Expatriates’ success in Ethiopia: Empirical evidence on the overlooked impact of cultural value alignment

The present study assessed the impact on the work engagement of expatriates’ personal value orientation alignment with the host country’s national culture. Participants were 231 expatriates from seven countries who are working in Ethiopia (females = 17%; mean age = 36 years, SD = 2.72 years). The expatriates completed measures of personal value orientation, cross-culture adjustment, and work engagement levels. Structural equation modelling analysis indicated expatriates with personal value orientations that align with the host country’s national culture to have a higher work engagement level. Cross-cultural adjustment mediated the relationship between personal value orientation and work engagement. Expatriates’ personal value orientation fit with the host country’s national culture is a resource to accomplish their work successfully.     

Recognition memory for foreign language lexical stress

This study investigated whether English speakers retained the lexical stress patterns of newly learned Spanish words. Participants studied spoken Spanish words (e.g., DUcha [shower], ciuDAD [city]; stressed syllables in capital letters) and subsequently performed a recognition task, in which studied words were presented with the same lexical stress pattern (DUcha) or the opposite lexical stress pattern (CIUdad). Participants were able to discriminate same- from opposite-stress words, indicating that lexical stress was encoded and used in the recognition process. Word-form similarity to English also influenced outcomes, with Spanish cognate words and words with trochaic stress (MANgo) being recognized more often and more quickly than Spanish cognate words with iambic stress (soLAR) and noncognates. The results suggest that while segmental and suprasegmental features of the native language influence foreign word recognition, foreign lexical stress patterns are encoded and not discarded in memory.     

字词认知N170成分及其发展

字词认知早期的N170成分是第一个对语言材料敏感的成分.最近对字词认知N170成分的研究主要集中在探讨其敏感性、偏侧化以及此成分的发展变化.大量研究认为字词N170成分的敏感性与正字法加工有关,但也有一些研究认为其受语音、语义调制.对于此成分的偏侧化研究结果较一致认为是左侧化.最近的发展研究对N170成分进行探讨,取得了一些成果.在剖析现有研究基础上,本文认为应对字词认知N170成分的偏侧化、功能分离等问题进行深入研究.     

认知闭合需要与启发式策略对价格判断的影响

采用问卷与实验相结合的方法,以120名大学生为被试,考察认知闭合需要与一般启发式策略对个体价格判断的潜在影响。结果发现:(1)认知闭合需要与精确度效应交互作用显著,高闭合个体在整数价格高低的评价上高于低闭合个体;(2)认知闭合需要与差价大小交互作用显著,差价整数位是3时高闭合个体对于差价的评价高于低闭合者;(3)认知闭合需要,左侧数字改变与以9结尾、以0结尾三者的交互作用显著,当评价左侧数字改变的价格时,高闭合个体对以0结尾的数字的评价显著高于以9结尾的数字的评价。认知闭合需要与启发式策略对价格判断共同产生影响。研究结果表明,不同的定价方式与定价策略会对认知闭合需要不同的个体产生差异性影响。     

比较视觉搜索任务中工作记忆最小化的眼动研究

采用比较视觉搜索任务和眼动追踪技术,通过增加组成图片的图形数量和改变不同图形的特征属性,考察比较视觉搜索任务是否遵循工作记忆最小化原则以及图形特征加工的优先性问题。结果表明图形数量的增加不影响平均每次注视的图形数量,被试平均每次注视1.65个图形,即比较视觉搜索任务仍遵循工作记忆最小化原则。不同图形中颜色和形状都不同的注视时间最短,颜色不同和形状不同在注视时间上差异不显著,表明比较视觉搜索任务中特征维度数量比特征性质在引导注意上具有优先性。事先不规定搜索路径的情况下,被试主要采用系统搜索策略完成比较搜索任务。     

The influence of visual mental imagery size on metamemory accuracy in judgment of learning

Many studies have found the font size of to-be-remembered words has a significant influence on judgments of learning (JOLs). However, few studies have investigated whether JOLs are affected by the mental imagery size of to-be-remembered words, even when the font sizes themselves are kept identical in study materials. This study investigated whether the visual mental imagery size influences the participants’ JOLs and what the underlying mechanisms are. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants learned words with identical font sizes, mentally generated large or small imageries and then made JOLs. We found that JOLs under the large imagery condition were significantly higher than those under the small imagery condition, but actual recall performance exhibited no significant difference. In Experiment 3, participants pressed a button immediately after mental imagery generation and showed that it took significantly longer to generate large imageries than to generate small imageries, and the difference in JOLs between two conditions was no longer significant. In Experiment 4, we used a questionnaire to investigate the contribution of beliefs and found that participants believed large imageries were easier to remember. These findings indicate that imagery size has a significant impact on JOLs, in which beliefs may play a leading role.     

A Pilot Study of Fragile X Syndrome Screening in Pregnant Women and Women Planning Pregnancy: Implementation,Acceptance, Awareness,and Geographic Factors

We report herein results of a study performed in the Balearic Islands which had the following goals: 1) Determine the proportion of pregnant or non-pregnant women planning pregnancy, who would choose to undergo a screening test for Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), if it is accompanied by the appropriate information; 2) Assess satisfaction and any increase in stress among women who participate in screening; 3) Collect epidemiological information about the incidence of the disease in our population; and 4) Collect demographic and health history data and assess participants’ awareness of the disease. Screening was performed on 3,731 pregnant and non-pregnant women of childbearing age and the results indicate: a very high voluntary rate of participation; a high level of self-reported satisfaction and low levels of stress because of the test; a very high incidence of premutation (1/106) in our population; and a low level of awareness about the existence of FXS (25 %). Additional findings indicate no significant correlation between self-reported health history and premutation detection, and the high premutation incidence does not seem to be specific to the indigenous Balearic population. Based on these results, we discuss the pros and cons of an implementation of preconception and pregnant women screening for FXS within a public health screening program.     

The Anguish of the Korean Woman’s Soul: Feminist Theologians on a Real-Life Issue

This paper explores the conflict between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in traditional Korean families. In Korea, mothers-in-law sometimes dominate and even denigrate their daughters-in-law. This situation may be caused by the accumulated frustrations of oppressed Korean women that are then vented against their daughters-in-law, intensifying the suffering of women in Korea. The daughter-in-law is now demeaned not just by the men in the family but also by an older woman in the family who has power over her because of age and her status as the mother of the younger woman’s husband. The two women are both victims of a society dominated by men. Women in this culture tend to view their suffering as their destiny, even though they are pained by the unequal treatment. It is possible for a faith community to accept and heal these damaged souls, but some faith communities hurt the women even more in the name of God or sacred authority. This paper provides an analysis of the reality of women’s predicament in Korea and suggests ways in which theology can be a creative and productive resource for these oppressed persons.     

Curvilinear relationships between role stress and innovative performance: Moderating effects of perceived support for innovation

Curvilinear relationships between role stress and innovative performance were explored in a study conducted in Taiwan and mainland China. Results showed that when perceived support for innovation was low, role conflict showed a U‐shaped relationship with both self‐rated and supervisor‐rated innovative performance, which contrasts sharply with the well known inverted U‐shaped relationship between challenge stress and performance. Role ambiguity showed a similar but weaker pattern with regard to supervisor‐rated innovative performance. When perceived support for innovation was high, role conflict showed a generally positive relationship with both self‐rated and supervisor‐rated innovative performance, but role ambiguity showed no significant relationship with supervisor‐rated innovative performance. Theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed.