"I don't mean to sound arrogant, but . . ." The effects of using disclaimers on person perception

Limited research has examined the effects of using disclaimers on person perception, and none has examined disclaimer effectiveness. Four studies test whether disclaimers effectively ward off negative judgments regarding the specific disclaimed traits. Study 1 finds that using an arrogance disclaimer ("I don't mean to sound arrogant, but . . .") increased judgments of the speaker's arrogance but only when followed by an arrogant comment. Studies 2 and 3 yield similar findings using laziness and selfishness disclaimers. Studies 2, 3, and 4 examine five possible underlying mechanisms regarding why disclaimers can backfire. The most support was obtained for the notion that disclaimers increase an audience's expectations that the speaker will say something consistent with the unwanted trait, which then increases perceptions of that trait in the speaker. We discuss some possible moderating variables as well as some implications of these findings for general impression formation models.     

A pilot investigation of the effects of stress on neuropsychological performance in Asian-Indians in the United States

The present study evaluated the effects of stress and the ethnicity of the examiner on neuropsychological performance in a sample of Asian-Indian males in the United States. Participants were 60 Asian-Indian college students randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 x 2 factorial design. The first factor was level of stress induction and the second was ethnicity of examiners. Results suggested that both stress inducing instructions and examiner ethnicity impacted highly demanding tasks, while moderately difficult tasks were less sensitive to ethnicity of the examiner. Results also indicate that examiners should recognize the potential impact of ethnicity and heightened level of stress when administering and interpreting neuropsychological measures.     

Enhancing Justice?

This article focuses on the follow question: Are human enhancement technologies likely to be justice impairing or justice promoting? We argue that human enhancement technologies may not be inherently just or unjust, but when situated within obtaining social contexts they are likely to exacerbate rather than alleviate social injustices.     

Adaptive modes of rumination: the role of subjective anger

Rumination has been demonstrated to have negative consequences on affect, behaviour, and physiological markers. Recent studies, however, suggest that distinct “modes” of anger-associated rumination may lead to several positive consequences. Previous research primarily used recall procedures of anger episodes to elicit anger. By contrast, the present study focused on the effect of subjective anger on the process of rumination and tested its effects in a “staged” social interaction where a confederate provoked participants. Subsequently, participants engaged in rumination about the anger-eliciting event either in an abstract-distanced or a concrete-immersed rumination mode. Results showed an adaptive effect of abstract-distanced rumination on subjective anger primarily if anger is high prior to rumination. The findings also suggest different self-reported anger-related coping strategies in response to subjective anger intensity. These findings highlight that an abstract-distanced rumination may have differential effects on affective outcomes and anger-related coping strategies.     

Men and Menstruation: A Qualitative Exploration of Beliefs,Attitudes and Experiences

Our article presents the findings from a study exploring men’s attitudes towards and perceptions of menstruation. Using a social constructionist framework, we analyzed 48 Australian men’s written accounts in response to an anonymous online questionnaire which explored messages they received about menstruation growing up as well as their current attitudes towards, and experiences with, menstruation. Respondents were 18–69 years-old; most were Caucasian and in an intimate relationship, and they varied considerably in terms of educational attainment. Thematic analysis yielded four themes: (a) managing the stigma of menstruation, (b) talking menstruation today—open and closed communication, (c) menstruation is part of relationships, and (d) menstruation and social commentary. These findings shed light on how boys learn about menstruation and how men’s role in menstruation is constructed, emphasizing the educational, relational, and socio-political contexts in which these attitudes are created. Researchers, health care providers, and educators could use our findings to create more effective reproductive health education programs. Improving communication between parents and children may encourage a more balanced view towards menstruation, working towards reducing the stigma commonly experienced by girls and women.     

Gender variance in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder from the National Database for Autism Research

Previous studies suggest elevated rates of gender variance (GV), the wish to be of the other gender, in those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aimed to understand the rate of GV in children and adolescents with ASD and explore differences in sex, age, and emotional-behavioral problems relative to those referred to clinical services for mental health concerns (“referred”) and to the general population (“non-referred”). A secondary analysis of data from the National Database for Autism Research was used to explore GV using a child behavior checklist, parent report, in 176 children aged 6 to 18 year with ASD compared to referred and non-referred cohorts. GV was present in 4.0% of the ASD group, higher than for the non-referred group (0.7%) but similar to the referred group (4.0%). There were no significant sex differences in GV prevalence (males 3.7%, females 6.0%) in the ASD group. That the GV rate was elevated in ASD relative to non-referred samples but similar to clinically referred samples suggests that elevated rates of GV were not specific to ASD and may be more broadly associated with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders of childhood. Further population-based research using clinical assessment for gender dysphoria is required in individuals with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders.     

The Relationship Between Perceptions of Neighborhood Characteristics and Substance Use Among Urban African American Adolescents

Although the neighborhood microsystem is recognized as an important domain for adolescent development, relative to the family and peer contexts, neighborhood factors have been understudied in relation to adolescent substance abuse. In addition, recent research suggests that risk factors for adolescent substance use may differ for African Americans when compared to Caucasian youth. This study investigated the association between perceived neighborhood disorganization and later substance use, as well as possible mediators of that association, among a community sample of urban African American adolescents. Perceptions of neighborhood disorganization (i.e., violence/safety and drug activity) in grade 7 were associated with increased tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use in grade 9. For females, this association was mediated by attitudes about drug use and perceptions of drug harmfulness. Findings highlight the importance of neighborhood contextual variables for African American substance use. Implications and directions for future research are presented.     

Processes of inference, schizotypal thinking, and obsessive-compulsive behaviour in a normal sample

Previous research has shown inferential confusion as measured by the Inferential Confusion Questionnaire to be related to obsessive-compulsive symptoms. A total of 108 participants (41 men and 66 women) from a normal population in The Netherlands (M age = 46 yr., SD = 15.5) completed a package of questionnaires measuring inferential confusion, schizotypal symptoms, and obsessive-compulsive behaviour. As expected, scores for both inferential confusion and schizotypal symptoms were significantly related to those for obsessive-compulsive behaviour. In addition, analysis showed that inferential confusion and schizotypal symptoms shared common variance, but both predicted an independent portion of the variance in obsessive-compulsive behaviour while controlling for neuroticism. The present results call for further inquiry into the role of inferential confusion and schizotypal thinking in obsessive-compulsive behaviour.     

Pulling faces: an investigation of the face-distortion aftereffect

After adaptation to a face distorted to look unnaturally thin or fat, a normal face appears distorted in the opposite direction (Webster and MacLin 1999 Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 6 647-653). When the adapting face is oriented 45 degrees from vertically upright and the test face 45 degrees in the opposite direction, the axis of perceived distortion changes with the orientation of the face. The magnitude of this aftereffect shows a reduction of approximately 40% from that found when both adapting and test faces are tilted identically. This finding suggests that to a large degree the aftereffect is mediated not by low-level retinotopic (image-based) visual mechanisms but at a higher level of object-based processing. Aftereffects of a similar magnitude are obtained when adapting and test images are both either upright or inverted, or for an upright adapter and an inverted test; but aftereffects are smaller when the adapter is inverted and the test upright. This pattern of results suggests that the face-distortion aftereffect is mediated by object-processing mechanisms including, but not restricted to, configurational face-processing mechanisms.     

Developmental patterns of African American and Caucasian adolescents' alcohol use

This study examined the developmental alcohol use trajectories of Caucasian and African American adolescents. Participants were 1,358 adolescents (77.6% Caucasian). Results suggest that not only do patterns of alcohol use differ for Caucasian and African American adolescents, but that there is substantial within group variation as well. Results suggest that using a within-groups developmental approach is one promising way to identify subgroups of adolescents at greatest risk for substance use.