The relationship between collective self-esteem and self-construal in Japan and Canada.

The study examined the relationship between various facets of collective self-esteem (R. Luhtanen & J. Crocker, 1992) and independent and interdependent self-construals (H. R. Markus & S. Kitayama, 1991) among students in Japan and Canada. The results suggested that individuals with highly interdependent self-construals regarded social group memberships as self-defining, regardless of culture. Individuals with independent self-construals judged their groups positively and felt they were worthy members of their groups and that others evaluated their groups positively. Canadians who evaluated their social groups favorably may be members of groups that permitted them to be independent. In contrast, individuals in Japan who judged their groups favorably may be members of groups that promoted interdependence in addition to independence.     

Self-help research and the public mental health system

Discusses views of self-help leaders, researchers, and policy makers from the public mental health system about collaborative research with self-help groups. Topics include assumptions underlying collaborative research, barriers to collaborative research, and the potential benefits of collaborative research. Special attention is given to the rationale and methods for including minorities in self-help research. Initial discussions were held at a meeting convened by the NIMH-funded Center for Self-Help Research and Knowledge Dissemination at the University of Michigan.     

Calibration of retinal image size with distance in the Mongolian gerbil: rapid adjustment of calibrations in different contexts

Mongolian gerbils were trained to jump from one platform to another across a gap whose size varied randomly from trial to trial. In test sessions, probe landing platforms differing in width from those used in training were used, and the distance that the animals jumped was measured. The first experiment demonstrated that the gerbils learned to calibrate the retinal image size of the landing platform with its distance and that they could learn more than one calibration at a time. The second experiment provided evidence that such calibrations are rapidly adjusted to environmental contingencies. These findings suggest that retinal image size might be a useful distance cue for gerbils in a variety of ecological contexts.     

Inhibitory mechanisms of attention in identification and localization tasks: time course and disruption.

It has been proposed that 1 component of the mechanism of visual selective attention is active inhibition of distracting information. A series of studies examines the time course of inhibition and the possible interfering effects of other task demands. Results demonstrate that inhibition can last at least 7 s after selection processes and that it is unaffected by predictable, unrelated intervening events. However, intervening events that are less predictable, or are the same as the inhibited stimulus, disrupt inhibition. Such results motivate a reconsideration of the previous view of distractor inhibition as a transient, fragile phenomenon.     

Associations between power,stress, and dominance in romantic relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining curvilinear and within-person effects

Two key processes in romantic relationships—power and dominance—can contribute to relationship disruption, but the association between these variables is complex. Elucidating the association between power and dominance during the COVID-19 pandemic is particularly important given the economic, social, and health-related stressors that pose a risk to relationship health. We examined associations between power, stress, and dominance by recruiting 1813 participants to complete an initial online survey at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were contacted 10 and 22 months later to complete follow-up surveys. Results revealed two main effects: individuals who had greater relationship power and experienced more COVID-19-related stressors than other people engaged in more dominance behaviors. A significant curvilinear effect revealed that at low levels of power, power was not associated with dominance behaviors. However, once power surpassed low levels, individuals with more power engaged in more dominance behaviors. Finally, people engaged in more dominance behaviors when they experienced more power and stress compared to their own average (i.e., within-person effects) during the pandemic. Implications for theories of power, dominance, and relationship disruption and distress are discussed.     

On the Duty of Scholars to Aid Their Persecuted Peers

Global threats to academic freedom are multiplying not only in an era of authoritarian resurgence, but also – less overtly – in an era of increasingly managerial governance of higher-education sectors in democratic nations, where protection of institutional revenue streams, and of institutional reputation, may take priority over protection of scholars' and students' academic freedoms. In such circumstances, justifications for rendering aid to at-risk scholars and students have become obscured. This article argues that the Kantian concept of imperfect duty can be adapted to theorizing collective, institutional obligations to aid those scholars and students, undertaken in light of academic freedom as a constitutive institutional value.     

When to intervene and take a stand: Evaluating bystander roles in intergroup name-calling contexts

Children (n = 121, M = 9.86 years, SD = 0.64) and adolescents (n = 101, M = 12.84 years, SD = 0.69) evaluated proactive and passive bystander behaviour to intergroup name-calling (N = 222, 54% female). Scenarios depicted ingroup perpetrators and outgroup victims who were from a stigmatized group (ethnicity) or a non-stigmatized group (school affiliation), with bystanders depicted as being proactive (intervening to help) or passive (failing to challenge the aggression), counter to their own group's norm. Children and adolescents personally evaluated proactive bystanders more favourably than passive bystanders. However, adolescents, more than children, expected their peers to be more positive about proactive bystanders than passive bystanders in the stigmatized context. Results are discussed in terms of the complexities of bystander decisions and implications for anti-bullying interventions.     

Assessing the social validity of telehealth-based applied behavior analysis services for autism spectrum disorder

During the COVID-19 pandemic, applied behavior analysis services for many autistic individuals were transitioned to telehealth. The current study assessed caregiver-reported quality of life (QoL) and social validity for families of autistic children receiving only telehealth services (n = 96) or a combination of telehealth and in-person services (n = 173). Barriers to the telehealth experience were analyzed via an ANOVA, and the impact of funding source was analyzed using an independent samples t-test. Caregivers reported benefit across QoL and social validity items, with scores ranging from 3.31 to 4.44 (1 = least benefit, 5 = most benefit). While many caregivers reported no barriers regarding technology (44.61%), childcare (69.52%), and employment (64.68%), the presence of those barriers significantly impacted QoL and social validity scores. Funding source was not found to have a significant impact. Overall, caregivers found value in their child's telehealth services. Clinicians have an obligation to mitigate barriers to ensure the success of the intervention.