Persuasive argumentation and social comparison as determinants of attitude polarization

Several of our studies indicate that persuasive-arguments theory by itself is an adequate explanation of polarization. Sanders and Baron (Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 1977, 13, 303–314) criticize this research. More generally, they contend that both argumentation and comparison are involved, “with persuasive arguments facilitating the shifts motivated by social comparison.” We feel that their critique is unconvincing. Relevant portions of the standard literature are reviewed to demonstrate that social comparison is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for polarization. Finally, we speculate about how persuasive-arguments theory could be extended to argument-poor settings (e.g., Asch's line comparison situation).     

Reactions to receiving expected and unexpected help from a person who violates or does not violate a norm

Different factors may affect reciprocity and attraction to an aid-giver. Sixty white South African high school students participated in a “record contest”. Hints provided by the quizmaster enabled them to win a prize. His help was expected or unexpected and, in providing this help, the quizmaster either did or did not violate a specific norm against doing so. It was predicted that recipients of unexpected help would display more reciprocity than recipients of expected help, but that the aid-giver would be derogated only when he behaved in both an unexpected and counternormative way and that, in general, attraction and reciprocity would be unrelated. These hypotheses were supported. They suggest that reciprocity is normally not mediated by attraction and that neither expectancy violation nor counternormative behavior will be itself produce derogation of an aid-giver. They further suggest recipients of unexpected help probably feel more obliged to repay an aid-giver than do recipients of expected help.     

柯林斯语义层次网络模型的实验研究

应用语义验证法对柯林斯与奎利安的语义层次网络模型进行研究,结果表明:(1)柯林斯等人的语义层次网络模型不完全适用于人脑的信息加工;(2)被试对主语所指称客体的熟悉程度是决定语义验证时间的一个重要因素;(3)被试提取概念各属性的时间并非完全由属性储存的位置决定的。     

内隐学习“三高”特征的实验研究

本研究在社会认知的人物特征识别范畴内,探讨在高强度练习和准确反馈条件下,内隐学习的高选择力、高潜力以及高密度贮存三大特征。实验采用一种测量内隐和外显学习的新方法,要求被试学会把像片按其组合特征分类。这些特征包括人物姿势的正侧面(显著维度特征),人物容貌的美丑(非显著维度特征)。结果表明:(1)非显著特征的学习,内隐被试表现出更大且显著的底层规则的迁移,比外显被试具有更高的选择力。(2)内隐被试表现出高潜力的内隐知识。(3)信息论处理揭示了内隐知识传递和贮存的高密性和高效性。     

Clinicians and supervisors' experiences with developing practices of open dialogue in network meetings in public mental health services

Open Dialogue is a dialogical approach focusing on the perspectives of patients and their social networks on treatment and recovery processes. As part of a larger research project, this prospective cohort study explores what promotes and hinders the development of Open Dialogue in network meetings (ODNM) based on the experiences of thirty-seven clinicians and seven supervisors. Multistage focus group interviews were used to collect data and were analysed thematically. We generated two main themes: (1) togetherness and isolation and (2) challenging and evolving. The findings show that ODNM can be developed in public mental healthcare, but this leads to both challenges and opportunities at the organisational level, such as conflicting perspectives, the difficulty of maintaining interest in ODNM, the need for committed and involved leaders, and the growing change in the traditional view of treatment, which has made clinicians collaborate more with patients and their relatives.     

The organization of construal networks and functional adaptation

This review examined the association of construal network organizations with functional adaptation and psychological well-being. Recent neuropsychological research supports the presence of distinct construal networks in the brain that organize action at different levels of goals and tasks. Construal networks are sets of connected construals, or mental representations of objects, events, and behaviors. Little attention, however, has been given to how the organization of construal networks promotes functional adaptation. Cognitive processes, construal levels, personal meaning, cultures, and situations influence the configurations of construal networks. The reviewed evidence indicated that construal network organization facilitates functional adaptation and well-being, either though the coherence or fit of the assembled construals with each other or through the mediation of their fit with situations or contexts, like a culture. This review goes beyond previous studies by describing the constructive, creative, and hypothetical aspects of construal organizations and their effects on functional adaptation and psychological well-being.     

Towards a normative change approach in child labour: A theoretical analysis and empirical exploration of the constituted and constitutive procedural social norms

Growing evidence in the field of child labour has identified social norms among the key antecedents. Social norms regulate actions of people within the social order. Where social norms are institutionalized and legitimized, people conform to them out of a sense of duty. It is argued that legitimate, deep-rooted, and institutionalized social norms are difficult to change. Yet, there have been some significant improvements in research suggesting that normative change programs can effectively shift deep-rooted social norms. In this study, we explored a pathway to change social norms that underpin child labour practices in four major hubs of cocoa and sea fishing. We employed a bottom-up practice research approach to co-design the study, and implemented it through narrative vignette interviews. Using vignette stimulus, we interviewed parents (n = 40), with 20 of them perceived to have engaged their children in child labour, and stakeholders in the communities (n = 10). Findings from the narrative interviews revealed norms on informal apprenticeship, inheriting family business, and hard work, among the core child labour norms. We unraveled the constitutive procedural norms that legitimize and justify the child labour norms in the communities. Based on this, a normative change framework has been designed and supported with suggested intervention programs to shift the social norms.     

Acute exercise and children’s cognitive functioning: What is the optimal dose of cognitive challenge?

Acute bouts of exercise have the potential to benefit children’s cognition. Inconsistent evidence on the role of qualitative exercise task characteristics calls for further investigation of the cognitive challenge level in exercise. Thus, the study aim was to investigate which “dose” of cognitive challenge in acute exercise benefits children’s cognition, also exploring the moderating role of individual characteristics. In a within-subject experimental design, 103 children (M_age = 11.1, SD = 0.9, 48% female) participated weekly in one of three 15-min exergames followed by an Attention Network task. Exergame sessions were designed to keep physical intensity constant (65% HR_max) and to have different cognitive challenge levels (low, mid, high; adapted to the ongoing individual performance). ANOVAs performed on variables that reflect the individual functioning of attention networks revealed a significant effect of cognitive challenge on executive control efficiency (reaction time performances; p = .014, ƞ²_p = .08), with better performances after the high-challenge condition compared to lower ones (ps < .015), whereas alerting and orienting were unaffected by cognitive challenge (ps > .05). ANOVAs performed on variables that reflect the interactive functioning of attention networks revealed that biological sex moderated cognitive challenge effects. For males only, the cognitive challenge level influenced the interactive functioning of executive control and orienting networks (p = .004; ƞ²_p = .07). Results suggest that an individualized and adaptive cognitively high-challenging bout of exercise is more beneficial to children’s executive control than less challenging ones. For males, the cognitive challenge in an acute bout seems beneficial to maintain executive control efficiency also when spatial attention resources cannot be validly allocated in advance. Results are interpreted referring to the cognitive stimulation hypothesis and arousal theory.