Portrait of a narcissist: Manifestations of narcissism in physical appearance

Narcissism is characterized in part by an acute concern for one’s appearance. Despite this fundamental aspect of narcissism, little is known about whether narcissism is manifested in features of physical appearance. Can you tell if someone is narcissistic just by looking at them? Our results indicate that snap judgments of narcissism based on full-body photographs are at least as accurate as snap judgments of any of the big five personality traits. Narcissists are more likely to wear expensive, flashy clothing, have an organized, neat appearance requiring a lot of preparation, and (in females) wear makeup and show cleavage. Furthermore, observers’ judgments correlate with the presence of these cues, suggesting that they are drawing on the correct information when making their judgments. Finally, observers’ judgments are associated with three of the four facets of narcissism and capture the unique constellation of personality traits typical of narcissists (i.e., high extraversion and low agreeableness). These findings suggest that physical appearance reflects narcissists’ personality, preoccupation with good looks, and desire to be the center of attention, and serves as a vehicle with which to promote their status.     

Personality traits and subjective health in the later years: The association between NEO-PI-R and SF-36 in advanced age is influenced by health status

This study examined the association between personality traits (as measured by the NEO-PI-R) and subjective ratings of mental and physical health (as measured by the SF-36) in two samples of older adults differing in health status (Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, BLSA, n = 393, vs. Medicare Primary and Consumer-Directed Care Demonstration, Medicare PCC, n = 648). The association between personality traits and subjective mental health did not differ significantly across samples. The association between personality and subjective physical health, however, was significantly stronger in the healthy BLSA sample than in the medically challenged Medicare PCC sample. Differences in health conditions and recent hospitalizations partially accounted for this effect. Lifespan developmental considerations and implications for the use of subjective health ratings as outcome measures in clinical studies are discussed.     

La représentation des causes de l’état de santé par les infirmiers et les points de vue envisagés des patients et des aidants naturels : une approche socionormative

This study examines the representation of the determining factors of patients’ states of health in therapeutic care situations. We describe the average representation of experienced hospital nurses (n=44) and the differences which they consider to exist between their own and their patients’ points of view. Taking as our starting point the purpose of the care provided and the asymmetry of the carer/patient relationship, we hypothesize, on the one hand, that nurses will have a representation of their patients’ state of health which is based on the care to be provided, with the factors determining the state of health being necessarily perceived as having a general impact on patients’ lives while still being remediable, i.e. capable of changing and being controlled by the provided care. On the other hand, we expect them to attribute a passive position and attitude to their patients, with the factors determining their state of health being necessarily perceived as being out of their own control. The results and the analysis of the representations reported as being those of the patients and their families seem to justify this perception and role of carer: the supposed representations of the latter would appear to be convergent but less focused on health problems and would tend to minimize the patient’s involvement, in particular when the state of health declines. The results are discussed with reference to the Health Belief Model and the social norm of internality as well as the professional practices observed in hospital environments.     

Embodying gestures: The Social Orienting Model and the study of early gestures in autism

Autistic spectrum disorders impair the ability to interact socially. Detecting and understanding their onset is not only an empirical enterprise, but also a theoretical one, often linked to studies on intersubjectivity. Different theoretical perspectives have been elaborated in the past to account for the deficit. The main purpose of this paper is to reinforce and offer empirical grounding to a recent approach, termed Social Orienting Model, by presenting the main theoretical approaches to autism and contrasting them to this view, as well as considering its possible effect on empirical research, focusing on current literature analyzing gestures in children with autism.

Formal modeling and analysis of cognitive agent behavior

From an external perspective, cognitive agent behavior can be described by specifying (temporal) correlations of a certain complexity between stimuli (input states) and (re)actions (output states) of the agent. From an internal perspective the agent's dynamics can be characterized by direct (causal) temporal relations between internal and mental states of the agent. The latter type of specifications can be represented in a relatively simple, executable format, which enables different types of analysis of the agent's behavior. In particular, simulations of the agent's behavior under different (environmental) circumstances can be explored. Furthermore, by applying verification techniques, automated analysis of the consequences of the agent's behavior can be carried out. To enable such types of analysis when only given an external behavioral specification, this has to be transformed first into some type of executable format. An automated procedure for such a transformation is proposed in this paper. The application of the transformation procedure is demonstrated for a number of cases, showing examples of the types of analysis as mentioned for different forms of behavior.     

家电销售人员胜任特征模型建构

本研究旨在探讨优秀家电销售人员应具备的胜任特征。首先通过对20名家电销售人员的行为事件访谈,初步构建了家电销售人员胜任特征模型;然后通过对20例顾客与家电销售人员的互动进行自然观察,进而对所建构的模型加以验证。研究表明,家电销售人员胜任特征模型共包括9项:成就导向、主动性、学习发展、影响力、洞察力、服务意识、可信赖、情绪稳定性以及产品知识。     

Relating momentary affect to the five factor model of personality: A Japanese case1

Abstract: This article shows that fundamental aspects of the structure of momentary affect are similar in Japanese and Canadian societies. We developed questionnaire scales in Japanese in four different formats for assessing self-reported momentary affect. Scales can be scored for dimensions defined by Feldman Barrett and Russell (1998 ), Thayer (1996 ), Larsen and Diener (1992 ), and Watson and Tellegen (1985 ). We administered these newly developed affect scales and NEO five-factor inventory ( Costa & McCrae, 1992 ) to a sample of 450 Japanese respondents. The affect scales were found to be psychometrically sound and to be interrelated, as found with English-speaking Canadians. Dimensions could be integrated into a two-dimensional affective space. Personality correlated with momentary affect, though not in the same pattern as found in Canada.     

New multinomial models for the Chechile-Meyer task

This paper provides a critique of the Chechile and Meyer (J. Math. Psychol. 13 (1976) 269) multinomial processing tree (MPT) models that were generated for the measurement of storage and retrieval components of the correct recall rate. These models were developed for a specific test procedure that involved the random mixing of recall and recognition trials. A key problem with the Chechile and Meyer (J. Math. Psychol. 13 (1976) 269) models is the validity of an assumption made for foil recognition test trials. Three new MPT models for obtaining separate storage and retrieval measures are provided. These new models circumvent the difficulties of the Chechile and Meyer (J. Math. Psychol. 13 (1976) 269) models. Both maximum likelihood estimates (MLE) and population-parameter mapping (PPM) estimates (discussed in Chechile (J. Math. Psychol. 42 (1998) 432)) are provided for the model parameters. Monte Carlo studies were conducted to compare the relative accuracy of the MLE and PPM storage estimates. Both methods have the same average error rate for samples that are very large in size; however, for all the more practical sample sizes, the PPM estimates were more accurate. Statistical methods for model selection were also developed and tested. Finally, the new models were used to reanalyze some existing data. The new analyses provide strong validation evidence for the new models.     

童年期攻击行为发展的追踪研究

本研究采用"班级戏剧问卷"对中部一所小学3、4年级的285名儿童进行了3年追踪调查,研究了3年来儿童的外部攻击和关系攻击发展趋势及其在个体间的差异,并探讨了两类攻击行为发展趋势之间的关系。结果表明:(1)童年中后期外部攻击和关系攻击的变化趋势不显著。并且初始测量的外部攻击水平高的儿童,其关系攻击水平也较高;外部攻击行为变化较快的儿童,其关系攻击变化也比较快。(2)男生的外部攻击水平显著高于女生,而关系攻击的性别差异不显著。四年级关系攻击的上升速度快于三年级;初始为关系攻击较高组相对于较低组,他们的关系攻击随时间的上升速度也比较快。