Personality,Meta-Mood Experience,Life Satisfaction,and Anxiety in Australian versus Singaporean Students

This study explores two issues concerning the relationships between personality, meta-mood experience, life satisfaction, and anxiety. First, it explored the incremental value of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience in predicting the three components of meta-mood experience (that is, attention to feelings, emotional clarity, clarity of feelings and mood repair), after controlling for demographic variables across Australia and Singapore. Second, it explored the incremental value of the three meta-mood experience components in predicting life satisfaction and anxiety, after controlling for demographic variables and personality variables across the two countries. One hundred and eighty nine tertiary students from Australia and 243 tertiary students from Singapore participated in this study. First, hierarchical regression analyses for both samples suggested that Agreeableness and Neuroticism are the two most important personality predictors of meta-mood experience, emotional attention, and emotional repair. Second, hierarchical regression analyses for both samples suggested that emotional repair was a significant predictor for life satisfaction and anxiety, even after controlling for demographic variables and personality variables. These results have implications for therapeutic interventions with life satisfaction versus anxiety. Funding for this research is facilitated partially by a research grant from the National Institute of Education.     

HIV-1 protein gp120 rapidly impairs memory in chicks by interrupting the glutamate-glutamine cycle

Learning and memory impairments are frequently observed in patients suffering from AIDS Dementia Complex (ADC). These effects have been linked to the presence of gp120, an HIV viral coat glycoprotein. The present study investigated the possibility that gp120 prevents the uptake of extracellular glutamate by astrocytes, leading to an interruption of the glutamate-glutamine cycle and a subsequent impairment of memory. Ten microliters of 10nM gp120 was bilaterally injected into the region of the intermediate medial mesopallium of day-old chicks at various times before, or after, training using a single-trial passive avoidance task. Gp120 was found to significantly impair memory retention when injected 10-40 min after training. Memory impairments were evident within 5 min of gp120 administration and remained evident 24h later. Further, the amnestic effect of gp120 could be overcome with glutamine or with precursors of glutamate synthesis, but only weakly by glutamate. These results support the conclusion that the amnestic effect of gp120 is due to an impaired uptake of glutamate by astrocytes and a subsequent interruption of glutamine supply to neurones. The data indicate that the glutamate-glutamine cycle may be a useful therapeutic target in the treatment of ADC.     

Self-Interest, Economic Beliefs, and Political Party Preference in New Zealand

This study explored the associations among income level, economic beliefs, and political party preference in terms of self-interest and ideological theories of party preference. Results from a survey of 487 New Zealand voters showed that the income levels and economic beliefs of supporters of the four major parties were organized along a single dimension: ACT supporters had the highest income and strongest neoliberal economic beliefs, followed closely by National supporters, whereas Alliance supporters had the lowest income and strongest welfare-state economic beliefs, followed by Labour supporters. However, the prediction of party preference from income and economic beliefs showed a different pattern: Income significantly predicted support for ACT, National, and Alliance; economic beliefs had the strongest influence on National and Labour support; and economic beliefs interacted with income to influence ACT and National support, but not Labour and Alliance support. The results suggest that voters who have gained or lost the most from the implementation of neoliberal policies—in this case, those with the highest and lowest incomes (i.e., ACT and Alliance supporters), respectively—form political party preference mainly from economic self-interest, whereas middle-income voters (i.e., National and Labour supporters) form party preference from ideological congruence. Moreover, higher status individuals may be more likely to use ideology to express self-interested motivation.     

The relationship between external job mobility and salary attainment across career stages

The current study examines the relationship between external job mobility and salary for employees in different career stages. Based on career stage and career timetable theories, we predict that external job mobility would generate the greatest salary benefits for early-career employees whereas external job mobility would generate fewer salary benefits for employees in mid- and late career stages. Data collected from multiple industries in Hong Kong and the United States consistently show that, as expected, highly mobile early-career employees earn significantly greater salaries than their less mobile peers do. The positive effects of external job mobility on salary were stronger for early-career workers than for mid-and late-career workers.     

Implementation intentions for physical activity in supportive and unsupportive environmental conditions: An experimental examination of intention–behavior consistency

The primary objective of this investigation was to examine the joint influences of intention strength, executive control resources (ECRs) and implementation intentions on physical activity performance in differentially supportive environmental conditions. In two studies, participants were randomly assigned to implementation intentions or control conditions. Individual differences in ECRs, intention strength and physical activity behavior were measured at baseline in the laboratory; follow-up physical activity was measured via an online questionnaire 7 days after the baseline laboratory session. Study 1 was conducted under activity-supportive environmental conditions (i.e., warm weather, little precipitation), whereas Study 2 was conducted under non-supportive environmental conditions (i.e., cold weather, moderate precipitation). In Study 1, a two-way interaction between ECR and intention strength was observed, such that those with relatively stronger ECR demonstrated stronger intention–behavior relationships than those with relatively weaker ECR; this effect was invariant across experimental conditions. In Study 2, a significant 3-way interaction was observed, such that those with lower ECRs showed greater intention–behavior correspondence in the experimental group compared to the control. Together these findings suggest that the beneficial effects of implementation intentions on intention–behavior correspondence for physical activity may be more potent under challenging environmental conditions, and that they may be of special benefit for those with initially low ECRs.     

Perceptions of driver distraction among teenage drivers

Teenage drivers have been shown to have some of the highest crash risks. Crash data provide some insights on factors related to crash likelihood, but rarely capture all issues that can arise from driver distraction. The goal of this study was to assess teenage drivers’ opinions and perceptions of driver distraction. A survey of 1893 Iowa teenagers was conducted to determine and compare the frequency of engagement in distracting activities while driving to their opinions of what they actually consider to be distractions. A cluster analysis was conducted based on their indicated engagement in distracting activities with three groups emerging and classified as INFREQUENT, MODERATE, and FREQUENT engagers. Across all cluster groups, the majority (over 80%) indicated that they considered text messaging to be a distracting task. However, those clustered as FREQUENT engagers still reported a high level of texting while driving even though they considered this task to be distracting. A binary logistic regression model (adjusted for miles driven and license type) showed that FREQUENT and MODERATE engagers were more likely to be involved in a crash when compared to INFREQUENT engagers. The study demonstrates that not all teenagers place themselves at risk. There are subgroups of teenage drivers that often engage in activities they know are distracting, potentially putting themselves in danger. However, this is not the case for all teenage drivers and it is important to target interventions appropriately as well as foster a culture of safety both in schools and at home.     

Sub‐Dimensions of the Four Factor Model of Cultural Intelligence: Expanding the Conceptualization and Measurement of Cultural Intelligence

Cultural intelligence (CQ) – the capability to function effectively in intercultural settings – has gained increasing attention from researchers and practitioners due to its contemporary relevance to globalization, international management, and workforce diversification. Research‐to‐date demonstrates that CQ predicts a variety of important outcomes in intercultural contexts, such as cultural adaptation, expatriate performance, global leadership, intercultural negotiation, and multicultural team processes. Moving beyond past research that tends to focus on the four primary factors of CQ – metacognitive CQ, cognitive CQ, motivational CQ, and behavioral CQ, we introduce an expanded conceptualization of CQ that delineates sub‐dimensions for each of the four factors. We briefly review psychometric evidence supporting the proposed second order 11‐factor structure and convergent/discriminant validity of the sub‐dimensions. We propose that the next wave of CQ research should be guided by a deeper understanding of each of four factors of CQ.     

Drug Use and Self-Organization: A Personal Construct Study of Religious Conversion in Drug Rehabilitation

This study investigates the changes in self-identity in 86 participants of a religious drug rehabilitation program in Hong Kong. Conversion to Christianity is found to bring a shedding of a negative drug self-identity and a progressive identification with the Jesus ideal in the participants. From an image of a person with low morality, low confidence, little compassion, and tender feelings, a person isolated and dependent, identification with Jesus brings about a moral, tender, compassionate, and self-reliant person. The grid method is found to be an appropriate medium for the investigation of the relationship between substance use and patterns of self-organization. The research data support the formulation of a personal construct theory of drug abuse, focusing on the implications of acquiring a drug self-subsystem by the drug user. A parallel is drawn between Kelly's (1955) fixed-role therapy and the rehabilitative process, suggesting that, with its focus on the reconstruction of self, fixed-role therapy holds promise for drug rehabilitation work.     

Executive Functioning and Gambling: Performance on the Trail Making Test is Associated with Gambling Problems in Older Adult Gamblers

ABSTRACT

Rates of gambling problems in older adults have risen with increased accessibility of gambling venues. One possible contributor to problem gambling among older adults is decreased self-control brought about by diminished executive functioning. Consistent with this possibility, Study 1 revealed that older adults recruited from gambling venues reported greater gambling problems if they also experienced deficits in executive functioning, measured via the Trail Making Test. Study 2 replicated this finding and demonstrated that problem gambling is associated with increased depression among older adults, mediated by increased financial distress. These studies provide support for the hypothesis that older adult gamblers who have executive functioning problems are also likely to have gambling problems.     

Employee age and health

One particularly persistent and prevalent negative age stereotype is that older workers experience more health problems. This study examines whether this negative age stereotype is evidence-based or not. In a meta-analysis of previous studies on the relationship between age and health, we found that older employees suffered no declines in either mental health or self-reported physical health problems, but did experience modest declines on clinical indices of physical health (e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol level, and body mass index). The article concludes with directions for future research on the role of health in the age–performance relationship and its implications for management practice.