When a bystander becomes an accomplice: Situational determinants of reactions to dishonesty

In a series of experiments, undergraduates (N = 288) performed a task with a confederate who subsequently lied about his or her performance in order to obtain a cash bonus. The probability of bystanders' reporting the dishonesty and refusing to sign a document attesting to the confederate's score was differentially affected by situational factors and sex of the bystander, wrongdoer, and authority figure. Bystanders were most apt to report the misdeed when they were competing against rather than working either independently or cooperatively with the culprit, at least when the bonus was provided by a large corporation. In addition, females were more likely than males to report when the victim was another person rather than either a corporation or the bystander himself, and both sexes were more apt to report a female wrongdoer than a male one. Persons who initially reported the misdeed were less likely to become active accomplices than were those who failed to report it. Furthermore, less written verification of the falsehood occurred when (a) nonreporters were performing independently rather than either competing against or working cooperatively with the culprit for the bonus, and (b) a male was in an immediate position of authority.     

Accumulation of Risk and Promotive Factors Among Young Children in US Military Families

In the families of the new cohort of war veterans now entering the civilian population in the United States are over two million young children (Cozza, Haskins & Lerner, 2013; Institute of Medicine, 2013). Several noteworthy studies have shown that children exposed to separation from a parent due to combat‐related deployment are at elevated risk for a variety of negative consequences (Lester & Flake, 2013). Cozza et al. (2013) argue that existing studies of military children focus too much on the stresses or deficits they experience, failing to give sufficient attention to their strengths, the strengths of their families, or the supports around them. In the current study we focus on risk and promotive factors in the lives of children aged 0–10 in military families. We examine the likelihood of negative outcomes as functions of additive, cumulative, and interactive relationships between risk and promotive factors and children's outcomes. Risk factors, particularly parental depression, community poverty, and cumulative risk, were more strongly associated with children's outcomes than promotive factors. There was, however, a significant risk‐protective relationship between accumulations of risk and promotive factors, consistent with promotive conditions operating in a protective fashion under conditions of elevated risk.     

On the Christian in Christian bioethics.

What is Christian about Christian bioethics? And is an authentically Christian bioethics a practical possibility in the world in which we find ourselves? In my essay I argue that personhood and the personal are so fundamental to the Christian understanding of our humanity that body, soul, and spirit are probably best understood as the components of a triune (as opposed to dual) aspect theory of personhood. To confess to a Christian bioethics is to admit that Christians cannot pretend fully to understand either cures or their meaning. However effective and "knowledge-based" contemporary medical interventions are, a Christian must humbly and honestly confess a lack of complete knowledge on both levels. At the same time, a Christian bioethicist must express a total personal commitment to Christian Faith.     

Group cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety in a clinic setting: does child involvement predict outcome?

The current study examined the relationship between child involvement and treatment outcome in a group cognitive–behavioral treatment (GCBT) program for children with anxiety, using an adapted version of the Child Involvement Rating Scale (CIRS). Thirty-four children with a primary diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, referred for outpatient treatment at a hospital, and their parents participated in a manualized 12-session GCBT program. The Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), administered at pretreatment, posttreatment, and at 4-month follow-up, served as the outcome measure. The psychometric properties of the adapted CIRS were good. Early involvement (EI) was calculated as the average score from Sessions 1 to 6 and late involvement (LI), the average score from Sessions 7 to 12. EI predicted lower MASC scores at posttreatment, after controlling for pretreatment MASC scores and for LI, B = – 1.05, t(3) = – 2.34, p < .05. EI did not predict outcomes at follow-up. Results were replicated using the original CIRS measure. Exploratory analyses suggested that the relationship between LI and treatment outcomes was moderated by medication. Involvement in therapy prior to exposures might be an important predictor of posttreatment outcomes in GCBT in a community setting.     

Well-being during the coronavirus pandemic: The effect of big five personality and COVID-19 beliefs and behaviors

This study examined the relationship between personality traits, COVID-specific beliefs and behaviors, and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, at the onset of a second major lockdown, Australian adults (n = 1453) completed measures of Big Five personality, COVID beliefs and behaviors (i.e., belief in a rapid recovery, perceived risk, compliance, change in exercise, and change in interpersonal conflict), subjective well-being and COVID-specific well-being. Personality correlates of COVID-specific well-being differed from those with general life satisfaction. The benefits of conscientiousness were elevated whereas the benefits of extraversion and agreeableness were reduced. Neuroticism was related to greater perceived risk from the pandemic, elevated interpersonal conflict during the pandemic, and more pessimistic views about the rate at which society would recover from the pandemic. In contrast, conscientiousness was notably related to greater compliance with directions from public health authorities. While regression models showed that general well-being was largely explained by personality, COVID factors provided incremental prediction, and this was greatest when predicting COVID-specific well-being and lowest for global evaluations of life satisfaction. The observed prediction by beliefs and behaviors on well-being beyond personality, provides potential opportunities for targeted interventions to support the management of future novel stressors.     

What Experiences Do Expository Books on Recommended Book Lists Offer to K–2 Students?

Teachers can use expository texts to teach academic vocabulary, content knowledge, text structure, and text features. National associations' recommended book lists are often used to identify books for classrooms. Previously we identified expository texts on these lists from 2001–2002 and 2011–2012. The current study explored instructional possibilities these expository books afford. More recent books have more content, academic vocabulary, and supplementary information. However, many earlier and recent books lack text features such as page numbers, tables of contents, glossaries, and indexes. Teachers will need to supplement these books with other texts to provide experiences enabling proficiency with exposition.     

Black Males Living in an Antithetical Police Culture: Keys for Their Survival

Police killings of unarmed Black males is an all too often occurrence. Just how many have succumbed in this manner is unknown due to a lack of a comprehensive reporting method. However, an undeniable fact and reality is that the Black community, and society as a whole, suffers as a result of the loss of these individuals. The authors of this article suggest that police shootings of unarmed Black males may never cease. The authors propose simple but thoughtful ways in which Black males should be educated by the Black community (family, church, and other institutions) regarding general survival skills and more specifically survival skills in regards to police encounters. Implications for further research are also presented.     

Explaining Away Excellence: The Biased Assault on Private-School Research

Research favoring private education runs counter to the agenda of some researchers and policy makers. Consequently, the ameliorative role of private school is apt to be explained away on methodological grounds. Dr. Erickson offers reasons for the effectiveness of private education beyond what can be accounted for by skimming superior students. Moreover, Dr. Erickson suggests how these explanatory features can enlighten all education—public education included.     

The Validity of a Brief Risk Assessment Tool for Predicting Suicidal Behavior in Veterans Utilizing VHA Mental Health Care

Suicide risk among military veterans is an important and ongoing concern. The Veterans Administration (VA) mandates suicide risk screening of all veterans seen for mental health issues, but little is known about the effectiveness of this screening. A retrospective chart review to examine all suicide risk screens at VA San Diego between October and December 2012 (n = 3,365) was conducted to assess whether results were associated with suicidal behavior over the subsequent 12 months. Patients judged to be at increased risk for suicide were 3 to 16 times more likely to attempt suicide and 7 to 25 times more likely to engage in self‐directed violence over the next 12 months compared with others. The screening tool may be a useful addition to clinical practice.     

Guided Affective and Cognitive Imagery to Enhance Self-esteem Among Hawaiian Children

This article discusses the use of guided affective and cognitive imagery to enhance self-esteem among children of Hawaiian ancestry. Children who participated in the intervention strategy, which consisted of 10 group sessions, had significantly higher scores on some areas of self-esteem.