Against Value Empiricism in Aesthetics

Value empiricists in aesthetics claim that we can explain the value of artworks by appeal to the value of the experiences they afford. I raise the question of the value of those experiences. I argue that while there are many values that such experiences might have, none is adequate to explaining the value of the works that afford the experiences. I then turn to defending the alternative to value empiricism, which I dub the object theory. I argue that if there is some problem attending the object theory, commensurate with the problems attending empiricism, no one seems to have any idea what it is. I close by urging that the object theory be granted a fresh hearing.     

Benefits and Challenges of Dual-Earning: Perspectives of Successful Couples

The purpose of this study was to discover the benefits and challenges derived from the dual-earner lifestyle for couples who successfully balance family and work. The data for the study are part of a larger data set drawn primarily from in-depth interviews with 47 couples. While the intent of the overall project was to discover the adaptive strategies that these couples utilized at home and work to successfully balance family and work, this paper focuses specifically on the couples’ perceived benefits and challenges of dual earning. Many therapists harbor negative and stereotypical assumptions of the quality of dual-earner family life and appear to believe there are inevitable and significant challenges that are intrinsic to the dual-earner family arrangement (Haddock & Bowling, 2001), but the findings of this study are helpful in providing a more balanced, informed view of the possibilities of this family arrangement.     

The Impact of an Operation Purple Camp Intervention on Military Children and Adolescents’ Self-Perception of Social Acceptance,Athletic Competence,and Global Self-Worth

In a pilot study we examined the effect of a one-week Operation Purple Camp intervention with children and adolescents (N = 48) in military families on their self-perception of social acceptance, athletic competence, and global self-worth. Adolescents’ showed significant improvement post-intervention in perceptions of social acceptance (p < .05) and athletic competence (p < .05) while children showed a significant improvement in perception of global self-worth (p < .05). These findings lend support for the effectiveness of this intervention for improving outcomes for children and adolescents in military families.     

READING,WRITING. AND WORD PROCESSING

In the past, reading, writing, and word processing were researched independently. Currently, we see research regarding important connections between reading and writing as well as between writing and word processing. However, critical connections exist between all three areas. In order to have classrooms that promote literacy, we need to use word processing and its accompanying tools as students engage in reading‐writing processes. This paper addresses how word processing, with its prevision, writing, and revision tools, facilitates connections between reading and writing.     

Measurement of Creative Teaching in Mathematics Class

The current study serves two main purposes: (1) proposing a framework suggesting several conditions that mathematics teachers should establish to increase student creativity, and (2) developing and validating a scale based on the framework, aimed at measuring to what extent mathematics teachers establish a learning environment for their students to foster creativity. The analysis benefited from Sternberg’s Investment Theory of Creativity and Cropley’s framework in addition to other studies on creativity when developing the scale. The participants consisted of two groups of mathematics teachers. Data from the first group (n = 423) were used for exploratory factor analysis. The second group (n = 410) were used for confirmatory factor analysis. Based on results of the exploratory factor analysis, 5 items were removed from the scale. Results of confirmatory factor analysis supported the construct validity of the trimmed scale. Based on these results, there is evidence that the scale can be employed confidently to measure different dimensions of creativity-fostering behaviors of mathematics teachers.     

Childhood emotional abuse and attachment processes in the dyadic adjustment of dating couples

In an effort to improve understanding of the mechanisms that link early maltreatment to later outcomes, this study investigated the mediation effects of adult attachment processes on the association between childhood emotional abuse and later romantic relationships among heterosexual couples. College students and their dating partners (N = 310; 155 couples) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Experiences in Close Relationship Scale, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Using the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model (Kenny, Kashy, & Cook, 2006), multilevel modeling results indicated that memories of childhood emotional abuse reported by both students and their partners were significantly associated with attachment strategies, as well as romantic relationship quality. Findings supported hypothesized mediation effects of attachment anxiety and avoidance.     

Beyond Affect and Cognition: Identification of the Informational Bases of Food Attitudes1

Two studies were conducted to identify the informational bases of food attitudes. Study 1 was an exploratory study in which participants indicated the importance of food characteristics and emotional reactions for determining their attitudes toward a variety of foods. On the basis of a series of exploratory factor analyses, 5 informational bases of food attitudes were identified: positive affect, negative affect, specific sensory qualities, abstract cognitive qualities, and general sensory qualities. A second confirmatory study corroborated the appropriateness of this 5‐factor structure. Furthermore, the food‐specific attitude structure model was found to have better fit than a more traditional attitude structure model. The implications of these findings for attitude theory, understanding eating behavior, and changing food selection are discussed.     

Effects of drugs and alcohol on behavior,job performance,and workplace safety

A study of records for 1 large U.S. company revealed that employees with positive drug screens were fired, whereas workers who self‐disclosed drug/alcohol problems remained employed. Both groups were offered substance abuse intervention, and some previously fired workers were rehired after they received treatment. Accident results showed that drug‐test positive employees, as compared with self‐referred workers, had a significantly higher accident rate in all categories. Treatment data revealed that drug‐test positive workers had significantly higher accident rates before and after treatment than self‐referred employees. Posttreatment results showed that drug‐test positive employees had a significant decrease in accidents after services, whereas the self‐referred group showed no change.     

Aggression and social status: the moderating roles of sex and peer‐valued characteristics

Research on peer rejection has long emphasized links between aggressive behavior and peer liking, with aggressive children and adolescents being more rejected by peers. However, recent research shows that at least some aggressive students enjoy considerable power and influence and are perceived as “popular” within the peer group. To understand the processes underlying links between aggression and social status, the present research considered three distinct indices of social status (social preference, perceived popularity, and power) and investigated the degree to which the possession of peer‐valued characteristics moderated the links between status and aggression and whether these links varied by sex. A sample of 585 adolescents (grades 6–10) completed peer evaluation measures assessing social status, aggression (overt/physical, indirect/relational), and the degree to which peers possessed eight different peer‐valued characteristics (e.g., attractiveness, athleticism, etc.). Although sociometric indices of status were significantly related to perceived popularity, especially for boys, perceptions of power were more strongly linked to perceived popularity than to sociometric likeability. Moreover, the three indices of social status were differentially related to peers' assessments of aggression and to peer‐valued characteristics, with notable sex differences. As predicted, regression analyses demonstrated that the observed relationships between social status and aggression were moderated by the possession of peer‐valued characteristics; aggressive students who possessed peer‐valued characteristics enjoyed higher levels of perceived popularity and power and less disliking than those who did not. This relationship varied as a function of sex, the type of aggression considered, and the status construct predicted. Aggr. Behav. 32:396–408, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Mindfulness and self-acceptance

The present article will focus on the cognitive theory of mindfulness and its importance in achieving unconditional self-acceptance. The goal of the mindful perspective is to increase cognitive flexibility and to thereby increase behavioral flexibility and the ability to adapt to one’s current environment in a meaningful manner. Empirical evidence spanning four decades attests to the beneficial effects of a mindful vs. mindless perspective. The article will focus on the following aspects of mindfulness as they apply to self-acceptance: the importance of authenticity, the tyranny of evaluation, the benefits of mistakes, the mindlessness of social comparison, the trap of rigid categories, and the acceptance of self as a mindful choice. The article concludes with a number of mindfulness applications geared toward enhancing self-acceptance.