Dream symbolization in light of analytic and experiential thinking

This paper compares the analytic and experiential approaches to dreams in order to illuminate the intrinsic and necessary relationships between the two understandings. It describes how dream work reflects the bimodalness of symbolism, thought and ultimately human consciousness. An extended example of dream work reflecting both analytic and experiential modalities is presented.     

Anxiety and Depression During Childhood and Adolescence: Testing Theoretical Models of Continuity and Discontinuity

The present study sought to clarify the trajectory (i.e., continuous vs. discontinuous) and expression (i.e., homotypic vs. heterotypic) of anxiety and depressive symptoms across childhood and adolescence. We utilized a state-of-the-science analytic approach to simultaneously test theoretical models that describe the development of internalizing symptoms in youth. In a sample of 636 children (53% female; M _age = 7.04; SD _age = 0.35) self-report measures of anxiety and depression were completed annually by youth through their freshman year of high school. For both anxiety and depression, a piecewise growth curve model provided the best fit for the data, with symptoms decreasing until age 12 (the “developmental knot”) and then increasing into early adolescence. The trajectory of anxiety symptoms was best described by a discontinuous homotypic pattern in which childhood anxiety predicted adolescent anxiety. For depression, two distinct pathways were discovered: A discontinuous homotypic pathway in which childhood depression predicted adolescent depression and a discontinuous heterotypic pathway in which childhood anxiety predicted adolescent depression. Analytical, methodological, and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Whom would you rather help: an acquaintance not responsible for her plight or a responsible sibling?

When 2 persons--an acquaintance who could not have avoided a problem and a close relative who is responsible for her own plight--ask for help, attribution theory and sociobiology conflict about who will receive help. Attribution theorists assume that the nonresponsible acquaintance will be supported, but sociobiologists argue that the responsible sibling will receive help. The authors tested the hypothesis that characteristics of the situation affect which theory better predicts help giving. The results confirmed that in situations that do not affect life and death, a nonresponsible acquaintance would receive more help than a responsible sibling. But in life-or-death situations, inasmuch as the reproductive fitness of the person in need is in danger, a responsible sibling would be supported more than a nonresponsible acquaintance.     

An exploration of the interrater agreement of visual analysis with and without context

Visual analysis is integral to the analysis of single-case experimental design (SCED) data. Previous studies have shown that many factors may influence the interrater agreement (IRA) of visual analysis. One factor that has received little direct attention is the impact of contextual information. In the current study, authors of recently published SCED studies were asked to make judgments regarding functional relations based on published datasets that met criteria for design quality. Respondents were randomly assigned to view graphs with or without contextual information and the degree of interrater agreement was compared. Results revealed that contextual information had no impact on IRA for decisions of a functional relation. IRA was high across both groups for 6 of the 7 datasets examined. Implications and recommendations based on these results are discussed.     

Multiple Dimensions of Procedural Justice: Longitudinal Effects on Selection System Fairness and Test‐Taking Self‐Efficacy

To demonstrate the multidimensionality of test fairness, we examined the reactions of 246 police applicants to two consecutive selection tests (written and video‐based) in terms of eight dimensions of fairness. As hypothesized, each test was seen as more fair in terms of certain dimensions. Furthermore, test fairness measured immediately after each test predicted perceptions of overall selection system fairness measured after candidates received their test results and after controlling for applicants’ selection outcomes (i.e., whether they were eligible for further consideration in the selection process). Job‐relatedness/content for the video‐based test interacted with test score to affect test‐taking self‐efficacy. Our discussion focuses on the multidimensionality of test fairness, the contribution of these dimensions to overall selection system fairness, and the consideration of these dimensions in selection system design.     

An Information Processing Theory of Ambivalence

This paper analyzes the sources of ambivalence toward political parties and candidates. We propose and test an information-processing theory of ambivalence in which systematic processing is hypothesized to heighten partisan and candidate ambivalence. We show that ambivalence is linked to several dispositional sources of systematic processing, including individuals' information, motivation, and cognitive style. Specifically, we find that ambivalence tends to be greater among the well informed and those who are high in need for cognition while it tends to be lower among those motivated by directional goals. Collectively, our results suggest that levels of partisan and candidate ambivalence are greatest among those most likely to engage in effortful processing of information and that these effects are independent of value conflict. The results further suggest that the effects of effortful processing on ambivalence are moderated by attitude commitment.