A Decade of Applied Social Psychology: An Editorial

The view of the outgoing editors on applied social psychology and on the past decade of the Journal of Applied Social Psychology is presented. The history of the Journal, conceptualizations of its purpose, assessments of journal quality and evaluation approaches to its achievement are discussed. Finally, questions about the future of applied social psychology and the future of the Journal are raised.     

Bulimia nervosa in undergraduate women: Factors associated with internalization of the sociocultural standard of thinness

Diverse areas of research and theory are integrated in an attempt to better understand the specific risk factors for bulimia nervosa identified in the literature. It is suspected that the interplay of risk factors may be unique to different groups of individuals who develop bulimia. Further, it is proposed that specific determinants be studied individually to determine their particular influence in the etiology of bulimia. It is suggested that the investigation of specific risk factors for bulimia in certain groups will benefit researchers and clinicians in gaining a better conceptual understanding of the process involved in the development of the disorder. This article focuses on the determinants of a specific risk factor (i.e., internalization of the sociocultural standard of thinness) for bulimia in undergraduate women, a group identified as particularly vulnerable to this disorder. Research and theory are integrated to suggest that a combination of specific individual differences, family, and social factors make some undergraduate women more vulnerable to the influence of the sociocultural standard of thinness and bulimia. Suggestions for the inclusion of these psychosocial factors in future empirical investigations and treatment programs are also discussed.     

Paraverbal indicators of deception: a meta‐analytic synthesis

This meta‐analysis provides a quantitative synthesis of paraverbal indicators of deception as a function of different moderator variables. Of nine different speech behaviours analysed only two were reliably associated with deception in the weighted, and four in the analysis unweighted by sample size. Pitch, response latency and speech errors were positively, message duration negatively related to deception. As most effect sizes were found to be heterogeneous, analyses of moderator variables revealed that many of the observed relationships varied as a function of content, preparation, motivation, sanctioning of the lie, experimental design and operationalization. Of different theoretical approaches reviewed, a working memory model of lie production may best account for the findings. Because of the small effect sizes, and the heterogeneity in findings, practitioners must be cautioned to use such indicators in assessing the truthfulness of reports but nonetheless practical implications for different types of situations are outlined. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measuring Executive Function Deficits Following Head Injury: An Application of SMS Simulation Technology

The Psychological Record - Neuropsychological tests have limited sensitivity in identifying subtle residual cognitive impairments in patients with good medical recovery from head injury and...     

Individual Differences in Risk Taking1

Risk taking behavior in civilian and military settings often results in unnecessary loss of life and equipment. The present research investigates the contribution of three cognitive styles (Type A., Cognitive Complexity, and GIAL) to risky behavior under varying task load conditions. The research is further concerned with uncovering possible relationships between these cognitive styles and physiological arousal (cardiovascular response) as interactive sources of risky actions. A variety of diverse and combined effects of styles on the propensity to take risks was obtained. These relationships were not generally reflected in arousal levels. In addition, the present findings support the conclusions of Streufert et al. (1983) who suggested that risk taking is primarily an effect of cognitive error. In the absence of an arousal based “thrill” finding, specific “educational” programs, based on a person's stylistic characteristics, may be possible to reduce the propensity for risky actions.     

Misattributions in attribution research: Choices of scientific certainty vs. understanding of reality: A rejoinder

Fincham (1984) has argued that Nogami and Streufert (1983) advanced a thesis which (1) attempts to empirically demonstrate that attributions for an accident are lower with severe as opposed to less severe outcomes and (2) applies these data to account for previous contradictory findings of the ‘defensive attribution’ literature. The present authors show that Fincham's attribution of intent to Nogami and Streufert is in error and that the divergent views of Nogami and Streufert versus those of Fincham and associates reflect legitimate but different approaches toward the problem of attribution theory and research.     

Place avoidance learning and stress-induced analgesia in the attacked mouse: role of endogenous opioids

In this study, mechanisms of pain inhibition (tail-flick test) and memory (place avoidance paradigm) were investigated in attacked, DBA/2 and C57BL/6, mice. During training, exposure of test animals to 10 or 30 bites by an aggressive, isolated ICR mouse situated in the dark half of a bright/dark conditioning box induced a significantly higher social conflict analgesia in DBA than in C57 mice. Naltrexone (0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg) reduced this response in DBA mice that received 30, but not 10, bites and was ineffective in C57 mice. This points to different, opioid versus naltrexone-insensitive nonopioid, analgesic mechanisms. During place choice testing in the same box 24 h later, DBA mice that had received 30, but not 10, bites showed a significant, naltrexone-reversible, avoidance of the attack place. No place avoidance learning was observed in C57 mice. The data provided unequivocal evidence that place avoidance learning was a result of associative conditioning, in that neither pairing nor social conflict per se significantly changed the preference for the dark side seen in experimentally naive DBA mice. Antagonism of place avoidance conditioning was observed regardless of whether testing was carried out in the drugged or undrugged state, excluding possible state-dependent effects as an explanation for the naltrexone-induced impairment. Individual correlational analysis in saline-injected, attacked DBA mice revealed a negative relationship between the analgesic state immediately after training and the avoidance of attack place during testing. In summary, the results suggest strain-dependent analgesic and learning mechanisms and indicate that endogenous opioids released in attacked DBA mice support pain inhibition and modulate the memorization of attack place by their analgesic effects, as well as by mechanisms independent of pain inhibitory systems.