Animalism and the varieties of conjoined twinning

We defend the view that we are not identical to organisms against the objection that it implies that there are two subjects of every conscious state one experiences: oneself and one’s organism. We then criticize animalism—the view that each of us is identical to a human organism—by showing that it has unacceptable implications for a range of actual and hypothetical cases of conjoined twinning: dicephalus, craniopagus parasiticus, and cephalopagus.     

Constraining or Constructive? The Effects of Examples on Idea Novelty

The tendency to conform to prior examples can be viewed as a form of mental fixation that has negative consequences and limits the scope and quality of designs. Two experiments using the Smith, S. M., Ward, T. B., & Schumacher, J. S. [(1993) Memory & Cognition, 21, 837‐845] toy invention task were conducted to determine whether participants who viewed example toys would subsequently generate toys rated as less novel compared to a control group viewing no examples. Although participants who viewed examples tended to incorporate the example features into their own ideas, the novelty of their ideas was rated as higher than those of the control group. This effect occurred both with no specific instruction regarding the examples (Experiment 1), as well as when specifically instructed to be different from the examples (Experiment 2). These results indicate that examples do not always have a negative impact on creativity, and suggest they may sometimes help lead to more unusual ideas.     

Importation and deprivation factors influencing teacher-targeted aggression among secondary school students in Germany: A multilevel analysis

Relying on an importation and deprivation framework, the study assessed a variety of risk factors associated with self-reported teacher-targeted aggression among ninth grade students (n = 5,673). Using a cross-sectional school survey conducted in one German federal state, two forms of teacher-targeted aggression were assessed: verbal (insulting, threatening, and mocking) and physical (beating and pushing) aggression. Every ninth student reported verbal aggression, while 0.5% of students reported physical aggression against teachers. Multilevel probability models showed that individual importation factors (low self-control, male gender, and exposure to severe parental violence), together with individual deprivation factors (repeated victimization by teachers and low school achievement) play a role in explaining teacher-targeted aggression. The school-level deprivation factor of negative teacher–student relationships was also relevant, whereas low teacher control and attending lower-level schools were unrelated to the perpetration of teacher-targeted aggression. The present study stresses the need to acknowledge the multilevel etiology of teacher-targeted aggression.     

Development and validation of a questionnaire to measure primary school children’s images of and attitudes towards curiosity (the CIAC questionnaire)

Motivation and Emotion - This paper presents a validation study of a questionnaire to measure primary children’s images of and attitudes towards curiosity (the CIAC questionnaire). Policy...     

The Urge to Splurge Revisited: Further Reflections on Applying Terror Management Theory to Materialism and Consumer Behavior

We respond to commentaries by Maheswaran and Agrawal (2004) and Rindfleisch and Burroughs (2004) on the application of terror management theory to understanding conspicuous consumption and consumer behavior. Specifically, we consider individual differences in terror management research; the possibility of cultural variation (or lack thereof) in terror management processes; the viability of materialism as a pathway to securing existential meaning; and the different and, at times possibly conflicting, motivations that may be evoked by the awareness of death.     

Patient and Partner Quality of Life and Psychosocial Adjustment Following Radical Prostatectomy

We prospectively examined differences in quality of life and psychosocial adjustment in 80 prostate cancer patients and their partners (n = 65) beginning before radical prostatectomy and proceeding across the first year postsurgery. Both members of the couple experienced significant changes associated with the patient's cancer, however their experiences differed in some regards. Patients experienced reprieve from emotional distress and negative affect immediately following surgery despite worsened physical functioning. Partner quality of life and psychosocial adjustment scores were generally more constant from presurgery to postsurgery, with improvements noted 1 year later. For both patients and partners, cancer-specific stress symptoms declined progressively over the year. We also obtained partial support for the effectiveness of a single-session communication intervention on patient social/family wellbeing and partner general stress. Findings have implications for patient and partner adjustment following radical prostatectomy, and attest to the importance of incorporating partner evaluations into psychosocial oncology research.     

Non‐zero‐sum collaboration,reciprocity, and the preference for similarity: Developing an adaptive model of close relational functioning

An evolutionary framework was used to develop a model of relational functioning among friends. The proposed model focuses on the collaborative nature of close friendships and attempts to highlight two adaptive mechanisms important in creating non‐zero‐sum outcomes among highly interdependent parties. The model emphasizes the importance of reciprocity in creating mutually beneficial outcomes through social exchange, and it articulates how the preference for similarity is useful when creating non‐zero‐sum rewards through synergistic coordination. In particular, the focus is on the unique role that shared interests and mutual knowledge play when individuals attempt to pursue common goals through joint activity. The implications of the model are discussed with respect to a host of issues ranging from deceptive communication to relational satisfaction and commitment.     

Moral Communities in Anti-Doping Policy: A Response to Bowers and Paternoster

This article argues that Bowers and Paternoster’s emphasis on a moral community marks an important step towards a more ethical and effective approach to anti-doping. However, it also argues that the authors’ proposed strategies undermine their stated goal of effectively engaging athletes as partners in anti-doping efforts and raise ethical concerns. Their proposed emphasis on exploiting shaming as a punishment and their general view of athletes as adversaries fosters mistrust between athletes and those who enforce the anti-doping rules. Instead, this article describes a model for empowering athletes as stakeholders in anti-doping policy as a means to provide anti-doping rules with increased moral legitimacy among athletes.