Perceived autonomy support, friendship maintenance, and happiness

Decades of empirical research have shown that perceived autonomy support in close relationships is an essential correlate of happiness. However, what might account for the relationship between the 2? For this article, 4 studies (total N=1325) investigated friendship maintenance as a mediator of the association between friendship autonomy support and happiness. The first 3 studies supported the model for the best friendship of the individual when happiness was assessed with 3 different measures. The 4th study extended the findings by showing that the model was generalizable to the other close friendship of the individual. Overall, the results supported the idea that engaging in routine and strategic behaviors to maintain friendships explains how perceived autonomy support in friendships is associated with happiness. The theoretical and applied implications of the findings were discussed and suggestions for future research were made.     

Friendship,Need Satisfaction and Happiness

Friendship quality is an important predictor of happiness, however, what might account for the association between the two? Two studies investigated satisfaction of basic psychological needs as a mediator of the relationship between friendship quality and happiness. Study 1 (n = 424) found support for the model for best friendship. Second study (n = 176) replicated the first study and showed that needs satisfaction in best and two closest friendships mediated the relationship between the quality of all friendships and happiness. The findings suggest that one reason why the quality of friendships is related to happiness is because friendship experiences provide a context where basic needs are satisfied.     

Rapid acquisition of preference in concurrent chains: effects of d-amphetamine on sensitivity to reinforcement delay

The purpose of this study was to examine effects of d-amphetamine on choice controlled by reinforcement delay. Eight pigeons responded under a concurrent-chains procedure in which one terminal-link schedule was always fixed-interval 8 s, and the other terminal-link schedule changed from session to session between fixed-interval 4 s and fixed-interval 16 s according to a 31-step pseudorandom binary sequence. After sufficient exposure to these contingencies (at least once through the pseudorandom binary sequence), the pigeons acquired a preference for the shorter reinforcement delay within each session. Estimates of the sensitivity to reinforcement immediacy were similar to those obtained in previous studies. For all pigeons, at least one dose of d-amphetamine attenuated preference and, hence, decreased estimates of sensitivity to reinforcement immediacy; in most cases, this effect occurred without a change in overall response rates. In many cases, the reduced sensitivity to reinforcement delay produced by d-amphetamine resulted primarily from a decrease in the asymptotic level of preference achieved within the session; in some cases, d-amphetamine produced complete indifference. These findings suggest that a reduction in the sensitivity to reinforcement delay may be an important behavioral mechanism of the effects of psychomotor stimulants.     

Some topological properties of paraconsistent models

In this work, we investigate the relationship between paraconsistent semantics and some well-known topological spaces such as connected and continuous spaces. We also discuss homotopies as truth preserving operations in paraconsistent topological models.     

Do we need a new theory of truthmaking? Some comments on Disjunction Thesis, Conjunction Thesis, Entailment Principle and explanation

In the paper we discuss criticisms against David Armstrong’s general theory of truthmaking by Gonzalo Rodriguez-Pereyra, Peter Schulte and Benjamin Schnieder, and conclude that Armstrong’s theory survives these criticisms. Special attention is given to the problems concerning Entailment Principle, Conjunction Thesis, Disjunction Thesis and to the notion of explanation.     

Is it here where I belong? An integrative model of turnover intentions

We test a mediated moderation model in which the influence of organizational prestige and permeability on turnover intentions is mediated by organizational commitment and identification. We test this model in a 2 × 2 design in four Romanian organizations. Results support a partial mediation of identification between the considered organizational antecedents, and their interaction upon affective and continuance commitment, and a full mediation of commitment between identification and turnover intentions. Permeability moderates the impact of prestige upon identification and commitment. Finally, we draw conclusions about the mind‐sets behind identification, affective, and continuance commitment, and propose implications for future research and practitioners.     

Parenting in an Individualistic Culture with a Collectivistic Cultural Background: The Case of Turkish Immigrant Families with Toddlers in the Netherlands

Expanding our knowledge on parenting practices of immigrant families is crucial for designing culturally sensitive parenting intervention programs in countries with high immigration rates. We investigated differences in patterns of parenting between second-generation immigrant and native families with young children. Authoritarian and authoritative control and sensitivity of second-generation Turkish immigrant mothers of 2-year-old children (n = 70) and native Dutch mothers (n = 70) were observed in the home and in the laboratory. Controlling for maternal age and education, Turkish immigrant mothers were less supportive, gave less clear instructions to their children, were more intrusive and were less authoritative in their control strategies than native Dutch mothers. No differences were found in authoritarian control. In both ethnic groups supportive presence, clarity of instruction, authoritative control, and low intrusiveness loaded on one factor. No differences between ethnic groups were found in gender-differentiated parenting. Maternal emotional connectedness to the Turkish culture was associated with less authoritative control, whereas more use of the Turkish language was related to more sensitivity. Even though mean level differences in parenting behaviors still exist between second-generation Turkish immigrant and native Dutch mothers, the patterns of associations between parenting behaviors were comparable for both groups. This suggests that existing parenting interventions for native families may be applicable to second-generation Turkish immigrants as well.     

The Use of Cognitive Mapping in Eliciting and Evaluating Group Cognitions

A holistic method for eliciting and evaluating group cognition was introduced and tested. In the study, 359 undergraduate students were assigned to 72 groups, consisting of 4 to 6 members who worked on research projects lasting for 14 weeks. In order to evaluate the way groups represent the specific knowledge related to their tasks, we used a conceptual mapping technique. Conceptual mapping proved to be a fruitful way to understand the way groups represent their knowledge. The conceptual maps were stable in time and had explanatory power for groups' performance.