Four-quadrant investigation of job-related affects and behaviours

Emphasizing differences in activation as well as valence, six studies across a range of situations examined relations between types of job-related core affect and 13 self-reported work behaviours. A theory-based measure of affect was developed, and its four-quadrant structure was found to be supported across studies. Also consistent with hypotheses, high-activation pleasant affect was more strongly correlated with positive behaviours than were low-activation pleasant feelings, and those associations tended to be greatest for discretionary behaviours in contrast to routine task proficiency. Additionally as predicted, unpleasant job-related affects that had low rather than high activation were more strongly linked to the negative work behaviours examined. Theory and practice would benefit from greater differentiation between affects and between behaviours.     

A review of: “Implausible professions: Arguments for pluralism and autonomy in psychotherapy and counselling”

R. House and N. Totton (eds) (1997) Implausible Professions: Arguments for Pluralism and Autonomy in Psychotherapy and Counselling, Ross-on-Wye: PCCS Books, pp. 348, $14.00 (pb) (8% discount direct from publishers)     

The interaction model of anxiety: An empirical test in a parachute training situation

The interaction model of anxiety was examined by assessing both state and trait anxiety in 64 male military personnel on a Basic Parachutist Course. Two separate tests of the interactional model of anxiety were conducted, involving physical danger and social evaluation situations. The same subjects participated in both studies. In both physical danger and social evaluation studies, measures of state anxiety and cognitive appraisal (perception) of anxiety were obtained in both high-stress and non-stress conditions. Measures of social evaluation and physical danger trait anxiety were obtained in a low-stress condition. The interactional model was strongly supported for the physical danger situation. As predicted, high physical danger trait anxiety subjects experienced greater increases in state anxiety than low physical danger subjects proceeding from the non-stress to the high stress physical danger condition. The interaction model was not supported in the social evaluation situation; although not significant, mean levels of state anxiety were in the predicted direction. Results are discussed in the context of person perception and the need for testing personality models in realistic field settings.     

Reexamining the Factor Structure of the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: Commentary on Gignac,Palmer, and Stough

Gignac, Palmer, and Stough (2007/this issue) test a number of different latent factor models for the TAS–20 using a community sample of 355 participants and conclude that this scale is best represented by a “nested factors model,” with five substantive factors and a method factor. Gignac et al. also report that the correlated three-factor model and a comparable higher order model supported by most studies produced poor levels of incremental close fit. In this article, we challenge Gignac et al.'s unheralded and largely unsupported use of nested model fitting and the uncritical acceptance of exceptionally high cutoff levels to assess goodness of fit (GOF). Using more traditional and empirically supported model testing procedures and a more flexible approach to the interpretation of multiple tests of GOF, we interpret Gignac et al.'s results as actually supportive of the traditional three-factor model and one that has been recovered in 17 of the 24 factor analytic studies of the TAS–20.     

Are People Mindful in Different Ways? Disentangling the Quantity and Quality of Mindfulness in Latent Profiles and Exploring their Links to Mental Health and Life Effectiveness

We sought to disambiguate the quantitative and qualitative components of mindfulness profiles, examine whether including ‘nonattachment’ as a subcomponent of mindfulness alters the profiles, and evaluate the extent to which the person‐centred approach to understanding mindfulness adds predictive power beyond a more parsimonious variable‐centred approach. Using data from a nationally representative sample of Americans (N = 7884; 52% female; Age: M = 47.9, SD = 16), we utilized bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling and latent profile analysis to separate the level and shape of previously identified profiles of mindfulness (Pearson, Lawless, Brown, & Bravo, 2015 ). Consistent with past research, we identified a judgmentally observing profile and a non‐judgmentally aware group, but inconsistent with past research, we did not find profiles that showed high or low levels on all specific aspects of mindfulness. Adding nonattachment did not alter the shape of the profiles. Profile membership was meaningfully related to demographic variables. In models testing the distinctive predictive utility of the profiles, the judgmentally observing profile, compared to the other profiles, showed the highest levels of mental ill‐health, but also the highest levels of life satisfaction and effectiveness. We discuss the implications of our study for clinical interventions and understanding the varieties of mindfulness. Copyright © 2017 European Association of Personality Psychology     

The Counseling Experiences of Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Clients

The counseling experiences of 13 transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) individuals were examined via semistructured, in‐depth interviews. Using multiple standards of trustworthiness (e.g., member checking, negative case analysis), the authors analyzed each interview from an interpretative phenomenological analytic framework. Four main themes were identified: mental health professional selection process, transaffirmative approach, transnegative approach, and support systems beyond counseling. Implications for implementing culturally responsive TGNC affirmative counseling, TGNC sensitive counselor training, and social justice–oriented research are discussed.     

Perceptual control models of pursuit manual tracking demonstrate individual specificity and parameter consistency

Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics - Computational models that simulate individuals’ movements in pursuit-tracking tasks have been used to elucidate mechanisms of human motor control....