Wholistic Theology as a Conceptual Foundation for Services for the Oldest Old

SUMMARY

Social service agencies are focusing more and more on the “old-old.” Some organizations have secular missions that address multiple domains (i.e., physiological, economic, social, etc.). Other agencies, developed by the religious community, designate spirituality as a domain to be addressed in serving the “old-old.” This paper examines interfaces between secular social service organizations and those persons (whether staff, board or religious leaders) who attempt to provide a wholistic perspective for service provision to the “old-old.”     

Micro Practice and Faith-Based Initiatives: The Role of Religious Congregations in the Social Service System

SUMMARY

Religious organizations have provided services for older adults for thousands of years. For the sons and daughters of Abraham, this is Biblically mandated. Charitable Choice and the President's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives is only the most recent effort to bring this informal caregiving system into dialogue with the remainder of the formal social service system in the United States. At this time, religious congregations play a gap-filling role in the community service system. Their services range from informal volunteer-driven approaches to a local need, to large formal service systems. From the first draft of the Older American's Act, nutrition sites have specifically named religious congregations in partners with the service system. Today this system continues to be ready to support at least the seniors in their own congregations.     

Directions for judgment and decision making research based on comparison selection: Reply to Arkes,Johnson, and Kardes

Our target article proposed an alternative perspective for studying consumer judgment and decision making, focusing on the types and weights of comparisons consumers select. In this response we consider the major points made by each of the commentators and examine their implications for future work addressing our comparison-focused approach.     

Keep or trade? An experimental study of the exchange paradox

The “exchange paradox”—also referred to in the literature by a variety of other names, notably the “two-envelopes problem”—is notoriously difficult, and experts are not all agreed as to its resolution. Some of the various expressions of the problem are open to more than one interpretation; some are stated in such a way that assumptions are required in order to fill in missing information that is essential to any resolution. In three experiments several versions of the problem were used, in each of which the information given was sufficient to determine an optimal choice strategy when it exists or to justify indifference regarding keeping or trading when such a strategy does not exist. College students who were presented with the various versions of the problem tended to base their choices on simple heuristics and to give little evidence of understanding the probabilistic implications of the differences in the problem statements.     

Choice both affects and reflects preferences

The free-choice paradigm is a widely used paradigm in psychology. It has been used to show that after a choice between two similarly pleasant stimuli, the pleasantness of the chosen one tends to increase, whereas the pleasantness of the rejected one tends to decrease—a spreading of alternatives. However, the methodological validity of the free-choice paradigm to study choice-induced preference change has recently been seriously questioned [Chen, K. M., & Risen, J. L. (2010). How choice affects and reflects preferences: Revisiting the free-choice paradigm. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99, 573–594. doi:10.1037/a0020217]. According to this criticism, the classically reported spreading of alternatives between the first and second rating sessions cannot be unambiguously interpreted to reflect a true change in preferences and can be observed even for completely static preferences. Here, we used two measurement sequences, a classical Rating 1–choice–Rating 2 sequence and a control Rating 1–Rating 2–choice sequence, to disentangle the spreading of alternatives driven by the effect of choice from the artefactual effect highlighted by Chen and Risen. In two studies using different stimulus material (faces and odours), we find that choice has a robust modulatory impact on preferences for rejected odours, but not for chosen odours and not for faces.     

Initial validation of self-reported trajectories in military veterans

Previous research suggests that functioning after potentially traumatic events tends to follow discrete trajectories. This research is limited in that longitudinal data can be difficult to collect. The aim of the current study was to examine self-reported trajectories in military veterans using an online survey. Consistent with longitudinal work, those who reported chronic distress reported higher symptoms of PTSD and Depression, higher negative affect, lower social support, and less satisfaction with life than those on a resilient trajectory. Two change trajectories demonstrated intermediate scores on relevant measures. These results provide support for a retrospective method to assess trajectories of posttrauma functioning.     

To reach or not to reach? Perception of body effectivities by young infants

Two experiments compared 6‐month‐old infants as they reach for an object. All were proficient reachers but with different levels of sitting ability. The object was presented at various distances, within and beyond reach of the infant. In the first experiment, the scaling of perceived reachability in infants with different postural abilities (i.e. non‐sitter, near‐sitter, and sitter infants) was explored. The second experiment investigated the role of proprioception in the scaling of perceived reachability by non‐sitter and sitter infants. In general, results suggest that perceived reachability is calibrated in relation to the degree of postural control achieved by the infant. Infants demonstrate a sense of their own situation in the environment as well as a sense of their own body effectivities. Both determine the execution, or non‐execution, of reaching for a distal object by young infants. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Politics of Choice: Political Ideology and Intolerance of Ambiguity

The authors examine how political ideology impacts consumer preferences for hedonic and utilitarian choices and the underlying reasons for these differences. Five studies indicate that conservatives are less tolerant of ambiguity than liberals, leading to a preference for utilitarian options, whereas liberals are more tolerant of ambiguity leading to a preference for hedonic options. However, these preferences were reversed when utilitarian options were framed as ambiguous and hedonic options were framed as explicit and clear.     

青少年抑郁情绪的发展轨迹:界定亚群组及其影响因素

本研究意在分性别考察中国青少年抑郁情绪的发展轨迹及其影响因素。785名男生和859名女生参加了3轮追踪研究,初始测量阶段的年龄跨度为10~16岁,平均年龄分别为12.99±1.84和12.96±1.87岁。采用流调中心抑郁量表(CES-D)简版测量青少年的抑郁情绪。模型拟合的结果显示男女生的抑郁情绪在10~19岁时段皆呈线性增长趋势,其中男生分为两个亚群组,人际关系解释了部分变异;女生分为4个亚群组,学业压力和人际关系均解释了部分变异。     

Age differences in maximization

Studies have shown the existence of inter-individual differences in choice behavior, some people seeking for the best (maximizers) and others for a good enough option (satisficers). Here, we explored whether these inter-individual differences are influenced by aging and common personality traits (i.e., Big Five model). Young (n = 125; 19 years old) and elderly adults (n = 101; 86 years old) completed different scales assessing – among others – maximization and Big Five traits. Our results indicated a greater proportion of maximizers in elderly than in young adults. We also found a minor association between maximization and Big Five traits in both groups. In sum, aging influences choice behavior, but this cannot be explained by changes of common personality traits.