Secular and Liminal: Discovering Heterogeneity Among Religious Nones

This study examines the stability of religious preference among people who claim no religious preference in national surveys (i.e., religious nones). Using data from the Faith Matters Study, General Social Survey, and American National Election Study, we show that about 30 percent of religious nones in the first wave of the survey claim an affiliation with a religious group a year later. The percentage of religious nones remained stable in the two waves because a similar number of respondents moved in the opposite direction. Using various measures of religiosity, we show that most of these unstable nones report no significant change in religious belief or practice. We call them liminal nones as they stand halfway in and halfway out of a religious identity. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings on the controversies surrounding the rise of religious nones in recent years.     

Attitudes Toward Date Rape Among University Students in South Korea

The purpose of this study is to examine attitudes toward date rape among university students in South Korea. Participants included 163 students recruited from two universities in South Korea. Results show that male students were less rejecting of date rape-tolerant attitudes than female students were. Also, male students were less rejecting of the belief that the use of force to have sex on a date is acceptable under certain conditions. Attending a sexual assault educational program was associated with more rejection of date rape-tolerant attitudes among females, but not among males. The results will be of particular value to advocates who provide rape prevention and victim intervention programs.     

The long arm of job insecurity: Its impact on career-specific parenting behaviors and youths' career self-efficacy

Applying a multiple-mediator model, we examine the mediating effect of three types of career-specific parenting behaviors: lack of engagement, support, and interference, on the relationship between paternal job insecurity and youths' career self-efficacy. Data were collected from a sample of undergraduate students and their fathers. Results of the full sample analysis showed that paternal job insecurity was positively related to lack of engagement and negatively related to support. The relationship between paternal job insecurity and interference was not significant. Sub sample analysis showed that the relationship between paternal job insecurity and career self-efficacy was mediated by lack of engagement for sons and mediated by support for daughters.     

Factor structure of the Korean version of Wong and Law's Emotional Intelligence Scale

This study reports the factor structure of a Korean version of the 16-item Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) for a sample of 161 Korean university students. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor model of the WLEIS: (1) self-emotional appraisal, (2) others' emotional appraisal, (3) use of emotion, and (4) regulation of emotion. However, improvement of the model fit after removing three items suggests the need for future research on the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the WLEIS.     

Development of a simple pressure and heat stimulator for intra- and interdigit functional magnetic resonance imaging

For this study, we developed a simple pressure and heat stimulator that can quantitatively control pressure and provide heat stimulation to intra- and interdigit areas. The developed stimulator consists of a control unit, drive units, and tactors. The control unit controls the stimulation parameters, such as stimulation types, intensity, time, and channel, and transmits a created signal of stimulation to the drive units. The drive units operate pressure and heat tactors in response to commands from the control unit. The pressure and heat tactors can display various stimulation intensities quantitatively, apply stimulation continuously, and adjust the stimulation areas. Additionally, they can easily be attached to and detached from the digits. The developed pressure and heat stimulator is small in total size, easy to install, and inexpensive to manufacture. The new stimulator operated stably in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment without affecting the obtained images. A preliminary functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment confirmed that differences in activation of somatosensory areas were induced from the pressure and heat stimulation. The developed pressure and heat stimulator is expected to be utilized for future intra- and interdigit fMRI studies on pressure and heat stimulation.     

Assessments of learning‐related skills and interpersonal skills constructs within early childhood environments in Singapore

Social skills are necessary for developing successful relationships and promoting learning. Interpersonal skills (IPS) are needed for maintaining friendships while learning‐related skills (LRS) are required for positive classroom behaviours. In this study, we investigated the construct validity of LRS and IPS within two existing assessments: the Child Behavior Rating Scales (CBRS) and the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales—2nd edition (PKBS‐2). Teachers completed the CBRS and PKBS‐2 for 117 Singaporean children aged 3–6 years. Rasch analysis was used to identify items that fit the unidimensional constructs of LRS and IPS within each instrument. Specific items from within the CBRS were found to measure LRS and IPS. Within the PKBS‐2, items were found to measure IPS and a new construct labelled Compliance. Instead of creating new assessment tools to measure new constructs, this study innovatively demonstrated how Rasch analysis can be used to document the existence of new constructs within already existing tools. The identification of new constucts and the use of these tools in an Asian context are presented. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Predicting the biological variability of environmental rhythms: Weak or strong anticipation for sensorimotor synchronization?

The internal processes involved in synchronizing our movements with environmental stimuli have traditionally been addressed using regular metronomic sequences. Regarding real-life environments, however, biological rhythms are known to have intrinsic variability, ubiquitously characterized as fractal long-range correlations. In our research we thus investigate to what extent the synchronization processes drawn from regular metronome paradigms can be generalized to other (biologically) variable rhythms. Participants performed synchronized finger tapping under five conditions of long-range and/or short-range correlated, randomly variable, and regular auditory sequences. Combining experimental data analysis and numerical simulation, we found that synchronizing with biologically variable rhythms involves the same internal processes as with other variable rhythms (whether totally random or comprising lawful regularities), but different from those involved with a regular metronome. This challenges both the generalizability of conclusions drawn from regular-metronome paradigms, and recent research assuming that biologically variable rhythms may trigger specific strong anticipatory processes to achieve synchronization.     

Images of Resistance: A Qualitative Enquiry Into the Meanings of Personal Artwork for Women Living With Cancer

This study explored the meanings, inspirations, and subjective significance of personal artwork created as a leisure activity by women living with cancer. A convenience sample of 12 women aged 23–74 years participated in semistructured interviews. Participants were living in various stages of the cancer trajectory, and engaged in several forms of visual art-making. They submitted examples of their artwork by photograph and explored the meanings of this work in semistructured interviews. The study found that body imagery was extremely rare in participants' array of artwork, unlike the images typically created in art therapy. Few pieces expressed fears about cancer in symbolic terms. Participants described their selected artwork as offering sensuous pleasures, and confirming their ongoing capability, personal continuity, and social connectedness. Participants acknowledged ongoing loss and difficulties related to cancer. However, each piece of art offered a tangible record of resistance against the psychologically and socially disruptive effects of cancer, helping to maintain a familiar noncancer identity. The preinterview photography activity was helpful for empowering participants in the interview, and for stimulating detailed memories.