Social tuning of automatic racial attitudes: the role of affiliative motivation

Consistent with the affiliative social tuning hypothesis, this study showed that the desire to get along with another person shifted participants' automatic attitudes toward the ostensible attitudes of that person. In Experiment 1, the automatic racial attitudes of women but not men emulated those of an experimenter displaying race-egalitarian attitudes or attitudes neutral with respect to race. Mediational analysis revealed that the gender difference in social tuning was mediated by liking for the experimenter. In Experiment 2, the likability of the experimenter was manipulated. Individuals who interacted with a likable experimenter exhibited social tuning more so than did those who interacted with a rude experimenter. These findings suggest that affiliative motives may elicit malleability of automatic attitudes independent of manipulations of social group exemplars.     

The use of the Core Conflictual Relationship Theme method in describing and comparing gestalt and rational emotive behavior therapy with adolescents

The Core Conflitual Relationship Theme (CCRT) method (Luborsky, 1977) is used to study recurrent relationship patterns in therapy and may be employed as a measure of transference as well. We found only one article in the literature in which it was applied to a mode of psychotherapy, other than psychodynamic (Turner, 1992). In addition, there are only a few articles in the literature that refer to the CCRT method with children and adolescents. In this paper, we applied the CCRT method to two videotaped individual sessions of young adolescent boys, one in gestalt therapy and the other in rational emotive behavior therapy. Results showed that both boys revealed similar core relational theme profiles, but that their respective therapists each dealt differently with these relationship conflicts. In this pilot use of the CCRT with adolescent therapy, we were able to describe relationship patterns and delineate key differences between the two treatment modalities.Stacey Agin, a gradduate student in School Psychology at New York University, submitted this paper for partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctorate of Psychology. Iris E. Fodor is a professor of Applied Psychology at New York University and is director of the School Psychology program. She is known for her work on integrating cognitive and gestalt therapies. We gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of Raymond DiGiuseppe, Ph.D. Violet Oaklander, Ph.D. and Michael Bernard, Ph.D. in allowing us to utilize their videotaped psychotherapy sessions for the purposes of this study.     

An economical,humane, and effective method for short—term suppression of hand mouthing

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is a serious health hazard, especially among individuals with severe and profound mental retardation, sometimes leading to drastic therapeutic measures. Environments in which there are long periods with minimal opportunities for constructive activity are conducive to the development of SIB, but even highly motivated, hard-working caregivers sometimes have difficulty providing sufficient personal interactions to prevent it. In this case study, one person's self-injurious hand mouthing was significantly reduced by analyzing her toy play and consistently providing her with preferred toys. The results showed that careful and consistent attention to assuring that preferred materials are available for self-entertainment may be an effective and efficient method for managing some cases of SIB during times when other activities and treatments are unavailable.     

Impact of Depression and Anxiety on the Quality of Life of Constipated Patients

Constipation negatively affects quality of life (QOL), however, the specific mechanisms through which this relationship occurs are unclear. The present study examined anxiety and depression as potential mediators of the relationship between constipation severity and QOL in a sample of 142 constipated patients. Results indicated that depression symptom severity mediated the relationship between constipation severity and mental health-related QOL. For patients meeting diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder, indirect effects were observed in the relationship between constipation severity and both physical and mental health-related QOL. Anxiety did not contribute to this model. Treating depression may be useful in improving QOL in severely constipated patients, which highlights the importance of psychological screening and treatment referrals in primary care settings.     

Autonomy,Vote Buying,and Constraining Options

A common argument used to defend markets in ‘contested commodities’ is based on the value of personal autonomy. (1) Autonomy is of great moral value; (2) removing options from a person's choice set would compromise her ability to exercise her autonomy; (3) hence, there should be a prima facie presumption against removing options from persons’ choice sets; (4) thus, the burden of proof lies with those who wish to prohibit markets in certain goods. Christopher Freiman has developed a version of this argument to defend markets in votes. I argue that Freiman's argument fails, and that its failure illustrates the falsity of the widespread claim that the more options a person has available to her the better able she will be to exercise her autonomy. In Part 1, I outline Freiman's argument from ‘the presumption of voter liberty’ for legalising markets in votes. In Part 2, I argue that the option to sell one's vote in a legal market for them would be a ‘constraining option’ – an option which, if chosen, would be likely to lead to a diminution in a person's future ability to exercise her autonomy. In Part 3, I respond to objections to my arguments.     

Using stress and resource theories to examine the incentive effects of a performance-based extrinsic reward

We expected a positive boosting effect of a performance-based extrinsic reward on motivation and performance for those with higher control-related resources (i.e., perceived task control and trait self-control) and a positive compensating effect for those who lacked these resources. Study 1 supported compensation. Those with lower resources experienced a beneficial effect of reward on motivation and performance (i.e., compared to no reward). In Study 2, coping was examined as a mechanism. Again, reward compensated for lower resources, enhancing motivation, and performance due to enhanced coping. For those with higher resources, reward boosted motivation and performance due to coping. Thus, the interactive effects of reward and resources are paradoxical: higher resources can maximize the utility of a reward, but reward can also compensate for low resources.     

Consequences of ‘tiger’ parenting: a cross‐cultural study of maternal psychological control and children's cortisol stress response

Parenting strategies involving psychological control are associated with increased adjustment problems in children. However, no research has examined the extent to which culture and psychological control predict children's stress physiology. We examine cultural differences in maternal psychological control and its associations with children's cortisol. Chinese (N = 59) and American (N = 45) mother‐child dyads participated in the study. Mothers reported on psychological control. Children's cortisol was collected during a stressor and two indices of Area Under the Curve (AUC) were computed: AUCg which accounts for total output, and AUCi, which captures reactivity. Results indicate that Chinese mothers reported higher levels of psychological control and Chinese children had higher levels of AUCg than their American counterparts. Across both cultures, psychological control was significantly associated with increased cortisol levels as indexed by AUCg. There were no associations for AUCi. Finally, mediation analyses demonstrated that psychological control fully explained cultural differences in children's cortisol stress response as indexed by AUCg.