Belief in a just world and social perception: evidence for automatic activation

The authors tested the hypothesis that beliefs in a just world are automatically activated and used in social perception. Under the guise of a perceptual vigilance task, the authors exposed 34 undergraduate women preconsciously to words that were either rape-related or neutral. Immediately after the exposure, participants read a date scenario that was ambiguous with respect to the man's aggressiveness and the extent to which the woman was responsible for the man's behavior. Afterwards, all participants evaluated the target man and woman on an impression task. The primary finding was that participants holding stronger beliefs in a just world perceived the target woman more negatively after experiencing the rape-related prime words than after experiencing the neutral words. This pattern is consistent with a research literature that shows that believers in a just world will often "blame the victim" in cases of rape. The present findings are important because they provide evidence that general, orienting beliefs are automatically activated in a manner similar to that shown by stereotype beliefs. The authors discussed implications for social perception.     

Magnocellular channel subserves the human contrast-sensitivity function

There is evidence that the human contrast-sensitivity function (CSF) is mediated by the spatiotemporal characteristics of magno and parvo neurons early in the visual pathway. In this study we use a measure of contrast gain derived from simple reaction times, to investigate the neural substrates of suprathreshold performance. The results reveal the activity of two mechanisms having distinctly different contrast-gain characteristics. Comparing these to neurophysiological data, we find that the magnocellular system dominates close-to-threshold detection and probably forms the basis of the achromatic CSF, whereas the parvocellular system dominates detection at higher contrasts, when the magnocellular system saturates.     

Colour matching of isoluminant samples and backgrounds: a model

A cone-opponent-based vector model is used to derive the activity in the red-green, yellow-blue, and achromatic channels during a sequential asymmetric colour-matching experiment. Forty Munsell samples, simulated under illuminant C, were matched with their appearance under eight test illuminants. The test samples and backgrounds were photometrically isoluminant with each other. According to the model, the orthogonality of the channels is revealed when test illuminants lie along either red-green or yellow blue cardinal axes. The red green and yellow-blue outputs of the channels are described in terms of the hue of the sample. The fact that the three-channel model explains the data in a colour-matching experiment indicates that an early form of colour processing is mediated at a site where the three channels converge, probably the input layer of V1.     

Personality and job performance: test of the mediating effects of motivation among sales representatives

Research shows consistent relations between personality and job performance. In this study the authors develop and test a model of job performance that examines the mediating effects of cognitive-motivational work orientations on the relationships between personality traits and performance in a sales job (N = 164). Covariance structural analyses revealed proximal motivational variables to be influential mechanisms through which distal personality traits affect job performance. Specifically, striving for status and accomplishment mediate the effects of Extraversion and Conscientiousness on ratings of sales performance. Although Agreeableness was related to striving for communion, neither Agreeableness nor communion striving was related to success in this sales job. The importance of the proposed motivational orientations model is discussed.     

The effects of varying attentional demands on the word retrieval skills of adults with aphasia, right hemisphere brain damage, or no brain damage

Adults with mild aphasia, right hemisphere brain damage (RBD), or no brain damage (NBD) provided one-word phrase completions under isolation, focused attention, and divided attention conditions and in response to relatively constrained or unconstrained phrase stems. Despite comparable word retrieval accuracy among groups during the isolation condition, aphasic and RBD groups performed less accurately than the NBD group during focused and divided attention conditions. Across conditions, there were no significant differences between aphasic and RBD groups. Only aphasic subjects demonstrated a significant effect of phrase type, responding more accurately when completing constrained versus unconstrained stimuli. For aphasic and RBD groups, error type analysis indicated that semantic and phonological aspects of word retrieval were influenced by increased attentional demands. These findings suggest that for adults with aphasia or RBD, there is a negative relation between attention impairments and word retrieval abilities.     

Relations between Unsociability and Peer Problems in Chinese Children: Moderating Effect of Behavioural Control

Unsociable children are likely to develop adjustment difficulties in Chinese society. The primary goal of the present study was to examine the moderating effect of behavioural control on the relation between unsociability and peer problems in Chinese children. Participants were fourth to eighth grade students in urban China (N = 787). Assessments of unsociability, shyness, peer problems and behavioural control were obtained from peer nominations and teacher ratings. Results indicated that unsociability was positively related to peer problems in Chinese children after controlling for shyness. Also, the relation between unsociability and peer problems was attenuated among children with higher behavioural control. Thus, behavioural control may be a buffering factor that serves to protect unsociable children from developing peer problems. Gender and age also moderated these associations. Results are discussed in terms of the meaning and implications of unsociability and behavioural control in Chinese culture. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.