The lonely passion of the “people”*

This paper explores the psychological sources of support for a leader, and unwavering belief in the illusions he promotes, which persists despite confrontation with reality. Lonely passion is an oxymoron. It is passion because of the intensity of the supporters’ longing which is partially shaped by fear and loss. Their passion is lonely because they appear to be left empty with their love unrequited, having given their selves up and only having an illusion in return. It explores the effects of socio-economic disruption in creating or contributing to the development of a “social character” and threatening the integrity of the self. It explores the characteristics of the leader, including methods of manipulation, in eliciting passionate devotion. It uses Ferenczi’s Confusion of Tongues situation as a model for understanding the relationship between leader and follower. The idealization of the leader as a power to be feared and a savior from the imagined threats he has created, and the dynamics of identification, masochism and victimization are invoked. The only remedy for the toxicity of the situation is empathy, which is understood in a historical as well as psychological context.     

Collective Efficacy as a Key Context in Neighborhood Support for Urban Youth

Neighborhood context, including the physical and social environment, has been implicated as important contributors to positive youth development. A transactional approach to neighborhood asserts that place and people are mutually constitutive; negative perceptions of place are intrinsically bound with negative portrayals of stigmatized groups, including youth. Adult perceptions of neighborhood youth may contribute to an increased sense of alienation and youth antisocial behavior. This study uses street‐intercept interviews with adults (N = 408) to examine the relationship between neighborhood conditions and adult support for neighborhood youth. A path model was used to examine the direct and indirect relationship of neighborhood constructs (safety, aesthetic quality, and walkability) on adult support for neighborhood youth. Neighborhood aesthetic quality and the walking environment were directly associated with adult support for youth, whereas perceived safety was indirectly associated. Collective efficacy partially explained these relationships. Findings support theorized relationships between people and places; improvements to neighborhood physical environment may directly impact resident adults’ perceptions of neighborhood young people.     

Measuring Anxiety and Depression in Ghanaian and U.S. College Students

Differences between Ghanaian (n = 465) and U.S. (n = 425) college students on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist‐25 (HSCL‐25; Mollica, Wyshak, de Marneffe, Khuon, & Lavelle, 1987 ) were examined. Compared with their U.S. counterparts, Ghanaians reported less general distress related to anxiety and depression, more anxiety‐specific distress, and no differences in depression‐specific distress. A multidimensional approach may be most appropriate in HSCL‐25 screening for symptoms of anxiety and depression. Se examinaron las diferencias entre estudiantes universitarios ghaneses (n = 465) y estadounidenses (n = 425) en el Listado de Síntomas de Hopkins‐25 (HSCL‐25, por sus siglas en inglés; Mollica, Wyshak, de Marneffe, Khuon, & Lavelle, 1987 ). Comparados con sus homólogos estadounidenses, los ghaneses comunicaron un menor sufrimiento general relacionado con la ansiedad y depresión, un mayor sufrimiento específico relacionado con la ansiedad, y no hubo diferencias en el sufrimiento específico relacionado con la depresión. Un enfoque multidimensional puede ser el más apropiado en el chequeo de HSCL‐25 para síntomas de ansiedad y depresión.     

The effect of perceptual information on output interference

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review - Retrieval from episodic memory has consequences (Malmberg, Lehman, Annis, Criss, & Shiffrin, The Psychology of Learning and Motivation, 61;...     

Contrast masking reveals spatial-frequency channels in stereopsis.

Yang and Blake (1991 Vision Research 31 1177-1189) investigated depth detection in stereograms containing spatially narrow-band signal and noise energies. The resulting masking functions led them to conclude that stereo vision was subserved by only two channels peaking at 3 and 5 cycles deg-1. Glennerster and Parker (1997 Vision Research 37 2143-2152) re-analysed these data, taking into account the relative attenuation of low- and high-frequency noise masks as a consequence of the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the early visual system. They transformed the data using an estimated MTF and found that peak masking was always at the signal frequency across a 2.8 octave range. Here we determine the MTF of the early visual system for individual subjects by measuring contrast thresholds in a 2AFC orientation-discrimination task (horizontal vs vertical) using band-limited stimuli presented in a 7 deg x 7 deg window at 4 deg eccentricity. The filtered stimuli had a bandwidth of 1.5 octaves in frequency and 15 degrees in orientation at half-height. In the subsequent stereo experiment, the same (vertical) filters were used to generate both signal and noise bands. The noise was binocularly uncorrelated and scaled by each subject's MTF. Subjects performed a 2AFC depth-discrimination task (crossed vs uncrossed disparity) to determine threshold signal contrast as a function of signal and mask frequency. The resulting functions showed that peak masking was at the signal frequency over the three octave range tested (0.4-3.2 cycles deg-1). Comparison with simple luminance-masking data from experiments with similar stimuli shows that bandwidths for stereo masking are considerably larger. These data suggest that there are multiple bandpass channels feeding into stereopsis but that their characteristics differ from luminance channels in pattern vision.     

Commercial Boycotting and Conscientious Breach of Contract

In this article we argue that commercial boycotting is not an uncontested economic right. Rather, the practice of boycotting often requires further moral justification. We argue that this justification should not rely solely on the consequences of boycotting, nor should it rely solely on the complicity of the consumer. We suggest that both justifications are subject to pressing objections. In light of these objections, we outline an alternative non‐consequentialist justification of commercial boycotting that is grounded in the moral values of conscience and personal integrity. We then explore the scope of this justification in the legal realm. We focus on cases where consumers lack freedom of exchange due to their contractual obligations and conclude by defending a qualified legal right to breach contracts on conscientious grounds.