Is Ultimate Attribution Error Universal? Inter-group Attribution for Success and Failure among University Students in Delhi

Research on inter-group attribution and ultimate attribution error has mostly focused on religious and ethnic groups. However, in view of the distinct nature of Indian social structure, this study examined inter-group attributions in caste context. The study was conducted with university students belonging to two caste groups. A total of 95 students participated in the study: 51 from General Caste category and 44 from Scheduled Caste category. Hypothetical situations were used to record attributions made for the success and failure of both in-group and out-group along the dimensions of locus of causality, stability, and controllability. Results indicated that General Caste category participants showed no inter-group attribution bias. Moreover, Scheduled Caste category participants showed a pattern of in-group derogation. These results are explained in terms of role of education and ideology in influencing the inter-group attribution process, suggesting that ultimate attribution error is not universal.

     

Assessing Agreement between the K10 and MHI-5 Measures of Psychological Wellbeing

Responses to the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) and the Mental Health Index-5 (MHI-5) mental health subscale of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-36) survey cover broadly similar constructs. The aim of this paper is to use the equipercentile method to produce a concordance between K10 and MHI-5 across the whole score distribution. Comparisons were made using survey data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) and the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, which used both the K10 and the MHI-5 measures at the same time for the same participants. Agreement was assessed with Bland-Altman plots. The differences between MHI-5 scores and transformed K10 scores were assessed with paired t-tests. For the ALSWH data there is good agreement between MHI-5 scores and scores equated from the K10. The mean of the differences is −0.15 with standard deviation 10.8. Using the ALSWH transformation on the HILDA data for different age groups and genders, the mean differences ranged from 0.43 to 3.38 with corresponding standard deviations of 11.1 to 9.9. The concordance table was very similar to one obtained by the more complicated item response theory method. The results suggest that longitudinal surveys of the same respondents that previously used MHI-5 could adopt the K10 (or vice versa) without loss of comparability.

     

Beyond gains and losses: the effect of need on risky choice in framed decisions

Substantial evidence suggests people are risk-averse when making decisions described in terms of gains and risk-prone when making decisions described in terms of losses, a phenomenon known as the framing effect. Little research, however, has examined whether framing effects are a product of normative risk-sensitive cognitive processes. In 5 experiments, it is demonstrated that framing effects in the Asian disease problem can be explained by risk-sensitivity theory, which predicts that decision makers adjust risk acceptance on the basis of minimal acceptable thresholds, or need. Both explicit and self-determined need requirements eliminated framing effects and affected risk acceptance consistent with risk-sensitivity theory. Furthermore, negative language choice in loss frames conferred the perception of high need and led to the construction of higher minimal acceptable thresholds. The results of this study suggest that risk-sensitivity theory provides a normative rationale for framing effects based on sensitivity to minimal acceptable thresholds, or needs.     

Language proficiency does not modulate executive control in older bilinguals

ABSTRACT

We examined if language proficiency modulates performance in tasks that measure executive control in older Telugu-English bilinguals (n = 50, mean age = 57.15 years). We administered numerical Stroop task, Attention Network Task, Dimensional Change Card Sorting task, and stop-signal task that are known to tap into different aspects of executive functioning on healthy aging Telugu-English bilinguals. Second language (English) proficiency was calculated as a cumulative score that considered both subjective and objective measures of L2 fluency and use. Bilinguals were divided into two groups based on the cumulative score and compared on each task. We did not find any effect of language proficiency on any of the executive control measures. The additional Bayesian analysis also supported these findings. Therefore, the results do not support the claim that bilingual language proficiency modulates executive control, at least in the elderly population. We discuss the results with regard to the issue of bilingual advantage in executive control and the role of age and language use.     

Attention in Sentence Processing: A Review

This review looks at the relationship between attention and language. There have been many studies that have shown a certain role of attention on sentence and spoken word processing. At the same time some other studies have observed that language processing is autonomous. In this review an attempt has been made to review the empirical evidence from sentence processing in reading, auditory processing and speaking domains to see if attentional manipulations cause interference with processing. The review suggests currently available evidence is rather mixed and it is still a long way to fully explore the attentional basis of sentence processing.     

Associations Between Delay Discounting and Risk‐Related Behaviors,Traits, Attitudes,and Outcomes

Delay discounting—preference for immediate, smaller rewards over distal, larger rewards—has been argued to be part of the “generality of deviance”, which describes the co‐occurrence of various forms of impulsive and risky behaviors among individuals. Some studies have linked laboratory‐measured delay discounting to behaviors, traits, attitudes, and outcomes associated with risk, but these associations have been inconsistent. Furthermore, many of these studies have been conducted with exclusively undergraduate samples, or in samples offering low statistical power. In a large community sample (n = 328) diverse in age and socioeconomic status, we examined associations between two measures of behavioral delay discounting (single‐shot and canonical k‐parameter estimation) and behavioral risk‐taking, personality traits associated with risk, domain‐specific risk attitudes, gambling and problem gambling, antisocial behavior, and criminal outcomes. In addition, we explored whether a novel response time latency measure of delay discounting explained variance in these risk‐related outcomes. Results indicated that behavioral delay discounting was consistently associated with all variables related to impulse control: high trait impulsivity, low trait self‐control, risk‐averse attitudes toward financial investment, risk‐prone attitudes toward gambling and health/safety risks, gambling and problem gambling, antisocial conduct, and criminal outcomes. Latency‐measured delay discounting was inconsistently associated with behavioral delay discounting and risk‐related measures. Together, results suggest that delay discounting is associated with poor impulse control consistent with a generality of deviance account. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spirituality and Religiosity and Its Role in Health and Diseases

Religiosity is a factor involved in the management of health and diseases/patient longevity. This review article uses comprehensive, evidence-based studies to evaluate the nature of religiosity that can be used in clinical studies, thus avoiding contradictory reports which arise from misinterpretation of religiosity. We conclude that religiosity is multidimensional in nature and ultimately associated with inherent protection against diseases and overall better quality of life. However, a number of untouched aspects of religiosity need to be investigated further before we can introduce religiosity in its fully functional form to the realm of health care.     

Personal and Social Factors in Achievement-Related Cognition: A Study of Attribution,Appraisal, and Emotion among University Students in Delhi

In recent years, achievement-related cognition and emotion have received a lot of attention from all sections of researchers. A number of researchers have tried to empirically study the determinants and consequences of achievement-related cognition. The explanations given range between individualistic explanations and sociocultural explanations. It is believed that both personal and social factors interact together in bringing about variations in achievement-related cognition and emotion. It is widely accepted that there are variations in human behavior, which are generally believed to be the result of generation-old cultural changes. Cultural factors are believed to exert influence on human behavior and psyche. When one talks about culture, it is mostly treated as a homogeneous entity. Variations within cultures and intra-cultural differences due to various social factors are largely ignored. Researchers world over have started believing in the fact that exposure not only to varying cultural conditions but also to different social factors affects individuals’ psychological functioning. Present research is directed towards exploring variations in achievement-related cognition and emotion due to personal and social factors. Eighty students from a university in Delhi participated in the research. The personal factor of self-construal and social factors like gender, social setting, perceived social class, and family were taken into account. Findings of the study corroborated the hypothesis that both personal and social factors have an impact on achievement-related cognition and emotion.     

The Influence of Hero and Villain Labels on the Perception of Vice and Virtue Products

The placement of heroes and villains is ubiquitous on labels and packages in the marketplace. In this research, we examine the influence of a hero versus a villain label on the preference for virtue versus vice products. Across seven laboratory and field studies, we find that consumers derive higher utility for a hero (villain) label with a vice (virtue) food than from a hero (villain) label with a virtue (vice) food. Relying on a coherence‐based explanation, we propose that a hero label adds a beneficial aspect to vice foods, making them appear less harmful, whereas a villain label adds an edgy aspect to virtue foods, making them appear more fun. This research provides insights into the effect of hero and villain branding and offers implications for marketing strategy and public policy.