Validating the theory of mental self-government in a non-academic setting

This study pioneered the investigation of the efficacy of the theory of mental self-government in a non-academic setting. Three hundred and thirty-three people from various business sectors in Guangzhou, PR China, volunteered to participate in the research. The participants responded to the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised and to a range of questions concerning their actual and perceived work environments. Results indicated that the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised is reliable and valid for assessing the thinking styles of the participants. Furthermore, the participants’ reported work environments statistically predicted their thinking styles. Results supported Sternberg’s claim that the theory of mental self-government is a general theory of styles that applies to both academic and non-academic settings. Implications of the findings are discussed for organizational psychologists, human resource management personnel, providers of management training and development, as well as for the ordinary workforce.     

Narrowing down to open up for other people's concerns: Empathic concern can be enhanced by inducing detailed processing

In three experiments inducing a detailed versus abstract processing style using perceptual (Experiment 1), motivational (Experiment 2), and social (Experiment 3) manipulations, we found that empathic concerns are enhanced in contexts associated with a more detailed processing style (i.e., local perceptual scope, prevention motivation, and low power, respectively). Hence, simple contextual changes known to impact on processing styles may influence empathy beyond individual differences. The present findings are discussed in terms of their implications for empathy research and their relation with research on mood and level of construal.     

Kolb学习风格与中国大学生英语/i/-/I/发音的关系

以中国大学生为对象, 在对其英语/i/-/&;#618;/发音进行声学分析的基础上, 从Kolb经验学习模式入手, 结合其他相关学习者因素, 探讨学习风格与英语/i/-/&;#618;/发音的关系。结果显示, 中国学生发音表现个体差异较大, 其发音水平与学习风格紧密相关：吸收型和发散型学习者表现较好, 集中型学习者较差, 适应型学习者最差。另外, 中国学生发音表现与其英语使用和练习量也有显著正相关, 但与英语学习起始年龄和英语教育年限等其他因素都无直接联系。     

Active and passive maladaptive behaviour patterns mediate the relationship between contingent self-esteem and health

People with an impoverished basic self-acceptance are compelled to seek external reassurances of their own value and to cope with the threats and challenges of social life by different compensatory behaviours. The present study examines the links between competence based self-esteem (CBSE) and relation based self-esteem (RBSE) (Johnson &; Blom, 2007), active and passive maladaptive socio-behavioural styles and health status. The active style was indicated by hostile perfectionistic strivings whereas the passive style was indicated by avoidance and emotion suppression. In a cross-sectional design 284 Swedish adults completed personality and health questionnaires. The results showed that CBSE is a stronger predictor of poor physical health than RBSE and that the relation is primarily mediated by an active “toxic” style, whereas the role of RBSE for health appears purely indirect, mediated by a passive repressive style. An additional finding was that the two types of contingent SE and socio-behavioural styles were associated with different kinds of health problems.     

Personality,identity styles and authoritarianism: an integrative study among late adolescents

The relations between five personality factors, three identity styles, the prejudice dispositions of right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO) and racial prejudice were investigated in a Flemish‐Belgian late adolescent sample (N = 328). Results show that Openness to Experience and Agreeableness relate to racial prejudice but that these relations were fully mediated by RWA and SDO. In addition, results show that whereas RWA relates to Conscientiousness and lack of Openness to Experience, SDO relates to lack of Agreeableness and lack of Openness to Experience. The relation between Conscientiousness and RWA and between Openness to Experience and SDO was fully mediated by the identity styles. However, Openness to Experience had a direct influence on RWA and Agreeableness had a direct influence on SDO. The implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

高职护理生生活事件、应对方式及心理健康的关系研究

该研究采用SCL-90、生活事件量表、应对方式问卷对漳州医学护理职业学院280名学生进行了问卷调查,对262份有效问卷进行分析。结果表明:(1)同护理生心理健康有关的生活事件主要是人际关系问题、学习压力;(2)护理生在面临应激时,采取积极应对方式较多,消极应对方式较少;(3)护理生生活事件的各因子和应对方式的自责、幻想、退避、合理化因子与SCL-90之间有较高正相关,解决问题和求助的应对方式分别与SCL-90之间呈显著负相关和负相关;(4)进一步的多元逐步回归分析表明,人际关系和学习压力的生活事件因子与幻想、自责、解决问题、健康适应的应对因子对高职护理生心理健康影响最大;(5)应对方式是作为生活事件与心理健康的中介变量而存在并发挥作用的。生活事件、应对方式及心理健康之间有显著相关,应对方式是生活事件与心理健康的中介变量。     

Antenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms: Association with quality of mother–infant interaction

Antenatal and postnatal depression are independently associated with an increased risk of adverse infant development. A key linking mechanism is the quality of mother–infant interaction.ObjectivesThis study assesses the association between postnatal depressive symptoms (PDS) and their severity, with the quality of mother–infant interaction and compare the quality of mother–infant interaction and severity of the symptoms depending on the presence or absence of antenatal depressive symptoms (ADS).Methodsobservational study in 177 psychosocial risk mother–infant dyads from Chile (infant aged 2–12 months).ResultsMothers with PDS had lower maternal sensitivity and a more intrusive/controlling style than mothers without PDS, although the severity of the symptoms was not associated with lower maternal sensitivity. Maternal sensitivity did not differ in the postnatal depressed mothers depending on the presence of ADS, although the mothers differed in interaction style and the severity of symptoms. Mothers with ADS and PDS presented with a predominant intrusive/controlling interaction style and more severe depressive symptoms, whereas those with only PDS presented with a predominant nonresponsive/passive interaction style and reduced severity of symptoms.ConclusionsThe results corroborate the need to offer treatment and dyadic interventions to antenatal and postnatal depressive mothers and postulate that the presence of antenatal depressive symptoms may influence the subsequent mother–infant interaction style and greater severity of symptoms.     

母亲外向性与青少年外向性的关系:中介与调节作用模型

本研究旨在考察母亲外向性、母亲积极教养方式和同伴关系对青少年外向性的影响及其作用机制。以湖南省常德市三所中学的864名初中生及其母亲为被试,让母亲被试报告自己的外向性水平,让初中生报告其外向性、积极教养方式和同伴关系的情况。结果表明：（1）母亲外向性不仅能直接正向预测青少年外向性,还能通过母亲积极教养方式和同伴关系的中介作用影响青少年外向性。且这一中介包括三条路径：母亲积极教养方式单独的中介作用、母亲积极教养方式→同伴关系的链式中介作用以及同伴关系的单独中介作用;（2）“母亲外向性→母亲积极教养方式→青少年外向性”这一中介过程受到同伴关系的调节。研究结果有助于揭示母亲外向性对青少年外向性的影响及其作用机制,对探讨同伴关系在个体发展过程中的“多重作用”有一定的启示。     

Parenting styles and its impact on children – a cross cultural review with a focus on India

Parenting is a dynamic process, influenced by socio-cultural factors. It is an important contributing factor to child development and childhood psychopathology. Research investigating association between parenting styles and child outcome are limited in India. This paper aims to review studies conducted in West and in India in order to study cultural differences in parenting styles and its outcome. We found that despite hypothesized cultural differences between the West and India, the effect of parenting styles on children appear to be similar across culture, and culture did not serve as a moderator for parenting style and child outcome. An Authoritative parenting styles was associated with better outcome than authoritarian and neglectful/uninvolved parenting style in both Western countries and in India. Findings on indulgent/permissive parenting style were mixed in both Western countries and in India. The article discusses cultural shift in the parenting styles, and its implications for the future.     

Event-related potential (ERP) evidence for the differential cognitive processing of semantic jokes and pun jokes

Brain-imaging studies report that separate neural correlates are associated with processing of different types of humorous materials. However, such evidence lacks temporal information. In this study, we examined the temporal dynamics of humour comprehension between two types of jokes: semantic (SEMs) and pun (PUNs) jokes, using electroencephalographic (EEG) techniques. Thirty SEMs and 30 PUNs were presented to 16 healthy subjects, and their EEG data were concurrently recorded. PUNs consequently showed a larger N400 amplitude than did SEMs, without a specified scalp site, which implies that PUNs induce greater surprise and semantic violation. Meanwhile, SEMs induced a larger P600-like amplitude at the posterior site, which implies that, in order to understand SEMs, higher working memory loads are needed to form novel associations and successfully frame-shift. A possible explanation is the differing logical mechanisms used to understand SEMs and PUNs: the former builds on semantic relationships, the latter on phonological causality.