The Relation of Perceived Neighborhood Danger to Childhood Aggression: A Test of Mediating Mechanisms

In the current study, two mediational mechanisms, parenting practices and children's beliefs about aggression, were hypothesized to account for the relationship between perceived neighborhood danger and childhood aggression. Using structural equation modeling, data were analyzed from an inner-city school-based sample of 732 predominantly African American 5th graders. Results suggested that perceived neighborhood danger was associated with strong positive beliefs about aggression, which in turn was associated with high levels of aggression. The hypothesized mediating role of parenting practices (restrictive discipline, parental monitoring, and parental involvement) on the relation between perceived neighborhood danger and child aggression was not supported. However, the current findings suggest that children's positive beliefs about aggression mediated the relationship between restrictive discipline and aggression. Directions for future research are discussed.     

Changes in movement variables associated with transient overshoot of the final position

Transient overshoot (TO), which is assessed as the distance between the movement amplitude and the final position, was measured in a series of rapid, discrete elbow flexion movements performed under different distance and loading conditions by 7 participants. A positive relationship was found between kinematic variables (peak velocity, peak acceleration and deceleration, and the symmetry ratio) and the magnitude of TO, particularly in short movements performed against a light load. The relationships between TO and electromyographic (EMG) variables were low and mainly insignificant. Thus, TO contributes to the variability of rapid, discrete movements and therefore should be taken into account as an additional parameter in studies of the scaling of movement variables with movement mechanical conditions. TO could also represent a consequence of mechanical properties of the single-joint system rather than an independently programmed primary submovement.     

Exploring the limits of peripheral vision for the control of movement

The role played by peripheral visual information in the control of aiming movements is not fully understood, as is indicated by the conflicting results reported in the literature. In the present study, the authors tested and confirmed the hypothesis that the source of the conflict lies in the portion of the visual peripheral field that has been under scrutiny in the different studies. Participants (N = 60) moved a computer mouse from a fixed starting position to 1 of 3 targets under varied vision conditions. The portion of the peripheral visual field that best ensured directional accuracy of a sweeping movement was found to be located between 20 degrees and 10 degrees of visual angle, whereas the area found to favor directional accuracy of an aiming movement comprised 30 degrees through 10 degrees of visual angle.     

A perception-action coupling type of control in long jumping

The authors' goal was to identify the control mechanisms used by long jumpers (N = 6) to precisely position their foot at the board. In addition to the intertrial method usually used in previous research, an original method based on a trial-by-trial analysis was also implemented. If the approach to the board in long jumping encompasses two distinct sequences separated by a key step that marks the initiation of visual control, then a trial-by-trial analysis should reveal those sequences, regardless of the amount of adjustment: The step number at which regulation is initiated should be the same irrespective of the amount of adjustment. If, in contrast, a perception-action coupling mechanism operates, then the step number at which regulation is initiated should be a function of the amount of adjustment: A linear relation between those 2 variables should emerge. The results of the present study are compatible with continuous control mechanisms based on a perception-action coupling.     

Professionals' use of different mentor sources at various career stages: implications for career success

The authors investigated the various sources of mentors used by professionals, how these sources influenced both objective and subjective career success, and whether the participants used different sources of mentors at different stages of their careers. According to data from 430 faculty members at 2 U.S. research institutions, assistant professors with mentors in their professions, associate professors with mentors outside the work place, and professors with mentors within their organizations had the highest levels of objective career success. Assistant professors with multiple sources of mentors yielded significantly higher levels of both objective and subjective career success than did those with single sources or no mentor. If one links professorial rank to career stage, the results suggest that the participants used different sources of mentors at different stages of their careers.     

Understandings and experiences of cruelty: an exploratory report

The authors investigated popular understandings of cruelty among 103 undergraduates who identified the cruelest acts that they had experienced vicariously and personally. The authors also examined the reasons that the cited acts were defined as cruel. Results indicated that most of the vicarious cruel acts involved intense aggression or sexual imposition, whereas personally experienced cruelty was milder, frequently consisting of teasing or gossip. Offense, victim, and perpetrator characteristics were all cited as reasons that acts were considered cruel. The authors also investigated gender differences in reported acts and reasons. Future researchers should address the discrepancies between vicarious and personally experienced cruelty. Findings with regard to personal acts also call for links to the literature on callousness and victimization.     

The affective dimension of response elicitation data: a projective measure

In this research, the Rorschach Affective Ratio, a measure for frequency of response elicitation, was used to examine the affective dimension of response elicitation data. The purpose of this study was to apply the Rorschach Affective Ratio to an examination of the psychodynamic roots of political behavior. This measure compares the number of responses to colored cards, considered as emotional stimuli, with those revealed by the other (black and white) cards of the test. Israeli undergraduates (N = 26) completed a questionnaire composed of 20 questions about peace. Participants who were more supportive of the peace process in the Middle East were found to have a lower Affective Ratio than those who were less supportive. This result suggests that measurable affective aspects may be as important as cognitive aspects of response elicitation in understanding an individual's political attitudes.     

Environmental influences on perceptual and motor skills of children from immigrant Ethiopian families

The purpose of this study was to examine environmental influences on perceptual and motor skills of children from immigrant Ethiopian families in Israel in comparison with those of Israeli-born children. The subjects were divided into groups based on age (6- to 8-yr.-olds and 10- to 12-yr.-olds) and length of time in Israel. The results of this study show that the perceptual and motor performance of 6- to 8-yr.-old, less recent Ethiopian immigrants is similar to that of the recent Ethiopian immigrants of the same age. A difference exists between those two groups and the Israeli-born children of the same age. In the 10- to 12-yr.-old age group, there is a marked difference between the performance of the two groups of Ethiopian immigrants. The difference between the less recent immigrants and the Israeli-born children is smaller for most tasks; however, the less recent immigrants' performance is still poorer than that of the Israeli children. These results are compatible with those of other studies describing the difficulties encountered by children who had not studied in formal educational settings and those who have had that experience.