The survey of personal beliefs: comparison of south african, mexican and american samples

In order to investigate the cross-cultural reliability and independence of subscales of the Survey of Personal Beliefs (SPB) data from 751 undergraduate Psychology students (189 White South African students, 114 Black South African students, 262 Mexican students and 186 American students) were compared. Coefficient alphas for the subscales in all samples were low, ranging from .33 to .76. However, alphas for the total scale across all subgroups were high. A comparison of the rank ordering of alpha coefficients for subscales in the different samples partially supported the cross-cultural reliability of the SPB for White South African and Mexican students, and for Black South African and American students. The similarities across samples regarding intercorrelations and shared variance between subscales also provided some evidence for the possible cross-cultural independence of subscales of the SPB. Comparison of total and mean subscale scores showed no significant differences between males and females within samples. However, a significant effect for culture, with significant between-subject effects for all the subscales as well as for the total score, was found. This may be indicative of real differences in irrational belief styles between the groups or may be a result of the insufficient cross-cultural reliability of the SPB.     

Learning multiplication facts: a study of children taught by discovery methods in England

The development of multiplication skills was examined in a group of children ages 8 to 12 years who were taught by discovery methods. Strategies used by the children included direct retrieval, retrieval + calculation, and counting-in-series. Repeated addition was not observed. Retrieval was the fastest and least error-prone strategy; counting-in-series was the slowest and most error prone. Children ages 8 and 9 years used mainly mixed strategies. Children ages 10 to 12 years used mainly retrieval or retrieval and calculation for low operands, but reverted to back-up strategies for high operands based on the strategies available for low operands. There was a general shift away from less effective strategies across ages 8 to 12 years but, by the end of the primary school (age 11 years), relatively few children used the most effective strategy of retrieval for all operands. The development of effective strategies was related to nonverbal reasoning ability and to working memory capacity. The results are considered with reference to experiential and pedagogical models of multiplication.     

Can Video Self-Modeling Improve Affected Limb Reach and Grasp Ability in Stroke Patients?

The authors examined whether feedforward video self-modeling (FF VSM) would improve control over the affected limb, movement self-confidence, movement self-consciousness, and well-being in 18 stroke survivors. Participants completed a cup transport task and 2 questionnaires related to psychological processes pre- and postintervention. Pretest video footage of the unaffected limb performing the task was edited to create a best-of or mirror-reversed training DVD, creating the illusion that patients were performing proficiently with the affected limb. The training yielded significant improvements for the forward movement of the affected limb compared to the unaffected limb. Significant improvements were also seen in movement self-confidence, movement self-consciousness, and well-being. FF VSM appears to be a viable way to improve motor ability in populations with movement disorders.     

Bayesian Confirmation Theory and The Likelihood Principle

The likelihood principle (LP) is a core issue in disagreements between Bayesian and frequentist statistical theories. Yet statements of the LP are often ambiguous, while arguments for why a Bayesian must accept it rely upon unexamined implicit premises. I distinguish two propositions associated with the LP, which I label LP1 and LP2. I maintain that there is a compelling Bayesian argument for LP1, based upon strict conditionalization, standard Bayesian decision theory, and a proposition I call the practical relevance principle. In contrast, I argue that there is no similarly compelling argument for or against LP2. I suggest that these conclusions lead to a restrictedly pluralistic view of Bayesian confirmation measures.     

Internal Employment Opportunity and External Employment Opportunity: Independent or Interactive Retention Effects?

Contemporary attrition/retention frameworks suggest that internal mobility opportunities (e.g., promotions) and external mobility opportunities (i.e., alternative sources of employment) impact turnover decisions. The present study used data collected' from 413 U.S. Air Force enlistees to estimate the joint effects of internal mobility opportunities (i.e., training/career broadening opportunities) and external mobility opportunities (e.g., existing job offers) on reenlistment. Logistic regression analysis revealed that internal and external mobility opportunities had additive effects on the study's attrition criterion. Moderated regressions failed to detect interactive effects among the study's mobility variables. Implications of the findings for turnover frameworks and retention of military personnel are discussed.     

Procrastination's Impact in the Workplace and the Workplace's Impact on Procrastination

Procrastination is a self‐regulatory failure, whose costs are debated. Here, we establish its impact in the workplace. Using an Internet sample, we assessed 22,053 individuals in terms of their sex, employment status, employment duration, income, occupational attainment and level of procrastination. High levels of procrastination is associated with lower salaries, shorter durations of employment, and a greater likelihood of being unemployed or under employed rather than working full‐time. Also, procrastination partially mediates sex's relationship with these work variables. Women tend to procrastinate less than men, evidently giving women an employment advantage. If women procrastinated the same as men, there should be 1.5 million fewer women in full‐time employment in the US. alone. Determining the causes of procrastination in the workplace, we also examined it at an occupational level. The results strongly support the gravitational hypothesis: jobs that require higher levels of motivational skills are less likely to retain procrastinators. However, there was some support that jobs can foster procrastination. Procrastinators tend to have jobs that are lower in intrinsically rewarding qualities.     

‘Cognitive inhibition’ and schizotypy as measured by the Oxford-Liverpool inventory of feelings and experiences

Previous studies have reliably shown a reduced level of the negative priming effect in both schizophrenics and high schizotypes. Measurement of symptom orientated aspects of schizotypy has previously utilised lengthy questionnaires such as the CSTQ, or individual use of several different questionnaires. We attempted to replicate previous findings with use of the OLIFE, a relatively short schizotypy questionnaire derived from the CSTQ. Consistent with recent research, reduced negative priming was significantly linked with subjects scoring high on scales related to positive, and not negative, aspects of schizophrenic symptomatology, whilst the Stroop effect was found to be independent of all measures of schizotypy. The OLIFE served as a useful tool, allowing examination of specific aspects of schizotypy within the time pressures of a laboratory environment.     

Sex differences in the patterning of adult roles as a determinant of sex differences in occupational achievement

A sample of 4,035 men and women from the Project TALENT high school class of 1963 cohort was examined to determine the extent to which sex differences in the patterning of adult roles contribute to observed sex differences in occupational achievement. Men and women were found to differ in the comparative timing, ordering, and continuity of educational, occupational, marital, and procreational roles in early adulthood. These differences in role patterns explained only a small portion of the observed sex differences in occupational attainment, as sex appeared to be a strong direct determinant of both role patterns and attainment. However, some aspects of the patterning of these roles appeared to have an independent influence on occupational attainment; in these instances, the patterns associated with lower earnings were more likely to have been followed by women. Further investigation of the impact of variations in the patterning of adult roles on women's (and men's) occupational achievement is recommended.This work was supported by Grant MH29509 from the National Institute of Mental Health.     

Aggression Observation Scale for Group Psychotherapy: The Next Phase

An observational scale to record aggressive behaviors, defenses, and interventions that occur during a psychotherapy group has been developed. Content and process items are included. The content items focus on the spoken material and are on a continuum of increasing group members' awareness of and responsibility for their anger. The process items are directed to underlying psychodynamic issues on a continuum from avoiding anger, to indirect and then direct expression of anger. Leader interventions (responses) are also included. The development of the scale, the Aggression Observation Scale for Group Psychotherapy (AOSGP), is described, including pilot testing and beginning reliability and validity findings. Several years later further testing has been completed and is now reported.