Social and Behavioral Researchers' Experiences With Their IRBs

This article examines the responsibilities of researchers who conduct exploratory research to provide a service to vulnerable respondents. The term “service” is used to denote the provision of a tangible benefit in relation to the research question that is apart from the altruistic research benefits. This article explores what this “service” could look like, who might be responsible for providing it, and the challenges associated with such a service. The article argues that not providing a tangible benefit to vulnerable research participants is inconsistent with the principle of social justice that undergirds much of the rationale for conducting health disparities research.     

Translating Recategorization Strategies Into an Antibias Educational Intervention

This experiment explored whether the benefits of a complete recategorization and a dual identity might effectively be translated into an intervention program designed to reduce prejudice among European Portuguese and African Portuguese 9‐ to 11‐year‐old children. Participants interacted for 45 minutes in weekly sessions for a month. One month after the last interaction, measures were administered to the children. Results revealed that only recategorization reduced prejudice over time relative to the control condition. Consistent with a functional perspective regarding which representation would most effectively promote their group's goals, a one‐group representation was more effective for the African Portuguese minority group.     

Analysis of the Vocal Profiles of Male Seduction: From Exhibition to Self-Disclosure

The authors analyzed the suprasegmental (temporary) vocal profiles of 19 young men (not married) during their seductive interaction with 19 young women (not married) whom they had not known previously. The aim of the research was to verify the specificity, the sequential temporal stream, and the efficacy of the acoustical features of the seducer's voice during seductive interaction. In an ecological laboratory situation, the male participants were asked to meet their female partners. Participant-by-participant analysis showed that the male seductive voice is characterized by strong variations during the course of the seductive sequence. At the beginning of the sequence it had a higher pitch and an elevated intensity, as well as a faster rate of articulation than it did during normal speech (the exhibition voice). In the following phases it became gradually lower, weaker, and warmer (the self-disclosure voice). The modulation and variability of the vocal profiles during the seductive interaction were significantly stressed in the 9 successful seducers (those who succeeded in arranging a subsequent meeting with the partner), compared with the 10 unsuccessful seducers. The results have been interpreted as an ability to perform an effective local management of seductive communication.     

Is Change Bad? Personality Change Is Associated with Poorer Psychological Health and Greater Metabolic Syndrome in Midlife

Personality change is emerging as an important predictor of health and well‐being. Extending previous research, we examined whether two types of personality change, directional and absolute, are associated with both subjective and objective indicators of health. Utilizing the longitudinal Midlife in the United States survey (MIDUS) data, we examined whether both types of change over 10 years were associated with psychological well‐being, self‐reported global health, and the presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components and diagnosis. Socially undesirable personality change (e.g., becoming less conscientious and more neurotic) and absolute personality change were independently associated with worse perceived health and well‐being at Time 2. Notably, absolute personality change, regardless of the direction, was also associated with having a greater number of MetS components and a greater probability of diagnosis at Time 2. In sum, too much personality change may be bad for one's health: Socially undesirable and absolute personality change were both associated with worse psychological health and worse metabolic profiles over 10 years. These findings suggest that personality change may contribute to psychological and physical health, and provide initial insight into potential intermediate links between personality change and distal outcomes such as mortality.     

Equity,Egoism, and Egocentrism: The Formation of Distributive Justice Judgments

Groups of subjects watched films under two conditions of density (high and low) and number (large and small groups). After one film a confederate applauded and the reactions of the audience were observed. As predicted by an analysis based on the intensification theory of crowding, high density greatly increased the contagion of the applause, Larger numbers also had a significant, though considerably smaller effect on contagion. The findings indicate that relatively simple environmental factors such as density and number may be major determinants of whether contagion occurs in groups.     

Investigating Links from Teacher Knowledge,to Classroom Practice,to Student Learning in the Instructional System of the Middle-School Mathematics Classroom

Using data collected in 125 seventh-grade and 56 eighth-grade Texas classrooms in the context of the “Scaling Up SimCalc” research project in 2005–07, we examined relationships between teachers’ mathematics knowledge, teachers’ classroom decision making, and student achievement outcomes on topics of rate, proportionality, and linear function—three important and cognitively demanding prealgebra topics. We found that teachers’ mathematical knowledge was correlated with student achievement in only one study out of three. We also found a lack of correlations between teachers’ mathematical knowledge and critical aspects of instructional decision making. Curriculum and other learning resources (e.g., technology, student–student interactions) are clearly important factors for student learning in addition to, and in interaction with, teachers’ mathematical knowledge. Our results suggest that mathematics knowledge for teaching may have a nonlinear relationship with student learning, that those effects may be heavily mediated by other instructional factors, and that short-term content knowledge gains in teacher workshops may not persist in classroom instruction. We discuss a need in the field for richer models of how “mathematical knowledge for teaching” works in the context of complete instructional systems.     

Advertising,perversions, neurosis

Abstract

This paper discusses the influence of advertising on today's social pathologies. Everywhere, advertising images invite people to enjoy unlimited pleasures. “No limits” orders the advertising master to the consumers and admirers of Nike. “Be a tiger” says another advertisement. The author believes that contemporary society is perverted by the orders of the advertising master, whom individuals gently obey, just as a hysterical woman lets her perverse master instrumentalize her.

Kehl MR. Werbung, Perversionen, HysterieDiese Arbeit diskutiert den Einfluß von Werbung auf die heutigen sozialen Pathologien. Überall laden Werbe-Bilder die Menschen zu unbegrenzten Vergnügungen ein. “Ohne Grenzen” fordern die Werbe-Meister von den Verbrauchern und Bewunderern von Nike.

“Sei ein Tiger”, sagt eine andere Werbung. Der Autor ist der Auffassung, daß die heutige Gesellschaft durch die Anweisungen der Werbe-Chefs pervertiert ist, dem die Menschen sachte gehorchen, wie eine hysterische Frau sich von ihrem perversen Meister instrumentalisieren läßt.

Kehl M.R. Publicidad, perversiones, histeria.Este trabajo discute la influencia de la publicidad en las patologías actuales. En todas partes las imágenes de publicidad invitan a la gente a conseguir placeres ilimitados. “Sin limites”, ordena la publicidad a los consumidores y admiradores de Nike. “Sé un tigre”, dice otro anuncio. El autor piensa que la sociedad contemporánea está pervertida por las ordenes de la publicidad maestra, que los individuos obedecen poco a poco, como una mujer histérica permite a su perversión maestra instrumentalizarla.     

Posttraumatic Stress,Depression, and Insomnia Among U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen

Few studies have examined rates of mental health problems among special duty military personnel, who often have frequent deployments and high exposure to operational stressors and trauma. The current study examined the severity and rates of positive screening for posttraumatic stress, depression, and insomnia among 194 U.S. Air Force pararescuemen (PJs) in the active duty (AD) and National Guard/Reserve (NG/R) components. Overall estimated rates were 11.6% for probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 1.6% for probable depression, and 16.1% for clinical insomnia. PJs in the NG/R reported significantly more severe posttraumatic stress symptoms (F(1, 162) = 10.031, p = .002, partial η² = .058) and were approximately twice as likely to screen positive for probable PTSD (8.5% vs. 19.1%; χ²[1] = 3.679, p = .055). No differences in the rate or severity of depression or insomnia symptoms were found. Rates of positive screens are comparable to or lower than previously published rates among military personnel.