Mindfulness Can Make You Happy-and-Productive: A Mindfulness Controlled Trial and Its Effects on Happiness,Work Engagement and Performance

A controlled trial of a Mindfulness Based Intervention (MBI) was conducted on a big Spanish public hospital. The intervention program was offered to the staff as an initiative to promote psychosocial health of workers. Nineteen employees participated of the program, which consisted in three 150-min sessions and other fifteen employees acted as a control group in a waiting-list format. Pre–Post evaluations of Mindfulness, Work Engagement, Happiness and Performance where taken and the data analysis suggests that the intervention program was successful in boosting the existing levels of all the evaluated variables. The practical implications of these findings suggest that shorter versions of traditional MBI programs could be an effective Healthy Organizational Practice to boost happiness and performance among healthcare professionals.     

Mixed Methods in Youth Purpose: An Examination of Adolescent Self-Regulation and Purpose

Utilizing a relational developmental systems approach to examining character strengths, this article examines the connection between adolescents’ intentional self-regulation (ISR) with youth sense of purpose, using data from a large-scale evaluation of a youth development program in Scotland. Data were triangulated from multiple sources, including youth surveys and interviews as well as teacher assessments. Surveys were collected from 783 S2 (approximately seventh grade) pupils; teacher survey data were collected for 732 of these pupils. Telephone interviews were conducted with a subset of 29 adolescents. The data were analyzed with an innovative mixed-methods technique that allows qualitative interview data to underscore consistencies and disconnects with quantitative findings from both teacher and adolescent surveys. Results demonstrate a strong connection between ISR and purpose and many consistencies across measures of purpose.     

An Exploratory Study of Individuals in Non-traditional,Alternative Relationships: How “Open” Are We?

An “open” relationship is a configuration in which there is a sexual agreement characterized by implicit or explicit rules for extra-dyadic sexual activities. The general population of those who identify as non-monogamous is largely understudied, as most research in this area focuses on homosexual males. There is also a stigma surrounding those who do not choose to engage in monogamous relationships. Research on open relationships is sparse, and there is a need to examine perceptions of those engaged in this configuration. Even more important is the need to understand the perceptions of those within this community, as gathering information from outsiders is largely biased. This exploratory study examined the perceptions of 122 individuals who have been in or were currently in an open relationship, with a majority indicating that the decision to enter this type of configuration was mutual (73 %). Results demonstrated permissive attitudes when it comes to behaviors that involve engaging with others, as most interactions are not considered cheating. There is also a focus on rules, which need to be followed. With a better understanding of why those in open relationships choose to conduct their love lives in such a manner, and their impressions of how to make their romantic arrangement successful, not only do we get a clearer picture of these relationships, but we promote tolerance for all those looking to experience love.     

Feeling Good Makes Us Stronger: How Team Resilience Mediates the Effect of Positive Emotions on Team Performance

This study investigated the relationship between collective positive emotions at work and team resilience, expanding on the Broaden and Build theory of Fredrickson (Rev Gen Psychol 2:300–319, 1998; Am Psychol 56:218–226, 2001) at the collective (i.e., work teams) level of analysis. Through the aggregate scores of 1,076 employees (61 % men), grouped into 216 teams and belonging to 40 companies, five collective positive emotions were evaluated (i.e., enthusiasm, optimism, satisfaction, comfort, and relaxation) as well as team resilience. Additionally, ratings of the 216 supervisors of the teams were used to assess team performance (i.e., in- and extra-role performance). Structural equation modeling at the team level of analysis indicated that team resilience mediates the relationship between collective positive emotions and team performance, both in- and extra-role. The results highlight the importance of developing collective positive emotions to help teams to foster team resilience and improve their performance. The article concludes with practical strategies aimed at developing collective positive emotions, together with limitations and suggestions for future research.     

Self-regulation in early childhood: the interplay between family risk,temperament and teacher–child interactions

Abstract

This study investigates the interplay between family risk and the quality of classroom interactions and their impact on self-regulation skills in two groups of children—children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds (at-risk) and non-risk children. Participants included 485 children (N = 93 classrooms)—233 (N = 47 classrooms) of which were from socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Temperament was measured using teacher report. Trained observers rated classroom quality via live observations of a typical preschool day. Behavioral regulation was assessed using direct measures and emotional regulation was assessed using a teacher report. Analyses using multiple group structural equation modeling showed that at-risk children had lower levels of cool behavior regulation than non-risk children. In addition, classroom quality was positively linked to cool behavioral self-regulation. Moderating effects were additionally found between family risk and classroom quality on both hot behavioral regulation and emotional regulation. Classroom quality served as a protective factor for children exposed to more risk factors. Results showed complex associations between individual characteristics, classroom quality, and family risk, indicating a need to further explore the interplay among these variables.     

The Cognitive Interview and Lie Detection: a New Magnifying Glass for Sherlock Holmes?

The observation of serious deficiencies in the traditional police interview led Geiselman and colleagues to develop an alternative method of questioning. This method is known as the cognitive interview. The CI starts from the premise that the witness, victim or suspect wishes to cooperate. But, what happens if this is not the case? More seriously, what happens if he/she lies? The main aim of this study is to examine the differences between true and false statements, as a function of the interview technique employed (CI/STI). Participants were 73 students of the University of La Laguna. A 2×2 factorial design with the following variables was used: type of interview [traditional interview used in Spain by the Police (STI) and cognitive (CI)] and type of statement (true and false). The hypothesis was that the true and false accounts of witnesses would be qualitatively and quantitatively different independent of the type of interview used (STI/CI). Results confirmed the hypothesis. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Interface Between Countertransference and Projective Identification in a Case Presented to Peer Supervision

This case report, presented to a supervision group, is a prenatal genetic counseling casethat caused me a great deal of emotional discomfort as the events unfolded. Thediscomfort originated during my first meeting with the couple for routine preamniocentesiscounseling and continued through later encounters. This case illustrates the process ofworking through countertransference and projective identification issues that may arise ingenetic counseling.     

Expectations of sensations,discomfort and fear in dental treatment

A hundred dental patients and 40 dentists were asked to describe the sensations, discomfort and fear which they associated with a number of dental treatments. A number of patients were also asked to describe their experiences immediately after routine conservation procedures. It was concluded that although patients could accurately anticipate the pattern of sensations involved in treatment (even if they had not experienced some of the procedures), they expected more intense sensations and greater discomfort and apprehension than they were likely to experience. Dentists expressed more realistic ideas about the sensations produced by dental treatment. The discrepancy in patients' expectations appears to persist in spite of many discontinuing experiences, the fear of treatment being fostered by discomfort and the intensity of sensations expected, by lack of experience and, to a modest degree, by uncertainty about the sensations anticipated. Cognitive theories of fear do not appear to explain all these influences adequately. These observations support the need for information about sensations in treatment to help not so much with the experience of dentistry but rather with its anticipation.     

The role of attention and study time in explicit and implicit memory for unfamiliar visual stimuli

The effects of limited attentional resources and study time on explicit and implicit memory were studied using Schacter and Cooper’s possible and impossible objects in their recognition and object decision paradigm. In one experiment, when attention at study was limited by a flanking digits procedure, object recognition was diminished but object decision priming for possible objects was unaffected; in another experiment, limiting attention plus reducing stimulus study time impaired object recognition and eliminated object priming. Recognition memory and perceptual priming for previously unfamiliar visual stimuli were both influenced by attention, although to different degrees. The intervening variable of study time determined the degree to which priming was affected by attentional resources. These results support a limited capacity attentional model for both recognition and perceptual priming of unfamiliar visual stimuli, and they highlight the need for assessing the interaction of attentional resources and study time in explicit and implicit memory tasks.