On the self-regulation of implicit and explicit prejudice: a self -determination theory perspective

The present study identifies a broad taxonomy of motives underlying the desire to regulate prejudice and assess the impact of motivation to regulate prejudice on levels of explicit and implicit prejudice. Using self-determination theory as the foundation, six forms of motivation to regulate prejudice are proposed. In Study 1 (N = 257), an exploratory factor analysis reveals evidence for the six proposed dimensions. In Study 2 (N = 198), the six-factor taxonomy of motivation to regulate prejudice is further validated using a confirmatory factor analysis, and construct validity is obtained. In Study 3 (N = 62), motivation to regulate prejudice is manipulated before participants complete the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and explicit measures of prejudice. Results reveal that those with highly self-determined regulation of prejudice demonstrate lower implicit and explicit prejudice than their less self-determined counterparts. Results are discussed in terms of an increased understanding of the motivation to control prejudice.     

Early maturation of frequency-following responses to voice pitch in infants with normal hearing

Neural plasticity of pitch processing mechanisms at the human brainstem, as reflected by the scalp-recorded frequency-following response (FFR) to voice pitch, has been reported for normal-hearing adults. Characteristics and maturation of such a response during the first year of life have remained unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of FFR to voice pitch in normal-hearing infants and to make a direct comparison with adults using the same stimulus and recording parameters. 9 infants and 9 adults were recruited. A Chinese monosyllable that mimics the English vowel /i/ with a rising pitch was used to elicit the FFR to voice pitch. The results demonstrated that infant FFRs showed slightly larger Pitch Strength but comparable Frequency Error, Slope Error, and Tracking Accuracy to those obtained from adults. Early maturation of FFRs was also observed in the infants starting from 1 to 3 mo. of age.     

Persistence of stereotypic behavior: examining the effects of external reinforcers

Basic research has shown that behavioral persistence is often positively related to rate of reinforcement. This relation, expressed in the metaphor of behavioral momentum, has potentially important implications for clinical application. The current study examined one prediction of the momentum metaphor for automatically reinforced behavior. Participants were 3 children who had been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and who engaged in stereotypic behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. Results suggested that stereotypic behavior was more resistant to disruption following periods of access to preferred stimuli delivered on a variable-time schedule than following periods without access to preferred stimuli. The implications of these findings for the treatment of automatically reinforced behavior are discussed.     

The effect of highly concentrated oxygen administration on cerebral activation levels and lateralization in visuospatial tasks

This study investigated what effect a 30% oxygen administration had on visuospatial cognitive performance and cerebral activation and lateralization using fMRI. Eight college students were selected as the subjects for this study. An oxygen dispenser that provided 21% and 30% oxygen at a constant rate of 8L/min was developed. In order to measure the performance level of visuospatial cognition, two psychological tests were also developed. The experiment consisted of two runs, one for a visuospatial cognition task with normal air (21% oxygen) and the other for a visuospatial cognition task with hyperoxic air (30% oxygen). Functional brain images were taken with a 3T MRI using the single-shot EPI method. The results of the visuospatial behavioral analysis reveal that accuracy rates were enhanced with 30% oxygen administration when compared to 21% oxygen. There were more activations observed at the bilateral occipital, parietal, and frontal lobes with 30% oxygen administration. However, decreased cerebrum lateralization was observed with 30% oxygen administration in the same regions compared with 21% oxygen administration. Thus, it is concluded that the positive effect on the visuospatial cognitive performance level by the highly concentrated oxygen administration resulted from an increase of cerebrum activation and a decrease of cerebrum lateralization.     

Work organization, economic inequality, and depression among nursing assistants: a multilevel modeling approach

To investigate the relationships among the nursing home work environment, emotional strain, and depression in Nursing Assistants in Ohio and West Virginia, this cross-sectional study was conducted with 395 Nurse Assistants in 49 nursing homes in Ohio and West Virginia. Organizational attributes were measured independently at the individual and organizational levels. Multilevel modeling techniques were used to analyze the data. Our methods examined nursing home organizational structure (ownership type, managerial style), and work organization (emotional strain) was examined in relation to the prevalence of depression among nursing assistants. Our findings suggest workplace emotional strain and age are associated with increased odds of depression. Implications of our work include that work in nursing homes for the environment it fosters has a strong effect on emotional strain and depression among Nursing Assistants.     

Relationship of recalled parenting style to self-perception in Korean American college students

The authors examined the relationship of authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive parenting styles and the number of years in the United States with self-perception (academic competence, morality, and self-reliance) as recalled by Korean American college students (N = 144). Authoritative parenting behaviors were most common in Korean American families, followed by authoritarian behaviors, with permissive behaviors a distant 3rd. Authoritative parenting styles and the number of years lived in the United States were predictive of higher academic competence. Authoritarian and permissive parenting styles were predictive of lower self-reliance, whereas number of years lived in the United States was related to higher self-reliance. Those findings provide partial support for generalizing D. Baumrind's (1971) model of parenting styles to Korean American families, and the findings demonstrate the importance of considering acculturation issues in parenting studies.     

Effects of subliminal hints on insight problem solving

Two experiments tested a total of 509 participants on insight problems (the radiation problem and the nine-dot problem). Half of the participants were first exposed to a 1-min movie that included a subliminal hint. The hint raised the solution rate of people who did not recognize it. In addition, the way they solved the problem was affected by the hint. In Experiment 3, a novel technique was introduced to address some methodological concerns raised by Experiments 1 and 2. A total of 80 participants solved the 10-coin problem, and half of them were exposed to a subliminal hint. The hint facilitated solving the problem, and it shortened the solution time. Some implications of subliminal priming for research on and theorizing about insight problem solving are discussed.     

A Nondegenerate Penalized Likelihood Estimator for Variance Parameters in Multilevel Models

Group-level variance estimates of zero often arise when fitting multilevel or hierarchical linear models, especially when the number of groups is small. For situations where zero variances are implausible a priori, we propose a maximum penalized likelihood approach to avoid such boundary estimates. This approach is equivalent to estimating variance parameters by their posterior mode, given a weakly informative prior distribution. By choosing the penalty from the log-gamma family with shape parameter greater than 1, we ensure that the estimated variance will be positive. We suggest a default log-gamma(2,λ) penalty with λ→0, which ensures that the maximum penalized likelihood estimate is approximately one standard error from zero when the maximum likelihood estimate is zero, thus remaining consistent with the data while being nondegenerate. We also show that the maximum penalized likelihood estimator with this default penalty is a good approximation to the posterior median obtained under a noninformative prior. Our default method provides better estimates of model parameters and standard errors than the maximum likelihood or the restricted maximum likelihood estimators. The log-gamma family can also be used to convey substantive prior information. In either case—pure penalization or prior information—our recommended procedure gives nondegenerate estimates and in the limit coincides with maximum likelihood as the number of groups increases.     

Dynamic Touch by Hand and Head During Walking: Protective Behavior for the Head?

We investigated perception of the extent of an object held in the hand or attached to the head during walking. Participants wielded an occluded, weighted rod by hand and by head and reported the perceived location of the rod end (relative to a virtual vertical line) while walking and while standing. There was an unexpected effect of body part on perceived location of the rod end. In particular, participants stood or walked so that the rod end was farther away from the vertical line when wielding with the head than wielding with the hand. It is possible that differences between the tasks and the relative costs of a collision influenced the locomotory behavior in each condition.