Context and alcohol consumption behaviors affect inhibitory control

Contrasting the traditional focus on alcohol‐related visual images, this study examined the impact of both alcohol‐related auditory cues and visual stimuli on inhibitory control (IC). Fifty‐eight participants completed a Go/No‐Go Task, with alcohol‐related and neutral visual stimuli presented with or without short or continuous auditory bar cues. Participants performed worse when presented with alcohol‐related images and auditory cues. Problematic alcohol consumption and higher effortful control (EC) were associated with better IC performance for alcohol images. It is postulated that those with higher EC may be better able to ignore alcohol‐related stimuli, while those with problematic alcohol consumption are unconsciously less attuned to these. This runs contrary to current dogma and highlights the importance of examining both auditory and visual stimuli when investigating IC.     

“I don't want to be near you,unless…”: The interactive effect of unethical behavior and performance onto relationship conflict and workplace ostracism

Examined through the lens of moral psychology, we investigate when and why employees’ unethical behaviors may be tolerated versus rejected. Specifically, we examine the interactive effect of employees’ unethical behaviors and job performance onto relationship conflict, and whether such conflict eventuates in workplace ostracism. Although employees’ unethical behaviors typically go against moral norms, high job performance may provide a motivated reason to ignore moral violations. In this regard, we predict that job performance will mitigate the relationship between employee unethical behavior and workplace ostracism, as mediated by relationship conflict. Study 1, a multisource field study, tests and provides support for Hypotheses 1 and 2. Study 2, also a multisource field study, provides support for our fully specified model. Study 3, a time‐lagged field study, provides support for our theoretical model while controlling for employees’ negative affectivity and ethical environment. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

An application of the prototype willingness model to drivers' speeding behaviour

We tested the prototype willingness model (PWM). The participants (N = 198) completed online questionnaire measures of PWM constructs (Time 1) and subsequent speeding behaviour (Time 2). Path analyses showed that the PWM accounted for 89% of the variance in subsequent (self‐reported) speeding behaviour. This significantly exceeded the variance accounted for by the theory of planned behaviour. In line with the PWM, both behavioural intention and behavioural willingness had direct effects on behaviour. Behavioural willingness had a significantly larger effect. Attitude and subjective norm both had indirect effects on behaviour through both behavioural intention and behavioural willingness. Prototype (similarity) perceptions had indirect effects on behaviour through behavioural willingness only. The findings support the notion that driving is governed by reactive decision‐making (willingness), underpinned by prototype perceptions, attitudes and subjective norms, to a greater extent than it is deliberative decision‐making (intentions), underpinned by attitudes and subjective norms. The implications for safety interventions are discussed.     

Community Data Collection with Children of Mothers Living with HIV: Boundaries of the Researcher Role

The TRACK‐II program is a multi‐site, community‐based randomized controlled trial evaluating an intervention to assist mothers living with HIV (MLH) in disclosing their HIV status to their young children. Many participants—both mothers and children—reported significant depression and/or suicidal ideation, a phenomenon that presented ethical challenges. This article focuses on participants at one site (Atlanta). Through the vignette of “Jordan,” we describe ethical challenges that may arise when faced with the responsibility of maximizing participants’ safety while maintaining the boundaries of the researcher role. Guided by community psychology values, our team has taken measures within our role as researchers to empower and protect children and mothers endorsing suicidal ideation. For example, we have relied on relationships with community‐based organizations and AIDS service organizations to connect HIV‐affected families to mental health services. Furthermore, we have expanded our system of documentation to follow‐up adequately with families at risk, and we track family resources to promote a strengths‐based framework. We have solicited families’ feedback about their supports and needs to understand how we may best serve them by connecting them to the resources they report needing most and empowering them to care for themselves.     

The Role of Reputation in the Illegal Purchase of Protected Wildlife in China

Why would a consumer trust that his/her supplier would honor their agreement in illegal transactions? What mechanisms do consumers rely on to enhance the credibility of their agreements? In this article, these questions are examined in the light of illegal transactions of protected wildlife in China for consumption as a delicacy. Based on interviews with actors involved in this illegal market and open sources, this article shows that consumers rely on the supplier’s reputation to access protected wildlife, along with their reputation of having the culinary skills necessary to cook the wildlife in order to enhance the credibility of their agreements.     

Safety in Online Research With Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence: What About the Children?

The significant co-occurrence between men’s violence against female partners and child abuse and neglect is well documented. It is less clear how child safety should be managed in family violence research with their mothers. This issue is salient to isafe, a New Zealand–based Internet intervention study testing improvement in safety decisions and mental health outcomes for women experiencing intimate partner violence. This article discusses the legislative, professional, and ethical considerations that contribute to the development of the child safety protocols and discusses the development of the isafe protocol. Hypothetical scenarios of the application of the isafe protocol are used to illuminate the issues and provide a basis for future discussion.     

Development and validation of the trait and state versions of the Post-Event Processing Inventory

Background: Post-event processing (PEP) refers to negative and prolonged rumination following anxiety-provoking social situations. Although there are scales to assess PEP, they are situation-specific, some targeting only public-speaking situations. Furthermore, there are no trait measures to assess the tendency to engage in PEP. Objectives: The purpose of this research was to create a new measure of PEP, the Post-Event Processing Inventory (PEPI), which can be employed following all types of social situations and includes both trait and state forms. Design and method: Over two studies (study 1, N?=?220; study 2, N?=?199), we explored and confirmed the factor structure of the scale with student samples. Results: For each form of the scale, we found and confirmed that a higher-order, general PEP factor could be inferred from three sub-domains (intensity, frequency, and self-judgment). We also found preliminary evidence for the convergent, concurrent, discriminant/divergent, incremental, and predictive validity for each version of the scale. Both forms of the scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency and the trait form had excellent two-week test–retest reliability. Conclusion: Given the utility and versatility of the scale, the PEPI may provide a useful alternative to existing measures of PEP and rumination.     

Testing the health promotion model for adherence and quality of life in individuals with multiple sclerosis

The nature of multiple sclerosis (MS) presents challenges to health-promoting behaviors (e.g. adherence) and quality of life. The Health Promotion Model (HPM) proposes that these outcomes are explained by individual characteristics (i.e. biological, social, psychological) and behavior-specific cognitions (e.g. self-efficacy). The current study sought to test the HPM in explaining self-reported adherence and MS quality of life among 121 MS patients receiving care in an MS clinic in the southeastern United States. Hierarchical regression models partially supported the HPM for adherence (R² = .27) and more fully for quality of life (QoL) (R² = .64). Depression and stigma were among the variables most strongly related to both adherence and QoL; contrary to HPM theory, self-efficacy was not significantly related to adherence but was to QoL. Thus, the HPM may help to guide strategies used to improve QoL among individuals living with MS; however, the model may need further refinement to be used with adherence.     

Napping reduces emotional attention bias during early childhood

Sleep loss alters processing of emotional stimuli in preschool‐aged children. However, the mechanism by which sleep modifies emotional processing in early childhood is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that a nap, compared to an equivalent time spent awake, reduces biases in attention allocation to affective information. Children (n = 43; M = 55.40 months, SD = 8.05 months) completed a Dot Probe task, which provides a measure of attention biases to emotional stimuli, following a mid‐day nap and an equivalent interval spent awake. No emotional attention biases emerged when children napped. However, when nap‐deprived, children exhibited biases towards negative and positive stimuli. This emotional bias after wake was greater in children who napped habitually. Gender differences also emerged such that females were more attentive to positive emotional stimuli whereas males showed heightened attention to negative emotional stimuli, regardless of having napped or not. Moreover, greater slow wave activity (SWA) during the nap was associated with faster responding, which suggests that SWA may promote efficiency of attention allocation. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIoZ8mzxQgg     

Genetic associations with reflexive visual attention in infancy and childhood

This study elucidates genetic influences on reflexive (as opposed to sustained) attention in children (aged 9–16 years; N = 332) who previously participated as infants in visual attention studies using orienting to a moving bar (Dannemiller, 2004). We investigated genetic associations with reflexive attention measures in infancy and childhood in the same group of children. The genetic markers (single nucleotide polymorphisms and variable number tandem repeats on the genes APOE, BDNF, CHRNA4, COMT, DRD4, HTR4, IGF2, MAOA, SLC5A7, SLC6A3, and SNAP25) are related to brain development and/or to the availability of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, dopamine, or serotonin. This study shows that typically developing children have differences in reflexive attention associated with their genes, as we found in adults (Lundwall, Guo & Dannemiller, 2012). This effort to extend our previous findings to outcomes in infancy and childhood was necessary because genetic influence may differ over the course of development. Although two of the genes that were tested in our adult study (Lundwall et al., 2012) were significant in either our infant study (SLC6A3) or child study (DRD4), the specific markers tested differed. Performance on the infant task was associated with SLC6A3. In addition, several genetic associations with an analogous child task occurred with markers on CHRNA4, COMT, and DRD4. Interestingly, the child version of the task involved an interaction such that which genotype group performed poorer on the child task depended on whether we were examining the higher or lower infant scoring group. These findings are discussed in terms of genetic influences on reflexive attention in infancy and childhood.