Never look down power: The relationship between looking directions and hierarchical sense

Current Psychology - Height-power relationship has been commonly found in architecture and interior designs. The earliest experience of the positive relationship between height and power may be...     

Angry Versus Furious: A Comparison Between Valence and Arousal in Dimensional Models of Emotions

The present study compared the roles of valence and arousal, proposed by the dimensional models of emotions, in recognizing emotional expressions. It was hypothesized that the dimension of valence, due to its functional significance, would be more salient in the recognition of emotional expressions than the dimension of arousal would be. The results of the current study supported this hypothesis. The participants in all age groups were more accurate and quicker in recognizing an emotion when the expression was paired up with another emotional expression that was different in the polarity of the valence dimension than with this similar polarity difference in the arousal dimension. The insignificant difference in recognizing the positive and negative emotional expressions in the group of elders also rejected the Socio-Emotional Selectivity Theory.     

Parents’ Intelligence Mindsets Relate to Child Internalizing Problems: Moderation Through Child Gender

Parental belief systems can strongly influence children’s affect, behavior, and mental health. However, associations between specific kinds of parental beliefs and children’s mental health have not been thoroughly explored. One relevant belief system is parental intelligence mindset: beliefs about the malleability of intelligence. Children of parents who view intelligence as static (known as a fixed intelligence mindset), rather than malleable through effort (known as a growth intelligence mindset), experience more academic, self-regulatory, and motivational difficulty. However, associations between parental intelligence mindset and child mental health problems are unclear. Accordingly, we tested whether parents’ intelligence mindsets related to internalizing problems in their children (N?=?131, ages 5–8). Overall, parents with stronger fixed intelligence mindsets had children with greater internalizing problems, particularly social anxiety (characterized by fear of negative evaluation). Results further revealed that parents’ fixed intelligence mindsets were associated with overall internalizing problems and depressive symptoms in boys, but not girls. Results are the first to suggest and parse direct links between parents’ intelligence mindsets and youth internalizing problems.     

Common Mental Health Challenges in a University Context in Hong Kong: a Study Based on a Review of Medical Records

Applied Research in Quality of Life - While numerous studies have suggested the rising prevalence of common mental disorders amongst university students, studies examining mental health of Chinese...     

Detrended windowed (lag one) autocorrelation: a new method for distinguishing between event-based and emergent timing

The aim of this study was to test different methods for distinguishing between two known timing processes involved in human rhythmic behaviours. We examined the implementation of two approaches used in the literature: the high-frequency slope of the power spectrum and the lag one value of the autocorrelation function, ACF(1). We developed another method based on the Wing and Kristofferson (1973a) model and the predicted negative ACF(1) for event-based series: the detrended windowed (lag one) autocorrelation (DWA). We compared the reliability and performance of these three methods on simulation and experimental series. DWA gave the best results, and guidelines are given for its appropriate use for identifying underlying timing processes.     

Predictors of Cancer Worry in Unaffected Women from High Risk Breast Cancer Families: Risk Perception is not the Primary Issue

Some women at increased familial risk of breast cancer experience elevated levels of cancer-specific worry, which can possibly act as a barrier to screening, and may be a significant factor in decisions regarding risk-reducing surgery. The aim of this study was to comprehensively examine predictors of cancer-specific worry in high risk women and to test a model which proposes that perceived breast cancer risk mediates the impact of other factors on worry. 1,437 unaffected women from high risk breast cancer families completed questionnaires and interviews. Path analysis was used to test the model of potential predictors of cancer worry, including familial, personal and psychological variables, mediated via perceived cancer risk. Levels of cancer-specific worry were generally low despite an average perceived risk of 50.3%. The goodness-of-fit of the proposed model was poor, explaining only 9% of the variance for perceived risk and 10% of the variance for cancer specific worry. An alternative model of a direct relationship between all of the predictor variables and cancer worry, explained 24% of the variation in cancer worry. General anxiety, perceived risk, the stressful impact of recent cancer related events, a relative risk greater than 10, being closer in age to the youngest breast cancer diagnosis in family, and knowledge of personal mutation status, all independently contributed to cancer worry. Addressing general affective responses, experiences of recent cancer related events, in addition to education about personal risk, should be considered in counselling women with elevated cancer worry. Risk perception appears to act independently of other factors in its formulation and impact on cancer worry. Further research on the way in which women come to perceive their risk is indicated. The kConFab Psychosocial Group are (in alphabetical order of institution): Brain and Mind Institute, University of Sydney, Australia (I Hickie) Department of Haematology and Medical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia (K-A Phillips) Department of Medical Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, Australia (B Bennett, B Meiser, K Tucker) Department of Oncology, St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia (S-A MaLachlan) Department of Psychological Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, Australia (C Tennant); Medical Psychology Research Unit, University of Sydney, Australia (P Butow, M Price).     

An Integrative Clinical Approach to Cultural Competent Psychotherapy

To provide effective psychotherapy in cross-cultural situations, cultural issues need to be adequately addressed. We describe core concepts of cultural competence relevant for psychotherapists to consider. A contextualized approach to conducting cultural competent assessment and formulation is recommended, including the use of DSM-5 Outline for Cultural Formulation and Cultural Formulation Interview. We introduce a cultural competent framework to help therapists become more mindful of culturally relevant interactions in therapy. Finally, a three-tier system is proposed for the examination of psychotherapy models through a cultural lens. The concepts and framework described can be flexibly and pragmatically integrated into a therapist’s regular clinical work, increasing the therapy’s effectiveness across diverse populations.     

Associations Among Psychologically Controlling Parenting,Autonomy, Relatedness,and Problem Behaviors During Emerging Adulthood

The present study aimed to investigate the relations among perceived parental psychological control (PPC), autonomy and relatedness, and negative outcomes during emerging adulthood in two cultural contexts: Italy and the USA. More specifically, we explored the mechanisms through which dependency-oriented PPC (DPPC) and achievement-oriented PPC (APPC) are associated with both internalizing and externalizing difficulties, focusing on the mediating role of autonomy and relatedness. Participants were 418 European-American and 359 Italian college students. Results indicated that the expressions of PPC with regard to dependency and achievement were related to emerging adults’ negative outcomes through different pathways, and these effects were moderated by the cultural group. The implications of the findings for future related empirical investigations and clinical interventions were discussed.     

Expanding Perspectives on Evangelicalism: How Non-evangelical Students Appreciate Evangelical Christianity

Evangelical students pose a distinctive set of challenges to higher education professionals. These students, though advantaged to some degree because of their Christian identity, commonly report feeling marginalized and silenced on college campuses. In light of these tensions, the purpose of this study was to examine how non-evangelical students come to an appreciative understanding of evangelical Christianity. Specifically, the research focused on the specific campus conditions and experiences that influence non-evangelical students’ appreciative attitudes toward evangelicals. Findings reveal distinct demographic, institution type, and academic major differences in those students’ perspectives toward their evangelical peers. Additionally, the results suggest that appreciative attitudes toward evangelicals are associated with non-evangelical students’ interfaith experiences, albeit to differing degrees based on self-identified worldview. Recognizing that the work of helping non-evangelical students develop an appreciative understanding of evangelicals is as complicated as it is challenging, especially in the collegiate context, the authors conclude with a discussion of implications for research and practice.