Self‐Report and Psychophysiological Responses to Fear Appeals

This study was designed to assess the relationship between self‐report and psychophysiological responses to fear appeals and behavioral changes elicited by these. Ninety‐two subjects watched one of four messages that varied in level of threat (high vs. low) and efficacy (high vs. low). Concomitantly, psychophysiological measures (heart rate and skin conductance) were registered. Perceived threat and efficacy varied according to the characteristics of the message. High‐threat messages elicited significantly different levels of autonomic arousal than low‐threat messages. Following of behavioral recommendation was higher among subjects who were exposed to the high threat / high efficacy stimulus, those who reported high perceived threat, and for those who showed an autonomic response pattern related to the facilitation of attentional processes.     

论宗教经验与宗教神秘主义--从约翰·希克的《第五维度》谈起

本文主要从约翰·希克的<第五维度>出发,谈宗教经验和宗教神秘主义.人总是有以超自然的方式来探求自然的内在倾向.人的本性中第五维度,即灵性的维度,它让每个人都有信仰的可能.我们的宇宙是一个含混的宇宙,包括我们认识宇宙的含混性,除了自然主义,宗教神秘主义也是从另一角度对宇宙的解释.但是,当我们以宗教的方法来解释宇宙的时候,我们就会发现,这种方法本身也具有含混性,于是约翰·希克提出宗教多元论假设成功地解决了这个矛盾.对于一些宣称体验到与终极实在本身完全合一的神秘主义,约翰·希克提出了反驳,认为对神圣者的体验只可能隐喻的统一,而不可能是字面完全的统一.     

Assessing Private and Public Need for Uniqueness: Validation of French Versions of the Need for Uniqueness (NfU) and Self-Attributed Need for Uniqueness (SANU) Scales

Need for uniqueness represents the need for people to feel different and distinguish themselves from others. Two major scales exist that measure this need: the Need for Uniqueness scale (NfU; Snyder &; Fromkin, 1977 Snyder, C. R., &; Fromkin, H. L. (1977). Abnormality as a positive characteristic: The development and validation of a scale measuring need for uniqueness. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 86, 518–527. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.86.5.518[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and the Self-Attributed Need for Uniqueness scale (SANU; Lynn &; Harris, 1997b Lynn, M., &; Harris, J. (1997b). Individual differences in the pursuit of self-uniqueness through consumption. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27, 1861–1883. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.1997.tb01629.x[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). We propose here a French version of both scales. Through a dual approach of exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses, we investigated the scales' structure in student samples from two French-speaking countries (France and Switzerland, N = 1,348) as well as measures of internal and external validity. Both scales presented good psychometric properties in French. Additionally, we investigated differences between the scales, as literature suggests that the NfU relies mostly on public and risky displays of uniqueness, whereas the SANU focuses on private and more socially acceptable means to acquire a feeling of uniqueness. Differences arose in the links with several personality characteristics (emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, sensation seeking, and self-consciousness), suggesting that the NfU corresponds rather to a need to demonstrate uniqueness through public displays and the SANU to a need to feel unique through more private means. We discuss implications for research and provide advice on choosing by the scale most appropriate to the researcher's aims.     

Reuniting physical and social cognition in development

Book discussed in this article: Cintia Rodríguez, The magic number three: when infants do not yet speak     

Ordering the alternatives of a strategic plan for Valencia (Spain)

In this article we present an evaluation of the initiatives involved in a Strategic Plan for Valencia City (Spain) by applying a method to assist Multi‐Criteria Decision‐Making. The complexity of the case lies in the size of the problem, 47 alternatives and 10 criteria, as well as the need to reach a consensus on the final result. The method followed, which has been named PRES Multi‐expert, can be generalized and applied to other complex cases. Thirteen experts have participated in the process, representing different political and social groups of the City, a group of analysts, formed by three lecturers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and a consultant, representing the City Hall of Valencia. The PRES algorithm was used to order the alternatives developed in 1992 by Gómez‐Senent at this University. In this article we highlight the advantages of applying the Multi‐Criteria Decision‐Making Aid techniques and the importance of following a procedure to select the criteria, pondering on them and evaluating the alternatives. This procedure ensures that the parties interested in or affected by the decision take part in deciding what measures to adopt. The Multi‐expert PRES method facilitates this participation and can be adapted to different types of problems. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Acculturation-related variables, sexual initiation, and subsequent sexual behavior among Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Cuban youth.

The relationship among acculturation-related variables, past sexual activity, and subsequent sexual behavior was examined for a sample of Latino youth in the United States over a 12-month period. A subsample from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health database was analyzed by means of a prospective design. History of sexual intercourse predicted subsequent sexual behavior over the ensuing 12 months. The acculturation-related variables were related to whether an adolescent reported being sexually active at Wave 1 but in a complex fashion. Among recent immigrants, youth from English-speaking homes were less likely to be sexually active than those from Spanish-speaking homes. The opposite was observed for youth who were born in the United States or who had resided in the United States most of their lives.