An essential role of the group leader is to manage conflicts that may be evoked by the provision of food. Examples are provided to illustrate themes and meanings related to food in group therapy with children and adolescents.     

Investigation into New Zealand early childhood teachers’ perspectives on spirituality and wairua in teaching

The New Zealand early childhood Te Whāriki Curriculum’s vision statement draws attention to the responsibility teachers have to create environments in which children can develop holistically; including spiritually. This paper outlines the findings from a small qualitative research project that explored teachers’ perspectives on their understanding of spirituality and ‘wairua’ and the role they have in fostering these aspects in children’s development. Participants were in agreement that the concept of wairua and spiritualty are interwoven with both being about the spirit, soul, inner being, heart, the sum of who you are. Participants were in agreement that fostering this aspect of a child’s development was part of a teacher’s responsibility. All respondents identified implications for their practice which included having environments that were inviting, stress free, engaging and filled with natural resources. The study highlighted that their initial teacher education programmes failed to cover these aspects in spirituality in any depth.     

Helping Following Natural Disasters: A Social‐Motivational Analysis1

The present investigation explores how judgments of responsibility influence affective and helping reactions toward natural‐disaster victims. Guided by Weiner's (1995, 2006 ) theory of social motivation, we hypothesized that judging victims responsible for a disaster would indirectly lead to low rates of helping. Two studies tested this hypothesis. In Study 1, a bogus earthquake was used to test experimentally the effects of responsibility judgments (low, high). In Study 2, we surveyed attitudes about the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Our results showed that Weiner's model was supported across studies. Responsibility judgments led to anger and sympathy, and sympathy led to helping intentions, which in turn led to helping behavior. Comparisons across studies and the relationship between helping intentions and behavior are discussed.     

Reactions to Affirmative Action: Substance and Semantics

For both theoretical and practical reasons, researchers have sought to map the motivations that underlie people's support for or opposition to affirmative action. In view of the amount of rhetoric surrounding the issues, it is possible that some of the apparent differences in degrees of support come from differences in how the words affirmative action are interpreted. The present investigation shows that the meanings that people ascribe to affirmative action statistically predict their attitudes toward the policy, even after one accounts for demographic and related attitudinal factors. The implications of our findings are important in both applied and conceptual ways.