Tracking the Logos

Anna-TeresaTymieniecka writes of a “dynamic skeleton for future fusions of sense” rising from the seemingly disjointed situation of philosophy and details how her phenomenology of life can put flesh on it. Examined here are her efforts to: uncover the deep-lying intelligibility of life by emphasizing the role of the logos of life in connection with meaning structures developed by Husserl; undertake a critique of phenomenological reason; delineate life’s path, not from cognition in isolation, but from within the fullness of human functioning in all its complexity; give Husserl’s phenomenology a metaphysico-existential foundation; analyze the human creative process penetrating the very individualized meanderings of life; show how the creative logos reaches into communal/societal life and opens the way to spiritual and sacral horizons of experience.     

A randomized controlled pilot trial of classroom-based mindfulness meditation compared to an active control condition in sixth-grade children

The current study is a pilot trial to examine the effects of a nonelective, classroom-based, teacher-implemented, mindfulness meditation intervention on standard clinical measures of mental health and affect in middle school children. A total of 101 healthy sixth-grade students (55 boys, 46 girls) were randomized to either an Asian history course with daily mindfulness meditation practice (intervention group) or an African history course with a matched experiential activity (active control group). Self-reported measures included the Youth Self Report (YSR), a modified Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Measure –Revised. Both groups decreased significantly on clinical syndrome subscales and affect but did not differ in the extent of their improvements. Meditators were significantly less likely to develop suicidal ideation or thoughts of self-harm than controls. These results suggest that mindfulness training may yield both unique and non-specific benefits that are shared by other novel activities.     

The Cultivation of Social Perceptions of Latinos: A Mental Models Approach

This survey investigates the relationship between exposure to television portrayals of Latinos and real world perceptions of Latinos in the U.S. To aid in this assessment, contributions from the research on mental models were incorporated into a cultivation framework. From this mental models-based cultivation perspective, it was expected that amount of television exposure and existing cognitions regarding representations of Latinos in the media would interact in predicting real world perceptions of Latinos. Additionally, the amount of real world interracial contact with Latinos was predicted to moderate these effects. Findings provide support for the proposed relationships, indicating that as television consumption rates increase, extant cognitions regarding media depictions of Latinos and real world contact guide subsequent evaluations of Latinos.     

No Association between Music Ability and Hand Preference in Children

Hand preference was studied in 2 groups of children—children with musical ability and children without musical ability—to examine whether particular markers that may connect with handedness patterns, such as bias away from dextrality or mixed-handedness, stabilize during childhood and are associated with musical ability. Children were administered the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory to determine levels of right, left, and mixed handedness. Results demonstrated no differences in hand preference between both cohorts of children, suggesting the relative independence of musical ability and handedness. However, the inclusion of handedness as a motor marker for musical ability in children in conjunction with other preexisting neurocognitive factors cannot be entirely discounted.     

Cross-cultural generalizability of the Personality and Role Identity Structural Model (PRISM): Implications for trait and cultural psychology

The cross-cultural generalizability of the Personality and Role Identity Structural Model (PRISM; Wood & Roberts, 2006) was tested in the United States, Mexico, Malaysia, China, and Japan. Participants rated their general and role identities, as defined by the PRISM, using Big Five trait adjectives, then rated their personality states (i.e., role experiences) in various roles in multiple daily interactions for 14 days. Structural predictions based on the PRISM were supported in all five cultures. Cultural differences were limited and did not reflect cultural differences in individualism–collectivism, dialecticism, or cultural tightness. The results supported the cross-cultural generalizability of the PRISM and the merits of contextualized trait measures in the prediction of role experiences. Implications for trait and cultural psychology are discussed.     

Adaptation of a behavioral parent‐training curriculum for Hispanic caregivers: HOT DOCS Español

This article presents the process utilized to adapt a behavioral parent‐training curriculum for Hispanic caregivers from a program currently available in English. Throughout this process, a number of cultural and language elements were identified as needing to be modified to meet the needs of the Hispanic population served. Fidelity and fit were balanced to develop a curriculum acceptable to diverse Hispanic caregivers while also incorporating all the essential elements of a theory‐based approach to training caregivers. The lessons learned from this adaptation may assist others in their attempts to meet the needs of Hispanic families.     

Unanswered questions: A preliminary investigation of personality and individual difference predictors of 9/11 conspiracist beliefs

Given the widespread appeal of conspiratorial beliefs, it is surprising that very little empirical research has examined the psychological variables associated with such beliefs. In the present study, we examined individual and demographic predictors of beliefs in conspiracy theories concerning the September 11, 2001 (9/11) attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon among a representative British sample of 254 women and men. Results of structural equation modelling showed that 9/11 conspiracist beliefs were positively associated with belief in other conspiracy theories, exposure to 9/11 conspiracist ideas, political cynicism, defiance of authority and the Big Five personality factor of Agreeableness. In total, a model including demographics, personality and individual difference variables explained over 50% of the variance in 9/11 conspiracist ideas. The implications of these findings for the literature on conspiracy theories are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Consensual Beliefs about the Fairness and Accuracy of Selection Methods at University

This study investigated student's perception of the accuracy and fairness of 17 different assessment methods to measure 8 different traits/characteristics thought to be desirable in a student. Results for accuracy and fairness judgments were similar with drug, general knowledge and intelligence tests being thought of a least accurate and fair while panel interviews and references were thought of as among the fairest selection methods. Factor analyses of the accuracy data showed that two underlying components existed labelled test and face‐to‐face methods. There was considerable consensus among the 322 respondents. The only individual difference variable which was shown to explain any variance in accuracy perceptions was self‐assessed intelligence. The possible explanations for these findings, as well as study limitations and suggested directions for future research are discussed.     

“Self‐promotion”: How regulatory focus affects the pursuit of self‐interest at the expense of the group

Self‐interested behavior may have positive consequences for individual group‐members, but also negatively affects the outcomes of the group when group‐level and individual‐level interests are misaligned. In two studies, we examined such self‐interested, group‐undermining behavior from the perspective of regulatory focus theory. We predicted that when individual and group interests are out of alignment, individuals under promotion focus would be more likely than individuals under prevention focus to pursue individual success at the expense of their group. Two studies provided support for this prediction. Promotion oriented individuals were more willing to act in their self‐interest (at the expense of their group) than individuals under prevention focus when self‐interested goals were not compatible with cooperation. No effect of regulatory focus on group loyalty was found when cooperation formed the only viable route to individual success. We discuss how these findings extend our understanding of the role of regulatory focus in social situations and of the practice of ensuring loyalty in contexts where individual and group goals are misaligned while cooperation is an important part of group success.     

Instrumental and disinhibited financial risk taking: Personality and behavioural correlates

Risk taking, including that within the financial domain, is often considered to represent a unidimensional personality trait. This paper considers the relatively unexplored construct of instrumental financial risk taking: a class of behaviours that while inherently risky, are entered into with a greater degree of consideration than more impulsive or disinhibited forms of risk taking. Participants (N = 1043) completed a novel questionnaire assessing instrumental and disinhibited financial risk taking as part of a battery including measures of: sensation-seeking, impulsivity, psychopathic personality traits and real life financial outcomes. Correlations revealed a divergent pattern of relationships supporting the utility of characterising these different forms of financial risk. Scores on the novel instrument are shown to explain more than 10% of the variance in the use of riskier, more productive savings products, over and above the influence of demographics and financial status.