Reducing prejudice via direct and extended cross-group friendship

One of the most exciting developments in intergroup contact theory is the idea that a certain type of contact, cross-group friendship, might be particularly effective at reducing prejudice. In this chapter we review research on two types of cross-group friendship. Direct cross-group friendship refers to friendships that develop between members of different groups. Extended cross-group friendship, on the other hand, refers to vicarious experience of cross-group friendship, the mere knowledge that other ingroup members have cross-group friends. We consider the relationship between both types of cross-group friendship and prejudice and the processes that mediate and moderate these relationships. The research highlights the respective strengths and weaknesses of direct and extended cross-group friendship and illustrates how they might be practically combined in efforts to improve intergroup relations.     

Applying imagined contact to improve physiological responses in anticipation of intergroup interactions and the perceived quality of these interactions

This experiment (N = 49) is the first to show that imagined contact can buffer anticipatory physiological responses to future interactions, and improve the quality of these interactions. Participants imagined a positive interaction with a person with schizophrenia, or in a control condition, a person who did not have schizophrenia. They then interacted with a confederate whom they believed had schizophrenia. Participants in the imagined contact condition reported more positive attitudes and less avoidance of people with schizophrenia, displayed smaller anticipatory physiological responses, specifically smaller changes in interbeat interval and skin conductance responses, and had a more positive interaction according to the confederate. These findings support applying imagined contact to improve interactions with people with severe mental illnesses.     

我国医科类高校医学(生命)伦理学课程现状调查

为了解我国部分医科类高校医学(生命)伦理学课程的开展现状,对国内48所高校中68名从事医学(生命)伦理学教学工作的教师进行问卷调查。结果显示,23所高校教师人数超过4人;女性教师中学历为硕士的人数最多;32.4%的教师第一专业具备临床或医药背景;学时为32学时~36学时的高校仅1所,学分为2学分的高校也只有1所,以必修课形式开设的高校只有2所;28所高校开设了医学(生命)伦理学相关的讲座,其中2所高校年均开设次数达到5次或以上。调查显示,高校整体师资力量较薄弱、女性教师学历水平有待提高、教师知识结构较单一、课程受重视程度低、医学人文环境较差。建议扩大、优化师资结构,重树学科定位,加强医学人文建设,营造医学人文氛围。     

Dentists' voice control: effects on children's disruptive and affective behavior

Voice control, a punishment technique based on loud commands, has been used widely in pediatric dentistry. This study examined whether (a) loudness is a necessary component of the technique, (b) voice control actually reduces children's disruptive behavior, and (c) after treatment, children's negative affect increases. Subjects were forty 3 1/2- to 7-year-olds who posed potential behavior problems and who were scheduled for cavity restoration. Children were assigned randomly to either loud- or normal-voice groups. Children who were assigned to either group but who were not disruptive formed a nonexperimental control group. Prior to and after treatment, children reported their feelings using the Self-Assessment Mannequin. Disruptive behavior was scored using the Behavior Profile Rating Scale. Results indicated that, following loud, but not normal voice commands, children reduced their disruptive behavior (p less than .004) and self-reported lower arousal (p less than .09) and greater pleasure (p less than .10). Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Mixed-effects logistic regression for estimating transitional probabilities in sequentially coded observational data

This article demonstrates the use of mixed-effects logistic regression (MLR) for conducting sequential analyses of binary observational data. MLR is a special case of the mixed-effects logit modeling framework, which may be applied to multicategorical observational data. The MLR approach is motivated in part by G. A. Dagne, G. W. Howe, C. H. Brown, & B. O. Muthén (2002) advances in general linear mixed models for sequential analyses of observational data in the form of contingency table frequency counts. The advantage of the MLR approach is that it circumvents obstacles in the estimation of random sampling error encountered using Dagne and colleagues' approach. This article demonstrates the MLR model in an analysis of observed sequences of communication in a sample of young adult same-sex peer dyads. The results obtained using MLR are compared with those of a parallel analysis using Dagne and colleagues' linear mixed model for binary observational data in the form of log odds ratios. Similarities and differences between the results of the 2 approaches are discussed. Implications for the use of linear mixed models versus mixed-effects logit models for sequential analyses are considered.