Untrained Temporal Differentiation and Equivalence Class Formation

The Psychological Record - The purposes of this study were to assess whether discriminative control over conjunc FR 5 t1 < IRT < t2 responding would transfer to members of stimulus...     

The representational status of pretence: Evidence from typical development and autism

The question of whether understanding pretend play requires meta‐representational skill was examined among typically developing children and individuals with autism. Participants were presented with closely equated true and false pretence trials in which they had to judge a protagonist's pretend reading of a situation, which either matched or differed from their own. Results showed that individuals' theory of mind abilities determined their performance on false, but not true, pretence trials. These findings imply that meta‐representation is involved when an individual has to make sense of a pretend state of mind that differs from their own, but, crucially, they also show that pretend play can often be understood without meta‐representational competence.     

ACCESS DECISIONS BY PERSONNEL DIRECTORS: SUBTLE FORMS OF SEX BIAS IN HIRING

Midwestern personnel and management association members rated bogus job applications which had identical background qualifications but varied by sex of applicant, sex-role related attributes of applicant, and degree of fit of applicant credentials to job demands. The applicants were rated on their qualifications and likelihood of being considered for the position, expected performance, and expected success in the job. A significant triple interaction was found for the variable that measured the likelihood of the applicant being considered for the position (i.e., access to the position). Higher access ratings were given to the sex–stereotypical applicant when the applicant's credentials matched job demands. When the applicant's credentials did not fit the job demands, raters tended to favor non–stereotypical applicants. Practical and research implications are discussed.     

Examining social-cognitive determinants of intention and physical activity among black and white adolescent girls using structural equation modeling.

Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate components within the theories of reasoned action (TRA), planned behavior (TPB), and self-efficacy (SET) for understanding moderate and vigorous physical activity among 1,797 Black and White adolescent girls. Modest to strong support was provided for components of TPB and SET; weak support was provided for components of TRA. Perceived behavioral control was related to vigorous physical activity. Self-efficacy was related to moderate and vigorous physical activity, and it accounted for the effect of intention on physical activity. The observed relationships were similar between Black and White girls. Self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control are independent influences on physical activity among Black and White adolescent girls and warrant study as potential mediators in physical activity interventions.     

Pygmalion in the genes? On the potentially negative impacts of polygenic scores for educational attainment

Social Psychology of Education - Polygenic scores for educational attainment and related variables, such as IQ and “mathematical ability” are now readily available via...     

INTRODUCTION to Special Edition of JAP on the ‘Who is My Jung?’ conference held at the British Library in October 2017 to mark the 40th Anniversary of the foundation of the Association of Jungian Analysts (AJA)

The paper reviews the processes which went into the creation of an exceptionally comprehensive conference on Jungian analysis and psychology. The conference brought together all five of the constituent societies based in London of the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP). The personal nature of the conference contributions is highlighted together with observations about the passage from spoken to written modes. The idea of ‘conference space’ is reviewed and this leads to a discussion of the often overlooked benign role of conferences in professional life.     

Abstract: Comparing Semiparametric and Parametric Methods for Modeling Interactions Among Latent Variables

Many approaches have been proposed to estimate interactions among latent variables. These methods often assume a specific functional form for the interaction, such as a bilinear interaction. Theory is seldom specific enough to provide a functional form for an interaction, however, so a more exploratory, diagnostic approach may often be required. Bauer (2005) proposed a semiparametric approach that allows for the estimation of interaction effects of unknown functional form among latent variables. A structural equation mixture model (SEMM) is first fit to the data. Then an approximation of the interaction is obtained by aggregating over the mixing components. A simulation study is used to examine the performance of this semiparametric approach to two parametric approaches: the latent moderated structures approach (Klein & Moosbrugger, 2000) and the unconstrained product-indicator approach (Marsh, Wen, & Hau, 2004). Data were generated from four functional forms: main effects only, quadratic trend, bilinear interaction, and exponential interaction. Estimates of bias and root mean squared error of approximation were calculated by comparing the surface used to generate the data and the model-implied surface constructed from each approach. As expected, the parametric approaches were more efficient than the SEMM. For the main effects model, bias was similar for both the SEMM and parametric approaches. For the bilinear interaction, the parametric approaches provided nearly identical results, although the SEMM approach was slightly more biased. When the parametric approaches assumed a bilinear interaction and the data were generated from a quadratic trend or an exponential interaction, the parametric approaches generated biased estimates of the true surface. The SEMM approach approximated the true data generation surface with a similarly low level of bias for all the nonlinear surfaces. For example, Figure 1 shows the true surface for the bilinear interaction along with the SEMM estimated average surface. The results suggest that the SEMM approach can provide a relatively unbiased approximation to variety of nonlinear relationships among latent variables.     

consulting the oracle

Abstract

Is it possible that even logic is not logical? Is it possible that our current belief in a rational and material world is no less a subjective point of view than any other mystical faith? Kurt Gödel in mathematics and Carl Jung in psychology independently established the limits of rationalism half a century ago. Yet the profound implications of their work for our own currently changing world view are not well understood. In this essay, Robertson introduces us to some of the basic themes that underlie the life works of both Gödel and Jung. These themes lead us to a new and startling comprehension of the paradox of self-reference and the limits of rationalism that are inherent in the way we construct our conceptions of reality.