Control and maintenance effects of long-term relaxation training in a case of hypertension

The effects of long-term, varied relaxation in a case of essential hypertension are described. The client's unusual achievement of voluntary control over his blood pressure was discussed in terms of new directions in the search of a relaxation specific factor.     

Ability in perceiving nonnative contrasts: Performance on natural and synthetic speech stimuli

The perception of the distinction between /r/ and /l/ by native speakers of American English and of Japanese was studied using natural and synthetic speech. The American subjects were all nearly perfect at recognizing the natural speech sounds, whereas there was substantial variation among the Japanese subjects in their accuracy of recognizing /r/ and /l/ except in syllable-final position. A logit model, which additively combined the acoustic information conveyed byF1-transition duration and byF3-onset frequency, provided a good fit to the perception of synthetic /r/ and /l/ by the American subjects. There was substantial variation among the Japanese subjects in whether theF1 andF3 cues had a significant effect on their classifications of the synthetic speech. This variation was related to variation in accuracy of recognizing natural /r/ and /l/, such that greater use of both theF1 cue and theF3 cue in classifying the synthetic speech sounds was positively related to accuracy in recognizing the natural sounds. However, multiple regression showed that use of theF1 cue did not account for significant variance in natural speech performance beyond that accounted for by theF3 cue, indicating that theF3 cue is more important than theF1 cue for Japanese speakers learning English. The relation between performance on natural and synthetic speech also provides external validation of the logit model by showing that it predicts performance outside of the domain of data to which it was fit.     

The role of information presentation formats in belief updating

The effects of the format by which information is presented on the cognitive processes of belief updating were investigated in the present research. Because of the differences in the affordance of verbal vs. numerical information, it is predicted that the belief updating processes involved in processing verbal and numerical information would be different. Specifically, the additive rule is used to combine information using verbal formats, while the averaging rule is used to combine information using numerical formats. Two experiments were conducted to test these hypotheses. Experiment 1 tested the belief updating process in the positive direction, and Experiment 2 tested the process in the negative direction. Two independent variables were manipulated: information presentation format (verbal vs numerical) and presentation order (strong–weak vs weak–strong). The participants were asked to adjust their purchase likelihood of a consumer product based on the sequential presentations of two experts' opinions. These two opinions varied in their formats (verbal vs. numerical) and strengths (strong vs weak). The two opinions were presented in either the strong–weak order or the weak–strong order. Participants were instructed to first anchor their purchase likelihood at 50%, and then adjust the purchase likelihood, first based on the first expert's opinion, and second based on both experts' opinions. In both experiments the hypotheses that participants employed an additive rule to integrate verbal information and an averaging rule to integrate numerical information were supported.     

A Meta‐Analytic Review of Child‐Centered Play Therapy Approaches

The authors explored the overall effectiveness of child‐centered play therapy (CCPT) approaches through a meta‐analytic review of 52 controlled outcome studies between 1995 and 2010. Hierarchical linear modeling techniques estimated a statistically significant moderate treatment effect size (.47) for CCPT, as well as statistically significant relationships between effect size and study characteristics, including child's age, child's ethnicity, caregiver involvement, treatment integrity, publication status, and presenting issue.     

中小学教师的品质,行为特征及其相互关系的研究

本文经实验研究表明大多数教师属于积极性人格类型,即情绪稳定,社会适应性良好。另外表明Y－G测验的结果能够作为教师品质行为特征的指标之一。     

Development of Component Skills in Reading Chinese

Development of three component skills in reading Chinese was examined in primary school children in Hong Kong. Feature analysis skills, syntax knowledge, and semantic analysis skills were found to differ in their contribution to reading proficiency at different grades. Visual processing skill was not at all a good predictor for reading proficiency, but the phonological access skill was important in predicting children's reading proficiency before grade three. It was an ineffective predictor beyond grade three. Skill in semantic analysis, on the other hand, was insignificant as a predictor at younger grades but it became an important predictor after grade two. Syntax knowledge was an important predictor of reading proficiency in the first grade and remained a significant predictor of reading proficiency right up to grade six. The present data support the idea that some preliminary component processes of reading may become automatic with increasing experience in reading and that this automatization of component processes will leave more resource capacity for higher-order analyses. Chinese reading shares much in common with English reading in terms of the component processes involved at different stages of reading proficiency.     

Being Helped and Being Harmed: A Theoretical Study of Employee Self-Concept and Receipt of Help

Employee self-concept has long been recognized as a critical factor determining employee performance-related outcomes. As such, a considerable amount of research attention has been paid to exploring employee self-concept. However, relatively little is known about how an employee’s self-concept may be affected when the employee is the recipient of help-giving behavior exhibited by other organizational members. Consequently, we attempt to develop a theoretical model describing how an employee’s self-concept, in the forms of task-specific self-efficacy (TSSE) and organization-based self-esteem (OBSE), is affected by receipt of help. Additionally, we investigate the moderating roles of locus of control (LOC) and individualism–collectivism. In particular, we propose that higher levels of help received result in lower levels of TSSE and OBSE perceived. Moreover, we posit that internal LOC strengthens the negative impact of receiving help on TSSE and OBSE. Furthermore, we argue that individualistic tendencies strengthen the negative relationship between receiving help and TSSE and OBSE. Consequently, our theoretical model provides important insights into understanding employee self-concept in the organization.     

Age and gender differences in negative affect—Is there a role for emotion regulation?

Elderly people report less negative affect than the young, and women report more negative affect than men. This study investigated whether age and gender differences in negative affect could be explained by emotion regulation, measured as defensiveness and rumination, while controlling for the influence of life events. One-hundred-and-ninety-five young (20–35 years) and 302 elderly (70–85 years) men and women completed the Emotional Control Questionnaire-Rehearsal, Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale, Profile of Mood States, Beck’s Depression Inventory and List of Recent Experiences. Hierarchical regressions with negative affects as dependent variables showed that age was reduced to non-significance when controlling for defensiveness, and gender was reduced to non-significance when controlling for the interaction between age and gender, which in turn was reduced when entering rumination. Life events also influenced the association between age and negative affect. The results indicate that age differences in negative affect are mediated by defensiveness and life events and that when these two influences are accounted for elderly people score higher on sadness. Gender differences in negative affect were due to the young women’s higher scores on negative affect and this is partly explained by rumination.     

Traumatic Stress and Religion: Is there a Relationship? A Review of Empirical Findings

Based on a history of close conceptual link, empirical studies are beginning to accumulate that investigate the relationship between trauma and religion. A review of empirical studies that examined the relationship between religion/spirituality and PTSD showed mixed findings (n = 11). Though the direction of association varied among studies, all but one study reported significant associations between the two. Factors that might have contributed to the mixed findings are discussed (e.g., measurements, research design). Overall, these results appear to be encouraging toward confirming the conceptual link between religion and trauma. Further research investigating the direction of causation and possible moderators of the association may contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between trauma and religion.Yung Chen, Ph.D. was a research fellow at Duke University Medical Center, and is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at the United States Military Academy at West Point.Harold Koenig, M.D. is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center.     

The Mediating Effects of Motivation for Playing Pokémon Go on Internet Gaming Disorder and Well–Being

This study explored the influence of parenting, middle school students’ temperament, motivation for playing Pokémon Go on Internet Gaming Disorder and well-being. In particular, the mediating effects of motivation for playing Pokémon Go between parenting and Internet Gaming Disorder, as well as between students’ temperament and well-being were also examined. A total of 500 students were selected to participate in an experiment involving Pokémon Go gaming. Students were required to complete scales that measured parenting, temperament, motivation for playing Pokémon Go, well-being, and the IGD-20 test after 6?weeks of game playing.