Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of everyday memory lapses in older adults

Everyday memory lapses experienced by older adults (OAs) were examined using a daily-diary checklist and retrospective questionnaire. In Experiment 1, 138 younger and 138 OAs indicated the frequency of forgetting of 16 memory lapses, and whether each occurred daily during the course of a week. OAs reported more memory lapses on the questionnaire, but not the daily diary. OAs reported more frequently forgetting names and words, while younger adults had more difficulty with appointments and personal dates. Fewer memory lapses on the daily diary were related to better performance on a laboratory-memory measure for OAs. In Experiment 2, 62 OAs returned for a five-year follow-up and endorsed experiencing more memory lapses on the daily diary compared to baseline, specifically forgetting more names and words, but not the retrospective questionnaire. Daily checklist memory lapses again correlated with the laboratory-memory measure. A daily checklist may be a viable way to assess everyday memory lapses.     

经验取样法——一种收集“真实”数据的新方法

经验取样法是一种有效的密集纵向研究数据收集方法。该方法的优点正逐渐被广大研究者所认同,国外运用经验取样法取得的研究成果越来越多,而国内学者对经验取样法的研究尚处于探索阶段,运用此方法的实证研究更是凤毛麟角。通过对《应用心理学期刊》(Journal of Applied Psychology)最近5年(2010~2014年)发表的26篇采用经验取样法的实证研究论文的内容分析,发现这些文章全面体现了经验取样法的特点、研究内容、样本量、激励方式、数据收集和操作过程等该方法的操作要素。对其进行总结不仅有利于对经验取样法在组织行为学中的应用状况进行总结,而且也能促进这一方法在未来的组织行为学和人力资源管理中的发展和应用。     

Reactions to daily events as a function of familiarity with an environment

Undergraduate participants provided measures of their psychological well‐being and described the positive and negative events that occurred each day, once during the first and second semesters of an academic year. For four of the five measures of daily well‐being, reactivity to negative events decreased from the first to second semester, whereas for four of the five measures of well‐being, reactivity to positive events did not change over the year. These results suggest that familiarity with an environment moderates reactivity to negative daily events. As people become more familiar with an environment, negative events may elicit smaller decreases in well‐being. In contrast, increases in well‐being elicited by positive events appear to be unrelated to familiarity with the environment. More broadly, these differences suggest that the reactivity to positive and negative events reflect the operation of different processes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Validation of a Swedish short self-report measure of core affect

This research aimed at validating two self-report composite rating scales of core affect that are useful when quick assessments are required, for instance, of current mood or recalled, anticipated, and experienced emotional reactions. The ratings were derived from the Swedish Core Affect Scales (SCAS) comprising six self-report rating scales of the two orthogonal dimensions of core affect, valence (unpleasantness-pleasantness) and activation (quietness-excitement). In three samples of university students who were requested to rate current moods, affect-inducing sounds, or affect-inducing pictures, the composite ratings were compared to SCAS, two widely used graphical rating scales of valence and activation, and skin conductance responses and the acceleratory peak of heart rate. Three different rating formats were also compared. The results showed that the composite ratings were reliable and yielded the expected correlations with the other ratings and with the physiological affect indicators. No effects of rating format were detected. It is concluded that the composite ratings of valence and activation may be used if quick assessments are called for. Choices can be made of any of three rating formats depending on purpose with the assessments.     

Exploring the motivations behind self-injury

This study explored self-described motivations for self-injuring behavior. One hundred and fifty four individuals were asked to express, in their own words, why they harmed themselves. The most frequently endorsed reason for self-injury was to obtain emotional release. The second most common intent was to resolve dissociation, and feel alive or real. Individuals also revealed that they self-injured in order to gain a sense of control, to punish themselves, to distract themselves, and to avoid suicidal or homicidal actions. Theoretical implications of these attributions for self-injury are discussed.     

State and Trait Anger Predicting Creative Process Engagement—The Role of Emotion Regulation

Drawing on the specific emotion approach, and based on the emotional regulation theory and cognitive and activation perspectives on emotions, this study examined the differentiated impact of state and trait anger on creative process engagement (CPE) and the moderating influences of emotion reappraisal and suppression. Data were obtained from daily surveys (N = 422) of 98 employees from three consultancy companies. Hierarchical linear modeling analysis revealed that trait anger has a stronger impact on CPE than state anger does. Furthermore, the relationship between state anger and CPE is stronger when emotion reappraisal is lower, rather than higher, and the relationship between trait anger and CPE is also stronger when emotion suppression is lower, rather than higher.     

Does state self-control depletion predict relationship functioning and partner aggression? An ecological momentary assessment study of community couples

Intimate relationship functioning depends upon the ability to accommodate one's partner and to inhibit retaliatory and aggressive impulses when disagreements arise. However, accommodation and inhibition may be difficult when self-control strength is weak or depleted by prior exertion of self-control. The present study considered whether state self-control depletion prospectively predicts male and female self-reports of anger with partner and arguing with partner. Consistent with the I³ Model (Finkel, 2014, Adv Exp Soc Psychol, 49, 1–104), we also considered whether the association between elevated anger and arguing (i.e., instigation) and partner aggression was stronger when state self-control (i.e., inhibition) was depleted or among people high in negative urgency. In this ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study, heavy drinking married and cohabiting heterosexual couples (N = 191) responded to three randomly signaled reports each day for 30 days. Depletion predicted anger and arguing with partners both cross-sectionally and prospectively for men and women. However, after controlling for prior levels of anger and arguing, these effects were diminished, and supplemental analyses revealed that anger and arguing with partner predicted subsequent depletion. Anger and arguing were strongly associated with concurrent reports of partner aggression perpetration and victimization (verbal and/or physical). However, neither state self-control depletion nor negative urgency moderated these effects. Overall, results suggest a modest impact of depletion on daily couple functioning as well as a potential cyclical effect of arguing on depletion.     

Family emotional climate and health: Testing conveyance of effects via psychobiological mediators

Using the Biobehavioral Family Model and data from five Midlife in the United States projects (N = 793), this study tests whether allostatic load and negative affect reactivity convey the effects of categorizations of family emotional climate on health appraisal and morbidity (chronic conditions) across 20 years. Results indicated that negative family emotional climate (high strain, low support/parental affection) was indirectly associated with health appraisal 20 years later via negative affect reactivity at 10 years. Ambivalent family emotional climate (high strain/support) was directly associated with greater morbidity. Allostatic load did not serve as a significant mediator in the models tested. Findings suggest that family emotional climates marked by strain and intensity may be especially problematic for health, partly by exacerbating negative affect reactivity.