Fertile green: green facilitates creative performance

The present research sought to extend the nascent literature on color and psychological functioning by examining whether perception of the color green facilitates creativity. In four experiments, we demonstrated that a brief glimpse of green prior to a creativity task enhances creative performance. This green effect was observed using both achromatic (white, gray) and chromatic (red, blue) contrast colors that were carefully matched on nonhue properties, and using both picture-based and word-based assessments of creativity. Participants were not aware of the purpose of the experiment, and null effects were obtained on participants' self-reported mood and positive activation. These findings indicate that green has implications beyond aesthetics and suggest the need for sustained empirical work on the functional meaning of green.     

Relationships between mindfulness, self-control, and psychological functioning

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether dispositional mindfulness (the tendency to be mindful in general daily life) accounts for variance in psychological symptoms and wellbeing after accounting for the influence of dispositional self-control (the tendency to be self-disciplined, reliable, hardworking, etc.). A large sample of undergraduate students (N = 280) completed self-report measures of mindfulness, self control, psychological wellbeing, and general psychological distress (depression and anxiety, and stress). As expected, both mindfulness and self-control were positively correlated with wellbeing and negatively correlated with general distress. Mindfulness was found to account for significant variance in psychological wellbeing and general distress after accounting for self-control. In addition, mindfulness was a significant moderator of the relationship between self-control and psychological symptoms. Results show that although self-control predicts significant variance in psychological health, mindfulness predicts incremental variance, suggesting that a mindful approach to ongoing experience can contribute to mental health in persons who are highly self-disciplined and hardworking.     

The Fabric of Thought: Priming Tactile Properties During Reading Influences Direct Tactile Perception

The present studies examined whether implied tactile properties during language comprehension influence subsequent direct tactile perception, and the specificity of any such effects. Participants read sentences that implicitly conveyed information regarding tactile properties (e.g., Grace tried on a pair of thick corduroy pants while shopping) that were either related or unrelated to fabrics and varied in implied texture (smooth, medium, rough). After reading each sentence, participants then performed an unrelated rating task during which they felt and rated the texture of a presented fabric. Results demonstrated that the texture properties implied in sentences influence direct tactile perception. Specifically, after reading about a smooth or rough texture, subsequent fabric ratings became notably smoother or rougher, respectively. However, we also show that there was some specificity to these effects: Fabric‐related sentences elicited more specific and interactive effects on subsequent ratings. Together, we demonstrate that under certain circumstances, language comprehension can prime tactile representations and affect direct tactile perception. Results are discussed with regard to the nature and scope of multimodal mental simulation during reading.     

Effects of personal meaning among patients in primary and specialized care: associations with psychosocial and physical outcomes

Personal meaning is thought to serve as an important resource among individuals adapting to the demands of illness. However, some work in this area has been marked by vague conceptualization, or use of assessment instruments that are confounded by well-being. This investigation evaluated relationships between psychosocial and physical outcomes and one theoretically important dimension of attained global meaning - perceptions of life purpose and commitment. Study 1 evaluated 175 patients followed in a primary care gynaecological practice. Study 2 assessed 104 cancer patients in a specialized stem cell transplantation centre. In both samples, personal meaning was concurrently associated with reduced emotional distress, enhanced coping efficacy, and closer intimate relationships, after controlling for social desirability bias and relevant demographic and medical covariates. Associations with lower distress and improved coping efficacy remained significant after additionally controlling for other psychosocial resource variables (i.e. social support, religiousness, emotional control). Personal meaning appears to be independently related to concurrent psychosocial adjustment in a range of medical settings.     

Distress and emotional well-being in breast cancer patients prior to radiotherapy: an expectancy-based model

Understanding precursors to distress and emotional well-being (EWB) experienced in anticipation of radiotherapy would facilitate the ability to intervene with this emotional upset (i.e. higher distress, lower EWB). Thus, this study tested an expectancy-based model for explaining emotional upset in breast cancer patients prior to radiotherapy. Women affected by breast cancer (N?=?106) were recruited and participants completed questionnaires prior to commencing radiotherapy. Structural equation modelling was used to test a cross-sectional model, which assessed the ability of dispositional optimism (Life Orientation Test-Revised - two factors), response expectancies (Visual Analog Scale items), medical (type of surgery, cancer stage and chemotherapy history) and demographic (age, race, ethnicity, education and marital status) variables to predict both EWB (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Emotional Well-being Subscale) and distress (Profile of Mood States - short version). The model represented a good fit to the data accounting for 65% of the variance in EWB and 69% in distress. Significant predictors of emotional upset were pessimism, response expectancies, Latina ethnicity, cancer stage and having had a mastectomy. These variables explained a large portion of emotional upset experienced prior to radiotherapy for breast cancer and are important to consider when aiming to reduce distress and improve EWB in this context.     

The Two-Factor Solution to Allen and Meyer’s (1990) Affective Commitment Scale: Effects of Negatively Worded Items

Purpose

Affective organizational commitment is a construct important to both practitioners and researchers; thus, construct-valid measurement is needed. Allen and Meyer’s (J Occup Psychol 63:1–18, 1990) Affective Commitment Scale is a popular measure of affective organizational commitment. Although conceptualized as unidimensional, a two-factor solution sometimes emerges. Whether the two factors are substantive, reflecting AC-love and AC-joy constructs, or methodological, reflecting positively and negatively worded items, is unclear. This issue is examined in five studies.

Design/Methodology/Approach

In a new approach, conditions designed to produce cognitive fatigue are manipulated. Support for the method factor interpretation would be provided if the two-factor solution emerges only when participants are fatigued and negatively worded items are present. Cross-sample analyses are also conducted.

Findings

Analyses indicated that the two-factor solution fit the data well only when (a) participants were cognitively fatigued and (b) negatively worded items were present. This finding extended to both students and employees, and it held regardless of which items were negatively worded or whether negatively worded items were emphasized.

Implications

Results suggest that the second factor is likely methodological and seems to result from careless responding or fatigue on negatively worded items. It is suggested that users modify the items to be positively worded or administer the scale when respondents have sufficient cognitive resources to respond.

Originality/Value

This study was the first to use experimental methodology to test whether the two-factor solution is methodological or substantive. Results provide guidance for improving the scale’s construct validity in research and in practical applications.     

Personality and Trust Fosters Service Quality

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which cognitive and affective trust mediate the service provider personality?Cservice quality relationship, controlling for customer personality.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Hypotheses were tested using a matched sample of 249 customer-service provider dyads.

Results

Service provider service orientation incrementally predicted customer cognitive trust in the service provider above and beyond customer agreeableness, which related significantly to affective and cognitive trust. Analyses further revealed that cognitive trust mediated the service provider service orientation?Cservice quality relationship.

Implications

Hiring service-oriented front-line employees may facilitate customer cognitive trust which in turn relates to service quality. In addition, training front-line employees to identify agreeable customers may facilitate the quick development of trusting relationships.

Originality/Value

This is the first study to simultaneously examine the impact of both the customer and the service provider personalities on customer trust and service quality in long-term relationships. Results demonstrated the role of cognitive trust as a mediator of the relationship between service orientation and service quality.     

Transitions in first-year college student drinking behaviors: does pre-college drinking moderate the effects of parent- and peer-based intervention components?

This study used Latent Transition Analysis (LTA) to examine a stage-sequential model of alcohol use among a sample of high-risk matriculating college students (N=1,275). Measures of alcohol use were collected via web-administered surveys during the summer before entering college and followed-up during the fall semester of college. Seven indicators of alcohol use were used in the LTA models, including temporal measures of typical drinking throughout the week. The results indicated that four latent statuses characterized patterns of drinking at both times, though the proportion of students in each status changed during the transition to college: (a) nondrinkers; (b) weekend nonbingers; (c) weekend bingers; and (d) heavy drinkers. Heavy drinkers were distinguished by heavy episodic drinking (HED), and increased likelihood of drinking throughout the week, especially on Thursdays. Covariates were added to the LTA model to examine the main and interaction effects of parent- and peer-based intervention components. Results indicated that participants in the parent and peer conditions were least likely to transition to the heavy drinkers status. Results also indicated that the parent condition was most effective at preventing baseline nondrinkers from transitioning to heavy drinkers whereas the peer condition was most effective at preventing escalation of use among weekend nonbingers. The results underscore the value of considering multiple dimensions of alcohol use within a person-centered approach. Differential treatment effects were found across baseline drinking class, suggesting the benefit for tailored intervention programs to reduce high-risk drinking among college students.     

Moderators of informant agreement in the assessment of adolescent psychopathology: extension to a forensic sample

A well-documented finding in developmental psychopathology research is that different informants often provide discrepant ratings of a youth's internalizing and externalizing problems. The current study examines youth- and parent-based moderators (i.e., youth age, gender, and IQ; type of psychopathology; offense category; psychopathic traits; parental education, income, and stress) of informant discrepancies in a sample of young offenders and compares the utility of youth and caregiver reports against relevant clinical outcomes. Results indicate that gender moderated the discrepancy between informant reports of somatic complaints, while parenting stress moderated the discrepancies across reports of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Variables unique to the forensic context (e.g., offense category) were found to moderate cross-informant discrepancies in reports of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Further, youth self-reports of internalizing symptoms predicted a clinician-generated diagnosis of a mood disorder, while caregiver reports of aggressive behaviors predicted the presence of an externalizing diagnosis. Results highlight the importance of assessing informant agreement in the context of forensic assessment and raise questions surrounding the optimal use of informant data in this setting.     

Report from the National Society of Genetic Counselors Service Delivery Model Task Force: A Proposal to Define Models, Components, and Modes of Referral

The Service Delivery Model Task Force (SDMTF) was appointed in 2009 by the leadership of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) with a charge to research and assess the capacity of all existing service delivery models to improve access to genetic counseling services in the context of increasing demand for genetic testing and counseling. In approaching this charge, the SDMTF found that there were varying interpretations of what was meant by "service delivery models" and the group held extensive discussions about current practices to arrive at consensus of proposed definitions for current genetic service delivery models, modes of referral and components of service delivery. The major goal of these proposed definitions is to allow for conversations to begin to address the charge to the committee. We propose that current models of service delivery can be defined by: 1) the methods in which genetic counseling services are delivered (In-person, Telephone, Group and Telegenetics), 2) the way they are accessed by patients (Traditional referral, Tandem, Triage, Rescue and Self-referral) and 3) the variable components that depend upon multiple factors unique to each service setting. This report by the SDMTF provides a starting point whereby standardized terminology can be used in future studies that assess the effectiveness of these described models to overcome barriers to access to genetic counseling services.