Convergent,Discriminant, and Incremental Validity of the Pictorial Attitude Implicit Association Test and the Picture Story Exercise as Measures of the Implicit Power Motive

The Pictorial Attitude Implicit Association Test (PA‐IAT) has recently been proposed as new measure of implicit motives. We report a study that provides the first evidence for the convergent validity of the PA‐IAT by showing that the PA‐IAT correlates significantly with a standard measure of implicit motives [i.e. the Picture Story Exercise (PSE)]. Discriminant validity of the PA‐IAT was verified in the sense that the PA‐IAT shared virtually no common variance with explicit motive measures. Our analyses revealed that the PA‐IAT and PSE can best be conceived as related but distinct measures. We further showed that the PA‐IAT had incremental validity in predicting performance on a memory recall task over and above the PSE. In general, our results confirm that the PA‐IAT is a valid measure of implicit motives and can serve as valid alternative to the PSE. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Arguing about the likelihood of consequences: Laypeople's criteria to distinguish strong arguments from weak ones

High-quality arguments have strong and lasting persuasive effects, suggesting that people can distinguish high- from low-quality arguments. However, we know little of what norms people employ to make that distinction. Some studies have shown that, in evaluating arguments from consequences, people are more sensitive to differences with respect to the desirability of these consequences than to differences in the likelihood that these consequences will occur. This raises the question of whether people lack the criteria to distinguish high-quality from low-quality arguments in support of such claims. In an experiment, 196 participants without any training in argument theory rated their acceptance of 30 claims about the likelihood that a certain outcome would result from a certain action. These claims were supported by an argument from authority, or from cause to effect, or from example. Arguments were systematically manipulated to violate nine specific criteria. For seven out of the nine criteria violation decreased acceptance of the claim supported. These findings show that people can use argument type specific criteria to distinguish high- from low-quality arguments.     

Gender Differences in Trauma Types and Themes in Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Background: This study aimed to determine whether there were gender differences in trauma types and cognitive-emotional themes among veterans with deployment-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods: Case notes or writing excerpts from two pilot studies were reviewed to determine types of traumas and emerging themes, with 20 women and 31 men comprising the sample. Results: Most women developed PTSD after sexual assault, with reactions emphasizing mistrust, betrayal, and anger. Men experienced more combat, with reactions including survivor guilt, moral injury, and horror. Conclusions: Both genders developed PTSD, but the causes of and reactions to their traumas differed. Emerging themes can be useful treatment foci.     

AN ARCHIMEDEAN POINT FOR PHILOSOPHY

Abstract: According to an orthodox account of meaning and translation, meaning is a property of expressions of a language, and translation is a matching of synonymous expressions across languages. This linguistic account of translation gives rise to well‐known skeptical conclusions about translation, objectivity, meaning, and truth, but it does not conform to our best translational practices. In contrast, I argue for a textual account of meaning based on the concept of a text‐type that does conform to our best translational practices. With their semantic function in view, text‐types are Archimedean points for their respective disciplines. The text‐type of philosophy is no exception. Culture‐transcendent conceptual analysis can proceed on firm footing without having to deny the reality of radical cultural and linguistic difference by treating components of text‐types as the concepts to be analyzed. Analyses of central philosophical concepts are provided as a means of adjudicating philosophical controversy.     

外框数目、线索数目和线索类型对返回抑制的影响

采用被试内重复测量设计和经典的线索—靶子实验范式,考查了外框数目（4和8）、线索数目（1和3）、不同线索类型（on-off线索（即线索出现后消失）、onset线索（即线索持续呈现））对返回抑制的影响,发现靶子潜在位置数目越多反应时越长,返回抑制量越小;线索数目越少反应时越长,返回抑制量越大;onset线索反应时长于on-off线索,onset线索产生的返回抑制量大于on-off线索。这表明空间工作记忆负载和记忆痕迹会影响返回抑制。     

他人期望类型对6~10岁儿童不同类型反语认知的影响

以态度、话语含义和语言现象探测为指标,探讨他人期望类型对6~10岁儿童不同类型反语认知的影响。结果表明：⑴他人期望类型（内隐和外显）影响儿童对他人态度和话语含义的探测,但不影响语言现象探测;⑵儿童在反语认知不同方面表现出发展的不平衡性。6岁儿童已具备初步的反语认知能力,开始能够理解反语中说话者的态度和话语含义,但还不能正确解释反语现象。直至10岁,儿童对反语现象的解释能力仍在发展中。⑶儿童对不同类型反语认知水平不同。6岁儿童对两类反语的解释不存在显著差异,8岁和10岁儿童对两类反语解释均存在显著差异。与反语恭维比,8岁和10岁儿童能更好地解释反语批评。     

Stevens’ Direct Scaling Methods and the Uniqueness Problem

Stevens postulated that we can use the responses of a participant in a ratio scaling experiment directly to construct a psychophysical function representing the participant's sensations. Although Stevens' methods of constructing measurement scales are widely used in the behavioral sciences, the problem of which scale type is appropriate to describe ratio scaling data is still unresolved. To deal with this problem, we develop a theoretical framework to specify the scale type attained by Stevens' direct scaling methods. It is shown, under fairly mild background assumptions, that the behavioral axioms presented in this paper are necessary and sufficient for the psychophysical functions to be ordinal-, interval-, log-interval-, or ratio-scales. Furthermore, suggestions on how to test these behavioral axioms are provided. Requests for reprints should be sent to thomas.     

AN EXAMINATION OF THE ANTECEDENTS OF READINESS FOR FINE-TUNING AND CORPORATE TRANSFORMATION CHANGES

This study examined employee readiness for fine-tuning changes and for corporate transformation changes. It was proposed that employees would report different degrees of readiness for these two types of change and that different variables would be associated with readiness for the two types of change. Results of regression analyses indicated that trust in peers and logistics and system support displayed strong positive relationships with readiness for fine-tuning changes, while trust in senior leaders and self-efficacy displayed strong positive relationships with readiness for corporate transformation changes. The implications of this study focus on the appropriateness of traditional change management strategies in light of findings that multiple change readiness attitudes exist within an organization.     

基层党政领导干部的行为风格与自我和谐及工作绩效的关系

通过深度访谈和问卷探讨了基层党政领导干部的行为风格类型及其与自我和谐及工作绩效的关系。结果表明,党政领导干部的行为可以区分为主动自信、上恭下倨和宽上容下等三种稳定的类型,其中主动自信不仅有利于个体保持较高的内心和谐,而且有利于个体工作绩效的提高,而上恭下倨则与主动自信相反,宽上容下则既有有利于工作绩效和自我和谐的一面,又有不利于绩效和自我和谐的一面。对行为类型的年龄、级别和学历差异以及党政领导干部理想的行为风格也进行了讨论。     

Varying Levels and Types of Engagement in an Online Relationship Enhancement Program for Couples Following Breast Cancer

Engagement in online interventions, defined as the extent to which participants are involved in and attentive to the contents of the intervention, has been shown to predict treatment outcome. However, participant engagement and program completion are often quite low. Aiming to provide insights that could help improve engagement, this study explores engagement in an online intervention for young couples with breast cancer, Couplelinks, by describing the development of a method to assess engagement, presenting a framework for understanding varying engagement levels, and discussing strategies used by Couplelinks facilitators to work with participants of differing engagement levels. The measure of engagement developed for this study was a composite consisting of indices of average completion time, accountability, and attitude. Utilizing this composite measure, the following distinct “couple types,” with varying levels of engagement, were discerned: (a) “keen” couples, (b) “compliant” couples, (c) “apologetic” couples, and (d) “straggling” couples. Facilitators’ approaches to working with each type of couple and suggestions for potential therapeutic applications are discussed. The finding that couples vary in terms of engagement level, and not solely based on facilitator skill and/or involvement, supports the need to better understand the concept of engagement in order to make online interventions more effective.