Geographic region effects on adolescent physical self: An exploratory study

The objectives of this exploratory study were to examine gender differences in physical self‐concept, and the influence of geographic place of residence on both adolescents' physical self‐concept and gender differences in physical self‐concept. The Physical Self Inventory was used to measure physical self‐perceptions and global self‐esteem. Participants were 323 boys and 282 girls living in the North or South of France. First a Mann‐Whitney U test was used to assess gender differences and the influence of geographic region differences on physical self‐perceptions (physical self‐worth, physical condition, sport competence, attractive body, physical strength) and global self‐esteem. Then a Kruskal‐Wallis ANOVA for ranked data was used to assess geographic region influence on boys' and girls' physical self‐concept and global self‐esteem. The results showed that not only did boys have significantly higher physical self scores (on all scales) and global self‐esteem than girls, but also that adolescents from the North of France had higher physical self scores (on all scales) and global self‐esteem than adolescents from the South. Moreover, many differences were found between boys and girls on physical self scores (on all scales) and global self‐esteem according to their geographic place of residence. The main results showed that girls from the South had lower scores on the attractive body, physical strength, physical self‐worth, and global self‐esteem scales than all other adolescents, and that boys from the South had lower scores on the attractive body and global self‐esteem scales than did boys and girls from the North.     

Olfactory fear conditioning induces field potential potentiation in rat olfactory cortex and amygdala

The widely used Pavlovian fear-conditioning paradigms used for studying the neurobiology of learning and memory have mainly used auditory cues as conditioned stimuli (CS). The present work assessed the neural network involved in olfactory fear conditioning, using olfactory bulb stimulation-induced field potential signal (EFP) as a marker of plasticity in the olfactory pathway. Training consisted of a single training session including six pairings of an odor CS with a mild foot-shock unconditioned stimulus (US). Twenty-four hours later, the animals were tested for retention of the CS as assessed by the amount of freezing exhibited in the presence of the learned odor. Behavioral data showed that trained animals exhibited a significantly higher level of freezing in response to the CS than control animals. In the same animals, EFPs were recorded in parallel in the anterior piriform cortex (aPC), posterior piriform cortex (pPC), cortical nucleus of the amygdala (CoA), and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) following electrical stimulation of the olfactory bulb. Specifically, EFPs recorded before (baseline) and after (during the retention test) training revealed that trained animals exhibited a lasting increase (present before and during presentation of the CS) in EFP amplitude in CoA, which is the first amygdaloid target of olfactory information. In addition, a transient increase was observed in pPC and BLA during presentation of the CS. These data indicate that the olfactory and auditory fear-conditioning neural networks have both similarities and differences, and suggest that the fear-related behaviors in each sensory system may have at least some distinct characteristics.     

Facets of conscientiousness and objective markers of health status

Objective: To examine the association between six facets of conscientiousness (self-control, order, industriousness, traditionalism, virtue, responsibility) and objective markers of health status, including adiposity, blood markers and physical performance.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of participants from the health and retirement study (N = 12,188).

Main Outcome Measures: Adiposity (body mass index, waist circumference), blood markers (A1c, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, cystatin c, c-reactive protein) and physical performance (lung function, grip strength, walking speed).

Results: Four of the six facets of conscientiousness were associated with nearly all of the health markers: Self-control, organisation, industriousness and responsibility were related to lower adiposity, healthier metabolic, cardiovascular and inflammatory markers, and better performance on physical assessments. Traditionalism and virtue had fewer associations with these objective markers.

Conclusion: This research took a facet-level approach to the association between conscientiousness and objective markers of health status. This research builds on models of conscientiousness and health to suggest that, in addition to health-risk behaviours, facets of conscientiousness are associated with more favourable biomedical markers of health status.     

Personality,Religion, and Politics: An Investigation in 33 Countries

The relations of HEXACO personality factors and religiosity with political orientation were examined in responses collected online from participants in 33 countries (N = 141 492). Endorsement of a right‐wing political orientation was negatively associated with Honesty‐Humility and Openness to Experience and positively associated with religiosity. The strength of these associations varied widely across countries, such that the religiosity–politics correlations were stronger in more religious countries, whereas the personality–politics correlations were stronger in more developed countries. We also investigated the utility of the narrower traits (i.e. facets) that define the HEXACO factors. The Altruism facet (interstitially located between the Honesty‐Humility, Agreeableness, and Emotionality axes) was negatively associated with right‐wing political orientation, but religiosity was found to suppress this relationship, especially in religious countries. In addition to Altruism, the Greed Avoidance and Modesty facets of the Honesty‐Humility factor and the Unconventionality and Aesthetic Appreciation facets of the Openness to Experience factor were also negatively associated with right‐wing political orientation. We discuss the utility of examining facet‐level personality traits, along with religiosity, in research on the individual difference correlates of political orientation. Copyright © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology     

The mitigating role of leader‒member exchange when perceiving psychological contract violation: a diary survey study among volunteers

Several scholars in the field of volunteering emphasized the pivotal role of psychological contract (PC) violation in explaining maladaptive behavioural reactions—such as counterproductive work behaviour (CWB)—of volunteers. Reactions to violation feelings are, however, interrelated and may intensify over time. Extending this dynamic perspective, we introduce momentary leader–member exchange (LMX) as a buffering social resource in the relationship between violation feelings and (1) CWB and (2) the likelihood to perceive a PC breach. Using weekly diary survey data from 247 volunteers (827 observations), we conducted a moderated multilevel zero-inflated Poisson regression analysis. As hypothesized, experiencing feelings of violation during one week related positively to CWB towards the organization (CWB-O), but not to CWB towards individuals (CWB-I) during the next week. Moreover, experiencing violation feelings during one week increased the likelihood to perceive a PC breach during the subsequent week. Finally, experiencing a high-quality LMX relationship effectively mitigated the positive relationship between violation feelings during one week and (1) CWB-O, and (2) the likelihood to perceive a PC breach during the next week. Our study highlights momentary LMX as an effective redressing mechanism in the relationship between violation feelings and undesirable employee outcomes.     

The explanatory role of rumours in the reciprocal relationship between organizational change communication and job insecurity: a within-person approach

The current study highlights rumours as an explanation of the reciprocal relationship between perceived organizational change communication and job insecurity. First, we predict that perceiving insufficient organizational change communication may result in rumours, which in turn may shape job insecurity perceptions. Second, we propose that rumours may also mediate the relationship between job insecurity and perceiving insufficient organizational change communication. To test the hypotheses, a multilevel approach was used, in which three measurements were nested within 1994 employees. This enabled us to probe within-person processes, while controlling for possible between-person variation. The results demonstrated a negative reciprocal relationship between perceived organizational change communication and job insecurity. Additionally, rumours mediated both the negative relationship between perceived organizational change communication and subsequent job insecurity, and the negative relationship between job insecurity and subsequent perceived organizational change communication. This study contributes to the literature on job insecurity by offering initial evidence on the relationship between job insecurity and rumours, and by highlighting rumours as a process through which perceived organizational change communication and job insecurity may mutually affect each other.     

Eating Disorders Inventory: Assessment of its Construct Validity in a Nonclinical French Sample of Adolescents

Recent studies have questioned the appropriateness of the original Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) in nonclinical samples of adolescents. The main objective of the present series of studies is to systematically test the construct validity of the EDI (i.e. content, factorial, convergent, discriminant and discriminative) in a nonclinical sample of French adolescents. A total sample of 1,323 adolescents was involved in these five studies. The factorial validity and the measurement invariance of the EDI were verified through confirmatory factorial analyses. Correlation and student t-tests were also used to test the convergent and discriminative validity of the EDI. Results from the first study confirmed the unsuitability of the French original EDI for young adolescents. Items were re-worded and an adaptation for adolescents was developed (EDI-A). The following four studies provided support for the factorial validity, measurement invariance, reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity for a short form (i.e. 24 items) of the EDI-A. The present results thus provide preliminary evidence regarding the construct validity of the 24-item EDI-A for French nonclinical adolescents. Recommendations for future uses and research activities with this instrument in French speaking adolescents are outlined.     

Ethical and Social Aspects of Neurorobotics

Science and Engineering Ethics - The interdisciplinary field of neurorobotics looks to neuroscience to overcome the limitations of modern robotics technology, to robotics to advance our...