Psychological type of American Evangelical missionary candidates

Sending missionaries into the field requires an enormous up-front investment on the part of the candidate as well as the sending organisation. An effective candidate selection process can limit the significant financial and emotional effects of a bad fit for a field placement. The present study seeks to analyse the typology of missionary candidates, using the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). A sample of 475 American Evangelical missionary candidates took the MBTI as part of their candidacy process. Results indicate that there were significant differences on 12 of the 16 MBTI typologies of the missionary candidates compared to the national representative sample. The ENFJ (14.1%) and ENFP (14.1%) typologies were significantly overrepresented in the sample. The personality types most underrepresented were ISTP (1.1%) and ISFP (1.7%). Comparisons with similar religious populations are discussed. Implications for how missionary candidates may adjust to field work based on type are considered.     

Differences in performance of young and old monkeys on a visuospatial memory task

Two groups of stumptailed macaques (Macaca arctoides) were compared in terms of performance on a visuospatial working memory task involving repeated presentations of an array of 15 doors, each of which concealed one food reward at the start of a session. Rewards obtained by the subject were not replaced. Errors were defined as responses to doors previously pushed open during the session. Both groups generally obtained all rewards and showed improved performance across sessions, but old monkeys consistently made more errors than young ones, especially in the latter half of a given session. Further, old monkeys were less diverse in the errors they made, indicating different response strategies by the two groups.     

Searching high and low: domestic dogs’ understanding of solidity

Animal Cognition - Physical reasoning appears central to understanding how the world works, suggesting adaptive function across the animal kingdom. However, conclusive evidence for inferential...